Garage tiling

[manian.k]

I have this garage at my place which is only used for parking the car in winters, when it snows. Else the car is parked outside, and the garage is more of a utility/ storage room for now. I plan to now work on the garage a bit to make it look better and use it for some plants or for having breakfast with family etc once in a while.

So was wondering how good would be the idea of tiling the floor. Some one told me that the tiles can crack on account of the weight of the car. Please throw in any suggestions you can. Thanks

[RayV]

Get a lighter car.

[manian.k]

[RayV]

Well if you don't want to drive a Mini then maybe this stuff:

[manian.k]

Ohh thanks!!! That does seem like a good option.

However I think we are being too picky or stretching it, by looking for a elegant room which will act as a garage in the winter, contrary to the other way around.

Any more ideas?

RayV wrote:

[Keith Williams]

I wouldn't worry too much about the weight of the car. You're only going to put ~30lbs/sq.in. pressure on the tile. As long as the tile is set properly (no voids in the thinset), I wouldn't think this would be too much. It'll be kinda like a concrete sandwich. ;-) I would make sure the tile is up for the temperature extremes and is not porous. Tile can be pretty slippery when wet/oily too, so I'd watch that.

[Andrew Duane]

A good *COMMERCIAL* grade tile, properly installed with a good base should work OK. Go to a real tile place and ask. Don't assume that the

99 cent tiles you get from the big box store will have nearly enough strength. It will help a lot if the garage floor is in very good shape (no big cracks, or dips, or anything).

Car dealers and other such places routinely tile floors that have cars driven on them.

[e-mail] wrote:

[hallerb]

porous no slippery tile will absorb oil and road grime which does occur in winter

high gloss tile will be a slip hazard

better to use a heavy duty epoxy coating and in the summer roll out some carpet to dress it up a bit

i think tile will cause a lot of grief

[Goedjn]

The above is all true. But I agree with the previous poster that it will be easier to get a satisfactory performance out of a well-prepared poured epoxy floor, like this stuff:

[Mys Terry]

You can imagine what a little road sand on a tire will do to any glazed tile surface.

[Ross Mac]

You might want to look at this product....

luck with your project.....Mac

[PipeDown]

Yes, I would avoid any glossy glazed porcelain tile. A ceramic tile with no glaze can be sealed so staining of porous tile nood not be a big concern. A penetrating sealer will leave the most natural look and a few coats of a good product will last years.

Any natural stone product will hold up well. Sometimes you can get good prices on slate in the box stores and at tile stores. Look for the discount clearance stacks.

I would also opt for 12" or larger tiles. 24" would look good in such a large expanse and you can design in some accents.

Definately avoid voids in the thinset. Consider back buttering the tiles and spreading it on the floor.

Tiling a floor can be trickier than you think, lippage is sometimes difficult to prevent with some kinds of tile especially natural stone that is not exceptionally well gagued.

[Robert Gammon]

Soapstone is gaining some attraction, and it darkens with mineral oil application to be almost black. Regular reapplication of mineral oil to dilute any eninge oils will keep this surface looking great for a long time, but ONLY with a dead level floor, and complete coverage of the thinset.

[hallerb]

car dealers have mostly brand new or late model vehicles that hopefully dont leak oil. plus they have commercial floor scrubbers and must have a sharp looking show room, so they aree willing to replace those floors frequently

[Keith Williams]

Yes, and grout is also porous.

Some glazed tiles have a texture (for bathrooms) which will help, but yes, I'd worry about the slip hazard.

A friend carpeted his garage in better carpeting than in my living room, though is Pantera was worth quite a bit more than my furniture too. ;-)

Perhaps, but I think it's possible. My point was mostly about the weight issue. Cars aren't as "heavy" as some believe.

[Rich]

Here's an article on garage floor paint

Caveat Emptor

Rich ==================================== Garage Door Parts, LLC