Garage Flooring Tiles VS. Epoxy
An Epoxy Garage Floor Can Wear Down
EPOXY FLOORING AND PAINTED GARAGE COATINGS
Coatings include floor paints, epoxy paint, stains, and sealers, all of which can emit toxic fumes. There are thousands of various coating options in the market with no clear leader. Properly applied coatings can protect against stains, road salts, some chemicals, and moisture penetration. But most coatings fail for several reasons, which include poor quality coatings, damp concrete, improper floor prep, hot tires, and breach in concrete vapor barrier (concrete is like a sponge where moisture migrates to the surface, causing blisters in your coatings). Another disadvantage of coatings is that they require days of meticulous floor prep. You will also need to repair cracks, holes, and other surface problems and then finally etch the concrete with muriatic acid to leave it completely clean and penetrable.
MODULAR GARAGE FLOOR TILES
These are made of a durable high-impact copolymer that can handle very heavy vehicle loads. The industry leader in this segment is Hongewin Garage Floors, the creators of the modular garage tile industry you see today. Garage tiles come in many different colors and styles, including open-rib versions that drain spills and wet road slop, eliminating mold and mildew issues. Solid top surfaces with tread patterns that are not only very high-tech looking but offer great slip resistance in slick areas. They’re easy to clean and are much more chemical-resistant than paints and epoxies. Hongewin Garage Floors have a patented positive-locking system, which makes installation very easy and is the best option for the DIY customer. Typical installation for modular garage flooring in a residential two car garage is under three hours.
There’s countless comparisons out there between epoxying a garage floor versus using an interlocking tile, but what does it tell you when we have many customers who actually install our tiles over an epoxy floor? Over time, an epoxy garage floor (or even sooner with a one part garage paint) can chip or flake from wear, and even crack from the shifting of the concrete foundation.
We’ve also seen a lot of stained epoxy floors. Have you ever seen epoxied floors where the tire marks from day in and day out parking have left permanent marks? Also, these parts of the garage floor will inherently wear down more than the other parts of the garage floor that may be used less.
With an epoxy floor, it’s all or nothing. Patching a spot that has a chip, been worn down or incurred a stain will not yield a match to the existing floor. So think about it, you can go through the rigors of intense floor prep that includes acid washing prior to rolling the epoxy on, or you can install a standard two or three car garage in hours.
Which Is The Best Garage Flooring For Me?
We get asked this question all the time and to tell the truth there is no real single simple answer as to which of these products is best. Garage Flooring is a large investment money wise and in with epoxy flooring it’s a large investment time wise. So the first thing we would advise is to do your research and know what you’re buying before you buy. This will minimize the risk of you suffering from buyer’s remorse. It’s important that during your research you try to keep the product quality levels about as equal as you can. For instance it’s not a fair comparison to compare a $75.00 water based epoxy kit from Home Depot or Lowes against a garage mat or garage tile, even the cheapest mats and tiles win hands down. But if you’re comparing them to a military grade quality epoxy coating system then it’s a completely different story. The opposite holds true also, don’t compare a cheap recycled hollow tile from China to a high quality epoxy, the epoxy wins every time. If you keep all things equal then it becomes a matter of time, money and taste.
In the sections below we’ll go over all the pros and cons of each product. Then you can take that information and combine it with your own set of personal facts such as taste and budget and make an informed decision as to which product you will be most happy with. Links to each product for more detailed information and images are in blue.
Lets start with Epoxy Floor Kits. Only consider going with a DIY garage epoxy coating kit if you are going to purchase the best quality and you’re ready to prepare the floor properly. Failure to do either of these two things will result in a guaranteed coating failure every time! The pros on epoxy floor coatings when done right are that they are cost effective, they are stunning and dramatic in appearance, they are durable and can last up to 20 years. They’re also light reflective and brighten any space they are applied in and they’re a non stick surface so cleaning is as simple as wiping the floor up with a towel or washing down with a garden hose.
They’re available in many colors with or without color flakes, different grades to meet different traffic loads and with different chemical compositions to meet different floor demands such as acid resistance, waterproofing, bonding to a previous epoxy coating or oil stained floors.
The cons are that you must clean and etch or grind the floor properly otherwise the epoxy will not bond to the concrete properly. This is not difficult to do, it just takes a few hours of time and some elbow grease. You must use a urethane topcoat to protect the epoxy. Again not difficult but another critical step in the process. The down time on your floor is greater than if using a mat or garage tile. Installation time is more because you need to wait for the concrete to dry after cleaning and etching, and for the epoxy to dry before applying the topcoat and then of course for the topcoat to dry. All told it’s only 4-6 hours of actual labor but from start to finish is usually 2-3 days because of the dry times. You can cut the installation time down to one day by purchasing our Ultra Fast Epoxy Kit and grinding the floor. This will get you back in service in one day if downtime is critical. You can also cut down on the installation time by purchasing a one coat cyclioalphatic epoxy or a water based epoxy from a home improvement store but then of course you will be doing your floor over a lot sooner then you think or want to.
Roll Out Garage Mats are in between Epoxy and Garage Tile price wise. They are probably the easiest to install since you order the size needed for your floor and then simply roll them out. Trimming is easy with a pair of scissors or utility knife if needed. Typical installation time is about 30 minutes per mat. Multiple mats can be fused together with a seaming compound such as 3M Seam Weld. This forms a water proof permanent seam. Roll out mats look great, are easy to clean, not effected by road salts or vehicle fluids and are very durable. And unlike vinyl mats they are not slippery. There is no floor prep needed, just sweep out any debris prior to installing. Mats are a great way to hide floor blemishes and upgrade the appearance of your floor. They are also very versatile and are used in many applications other than garage floors such as kennels, gyms, waiting areas, loading docks and anywhere there is high foot traffic. They’re available in Coin, Diamond, Ribbed or Flat patterns in various colors and thicknesses.
