For those homeowners looking to add a fully functional extra room in their home, as well as increase their home’s resale value, updating a garage floor is a great option. It doesn’t have to be an upgrade that will break your bank. We have compiled a list of our top 6 garage flooring upgrades that will work.
From the budget-friendly household to those looking for ease over price, we offer an option for everyone.
Garage Flooring Upgrades Option: Paint
Painting the floor is the quickest, most affordable way to upgrade your garage. This is purely an aesthetic upgrade because it does not stand up to chemicals or wear and tear. The most common paints in use are acrylic latex or epoxy.
Painting your concrete floor offers some protection against mold, mildew and moisture, but not as much as the alternate options you’ll read about later in this article. Epoxy is tougher against chemicals and lasts slightly longer, but is priced higher due to the added benefits. We always recommend a concrete primer coat to provide better bonding.
Our latex-based paint recommendation: United Gilsonite Labs’ Drylock Concrete Floor Paint
The benefits include that it is Latex Based, High quality, Quick Drying, appropriate for Indoor/Outdoor use and is a consumer-grade product.
The cons are that this is a surface paint exclusively, it is not suitable for levelling purposes.
Our epoxy paint recommendation: Rust-Oleum Professional Floor Coating Kit
The benefits include an Epoxy Base, Professional-Grade, High Durability, and offers an incredible seal. This product can handle a hard impact without issue and reacts to very few chemicals and solvents used in woodworking and mechanical repair. It binds firmly with the concrete floor to prevent environmental decay.
The con is that this is a base coat and will not provide a slick glossy finish.
Garage Flooring Upgrades Option: Coatings
Epoxy coatings are used in auto showrooms and mechanics garages, so they would be more than suitable for your renovation. An epoxy coating will resist oil stains, beads water and cleans easily. It is highly resistant to chemicals, chipping and scuffing. Especially liquid plastic that is coated on top of the concrete which offers a glossy finish.
Our Epoxy coating recommendation: Rustoleum 261845 Epoxy Shield Garage Floor Coating
The benefits include that it is a water-based epoxy that is a low odour when applying, is chemical resistant, offers a quality finish that is super durable and is anti-slip. It covers over 500 feet which is roughly the size of a 2.5 car garage. It also comes with decorative metallic flakes that you can scatter on before your topcoat.
The con is that it takes on average 7 days to fully cure.
Polyurethane coatings are an excellent option for northern climates. Polyurethane is softer and has a high elasticity. It offers better scratch resistance and handles well in very low freezing temperatures. Polyurethane coatings can withstand temperatures up to -30°C. A huge advantage is that the re-coat and curing time application process can be extended or limited. You can apply a base coat and in a few hours’ re-coat it and the next day it’ll be fully cured.
The cons to polyurethane coating are that it is extremely sensitive to moisture. If you live in a high humidity climate, we do not recommend this type of coating, however, this is nothing a dehumidifier can’t fix. Due to how quickly the coating cures you are working with a limited amount of time, sometimes between 15 and 20 minutes.
Our Polyurethane coating recommendation: 6711 SYSTEM CLEAR WATER-BASED POLYURETHANE
The benefits include fast drying, easy to use, no mixing required, protects against light traffic, weather and staining; prevents concrete dusting and due to it being water-based is low odour.
Garage Flooring Upgrades Option: Garage Floor Tiles
Garage floor tiles are designed to withstand the weight and liquid generated by cars. The modular tiles are a quick way to cover up and protect a concrete floor. The most common materials are plastic, but they also come in rubber and steel. They offer a wide variety of colours, making it easy to build a custom pattern. They also come in different surface options including diamond scoring, raised coin-like dots, smooth or ribbed. They also have the added benefit of providing cushion to those standing for extended periods of time.
Our Garage Floor Tile recommendation: IncStores Diamond Flex Garage Flooring Tiles
The benefits are that they are constructed out of a flexible PVC, resulting in the long life, chemical resistance and durability qualities offered by plastic while maintaining a flexible surface and an anti-fatiguing quality similar to rubber. The diamond plate design is very popular and helps to provide a non-slip surface. These tiles come in a wide range of colours for a solid or patterned look. if you wish to customize them to fit your garage this can easily be done with a utility knife and a straight edge. Lastly, they offer a 25-year warranty.
The con is that they are pricey at roughly $300 per 23.35 sqft.
Garage Flooring Upgrades Option: Garage Floor Mats
Rubberized vinyl floor mats are a very easy and effective way to cover concrete floors, contain liquids from your car and create a clean and comfortable option. They can be purchased in a variety of sizes from a large mat that fits one standard car, to mats that interlink to cover your entire garage floor.
Our Garage Floor mat recommendation: auto floor guards containment mat
The benefits are the mat’s large size, which is big enough for an SUV or pick-up truck, the quality of the material, the raised edges and the easy set-up. It is the largest size on the market at 8.6 Feet by 20 feet and the raised edges keep the water and mud off the concrete. The raised edges are filled with a soft foam padding that will compress when stepped on or driven over This reduces the possibility of tripping, but you have to give water an avenue for getting off the containment mat. One way is to put towels along the edges to provide slightly more lift.
You can easily clean this mat with a shop-vac or a broom. To stop the mat from “Creeping” when it is driven on, add rows of double-sided tape on the underside running across the width of the mat. Use a strip every 18 – 24 inches.
The con is that it is made from a heavier material, but if you bring it outside your garage be cautious around gravel and rocks because it still may tear.
Whether you choose to upgrade your garage with budget-friendly paint or decide to invest in garage floor tiles, you need to clear all your belongings from the working area and perform a thorough deep clean. If you’re tight on space you can trust The Move Out Bin with your storage solutions. We’ll deliver a shipping container onto your property, in a location of your choice and you can pack it up and unpack it at your leisure.
What’s our process?
To get started with your storage solution, give us a call at 519-566-3332. Our team of expert technicians will:
- Deliver your storage container, giving you the time you need to pack
- Pick up the container and transport it to your new location or store it at our facility until you are ready for its delivery
- We will pick up the empty container when you are done
The Move Out Bin offers their valued Windsor-Essex commercial/retail customers simplified moving and storage, guaranteed!
