Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
There are two different mainstream types of garage floor tile: peel and stick tile, also known as self adhesive, and interlocking. When many people search for garage floor tiles, they are confused by this as manufacturers and resellers don't always make it clear that there is a difference. Let's take a look at peel and stick tile for garage floors, and see if it's right for your needs.
Is Installing Peel And Stick Garage Floor Tile Difficult?
The installation for peel and stick garage floor tiles is as straightforward as it is obvious. You peel the backing off, then you stick them too the concrete garage floor. Of course, before you even begin the floor must be thoroughly cleaned. After all, you wouldn't want your new tiles sticking to something other than the concrete like, say, dust. In fact, with the exception of an epoxy garage floor coating, no other solution takes as much cleaning to get right. One advantage over epoxy garage floor coatings, though, is that you can take as long as you like to complete the install, as long as you re-clean the floor before you begin sticking things to it again. Of course, as always, follow the directions with your particular product.
Is Peel And Stick Garage Floor Tile Expensive Or Hard To Find?
Make no mistake, this garage floor covering can be found, even if you don't succeed at the first few retail outlets that you try. Trust me, they are out there somewhere, but they can be very hard to locate and, even when you do, you're usually quite limited in selection. Due to the lack of supply, prices can be all over the board, and there seems to be no set size of garage that is accepted as normal. There are sets for 40 to 66 square foot garages, and you might pay just a bit over $100, or quite a lot over $300. Your first concern should be that the kit will provide you with ample garage floor tile to get your whole garage covered.
Durability Of Peel And Stick Garage Floor Tile
There are quite a few garage floor coverings to choose from, but tile is most likely the most durable. Since they actually stick to the very solid concrete, they won't be damaged by being rubbed around against the concrete, as garage floor mats are. Remember when you shop, though, that most of the garage floor tiles' strength will come from their own makeup, so consider what you intend to do in your garage when you choose.
Why Peel And Stick Garage Floor Tiles May Not Be Your Best Option
Peel and stick tiles are immobile. I only bring this up because snap together tiles, as well as a garage floor mat, can be moved around when needed. Because of this, if you are only intending on covering a portion of your floor, I would definitely suggest going the route of something that you can move. The final price will likely be less, and you may as well get all of the features that you can. Also, when you're ready to cover your entire garage floor, you'll already have a mat to protect your nice new garage flooring!
Check out Sweet Garage Floor for more information to help you choose or repair yourgarage floor tile.
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Monday, December 28th, 2009
If you're searching for that certain look, you'll probably want to go with epoxy garage floor paint, or maybe garage floor tile, but if you're just wanting a way to do what you need to do without leaving stains on your concrete, you'll want to look at garage floor mats. Consider, however, that this might not be the best option in the long run. Here's some information on why someone might decide on garage floor mats instead of tiles, or even paint, for you to use to be sure that you are buying the correct garage flooring for your needs.
Garage Floor Mats Might Be Your Cheapest Option
Depending on how you go about it, a garage floor mat could be your cheapest option. Of course, in this case, we would be talking about a compartment mat. The purpose of a compartment mat is to protect a small area of your concrete garage floor from damage. There are also parking mats, and whole garage mats, neither of which can be considered cheap. Even compartment mats can get pricey if you look for a lot of features, such as tall edges or the ability to absorb liquids. However, when you get down to it, there is no other way to protect garage floors for less than $60, with the possible exception of an epoxy garage floor coating.
Garage Floor Mats Are Easy To Install
This is kind of obvious, but it's amazing how many people really don't consider how long it will take, or how difficult it will be to install the more complicated options such as an epoxy garage floor coating. Once they get the kits in their hands and read the instructions, many will be tempted to pay a contractor to install it for them, which takes that cheap epoxy paint kit and multiplies the total price by ten or more. Ordering a garage floor mat is done and done. You'll probably spend more time deciding which one to buy than you will installing it.
