Garages play an important part in our car’s life cycle. From offering protection and shelter to storing various necessities for day-to-day maintenance. Or they can serve as a perfect man cave, where you can always go and relax after a long day. Whatever you choose your garage to be, from a car shop, storage or your space, the choice of flooring plays a key part. Floors can serve as part of the overall decor or for insulation and other purposes. Floors come with their specific nuances, merits and flaws, pricing etc. This is why we’ve made this handy list to help you pick the right one for you!
1. Polished Concrete Flooring
When you want something that can last for a long time, be virtually indestructible and look nice, polished concrete is the way to go. Simple, elegant and durable, polished concrete can withstand anything you throw at it where most items will break before you spot a dent in your floor. The downside is that it’s a bit costly, and removing any liquids from it (like oil and paint) becomes a nightmare. But it can serve as a foundation for even more flooring options and mould remediation costs to go down.
2. Rubber Tile Flooring
If you keep your washer, dryer and other utilities in the garage, then you know water can easily spread anywhere. If you put rubber tile flooring, your life becomes easier and there is no risk of water damage or slips. The only downside is regular maintenance to avoid mould and you shouldn’t park your car over it. But on the flip side, again, you can install them yourself as they are DIY-friendly.
3. Stone Flooring
Plan B for the ideal alternative to concrete flooring is going with old fashion stone. Stone floors are usually used for decorative purposes but can outlast any home. It’s a worthwhile investment that’s ideal if you are living in a warmer climate. In winter months or colder climates, they can help support your furnaces and keep you warm. Nothing can damage it, and going with granite, limestone, or sandstone is always a good choice.
4. Porcelain Tile Floors
Porcelain tiles carry with them a reputation for fragility and hard installation, but modern materials and techniques are far from it. If you wish to make your garage into a living space or a secluded den, then going for quality and good porcelain tiles is the way to go. The initial cost justifies itself in added value, style and ease of maintenance. You can also choose any number of styles and patterns, where only your imagination can be the upper limit.
5. Roll-Out Vinyl Flooring
If you wish for a more fast and easy solution, go with the roll-out vinyl. It’s designed to be user-friendly, easy to install, cheap and quick. You will have to do a bit of trimming on the edges and prepare the surface, but when you are low on time and budget, nothing beats going with vinyl. You don’t have to treat it as a final solution, but as a good enough until you can budget for better. Or maybe they will work out for you?
6. Simple Paint Floor
If you’ve already gone with concrete or stone, you can upgrade it with simple stone paints. Once again, you can pretty much do it yourself and save money on installation. The only investment here comes in the paint quality and painting materials. Don’t skim out, as cheap paint can wash away any imprint on your possessions and lousy painting material only makes the job harder. One more item that paint floors have going for them is the minimal time required to set up and dry. And you can always redecorate at your whim.
7. Carpet Flooring
We’ve touched on the topic of making your garage a living space, and nothing says living space as carpets. Carpets don’t have to be grand or expensive when you put them in your garage. You can have rugged, durable and practical carpets to cover every inch and still provide you with warmth, safety and living space. When you are making a male den, a carpet can breathe in that welcoming tone you so sorely need. Just be mindful of regular vacuuming and cleaning.
8. Interlocking Floor Tiles
Floor tiles come in all shapes, colours and sizes. You can choose from small ones, where you can express yourself and build a mosaic, or for when you are low on space, to large and sprawling options, which can cover large surfaces with ease. Floor tiles are ideal multifunctional pieces of flooring that can adapt to suit any of your needs. They are made from a vast array of various materials, styles, and prints and are easy to install.
9. Peel&Stick Vinyl Tile
Who says you need a handyman for everything? If you’ve ever collected a card, then you are familiar with how peeling and sticking something functions. With these types of vinyl tiles, you don’t have to think about the type of adhesive or set up the groundwork before you begin. All you have to do is peel the protective layer and start placing them on your garage floor. Think of them as the vinyl solution, but without the set-up cost. Yes, you will invest your time and effort, but peel&stick vinyl tiles are the budget option.
10. Concrete Stain Floor
Unlike regular concrete floors which we mentioned, the concrete stain has a thin coat that lets your old floor shine. You can now express yourself in more ways than regular, plain concrete and pick out watercolour or natural stone looks. While concrete stain floors are more appealing than concrete or painted floors, they still share the same drawbacks, and those are stains, which can be difficult to remove or can become part of the floor entirely.
Picking any floor option is not always a permanent solution. You can always change, adapt or experiment with flooring styles. Stone floors can be repainted or stained when you wish. You can put porcelain or vinyl tiles on top. And you can also put rugs or carpets to cover it up. The point is, you have all the freedom in the world to choose what fits best for your current needs!
