Racedeck garage flooring

[RMviper]

Anyone happy with racedeck garage flooring ?
I am thinking about using it over epoxy,
wondering how it will hold up and look living on the east coast with a changing climent.

epoxy sounds messy since I have rooms over the garage and it may not cure until spring time ?

 

[JeffM]

Overall, I like mine. Some things that bother me are its gets dirty real easy and must be cleaned quite a bit. Also, when I had my Jeep, if I turned the wheels it would pull apart the race deck at the seams.

 

[RMviper]

thanks for the input. MMmmm clean the garage all of the time or drive the vipers ?

 

[ViperBite]

I pondered this for quite some time. While in Home Depot I happened across huge rolls of indoor/outdoor carpet. 12 ft wide and any length. Price, damn cheap compared to epoxy or decking. Several colors to choose from. I don't expect it to last forever but at the cost to replace every few years, still cheap. And during the winter the carpet provides insulation against the concrete. Got a nice dark grey color which helps hide any stains etc.

Took all of 2 minutes to unroll. Did not even tape it down. Got me a few $1.00 tile pads for the tires to sit on while parked.

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

It gets dirty but still looks pretty good. Overall I like it. Costco has pretty good prices and have it on sale once in a while.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Productgroup.aspx?Prodid=11038308&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=

my garage: http://norcal.viperclub.org/gallery/04262005LiftEvent/index.html

 

[PrimeTime]

I installed the racedeck system in my car garage 3 years ago after considering the epoxy option for quite some time. It looks as good today as when it was installed. If you mop the floor about once a month during the winter it will keep the tiles clean and looking new. Takes me about 15 minutes. Before installing the tiles, I taped down a single course of 30 tar paper as a padding to absorb the clapping sound when you walk on the tiles. Haven't had any problems with separation, but don't need to turn the wheels much in the garage. I highly recommend the system. If you're ever on Long Island and want to check out my floor, PM me before hand and I'll give you my address.

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

I have it, been down close to a year.
I am real happy with the look and finish.
IMO, no garage flooring compares.

Primetime, great idea on the tar paper.

 

[FLOORIN04]

I did mine in ceramic tile.

 

[RMviper]

I was thiniking of ceramic tile. I like the look but was concerned about the cold feeling. any input ?

 

[Mr U-2]

I'm currently building a new house and was going to do the epoxy thing again...I had it in Florida and it was OK...but ceramic Tile sounds nicer...what size weight...does it hold up?
I'd be afraid of cracking etc...Pictures?

Thanks...Paul

 

[ACR steve]

RM I am in New City,Rockland County ,N.Y. close to Bergen if you are in NNJ.I had to use Race deck over my Griots Garage paint because I have hydrolyses happening in the garage concrete(moister causing white powder to bubble areas of the paint) A perfect epoxy floor to me is the best looking but in my case this was the best alternative and I like it allot,Easy to vacuum and easy to moop.Feel free if you are in NNJ to see it.

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

Tile would be fine, except for grout lines, which would be more of a hassle to clean than Race Deck -IMO.

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

Black grout, seriously. It would work, never see a stain, just mop it up once in a while.

 

[96GTS232]

i also used indoor/outdoor carpet from home depot;very durable(no problems after three years). only difference is i glued it down with liquid nails. took all of 1/2 hour to finish. looks just like regular carpet;not that tacky astro-turf look.

 

[wesman]

Sweet garage Fred.

Questions for you:

On the Costco site it says 1 x 1- I assume that's 1 ft x 1 ft, correct?

The pics don't look like they are 1x1 at all, are the black and white squares actually 4 tiles together?

--wes

 

[FLOORIN04]

I used a porcelain tile that was grey /black /tan and light green. It is better then what it sounds. I did a steel grey grout and it cleans with mop and water just great. Road salt and mud allow to dry and sweep.Then wet mop maybe once if must twice.I will post pics when I get another camera.My 3 year old decided to play photographer.And it has not worked since.It ended up costing me less then racedeck and added value to the house.It is not very colder then what concrete is.

 

[Viper99]

I did chipped epoxy. I like it a lot. Tile is also an excellent choice but use porcelain not ceramic in areas where extreme weather is a possibility. My father has had tile in his garage for over 20 years and it looks like the day he had it placed. I went with epoxy because I knew I'd be adding a lift and floor jacks, etc.

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

I used 18" x 18" Race deck tiles, 12" was too small.

 

[Jay Herbert]

I went with an epoxy on the floor of the working area of the shop and it is holding up great:

Yes, I work on vehicles in my shop , the Shelby Dakota is on the lift because tomorrow it gets a new strater. I did all the prep for the floor myself, it was a ton of work, but the floor soaked up the Epoxy like a sponge and it is wearing like iron.

"Behind me" in this picture is the rest of the shop (approx 24' x 20' of the 24' x 46' total) which I still have not put down the final flooring. I was leaning toward rubber flooring like seen in comercial kitchens, airports, etc.