Not Covers Heavily Damaged Concrete As Well
You might not always have a choice; an extremely messed up concrete garage floor can make it not feasible to use either epoxy or even peel and stick garage floor tiles. There's really only two options in this case: snap-together tiles, or garage floor mat. Interlocking tiles are pretty expensive. Even a small set, which really compares better to a compartment mat, will cost you $300 or more. Unless there is a specific look you are going for, I just don't see how it's worth that price.
Garage Floor Mats Are Very Easy To Clean
Some mats will actually absorb any liquid, either oils or thinner stuff, like water, which is great since you can just take it and wring it out later. It's an especially green solution as well since you can basically pick up your spilled chemicals and deposit them in a safe place. Even if it doesn't absorb liquids, if it has raised edges, you can still do this to some degree. Being able to literally relocate your mess is great. Will that actually matter in your case? Well, how often do you make messes?
Check out Sweet Garage Floor for more information to help you choose yourgarage floor mat.
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Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
Oh no, a garage floor stain! Someone needs to clean that up right away, right? Well, usually, but staining garage flooring can also be something people do on purpose. I bet you have heard of staining wood, and it's not very different for garage floors. Yep, that's right, a concrete garage floor, or any masonry, for that matter, can have colored stain applied. Wondering why someone would stain the floor in their garage? Well, keep on reading, then.
How Does Garage Floor Stain Compare At Protecting Concrete?
It's very simple: garage floor stain does not protect your concrete. Now, that being said, there are some products that label themselves as stain that say they include some sort of protection. For the most part, those products are a combination of two chemicals in one package: garage floor stain, and some sort of sealant. This is a very good thing for the buyer because even after you have applied stain to your flooring, you will definitely want to use a sealant, so buying it in one package with directions to match just makes sense. However, keep in mind, you don't have to stain your concrete to get the sealant. Clear garage floor sealing products are also available separately.
Epoxy Is Hard To Apply...Is Garage Floor Stain?
Nope, not at all. In fact, aside from throwing a garage floor mat down, staining is the easiest of the garage floor finishes to apply. Of course, just like with any garage floor coating, the concrete does have to be spotless before you start if you want everything to come out right. Otherwise, applying stain is more like painting than applying garage floor paint. For the most part, you just roll it on with a paint roller, then wait for it to dry.
Is It Expensive To Use Garage Floor Stain?
Stain is not at all expensive, being the cheapest of all garage floor coatings, unless you also add in the price of sealant. Even then, though, it generally compares to epoxy garage floor paint when installed yourself, and is a lot cheaper if having your flooring installed by someone else. This is because, other than cleaning, applying garage floor stain consists of only one coat, instead of the multitude of coats, as well as the mixing that has to be done for epoxy garage floor coating.
What Is The Draw Of Garage Floor Stain?
Whether we're talking about your garage or the floor of your home, there's only one good reason to stain concrete: the looks. There are a lot of people out there that really don't need protection for their concrete, not including the elements, but everyone likes something different, which defines garage floor stain. Just make absolutely sure, though, before you buy and apply, that stain will do what you need in your garage floor coating.
Visit Sweet Garage Floor for more information about every kind of garage floor out there.
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Monday, December 7th, 2009
After reading all about all of the different types of garage flooring, you've decided that you either want epoxy paint or a garage floor mat. Well, both garage floors have advantages and disadvantages, so let's look at some of both. Hopefully, once we're done, you will have a better grasp on both garage floors. Keep in mind that, for this article, we will not be talking about compartment mats, but rather how entire garage floor coverings compare to epoxy paint. Since the smaller garage floor mats are typically not sold in packages intended to cover whole garage floors, it wouldn't make much sense to compare them to epoxy paint.
A Garage Floor Mat Is Easier To Install Than Epoxy Garage Floor Paint
That is pretty much a "duh!" factor. A garage floor mat only requires the cutting and the placing, while epoxy paint takes not only hours to install, but also in between steps it takes hours to dry. Before you begin installing it is also a much bigger hassle because you need to prepare by cleaning your garage to be immaculate. But, installing a mat on above dust, dirt, or grime works just the same. If you really need a "quick fix," then you should really consider garage floor mats.
