[claycourter01]

Please excuse me if this is not the right forum; I have done a search and cannot find any relevant discussions. I believe it's most relevant here becuase I want to create the best garage environment for detailing for my BMW 3-series

I am trying to find the best garage flooring option. I currently have installed, on top of the concrete, the thick vinyl flooring that comes in rolls. It's OK but tends to get water underneath and the vinyl slides around, especially in the summer, and I don't care for the seams.

So the 2 options, I think, are 1) the similar vinyl panels that interlock; or 2) an epoxy coating. The epoxy coating certainly has a more finished look, when it is done correctly, but I wonder whether there is any possibility of staining from tires, or whether it will peel eventually. Naturally the advertisers say no, but still...

The epoxy is a significant process in terms of preparing the concrete surface and allowing the epoxy coating several days to dry. But if the finished product was trouble-free it would be worth it. The vinyl panels, similar to what I have now, are easy to install, but the epoxy requires professional installation. But at this point I'm interested in the best solution rather than the least expensive.

If any of you have any experience on this topic I would greatly appreciate learning your perspective.

[Shep1]

I had wanted to go with an epoxy coating over my concrete garage floor. Unfortunately, I was told that my concrete garage floor contains more moisture than will work for the epoxy coating. So, as part of your research, make sure you have your garage concrete floor tested for moisture content before you spend the money on an expensive epoxy coating.

[claykin]

Moisture or hydrostatic pressure, is a real problem if you want to coat a grade concrete floor or apply tile, etc. that will be bound with glue/cement.

From the Quikrete website:
http://www.quikretecoatings.com/quik...ges-workshops/

Test for moisture:

The presence of excess moisture in concrete can inhibit a coating’s ability to penetrate the surface. Do not apply this product to concrete areas with moisture coming from within the surface. You can test for moisture by taping a 2' x 2' piece of plastic wrap to the concrete using duct tape on all edges. Allow the plastic to sit for 24 hours. If water droplets appear on the underside of the plastic, or if the concrete is damp, the surface contains excess moisture and should not be painted. Moisture problems must be corrected before coating.



I've been there before with a commercial concrete floor that was below sea level just off the beach. The hydrostatic pressure lifted/popped all the tile off the floor within 6 months of the install. The two genius engineers who inspected it and offered recommendations to "successfully" cover the floor were all proven wrong when the floor failed again within 1 year. I'm sure this was an extreme example being a few feet below sea level and very close to the beach.

So, yes, test for moisture before coating any unfinished floor with a nonporous finish.

[Shep1]

Since I can't do an epoxy finish due to the moisture in my concrete floor, I am thinking about trying Swiss Trax tiles:

www.swisstrax.com

Has anyone on the forum got any experience with this product?

[canbmw]

^I have seen a similar product and that would be my choice for sure.

[Mech-Mart]

I like Racedeck tiles. I tried epoxy with good effort and high hopes but was badly disappointed.

See my detailed post by seaching Racedeck, or maybe this link will work:
http://www.f30post.com/forums/showth...light=Racedeck

The finished product can slide a bit over time but I now have it fit very closely with the walls so it really can't go anywhere. In the past I used my feet or some creating sharp braking with he car to reposition it a bit.

These are not vinyl but polypropylene so they are hard. Water can seep down between them but they have air vents underneath so moisture is not a problem. (I am talking about the closed-type tiles and not the open "drain" versions).