Something like this:

You must be registered for see images

from Endura Rubber Flooring

It will be more expensive than race deck if I go that route. The racedeck garages I've seen look fantastic.

 

[RMviper]

Wow now I thinking about using epoxy or tile. clean up sounds easyier with the tile, I just now wonder if I have to wait until spring if I go with expoy for our temp to warm up so it will cure.

 

[Anthony - 98 GTS]

Wow now I thinking about using epoxy or tile. clean up sounds easyier with the tile, I just now wonder if I have to wait until spring if I go with expoy for our temp to warm up so it will cure.

I did both. I put RaceDeck down where the cars drive. I have since added the other side.

 

[Jay Herbert]

Wow now I thinking about using epoxy or tile. clean up sounds easier with the tile, I just now wonder if I have to wait until spring if I go with epoxy for our temp to warm up so it will cure.

Curing would not be an issue as epoxy cures as the result of a two-part chemical reaction. As long as the floor and room are at the temperature recomended by the paint manufacturer.

The real issue would be floor prep and the ventilation it will require (open grage doors). To properly prep for epoxy is a multi step process:

1) Empty the garage.

2) Use cleaner to remove any oil spots. Epoxy will not stick to these spots otherwise.

3) Etch the floor with muriatic acid. This makes the concrete floor porous so the Epoxy will actually bond "into" the floor. It makes the floor soak up the epoxy like a sponge. You must do this step with good ventalation.

4) Reclean the floor in the areas it did not etch (likely because step (2) was not done "good enough"), and etch again...... .

5) Neutralize the acid etch.

6) Rinse, Rinse, and Rinse some more - pressure washer is a good idea here.....

7) Stay off it and let it dry.

8) Paint coat one. You must do this step with good ventalation.

9) Paint coat two. You must do this step with good ventalation.

If all this is done right, you will have an awesome indestructable floor. If done wrong, it will flake right off. One big benefit of Epoxy is it is an excellent vapor barrier and greatly reduces the humidity level of the garage.

 

[PrimeTime]

The primary reason I used the racedeck instead of epoxy was the concern for moisture. While the epoxy will create a moisture barrier on the garage side, you need to be aware of and concerned about the potential for moisture being absorbed on the soil side. This would depend on perimeter grading, local water tables and whether or not a vapor barrier exists on the soil side of the slab. Similar to sealing the inside of basement walls, moisture can becomes trapped within the concrete cause serious damage to the weight bearing foundation. This is the primary reason why many new homes, particulary in the northeast, have the poured concrete foundation sealed with plastic, rigid insulation and tar on the outside masonry surface, to prevent excessive moisture from penetrating the pourus concrete. The same holds true with the garage floor, if a vapor membrane has not been installed on the soil side of the concrete slab, excessive moisture can saturate the concrete slab and ultimatey in time, lift the epoxy. This senerio is exacberated during the winter months when the trapped moisture begins freeze.

 

[DavidSB]

I want to chime in here with a not-so-great experience with a professional 2-part epoxy coating affecting the concrete that might be of help to others considering it. I built a new garage in 2001, waited a full year for the concrete to stabilize an settle with only a few hairline cracks and had an ICT-brand coating applied. Everything was and is fine with the coating - its close to indestructible (can drop tools, solvents, etc without chipping or staining) - until about a year after the coating was down when I first noticed some surface spalling. The quick story is that the epoxy sealed the top surface so well that it trapped whatever moisture the slab absorbed through its edge (vapor barrier below) and my particular concrete contains as part of the aggregate mixture, what is common for this area, small pea-size nodules of expansive material. When the nodules absorb moisture they expand. If they're near the surface, the expansion creates a spall over each one. I probably have 25 of them in a 600 sq.ft. garage. So if I had it to do again, I'd put down some type of tile, which I may now put over my epoxy.
Questions for snap-down floor owners:
Is there a special tapered edge tile for the garage-door side of the floor? I don't see one on the manufactures' web sites.
How do you cut the tiles?
When driving in and out does the whole floor shift back and forth?
Thanks

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Costco tile is 1'x1' but they come with 4 tiles snapped together making a 2'x2'. I used the pre-snapped 2'x2's for my floor.

 

[npeifer]

I recently remodeled my home and had my garage remodeled as well. I had Quickcrete epoxy put down and I love the way it looks. I'll try and post a pic in a couple of days, but I do have 1 small spot about 1" where the epoxy is chippng up and I am going to try a similar colored paint to hold it down.

Anybody got any ideas ? I am assuming the spot didn't get cleaned properly.

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

Questions for snap-down floor owners:

Is there a special tapered edge tile for the garage-door side of the floor? Yes

How do you cut the tiles? With the same blade you would use to cut wood, goes through it like a butter.