Garage Floor Mats Are Most Expensive Than Epoxy Garage Floor Coating
Garage Floor mats costs are typically three times as much as if you were going to install epoxy floor coating, which is just under $100. This large difference in price makes more sense in the fact that you are not just buying the initial ending product. The epoxy garage floor coating does require some preparation and assemble, while garage floor mats gives you more of an already assembled product. But you are going to have to hire a worker to install the epoxy floor paint, naturally the price is going to rise dramatically as it takes some hours to complete the installation process; meaning you should factor that into your budget if you not going to install it yourself. In this case, hiring someone for the installation of epoxy paint will pretty much definitely cost more that a garage floor covering.
Garage Floor Mats Are Less Durable Than Epoxy Garage Floor Paint
Even though epoxy does change things, it has the advantage as far as its durability and its longevity. In applying the epoxy floor paint, you inevitably change the nature of your garage floor. Meanwhile, applying a garage floor covering will do only that; cover it. Although it is unlikely in nature, it is very well possible that both could become damaged and stained, so when that happens you will definitely see the price difference in the replacement of swapping out a new floor mat and a repainting job. But, you will then also be out of the $200 or so for the floor covering. To make a well educated choice, you need to be asking how much and what your garage floor will be taking on.
So Which Is Better?
Of course, all of the garage flooring types are different, and there is still no single best one to choose. But these two, the epoxy garage floor paint and garage floor mats are very available and popular and long lasting. But, it is up to you, the customer, to decide what the best garage flooring is for you. And if you are lucky and money is of no concern for you, consider using both, epoxy floor coating and a garage floor covering on top.
Check out my garage floor site for more garage floor mat information.
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Monday, September 7th, 2009
If you'd like to know what it would be like to drive onto your own personal auto showroom floor, you may want to give thought to an epoxy garage floor. This type of floor is not only durable, but it's also very shiny. Imagine seeing your own car in the floor's reflection, be it either a brand new car or your old '76 beater that's seen better days. An epoxy garage floor coating is viewed as the best in garage flooring to many, and for very good reason. Epoxy garage floors last a very long time, often as long as the concrete itself, though you will have to sacrifice quite a lot of time, and there is a bit of difficulty. Every once in a while the garage floor paint will have to be refreshed with a new coat, but other than that, the initial install covers most of the work. Epoxy will not move or crumple under car tires, which is a problem with some other garage floor coverings.
Durable Epoxy Garage Flooring
Extremely tough, epoxy is a very long-lasting coating that is painted onto concrete. Different than normal paint, epoxy will resist grease, oils, and many other things that ruin or plain out dissolve ordinary paints. Regular paint wouldn't be able to handle things like motor oils since they're mostly oil based themselves, which means you need a special type of paint, such as epoxy. This is because when two oil based substances mix, they naturally attempt to combine with each other. This effect causes motor oil and paint to basically be mutually self destructive. Parts cleaner, grease, fuel, power steering fluid, brake fluid...all are petroleum based, and all have the same effect on petroleum based paints. It's actually pretty interesting if you start thinking of just how petroleum based most of our lives' are. That's what's great about epoxy based paints, though. Since they're resin based, they're not susceptible to damage from oil and oil based substances.
Old Epoxy Garage Floors That Shine
Of all the different types of garage flooring, the epoxy garage floor is unique in that it bonds with the concrete at a microscopic level. This means that once the epoxy coating is years, sometimes decades old, it can still be cleaned just like the concrete by itself. The difference is that it doesn't stain since it doesn't absorb the oil based chemicals that are so often found in garages. Since it doesn't stain, it's usually just a matter of power washing the garage floor, if that. Most chemicals will just sit on top of an epoxy coating and can be cleaned up with either a towel, or possibly pushed out of the garage with a squeegee or broom. Be careful, though, that you don't contaminate the earth around your garage with chemicals that, before, you would've absorbed with kitty litter or the like and thrown in the trash. Just because it doesn't damage your garage floor doesn't mean it won't damage the environment, and everything that hits your soil will eventually end up in the groundwater - that's drinking water.
