Sweet Garage Flooring

So far, I’ve mentioned a lot about epoxy garage floor paint, mainly because it can be a very cheap and easy option. It’s low to no maintenance, and is far less expensive than pretty much any other garage flooring. However, there are situations where paint may not be the best option, or just may not be preferable. In this case, another solution could be garage floor coverings.

For our purposes, we will define “coverings” as things that can be moved, and “coatings” as solutions that cannot.  Keep in mind, interlocking garage floor tiles can easily be moved, while peel and stick tiles cannot.

Garage Floor Coverings Can Be Moved If Desired

There are a few different situations that come to mind where a garage floor covering may be a better idea than painting the garage floor. Permanency is a big factor. Do you need something that is going to protect the floor forever, or something that you can just pick up when you’re done? Some people like the look of a clean concrete garage floor as opposed to paints, mats, or tiles. Of course, this preference obviates the need to keep said the concrete very clean, which is where garage floor mats come in quite handy.

Garage Floor Coverings Are Quick To Install

Even a garage floor mat that is designed to cover the entire garage is faster to install than paint. Most of the time, it’s just a matter of cutting the mat to fit, then throwing it down onto the floor, and you’re all done. This is opposed to paint, which takes hours to install, or tiles, which can sometimes take even longer, depending on their design.

Garage Floor Coverings Are Easily Tossed If Needed

When it comes to garage flooring, sometimes you just have to anticipate taking losses. There are some things that even the toughest paints, tiles, or garage floor mats simply are not going to survive without taking some damage. Although it can be an expensive proposition, a garage floor mat can easily be thrown away and replaced if damaged or stained. Interlocking garage floor tiles are even better in this situation because you can just take out the damaged or stained tiles while keeping the good ones. For these reasons, some people who paint their garage floors use mats or interlocking garage floor tiles as well – to protect their paint! They may cover their entire garage when they get ready to work, or just the area likely to be contaminated. Even if not anticipating damage or stains, it’s much easier to clean a mat than it is to clean an entire painted floor. Just be careful that you do not get into any anti-environmental habits as it becomes very easy to just dump everything out of your garage floor mat onto the ground outside.

Garage Floor Coverings Are Easy To Install

For those of us whose backs or knees are not up to kneeling or stooping for hours, a big garage floor mat may actually be cheaper, even though paint by itself is far less expensive. This is because even those with physical issues can generally install garage floor coverings on their own. When you factor in the cost of install, suddenly the price savings of using paint go right out the window.

Another option would be garage floor tiles.  Peel and stick tiles beautify garages, but can also be used in pretty much any other work areas or shops.  They’re easy to install and custom fit.  They also hide stains and cracks in concrete floors, just like mats.  Garage floor tiles can also be used to protect floors so that they don’t get stained or cracked in the first place, which is, of course, the better idea, but hindsight is always 20/20, right?  I suppose after you’ve already dropped the car onto its axles, oil pan, and transmission pan, the condition of the garage floor is the least of your worries.  Not that I would know anything about that.

Garage floor tiles often have a patterned design that will keep dirt and debris from being tracked into the home, again, much like the garage floor mats.  They also provide cushioning and are very durable.  By the time they’re installed, you’ll have a virtually sealed, non-porous surface on which to work.  There are types of garage floor tiles that have sticky backing so that you simply remove the cover and slap them onto the concrete.  These are better if you’re in a situation where you’ll be turning wheel, as a garage floor mat can bunch up, depending on circumstances.  Interlocking garage floor tiles can also bunch up, but it’s not very likely.  They’re designed to grip the concrete, just like tires.

Burning out on either tiles or mats is not recommended, as you run the risk of losing control of the car, ramming the back of the garage, having the garage collapse on the car (ruining your nice new garage floor, as well as your car), setting the car on fire and alighting the entire garage and any nearby structure into a huge fireball of death.  Boom.  No one likes boom.  Well, some people like boom, but those people are either ballistics experts or in jail.  Or they will be in jail.  It really depends on what they’ve already tried to blow up.