When driving in and out does the whole floor shift back and forth?
Yes it can, no hard braking or take offs, slow and easy works fine.

 

[Jay Herbert]

The primary reason I used the racedeck instead of epoxy was the concern for moisture. While the epoxy will create a moisture barrier on the garage side, you need to be aware of and concerned about the potential for moisture being absorbed on the soil side. This would depend on perimeter grading, local water tables and whether or not a vapor barrier exists on the soil side of the slab. Similar to sealing the inside of basement walls, moisture can becomes trapped within the concrete cause serious damage to the weight bearing foundation. This is the primary reason why many new homes, particulary in the northeast, have the poured concrete foundation sealed with plastic, rigid insulation and tar on the outside masonry surface, to prevent excessive moisture from penetrating the pourus concrete. The same holds true with the garage floor, if a vapor membrane has not been installed on the soil side of the concrete slab, excessive moisture can saturate the concrete slab and ultimatey in time, lift the epoxy. This senerio is exacberated during the winter months when the trapped moisture begins freeze.

Down south, the opposite end of the year is the issue. The frostline is "0" so freezing is not an issue and most houses and shops are on slabs. Many slabs still do not use foam underneath them since the slab never freezes, winter heting is actually benefited by the 50 +/- degree temp pf the slab.

Moisture is really more of an issue in the summer months and pushes humidity in a garage down here through the roof. Most garages and houses are built 6" above grade, which allow any trapped moisture to migrate out the sides of the slab. In this case sealing the slab with epoxy works fantastic, it is even better if the epoxy can go done before the walls go up as moisture will not contact the wall baseplates. The moisture is not really an issue if the walls are done correctly anyway, as the moisture will have an avenue to escape though a properly vented wall, but it still is nice to prevent the moisture moving through the wall cavity when possible to minimize the potential for mold growth.

 

[Jay Herbert]

I want to chime in here with a not-so-great experience with a professional 2-part epoxy coating affecting the concrete that might be of help to others considering it. I built a new garage in 2001, waited a full year for the concrete to stabilize an settle with only a few hairline cracks and had an ICT-brand coating applied. Everything was and is fine with the coating - its close to indestructible (can drop tools, solvents, etc without chipping or staining) - until about a year after the coating was down when I first noticed some surface spalling. The quick story is that the epoxy sealed the top surface so well that it trapped whatever moisture the slab absorbed through its edge (vapor barrier below) and my particular concrete contains as part of the aggregate mixture, what is common for this area, small pea-size nodules of expansive material. When the nodules absorb moisture they expand. If they're near the surface, the expansion creates a spall over each one. I probably have 25 of them in a 600 sq.ft. garage. So if I had it to do again, I'd put down some type of tile, which I may now put over my epoxy.
Questions for snap-down floor owners:
Is there a special tapered edge tile for the garage-door side of the floor? I don't see one on the manufactures' web sites.
How do you cut the tiles?
When driving in and out does the whole floor shift back and forth?
Thanks

This is one that the concrete contractor "should have known better". He should have not used this type of aggregate on a garage floor that was going to be sealed in an area where moisture could be an issue. It could also be related to how the concrete finisher did their job, they may not have done enough finish work. If we have a concrete finisher on the board, they may want to chime in, but basically, is the concrete is "underfinished" it will not have an adequate density layer on top which isolates the aggregate. "Overfinishing" creates to much of a layer that can "spall" away from the less dense unfinished layer below.

As for the ceramic tile question, most tiles have a matching "bull-nose" (radiused on one edge) available which works perfectly for the garage door. The "field" tiles are edged in 90 degrees on all four sides. The key to a good tile floor in the garage is to mud the tiles properly, voids behind the tiles can lead to cracks. You mention the spalls, if you do not have an adequate thicknes of "mud" below your tiles, these could actually crack the tile. For a garage application, smaller tiles tend to be better, large 1' x 1' tiles are tougher to lay perfectly flat. In Europe you often see manufacturing facilities with tile floors, tiles are the size of bricks, and laid in a locking pattern. Pretty neat. When something heavy gets dropped, they chip out the broken tile and put in a new one. Cutting ceramic tiles is done with a tile cutter and "tile nipper" the below article shows the use of these tools.

Here is a page on installing tile that is pretty helpful:

DIY Bathrooom Tile

Here is a good one on putting in a Racedeck style floor:

Installing above floor tile

 

[PrimeTime]

A lot of excellent input here, but let's remember that RMviper (he started this tread) lives in NJ and should consider moisture and freezing conditions.

RM, my recommendation, go with the snap-in or ceramic tiles. While you'll love the first look of epoxy, you will hate it if it fails.

The beauty of vinyl snap-in's are the abilty to simply replace any tile or tiles if they become damaged. Ceramic can be replaced as well, but at a much higher cost of time and skill.

Yes, Racedeck does sell a color matching nosing for the entrance sections of the garage.