Rainbow Of Garage Floor Coatings
Most epoxy coatings are gray. Very shiny, very attractive gray...but still quite gray. Just because it's gray, though, don't think you're not going to notice a very obvious improvement over a cement garage floor, because you definitely will. Lots of people would prefer to have some sort of color, though, and such things do exist. It's an unfortunate fact, though, that colorful epoxy kits are kind of rare. It's not uncommon for a hardware store to tell their customers that the only color that epoxy is available in is gray, which is not at all true. You may have to do some looking, but it's not hard to find garage floor coating kits on the internet, and a lot of times they're cheaper than at the hardware store. The only problem I ever have with buying things online is that it becomes such a problem if you need to do a return...but with a garage floor kit, I doubt that would be an issue.
Concrete Garage Floor No Want Epoxy!
To answer that question, you will have to do some investigating. As opposed to any other type of garage floor, Epoxy does take some preparing. Even after being prepared, though, some concrete just can't handle an epoxy coating, for various reasons. If your concrete can take a coating, however, there's still the matter of cleaning and etching it, which is quite tedious and very labor intensive. For those of us that aren't in the best of shape, laying an epoxy garage floor may not be an option. There are other, simpler types of garage floors that aren't nearly as time sensitive, such as garage floor tiles that you can stop and come back to whenever you like. There's also smaller garage floor mats that can be moved around the garage to wherever you need them. That may be all you need. But, if your body or bank account can handle either installing or having someone install an epoxy garage floor coating, it sure would look a lot nicer, wouldn't it?
Eppie likes to write articles about her garage flooring and epoxy garage floor .
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Sunday, September 6th, 2009
Considering your it will likely get just as dirty and possibly damaged as the concrete garage floor itself, why in the world would anyone want to install flooring in their garage? Are there really advantages, or is it just a waste of time and money? What exactly is there to gain by installing some sort of garage floor coverings?
A few excellent reasons to install garage flooring come to mind. First off, some people just want a softer step in their garage. It's amazing how much nicer it can be to walk around your garage when your back isn't violently jarred with every single step, especially if you, like me, have lower back issues. A garage floor coating will also look a lot nicer than plain concrete to most eyes. In fact, many people will install something simply to cover old, cracked, and stained concrete, if not protect it from such a fate in the first place. Once you stain concrete with motor oil, transmission fluid, or brake fluid or the like, you'll appreciate just how easy every other type of solution is to clean. In fact, most garage floor covering solutions are nearly, if not completely impossible to stain.
There are many varied options to choose from when you go looking at your floor options, and you will have to factor in lots of personal factors.
Good really for only catching spills or working in one small area of your garage, containment mats would be the smallest, cheapest type of garage floor coverings. Sticky garage floor tiles are also an option, as well as garage floor mats that cover the entire space.
The easiest to install that would actually cover the entire floor would be the type of garage floor mat that you cut to fit the garage itself. Garage floor tile is about as easy to install, but a lot more time consuming since you'll have to clean and prepare the floor, and then lay down each individual tile. The cheapest solution would, of course, is paint, though if there are cracks and other deformities in the concrete, it won't really help you any. An epoxy garage floor coating would be the most comprehensive but most complicated of the garage floor coatings, and results in a nice, durable garage floor coating if you're willing to spend the time and money. Pretty much all of these are designed to channel liquid and debris out of the garage and are equally easy to clean, with the exception of garage floor paint that, obviously, does not channel liquid.
There are plenty of options out there, whatever your reason for wanting to cover your garage floor. There also is always the option of paying someone to do this for you, though most of these solutions are fairly easy to install on your own. It all depends on how much time and money you're willing to invest, just like so many other things in life. You'll likely be surprised, however, at just how cost effective installing your own floor can be. Although it may seem like a luxury today, you'll eventually wonder how you ever got by with just your cold, gray concrete.
Mr Mcgee writes articles about garage flooring and garage floor tiles.
