A garage floor is one of the most important elements of this space, and at the same time one of the most frequently underestimated. It must withstand heavy loads, contact with oil, fuel, road salt and temperature changes – so it should be properly selected and installed. A poorly selected or poorly installed floor will very quickly start to crack, dust or lose its properties. So how do you choose the right garage floor and avoid costly mistakes – because they can indeed be expensive?
A good garage floor should above all be:
Meeting these conditions is crucial, because the garage is one of the most intensively used rooms in a building.
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Today, the choice of garage floors is quite wide; there are many different types. The 1990s, when plain concrete basically dominated garages, are long gone. Below is a short overview – what is available on the market:
The most common solution, especially in older garages. Raw concrete is inexpensive and durable, but without protection it quickly starts to dust and absorb dirt. There are also special reinforced types, but many people question how much greater strength and load capacity they actually provide.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
To improve its durability, concrete can be impregnated or painted with a special floor paint.
One of the best solutions for private garages and workshops, very convenient in practical use. Slightly more demanding to install – and somewhat harder to find an installation team, although there are many nowadays. Epoxy resin floors are slowly becoming a standard, not only in garages.
Advantages of epoxy garage floors:
Disadvantages:
A solution similar to epoxy, but more flexible.
Advantages:
Disadvantages of polyurethane floors:
Polyurethane floors are recommended especially for heated garages or those directly connected to the house. In such cases, we should not have any issues with them.
Garage tiles are also a very good and aesthetic solution. These may be porcelain stoneware tiles or interlocking PVC system tiles. Of course, it should be remembered that they require a previously prepared floor, most often a classic concrete base.
What are the advantages of tiles on a garage floor?
Disadvantages:
Mistakes in material selection vary greatly; often we simply do not take into account the specific nature of a garage.
The most common mistakes concerning garage floors:
Laminate flooring, ordinary bathroom tiles or wall paints are not designed for garage conditions and quickly deteriorate. Meanwhile, we choose something we like, assuming it will be sufficient. For many people this sounds impossible, but you would be surprised how many make this mistake.
Even the best floor will not fulfill its function if the concrete is not dry, clean and properly primed. This is the most common cause of resin delamination. It is often also related to the limited availability of professional teams, who frequently have tight schedules and are more expensive. As a result, we often choose teams that do not fully care about quality but are more available and affordable.
Moisture rising from the ground can destroy the floor from below. Lack of insulation is a mistake that often becomes apparent only after several months, sometimes even years. It is a major oversight, because the problem that appears can be significant. Fortunately, this is not a room where we actually live, but mold appearing on the walls and its smell are not pleasant. Let’s take care of it.
A layer of resin that is too thin or low-quality materials lead to rapid floor wear and the need for costly repairs. But this is probably a classic mistake in various types of construction work.
If we decide on a linear drain in the garage – which is a very practical solution and increasingly popular – a common mistake is not making the proper slope. In that case, water stands and spreads evenly over the floor, eventually evaporating unless collected. The percentage of floor slope toward the drain depends on the specifics and size of our garage – but for the drain to function properly and collect water correctly, it must be at least 1%; in some cases even 1.5 to 2% is used.
However, for garage floors more than 2% slope is not recommended – this would make the incline noticeable to the user, uncomfortable and less aesthetic.
Underfloor heating in the garage is not a problem – it is a solution that is used. For some it is a luxury, but others use the garage as a workshop or company office and appreciate the comfort of underfloor heating in the garage. However, underfloor heating in a garage must take into account specific conditions and loads related to parking a car already at the design stage. And this is a common mistake – for example, an incorrectly selected screed that does not properly consider durability and load capacity while ensuring correct floor performance.
Sometimes an excessively thick screed layer is also used, because of course load capacity is important – which in turn reduces the efficiency of underfloor heating. Designing such a system is possible, but it requires experience and knowledge. With proper design, material selection and execution – underfloor heating does not actually limit us in the final floor finish; we can choose tiles, epoxy resin or another solution.
The choice of a garage floor should be well thought out and tailored to how the space is used. Concrete requires protection, resins offer the highest durability, and tiles work well where quick installation and aesthetics matter. Sometimes a fundamental question also matters, especially if we live in a smaller town – will we find an installation team capable of efficiently delivering a high-quality garage floor in the technology we prefer?
The key to success is not only selecting the material, but also proper substrate preparation and avoiding apparent savings.
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