Garage Floor Covers
Various Options for Garage Floor Covers
There are many advantages to using garage floor covers. Not only do they make the area look better, but they also extend the life of your concrete. Without these coverings, the concrete gets exposed to oil, water and other hazards that result in cracks and staining. Unfortunately, not too many homeowners even know that you can cover your concrete. They are under the impression if a floor is in the garage, it must remain bare. Otherwise, it may not be able to accommodate the car. Well, in truth, such a notion is false. There are quite a few coverings that are functional yet aesthetically pleasing. They include: garage floor mats, tiling and painting.
Garage floor mats offer the easiest option for coverage. At a price of around $2 per sq. foot, they are not only inexpensive, but also easy to install. All you have to do is roll the mat out onto your floor. The raised bumps underneath will help hold the mat into place. And the rubber material within the mat will be able to withstand the pressure of your car. The only downside is that these mats tend to be limited in style. While they come in a variety of solid colors, finding them with patterns or designs can be a bit challenging.
Next, there is the option of tiling you garage. You can install permanent vinyl, wood or carpet, or you can us rubber garage flooring. The latter is the best choice for beginning Do-It-Yourselfers. With temporary covers, you can get peel & stick flooring or interlocking tiles. Both are relatively easy to install, but peel & stick is by far the most convenient. You simply remove the back cover and press the tile onto the cement. With interlocking tiles, you have to line up the floors and connect them by fitting their groves together. This takes a little bit of practice, but if you make a mistake, you can easily remove the flooring. Peel & stick tiles require more work if you want to remove them.
Either way, if you decide to go with interlocking or peel & stick tiles, you will be treated to a plethora of colors, patterns and designs for your floors. Black and white checkerboards are by far the most common design, but there are hundreds of others you can choose from. If you are a bike enthusiast you could do the Harley symbol or you may like the logo and color scheme of your favorite sports team.
Finally, you can create a covering by painting over your cement floors. Epoxy is the best choice for such a venture, as it solidifies to a very hard and durable surface. This creates a buffer of protection for your concrete, it can protect from divots if something falls on the floor and it may be more resistant to cracking. It also makes the concrete glossy. Unfortunately, however, the designs with this approach are limited, as you are forced to stick with solid colors. If you want to create something with more flair, you would have to add paint chips on top of the epoxy. There is also the option of staining the concrete, but this requires more skill than regular epoxy painting.
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