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Saturday, September 5th, 2009
Considering your it will likely get just as dirty and possibly damaged as the concrete garage floor itself, why in the world would anyone want to install flooring in their garage? Are there really advantages, or is it just a waste of time and money? What exactly is there to gain by installing some sort of garage floor coverings?
There are different reasons to want a garage floor. A surprisingly large amount of people go shopping simply looking for a softer step. If you already have back issues, walking around on concrete definitely doesn't help. Garage floors also look a whole lot nicer than plain concrete. Stained, old, cracked concrete prompts many to putting some sort of covering in their garage. If you've ever cleaned stained concrete, or attempted to, then you know how much nicer it would be to have some sort of cover.
You'll have to consider a lot of personal factors when you're looking for your garage floor as there are many, many options to choose from.
The smallest type of garage floor coverings would be containment mats, and they're really only good for catching spills or laying on if you're working in one small spot. Of course, there are also garage floor mats that will cover the entire floor, as well as sticky garage floor tiles that can be laid out.
The most complicated, but most comprehensive solution would be an epoxy garage floor coating kit. Most of these different types of solutions are equally easy to clean and are designed to channel debris and liquid out of the garage. A simpler solution that doesn't provide a lot of the same perks would be garage floor paint.
Regardless of your decision, there are lots of options out there. You could always pay someone to install it for you, though most garage floor solutions are pretty easy to install on your own. It really depends on how much time and money you're willing to invest. Installing your own garage floor can be extremely cost effective, though, and even though it may seem like it's a luxury today, eventually you'll wonder how you ever got by with just a cold, gray concrete garage floor.
Mr Mcgee writes articles about garage flooring and garage floor tiles.
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Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
Why is it that there's always something wrong with the house? First the dishwasher, then the refrigerator, then the furnace and, now your garage floor has developed cracks. Great. I bet you never thought about garage flooring as something you needed to maintain, did you? It's cement. It's on the ground. It's simply not something you thought about. Until it started cracking.
For Repair Or Garage Floor Coating
Hopefully you did this search well before the cracks started, but if you didn't, Quikrete can be used for both a garage floor coating and a repair substance, depending on the situation, of course. The best part is, as far as garage floor coatings go, Quikrete is both cheap and easy to work with, making some things a do-it-yourself process that you really didn't think you could do.
Quikrete? What's that?
First, before you can begin your garage floor coating, and before you can understand what Quikrete is, it's important to understand exactly what concrete is. Concrete is a blend of water, cement, and some sort of aggregate, such as sand or gravel. It's used for building material in so many places because the components are everywhere and, more importantly, cheap. It's also moldable and can even come in different colors, which makes it very versatile and useful in all sorts of projects. It's also very tough; resistant to rot, decay, fire, wind, water, extreme temperatures, and wear-down by animal traffic. Unfortunately, though, it's hard to work with and very slow to fully dry. That's where Quikrete improves upon traditional concrete.
Why Is Quikrete Better?
The biggest advantage for Quikrete when it comes to choosing a garage floor coating is that, depending on how much is used, it can set in as little as ten minutes. Even the average job is dry between 20 and 40 minutes. It's available in small packages for repairing either a garage floor, or even a sidewalk or driveway. It's also easy to find in bulk in case you want to use it for larger jobs, such as a garage floor coating. Once you get it home, you can prepare, set, and finish your job all in one day. This stuff removes a lot of the cost and time associated with home repairs, and if you don't want or can't afford heavy equipment or a contractor, then Quikrete is a godsend.
Is Quikrete Hard To Mix?
Quikrete is generally not as hard to mix as concrete. It does have its quirks, but it is not nearly as difficult as concrete. As with any other home repair or improvement, it is a good idea to do some research before you jump head first so that you have an idea of what you are doing. As I am sure you have noticed, the instructions from manufacturers, while vital, are not always fully comprehensive. However you end up doing it, Quikrete is likely exactly what you need for either repairing your garage or for your garage floor coating.