If we had to pick a fault we would say they’re thinner than the tiles and usually only guaranteed for 5 years. Our mats carry a 10 year warranty versus the typical 5 years or a lifetime guarantee for our tiles. They’re also less dramatic looking than an epoxy floor or a garage tile floor. So we would say they offer the middle of the road solution. They’re cost effective and super easy to install over any floor. But they are not as durable as a real high quality epoxy or the tiles. So this is where the budget and personal taste thing really comes into play. So if you’re not looking for anything fancy and just want to dress up the appearance of your floor and give it some good protection without spending a lot of time and money doing it then mats are the right choice for you.
Garage Tiles are the high end of floors, at least with our tiles anyway. It’s hard to beat a high quality garage tile floor. It has all the attributes you can ask for. Quick and easy to install, can be installed over poor quality floors(wood or concrete), has a beautiful and dramatic appearance, custom logos can be imprinted or water jetted into the tiles and they have lifetime durability. There really is no downside to installing an interlocking tile floor. In fact we’re not sure what more you can ask of a flooring product that tiles don’t offer.
Our interlocking tiles range form our Light Duty Tiles of 3/16" thick up to our Super Heavy Duty Tiles 5/16" thick of solid PVC construction with water tight seams versus thin hollow core tiles made from low grade generic plastics with loose fitting peg & loop connectors. Our solid tiles are sound deadening as compared to the hollow core tiles that make a click clacking sound when walked on. They also only have a 1/16" wear surface compared to our 1/4" solid surface. So as we mentioned above when asking which product is better, you have to qualify what quality of brands you are comparing.
Our tiles are indestructible and are guaranteed for Life. That is not true for any other garage or interlocking tile. Our tiles come in sizes of 19 1/2 x 19 1/2, 20.5" x 20.5" and 20" x 20" and have a great look to them, different colored patterns can be installed, they are easily cleaned, are easily installed, they are portable so you can take them to a new location if you wanted too. Tiles are very easy to remove or replaced if a tile needs to be. Installation time is in between epoxy and roll out mats. It’s simply knocking them together with a rubber mallet and cutting the end pieces with any type of power saw. Typical installation time is 3-4 hours per 600 sq ft. The downside to tiles if there is one is the cost. They’re the costliest floor to install. That’s the only bad thing we can think of if cost is a concern. If cost is not an issue than tiles are the way to go without question. Unless you personally don’t like the look of tiles. As we said before you are the only one that can make the final decision based on your budget and personal tastes. Our objective here is to give you the facts on each product so that you can make the best decision for you.
Tiles are available in four patterns Coin, Flat, Slate Finish and Diamond pattern. The Coin has raised discs that are about 1" in diameter. The Flat or Textured pattern tiles have an Orange Peel type of finish so they are not slippery, The Slate finish is more of a natural stone look and is areas that are more architecturally sensitive and the Diamond Pattern resembles Diamond Plate for a more industrial look. We recommend Flat(Textured)) pattern tiles if you have items with small solid wheels that you will be rolling over the floor often. The Flat tiles offer a smooth surface for rolling carts, dollies, tool chests or floor jacks vs the raised coin pattern tiles. Note the flat tiles are not actually completely flat they have a textured or orange peel type of finish so as not to be slippery. Use the ramp edge at any exposed tile edge. This offers a finished look and eliminates any tripping hazard. Simply cut the tabs off the leading edge, slip the ramp edge over the tile and apply some good adhesive underneath to lock in place.
So to sum things up, personal taste and budget play a big role as to which product is best for you when comparing products on an apples to apples basis quality wise. Quality is probably the most important factor in getting a flooring product that you’ll be happy with. All told any of these products purchased from us will give you many years of trouble free service while looking great at the same time. But only you can determine which one fits your budget, which one you think looks the best and will meet your traffic/durability needs the best. Just remember it’s always better to go with a lower cost product that’s higher in quality rather than a low quality high cost product. For instance if you can only afford a certain amount don’t buy a cheap garage tile just because it fits your budget. Buy a lower cost higher quality garage mat or garage epoxy kit. In the long run you’ll be much better off and happier!
Eliminate the Common Issues with Epoxy Floors
In our latest customer garage floor, you’ll see that there are some prominent wear spots on the epoxy. It would have been difficult to “repair” or “patch” that spot with epoxy. If you’ve invested in an epoxy floor or moved into a residence that already had it, chances are that you’ll come to a decision one day on what to do – to repair or cover it.
With our garage flooring tiles, there’s little prep needed. You can either sweep the floor or use a shop vac to pick up any debris. After that, it’sdetermining your start pointand away you go. In just a few hours (for a standard 2-car garage) you’ll have a brand new floor that won’t stain, is resistant to most chemicals and where individual tiles or sections can easily be replaced.
The finished floor features a perforated tiles in a classic checkerboard pattern. This pattern also matches our customer’s Camaro and really can adapt to any kind of decor.
You’ll also notice that our 3/4″ tile height makes the old epoxy floor a thing of the past. You don’t have to worry about seeing the old floor, just concentrate on how great your new garage looks! Now, on with the next project that isn’t flooring related because we’ve got you covered for years and years.
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