Garage flooring advice

Hi guys

I want to put some floor covering down in my garage to keep the dust levels down. I'd originally wanted to paint the floor but as its a rented garage I've decided to go for either rubber floor tiles of some cheap lino.

The lino I am looking at is 2.5mm thick. Do you think this would be suitable to line my garage with? I am worried that my build table will dig in and I won't be able to wheel it around.

VINYL FLOORING BLACK SQUARE TILE lino ANY LENGTH x 3m on eBay (end time 25-Dec-09 09:05:15 GMT)

Thanks

Trev
 
Trev, I would be very cautious about using Vinyl in a garage. I think you would have trouble moving stuff about, I have vinyl in my kitchen and everything digs into it when you try to move them. I would also expect that petrochemicals would soften it(at the very least) and cause problems. Not sure what the next best solution after paint would be, but if you are on a long term rent why not talk to your landlord to see what he says and take it from there, options I would offer are.
1. paint it and go halves
2. paint it and get some rent off
3. Ask what he would do to keep dust down.

Just a wash with a diluted PVA solution might help for a while, but this would need to be covered; true lino would probably work better than vinyl if you can still get it.
 

Mike Pass

Supporter
If the floor is dry then 1/2" plywood is cheap and strong. When it's wrecked just put another sheet down.
Cheers
Mike
 
Hi Chris

The other option I have thought about is rubber floor tiles.
Cheapest Gym-LOK rubber garage gym floor tiles mat mats on eBay (end time 03-Dec-09 12:25:37 GMT)

The company sent me a sample and the tiles are very hard rubber and might be an option. The only problem is the cost and do you think the tiles would suffer from the same problem as the lino/vinyl in terms of digging in?

I just want something to cover the floor to avoid leaving any marks etc in the concrete, help reduce level of dust and is stable to build on.

Also for reference my car will be mounted on a build table with castors and not axle stands (if that makes and difference).

Trev
 
As for painting the floor my landlady would be happy for me to do that but I've heard a lot of horror stories about garage floor paint lifting and coming off in patches. The last thing I'd want to do is risk ruining the floor as the garage isn't mine.

Trev
 

Randy V

Moderator-Admin
Staff member
Admin
Lifetime Supporter
I've used an epoxy paint specically for garage floors on two different floors and it doesn't peel if you acid etch the concrete as directed first.
Makes spill cleanups really easy.
 
Trev, if the floor is concrete and isn't seeping moisture then there are a variety of epoxy type paint-on coverings which are super durable. The key thing is that the concrete can't be seeping moisture - if it is then absolutely nothing will stick to it properly/permanently. Most residential concrete slabs seep moisture. If a proper vapor barrier was laid down prior to the pour then it'll be better than most but still not completely dry. One way to check how much moisture is coming up through the slab is to tape a one foot by one foot piece of clear plastic to the floor - something like a clear plastic drop sheet used for painting or construction works well. If, after three or four days, you see a lot of condensation on the inside of the plastic then you know your slab is seeping a fair amount of water - more than acceptable for most floor paints.

The plastic tiles seems like a good option for a rental - you can take them with you when you leave and use at the next place.
 
Hi all

Thanks for the responses on this. The floor doesn't seem to have any moisture coming through but the garage isn't that old (probably 1 year old) and I've read somewhere that newer concrete can make it more difficult for coatings to stick to, is this true?

I am still thinking of going down the vinyl route. It might rip, scuff and get a bit messy but I only plan on using it for the build and its bound to be less dusty than bare concrete and a bit nicer to work on.

This is the stuff I am thinking of ordering. Do you think my build table would move around on this or sink into it too much?

VINYL FLOORING BLACK SQUARE TILE lino ANY LENGTH x 3m on eBay (end time 25-Dec-09 09:05:15 GMT)

Trev
 

David Morton

Lifetime Supporter
If possible ask whoever constructed the garage if the base had a DPC Membrane.
If detached from the house and built at the same time as the house it may be less likely. If it has a DPC and you have little or no moisture present any more, then floor paint is adequate. For areas around the car Costco do a dark grey interlocking 'soft' tile about 500mm square. Underneath the car doesn't matter so much . If the car is up on a build table you don't need to spend so much time on your knees unless you have to grovel for spending excessive time in your own world, so the soft tiles would then be an option. It all costs dosh and unless you are rolling in it, go frugal.

Dave
 

Randy V

Moderator-Admin
Staff member
Admin
Lifetime Supporter
Trev -

That vinyl looks nice for a recreation room in your house - but for aging eyes like mine, it would be hell in the shop. Certainly a dark color will hide dirt well - but ::
Any little dropped nut, bolt, clip will disappear from site - not to be seen again until I slip on it - and then only briefly as it scoots to other spots unknown.
Liquid spills also disappear too easily on a dark floor covering.

If I were you - I'd be looking toward the lighter end of the spectrum..
 
Trev -

That vinyl looks nice for a recreation room in your house - but for aging eyes like mine, it would be hell in the shop. Certainly a dark color will hide dirt well - but ::
Any little dropped nut, bolt, clip will disappear from site - not to be seen again until I slip on it - and then only briefly as it scoots to other spots unknown.
Liquid spills also disappear too easily on a dark floor covering.

If I were you - I'd be looking toward the lighter end of the spectrum..

Observation noted, Ill look into some other colours. I did think of a light colour to start with for the same reason but was worried about it getting dirty quickly.
 
How about off white then?

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BEAUFLOR VINYL FLOORING OFF WHITE Plain LINO 5.5m x 3m on eBay (end time 20-Dec-09 19:00:05 GMT)
 
FWIW, in some outside-the-box thinking, my garage is equipped with wall-to-wall carpet!

It has numerous advantages. Among them, it's especially warm and comfortable to work on, instead of scrabbling around on a cold cement floor.

Dropped items typically wind up at rest relatively close to where they were dropped, rather than beaming to the farthest, darkest corner of the workshop.

The one great disadvantage is that fluid spills are a bit more serious and take a bit more attention to deal with. Taking precautions ahead of time (spreading plastic/drip pans before draining oil etc.) goes a long way.

The best part is that it's FREE. In my case, I waited until a neighbor was having all new carpets installed, and I intercepted the old ones before they could be hauled away. :D
 
I've decided to go for a couple of rolls of 6mm thick rubber flooring in black. Not the best colour I know but will be grippy and keep the dust levels down.

Once the floorings in I might look into bringing a work matt, sheet or ply wood base for the chassis so its easier to see things around the car.

I'll hopefully have the flooring in by the end of the week so Ill post some pics up and let you know how I get on.

Thanks for everyones responses and ideas, much appreciated

Trev
 
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