A majority of houses are built with concrete garage floors, leaving them prone to stains and often resulting in an unsightly appearance. This leaves many people looking for an alternative solution and often times turning to garage flooring. Garage flooring is used for many reasons, including protecting the floor from chemical spills, reducing leg strain and improving the appearance of the garage. There are several different types of flooring for your garage, including rubber floor mats, floor tiles, epoxy paint and roll-out flooring.
Rubber floor mats, also known as parking mats, are used to protect your garage floor from fluids leaking out of your car and filthy tires. A quality garage floor mat will have raised plastic edges to accommodate large oil or water spills. They should be resistant to salt and oil spill stains, as well as leak-proof.
Another variety of rubber floor mats are interlocking, allowing them to cover the whole garage floor. Interlocking mats are made from polypropylene, causing them to be slip-resistant, easy to wipe down and can handle the heavy weight of vehicles. Additional options include additives to make the flooring sound, acid, gas and solvent resistant.
Floor tiles are the preferred form of garage flooring for many people. Besides the added convenience of being able to mop the floor, they also add a touch of class to your garage. They hide the cracks and stains on your cement floor and prevent dirt from being tracked into the house. Floor tiles also cushion the garage floor for anti-fatigue benefits. Most garage floor tiles can be rolled out and stuck to the cement without the need for glue or mortar.
Epoxy paint is the fast and simple way to spruce up your garage floor. All that is required is a little cleaning and crack repair before painting the floor. The epoxy paint must be made specifically for concrete floors, and be free of additives, in order to adhere correctly. Garage floor epoxy paint is available in a wide array of colors to add life to your boring cement garage floor. Floors, protected with this type of paint, wipe clean of oil spills with a damp cloth or mop.
Roll out flooring is the easiest way to cover your garage floor. It has several benefits, such an anti-fatigue feature, surface pattern channels to redirect spills away from the vehicle and ribbed channels to prevent tracking dirt into the house. This type of garage flooring is made of PVC to protect the cement from oil, antifreeze and salt damage. Unlike rubber flooring, it is not slip-proof, so spills should be cleaned up immediately.