The Advantages and Disadvantages of Choosing Garage Floor Tile

One of the more popular garage flooring options is tiling. Tiles can protect your concrete garage floor just as well as paint, but are often easier for the DIYer to install. We'll go over a few advantages and disadvantages to garage floor tile in this article so that you can hopefully get a good idea of whether tiles are going to be your best option.

Garage Floor Tile Prices

Garage flooring is going to be one of your cheaper and easier home improvement tasks. Garage floor tiles, however, can up the price considerably. Buying a kit that covers a single car garage could set you back anywhere from $200 to over $500, features and brands depending. The only thing that comes close, price wise, is a garage floor mat, so compare the prices between tiles and mats before you decide which one is best for you.

When Should Garage Floor Tile Be Used?

There are two different types of tiles. There are the interlocking type, which are basically square shaped compartment mats that are meant to be connected, and there are the peel and stick type that actually bond to the concrete garage floor. The interlocking type can be used in just about any garage, but probably won't last as long as the peel and stick type. The peel and stick type, however, can only be used in garages where the original floor is in good shape and not too heavily stained.

Installing Garage Floor Tile

Excepting mats, depending on which one you use, garage floor tiles are probably the easiest solution to install. Peel and stick tiles are just what they sound like, and interlocking ones snap together. Nothing is difficult about either install. though when using the peel and stick ones, you have to be absolutely sure that the floor is spotless as you wouldn't want the sticky backing attaching itself to dust and dirt. Since the interlocking garage floor tiles just click together, the install is similar to a mat, and you generally just have to lay it out on the floor without worrying too terribly much about how clean it is. Of course, their inherent design as well as any dust or dirt can cause them to move and crunch when you don't want them to.

Garage Floor Tile Maintenance

For the majority of the garage floor tiles out there, maintenance is about what you would do with linoleum flooring. As they are designed with spraying off in mind, and typically don't absorb chemicals in the first place, cleaner is usually not necessary, and a wet mop will almost always do the trick if a water hose is either not enough, or not available. Any traditional garage flooring cleaners should be avoided since they usually are intended only for concrete. If soap is necessary, the typical floor cleaner generally will suffice. Make absolutely sure that you read the instructions that comes with your tiles, though, since some cleaners can diminish or stain the garage floor tile finish.