Many people dream of having a garage that looks straight out of a hotrod magazine—big storage units, a hydraulic car lift, and a muscle car to go with it. On the other hand, others dream of turning their garage into an area to work out and lift weights.
No matter what you’d like to turn your garage into, it starts with the garage flooring. Start from the floor up, as they say.
In this article, we’ll cover the basics of some of the most common types of garage flooring.
Garage Floor Mats
Providing easy installation and little floor preparation, garage floor mats can provide wall-to-wall protection or can be used as containment mats for your garage floor. Garage floor mats are easy to clean and protect your concrete floor from chemical and oil stains.
The downside of using garage floor mats, specifically wall-to-wall applications, is that they expand and contract. This sometimes results in an unattractive bubbling and/or rippling effect.
Garage Floor Tiles
Floor tiles come in many different styles and shapes, and are an attractive flooring option. Similar to floor mats, garage floor tiles are easy to install and require little to no floor preparation before installing.
Your typical garage floor tile is made of either polypropylene or PVC.
Penetrating Concrete Sealers
Some might consider penetrating concrete sealers the same as a floor coating. There are, however, some major differences between the two.
Unlike floor coatings that adhere to the surface, concrete sealers penetrate the surface of the concrete while creating a chemical bond. This chemical bond blocks the pours in the concrete and prevents moisture from soaking in.
One other major thing to consider is that a concrete sealer will not hide ugly existing stains or change the aesthetics of your garage floor. Sealers will often need to be reapplied every 1-3 years.
Those who do a lot of welding in their garage prefer sealers, as they won’t melt from red hot welding slag like other floorings do. However, some chemicals negatively affect concrete sealers and can cause staining or even premature failure.
Concrete penetrating sealers are usually the most affordable and easiest garage flooring option.
Garage Floor Coatings
Generally, the most versatile and popular type of garage flooring is an epoxy or polyurea coating. With a high-quality garage floor coating, you can improve the overall look of your garage floor, as well as its durability. Adding a durable coating to your garage floor will extend its life, as well as give you a surface that is easy to clean.
Because coatings need to have a strong bond with the surface of the concrete, extensive floor preparation is needed before application. On top of that, the application process can require multiple coats, longer curing times, and expert know-how.
Get the Best Garage Flooring
Choosing the best flooring for your garage depends on what you intend to use your garage flooring for and how you want it to look. Penetrating sealers might be affordable and offer an easy application. However, they won’t give you that extra durability and sparkly appearance like a floor coating will.
Each garage flooring option described in this article has its own pros and cons. If you’re still not sure which garage flooring is right for you, give our experts a call for some expert advice.