Garage Flooring Choices

[David in Durango]

Carpets?

Here is what I found:
I don't use a creeper and it is warm and comfortable year around.
Dropped parts don't go far.
Floor jacks and engine hoists are useable on the carpet.

However: I will NOT do this again, and will remove the carpet as soon as I get the Pantera moving under its own power.

Why? When I converted my V8 Miata to carb and a NON-Ford distributor the Miata was parked in the garage within inches of the Pantera. When the plumbing part of the project was under way: every joint and union was checked everytime the system was pressureized. One union alway had a fuel weep and was redone numerous times until it remained dry. At no time was there evidence of fuel in the valley of the motor. Next step was to get the DUI distributor installed and checked.

Can you say "Yes, we have spark!"

The fire bottle showed it was charged and ready for action. It was NOT. Since I was just off the kitchen I tried a couple of mixing bowls of water, only to watch the fire re-ignite. You would be surprised the day-dreams (melted Pantera and burned down house) you can have while working in a panic.

Within seconds I had a hose blasting and the fire out. (Yes, I remembered to pull the plugs and spin the motor to expel water!)

What I didn't realize until the car was moved outside some days later??? the carpet below the car was soaked in gasoline (couldn't see this) and would re-ignite the blaze.


You may think you are careful, I did.
You may have a fire bottle handy, I did.
Its a miracle I didn't lose everything but the mailbox.

My suggestion is NO CARPET. YMMV.

 

[Seymour Snerd]

Just to bring my part of this thread up to date:

I ended up going with white racedeck plastic tiles. In the process I've learned a couple things that my be useful to others:

1. The regular old "diamond pattern" plastic tiles come in two sizes, 12" square and 18" square. Since my scheme is monochrome I chose 18" tiles thinking it would save me installation time. I stupidly forgot that the 12" tiles are shipped preassembled into 24" squares, so I probably cost myself installation time. OTOH I probably saved a some time in filling in the borders with cut pieces.
2. Despite the vendor's suggestion that you place the tiles on the floor and then step on them to lock them together, I think it is easier and smarter to place them together carefully and then use a large rubber hammer. The reason is that it's very easy to place them together without the interlocking tongues and loops perfectly aligned, and if you then try to engage them you just bend the tongues and generally make a mess of things.
3. My tiles on my garage floor have a property that is somehwere between slightly annoying and crazy-making: The tiles are slightly convex and thus there is a slight gap between concrete and tile. So when I step on them it makes a "clop" sound that is almost impossible to avoid. So walking around the garage is accompanied by "clop clop clop". OTOH, no one will sneak up behind you.
4. I'm not sure, but I think the tiles have a slight electrostatic attraction to dust. I notice this in sweeping with a push broom: doing so casually always leaves behind a small amount of fine dust that comes up with a couple more sweeps. Probably will vacuum in the future.
5. I used a table saw with rip fence for cutting the tiles. Worked fine.

This may all sound like a bunch of complaints but it's not meant to. I'm still happy with the decision, especialy whenever I drop any heavy and expensive object. So far nothing has made any significant dents, including the 900-lb mill sitting on an industrial dolly, and everything rolls around easily enough, albeit with a little noise from the "diamonds". But those diamonds also keep things from rolling around on their own and they so far have kept me from slipping and falling.

 

[Cliff Beer]

Carpets?

Here is what I found:
I don't use a creeper and it is warm and comfortable year around.
Dropped parts don't go far.
Floor jacks and engine hoists are useable on the carpet.

However: I will NOT do this again, and will remove the carpet as soon as I get the Pantera moving under its own power.

Why? When I converted my V8 Miata to carb and a NON-Ford distributor the Miata was parked in the garage within inches of the Pantera. When the plumbing part of the project was under way: every joint and union was checked everytime the system was pressureized. One union alway had a fuel weep and was redone numerous times until it remained dry. At no time was there evidence of fuel in the valley of the motor. Next step was to get the DUI distributor installed and checked.

Can you say "Yes, we have spark!"

The fire bottle showed it was charged and ready for action. It was NOT. Since I was just off the kitchen I tried a couple of mixing bowls of water, only to watch the fire re-ignite. You would be surprised the day-dreams (melted Pantera and burned down house) you can have while working in a panic.

Within seconds I had a hose blasting and the fire out. (Yes, I remembered to pull the plugs and spin the motor to expel water!)

What I didn't realize until the car was moved outside some days later??? the carpet below the car was soaked in gasoline (couldn't see this) and would re-ignite the blaze.


You may think you are careful, I did.
You may have a fire bottle handy, I did.
Its a miracle I didn't lose everything but the mailbox.

My suggestion is NO CARPET. YMMV.

David, good to hear you got your carpet fire out before it turned into a car fire!

I like to use sections of carpet (4'X4' or so) in a couple key areas....always seems to be under the engine of a number of leaky european cars in the garage. I was mig welding a few years back and didn't notice a blob of molten metal had landed on the oil (and fuel) soaked carpet near my right foot....with a welding helmet on it's difficult to notice such things. Luckily a different blob landed on the arm of my (non-welding) jacket and I lifted the helmet to brush it off (as it was melting into my jacket arm and my own arm...) in time to notice that my foot was right in the middle of a small, but growing, carpet fire. Hhhmmmm...that's why my foot felt a little warm... My fire extinguisher was full and I pull the pin and doused my foot first and then the carpet. That woke me up.

Incidentally, has anyone used the Rustoleum Epoxy-shield garage floor paint? Good stuff?

Thanks