Quickie Garland writes articles about his garage floor and garage floor coating. This and other unique content 'floor' articles are available with free reprint rights.
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Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
If you'd like to know what it would be like to drive onto your own personal auto showroom floor, you may want to give thought to an epoxy garage floor. This type of floor is not only durable, but it's also very shiny. Imagine seeing your own car in the floor's reflection, be it either a brand new car or your old '76 beater that's seen better days. An epoxy garage floor coating is viewed as the best in garage flooring to many, and for very good reason. Epoxy garage floors last a very long time, often as long as the concrete itself, though you will have to sacrifice quite a lot of time, and there is a bit of difficulty. Every once in a while the garage floor paint will have to be refreshed with a new coat, but other than that, the initial install covers most of the work. Epoxy will not move or crumple under car tires, which is a problem with some other garage floor coverings.
Durable Epoxy Garage Flooring
Epoxy is an extremely tough, very long-lasting coating that is painted on concrete. It's different than normal paint, though, in that it will resist oils, grease, and lots of other things that would dissolve and ruin ordinary paints. This is why it's suitable for garage floors, as regular paint would obviously not be able to handle such things as motor oils since most regular paints are oil based. When two oil based substances come in contact with each other, they'll try to coalesce which, in the case of motor oil and paint, would destroy both. Grease would have the same effect as it is also oil based, as would any break fluid, power steering fluid, parts cleaner...the list goes on and on. It's amazing just how petroleum based our lives and products actually are. That's the beauty of epoxy based paints, however. Their resin base keeps them from being susceptible to the damages of oil and oil based substances.
Old Epoxy Garage Floors That Shine
Of all the different types of garage flooring, the epoxy garage floor is unique in that it bonds with the concrete at a microscopic level. This means that once the epoxy coating is years, sometimes decades old, it can still be cleaned just like the concrete by itself. The difference is that it doesn't stain since it doesn't absorb the oil based chemicals that are so often found in garages. Since it doesn't stain, it's usually just a matter of power washing the garage floor, if that. Most chemicals will just sit on top of an epoxy coating and can be cleaned up with either a towel, or possibly pushed out of the garage with a squeegee or broom. Be careful, though, that you don't contaminate the earth around your garage with chemicals that, before, you would've absorbed with kitty litter or the like and thrown in the trash. Just because it doesn't damage your garage floor doesn't mean it won't damage the environment, and everything that hits your soil will eventually end up in the groundwater - that's drinking water.
Colorful Epoxy Garage Floor Coatings
Most epoxy coatings are gray. Very shiny, very attractive gray...but still quite gray. Just because it's gray, though, don't think you're not going to notice a very obvious improvement over a cement garage floor, because you definitely will. Lots of people would prefer to have some sort of color, though, and such things do exist. It's an unfortunate fact, though, that colorful epoxy kits are kind of rare. It's not uncommon for a hardware store to tell their customers that the only color that epoxy is available in is gray, which is not at all true. You may have to do some looking, but it's not hard to find garage floor coating kits on the internet, and a lot of times they're cheaper than at the hardware store. The only problem I ever have with buying things online is that it becomes such a problem if you need to do a return...but with a garage floor kit, I doubt that would be an issue.
Will Your Concrete Garage Floor Take An Epoxy Coating?
As opposed to pretty much every other type of garage floor, epoxy does require quite a lot of preparation. In the end, some concrete just won't be able to take a solid epoxy coating. Even if the concrete is determined to be in good enough shape for coating, it has to be cleaned and etched which is usually very labor intensive and tedious. There really is no part of laying an epoxy garage floor that is for the faint of heart...or maybe I should say faint of back. Those of us who aren't in the best shape physically may want to opt for something less time sensitive, like garage floor tiles that you can finish whenever you feel like and not have to worry about them setting in the correct order, or garage floor mats that can be moved around to where they're needed. However, if bank account is up to paying someone to do the job, or if your body is up to doing it yourself, an epoxy garage floor coating is definitely the way to go.
Eppie likes to write articles about her garage flooring and epoxy garage floor .
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