What’s the Best Flooring for Your Garage?
Turning your garage into a usable room instead of a catch-all for junk that won’t fit into your house anymore feels like a great accomplishment — but no matter how much work you put into cleaning and organizing your garage, you still have that plain gray concrete floor. You need something a little stronger and snazzier if you’re going to work on your car or show it in your garage. What is the best flooring to use in your garage?
Insulation
In most houses, the garage isn’t attached to the home’s HVAC system, so it gets hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Insulating your garage is a great way to make this room a little more comfortable — but don’t neglect the floor. Insulating your garage floor improves your home’s energy efficiency while making it more comfortable and look better.
If it’s not possible to insulate your concrete slab as, throughout the building process, you can build up a layer of insulation on top of the slab to keep your garage more comfortable during hot or cold weather.
Epoxy
If you’re working on your car in your garage, you’re going to want a type of floor that protect the concrete, cleans up easily and will last for years. Epoxy flooring does all of those things and more — it comes in a variety of colors and surface textures, is resistant to most chemicals and will bond directly to your concrete slab to create a waterproof and weatherproof seal.
If you’re concerned about drainage, epoxy can reconfigure the slope of your garage floor to ensure that water or other liquids drain away properly. While you don’t want oil or antifreeze to drain into the soil outside, it’s a useful tool if you’re bringing the hose in to clean off your car or floor inside the garage.
Covers
If you don’t have the funds or the ability to install permanent flooring in your garage because you’re renting your home, temporary flooring can help make your garage look better and protect that concrete slab to ensure that you get your security deposit back if you move.
These tiles consist of plastic, rubber or wood composites, and the kind of floor covers you choose will depend on the kind of work you’re doing in your garage. Wood composite tiles look great, but they can end up susceptible to damage if they get exposed to oil or other automotive chemicals. You can interlock plastic tiles and rubber mats over the slab to protect the concrete and give your garage a nice finished look.
Do It Right the First Time
Garage flooring isn’t something that most people think about, but it’s a great way to improve the look of your garage while making it a more comfortable place to work. Don’t skimp on your garage flooring — do it right the first time, and it will serve you well for years to come.