When selecting floor coverings for your home, don’t forget the garage. It’s much easier to finish the garage floor before you move in. Some garage floor coatings produce toxic fumes, require multiple applications, and take several days to dry. It’s no fun to have your garage contents sitting out in the driveway during this process, and Mother Nature doesn’t always cooperate.
There are many types of garage flooring on the market. When considering your options, there are several things to investigate. Oil and dirt will accumulate on the floor:
- Will the flooring absorb oil?
- Is it resistance to chemicals?
- Will it support the weight of vehicles?
- How easy is it to clean?
- Does it resist bacteria, mold and mildew?
- Is it skid-resistant and/or non-slip?
- If you choose an applied, tile-type flooring, can it be hosed off without water being trapped underneath, or does it have an open grid design that can trap dirt?
Garage Epoxy Floor
Using epoxy to finish a garage floor is very common in some parts of the country. Paint is very slippery when it gets wet, however, so if you 
choose to go this route, talk with the painter about adding a grit coating—a granular, sand-like substance applied over wet paint.
Another epoxy garage covering, offered by home improvement stores such as Home Depot, includes an attractive decorative fleck like the one pictured to the right. This type of product, also applied over wet paint, does a better job of reducing the slippery quality of epoxy paint than the grit-coating option.
Garage Floor Interlocking Tiles
Garage tiles are another way to go. These tiles cover all the flaws in the concrete slab and are usually an easy do-it-yourself project. The Swisstrax® tiles pictured here are representative of a large selection of designs and colors. The installation process requires no adhesives and the product is 100 percent recyclable.
According to Swisstrax, their product can support heavy vehicles and is oil-resistant and impervious to gasoline, automotive chemicals, bacteria, mold, and mildew. Swisstrax garage floor tiles are designed to be non-slip and skid resistant. For more information, visit www.swisstrax.com.
Going Green and Want to Paint the Garage Floor?
According to Green Building Supply, their concrete sealing product is both non-toxic and odorless, which is a big improvement over epoxy. It’s
available in 36 colors (as well as clear), can be used in all climates, and costs about $62 per gallon ($295 for a 5 gallon container). Per the manufacturer, each gallon covers 200 square feet. Visit www.greenbuildingsupply.com for more information, including a small photo gallery and comments from consumers about the installation process.
What other garage flooring options have you explored? Tell me in the comment section.
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