Garage floors can be tricky. Unlike flooring in homes, they need to be able to withstand a considering amount of tough wear and tear, such as several tons of automobile regularly going in and out of it. Not to mentions tools, project spaces, oil and other fluid spills...it can be a minefield of potential damage. Like wooden garages themselves, the floor needs to be treated carefully.
If you are considering installing a new garage floor, you need to be sure to avoid certain common mistakes.
Don’t Improperly Prepare Your Floor Before Applying Epoxy - Most flooring, unless it is poured concrete, is going to require some epoxy to secure it. You can’t just lay it down, however. Flooring has to be properly taken care of and prepared before laying epoxy down. That includes any time you may want to replace a specific tile after you have installed the primary flooring in your wooden garage. Clean the floor of any dirt, grime and oils. Remove waxes or anything that smooths the floor down. Epoxy has to have a rough surface in order to stick, otherwise it slides off or won’t properly secure a tile.
Don’t Ignore Cracks In Concrete - Cracks in the concrete are going to be one of the biggest obstacles when installing flooring in your wooden garage. Not only will epoxy not properly adhere to it, but it will cause dips and maybe even further cracks along the line. Critters could be hiding in there, as well...the last thing you want is to seal over a hiding hole and end up with a mysterious smell. So be sure you clear out and seal all cracks before you start, or suffer the consequences.
Don’t Fail To Consider The Garage’s Use - What are you going to be using your garage for? If it is for storing a car then a solid tile will be your best bet. But if you are planning on using it as a storage space for other items instead, or as something like a workspace, you may want to select a different kind of flooring altogether. For instance, some people are actually installing heated flooring for garages turned into workspaces or guest houses, which is especially suited for wooden garages because the lumber is so good at insulating.
Don’t Install In Poor Lighting- Lighting is crucial in any DIY project because if it is too dark you won’t be able to see what you are doing and could make silly mistakes. For example, if you don’t have enough light in the back of the garage you may badly align a tile, or you won’t see a streak of grease that doesn’t allow you to properly apply the epoxy. When you use interlocking tiles in particular this can be a big problem. After all, you have to be able to properly follow the seams or you will end up ruining the structural integrity of the flooring as a whole
Don’t Always Think Inside The Box - You may feel like you are limited in what you can do with your garage floor. After all, is there really anything interesting or creative about that project? You would be surprised. Wooden garages are generally a little more flexible because they are better insulated and also more breathable. So you have more options when it comes to flooring and are only limited by your imagination. You also have choices when it comes to the style, color and patterns that give you more control over the final product you end up with.
Don’t Forget Snap Together Flooring- It was mentioned before that you can get snap together tiles. These are often decried by experts who claim they are too cheaply made and prone to breaking apart. Under to much pressure that can be true, such as when parking trucks on top. But most tiles are strong enough for cars and you can buy higher weight rated snap together flooring for your wooden garage. Just check the details before you buy and you shouldn’t have any trouble. The main benefit of these tiles is that they are easier to put together and often cheaper.
Don’t Ignore Environmental Factors - When you are living in extreme heat or cold you can end up running into problems with the epoxy in particular. Humid environments can also be an issue, as they wear down the epoxy over time. The same concerns exist with the wooden garage in itself, which has to be treated carefully with the right stains and seals to keep the wood from warping or rotting. In those cases you may want to choose an alternative form of flooring, such as..
Don’t Discount Floor Paint - Painted floors are the easiest way to upgrade your garage flooring and great for wooden garages because it doesn’t require any changes to the floor itself. All you do is get a specially made paint and lay it down on the concrete, letting it dry over the course of a couple of days and then applying a good seal that will protect it from damage caused by tires, oils and other potential issues that happen in garages. Wooden garages air it out pretty quickly thanks to the more breathable material of wood versus metal and will keep lingering smells from becoming a problem.
Don’t Forget Protective Seals - Speaking of protective seals, these are needed no matter what kind of flooring you go with. You should have already had some on the concrete flooring that has to be sanded or scrubbed away before applying epoxy. But it will need to be reapplied to keep from chipping paint or breaking through tiles.
Don’t Put It Off - Finally, don’t put this project off too long. The longer you wait the more damage that can be done to old flooring, giving you more steps that have to be gone through before you can install new flooring. So make flooring a part of the routine when caring for your wooden garage (check there wooden garages).
