Garage Tiles Vs. Epoxy Coating: Which Option Should You Consider?

Decided it’s time to upgrade the look of that garage? Revamping the garage floor will transform your garage from boring to beautiful. A basic concrete floor provides a space to walk and park on.

However, a little time and effort completely change the atmosphere of your garage. What was once a bland room hidden away becomes the room of choice for sports games and hangouts.

Once you begin your search for different types of garage floor options, you’ll find there’s a lot more to it than you thought. Figuring out what product to cover your garage with is daunting to many homeowners.

Two popular and well-known choices are epoxy and garage floor tiles. Both products have their costs and benefits. Information on the pros and cons before purchasing a product sets you and your floor up for success. It is essential to compare these products to make a well-informed decision. Here’s the breakdown on each of these garage flooring options:

Epoxy Flooring

Epoxy is a commonly-used floor coating in industrial, commercial, and home settings. It is a hard-resin two-part system. Epoxy is a combination of polymer resins and hardeners that react to one another by chemically bonding with each other and the concrete floor underneath.

The result is a solid and glossy material that is impeccably smooth, seamless, and stunning. With the glossy epoxy, any space will feel luxurious.

The Pros:

As mentioned, epoxy looks excellent. Also, it is easy to customize – add color for designs, custom hues, and unique-looking designs. Flake is an additional way to spice up the floor.  Also, epoxy is highly resistant to heavy-duty wear and tear, a significant factor in weighing for installations in workshops or high-traffic areas. Epoxy floors can chip or crack if abused. Polyurea offers an easier and even more durable option.

Customers love how tightly sealed epoxy floors are because it protects the concrete below the coating. When the epoxy is applied correctly, the surface protects against spills, leaks, and any potentially damaging moisture. Because of this feature, epoxy lasts for decades when maintained adequately. As a result of the smoothness and gloss finish, epoxy is also a breeze to clean. Ensure the clean condition of the floor through sweeping or mopping often.

Cons:

While time saved on cleaning and maintenance, in the long run, is a highlight of the epoxy, the installation process is lengthy. The success of an epoxy-floor installation depends on how meticulous you were in the prep process. Thoroughly etching or grinding the concrete floor allows the epoxy to bond to the concrete.

After mixing components, keep in mind that epoxy must be applied quickly. Each layer applied requires several hours of curing time for each coat. You will need at least a day of prep time. Also, if the concrete floor is often damp or retains moisture, then epoxy is not recommended. Lastly, epoxy is a smooth surface, so if you require friction to avoid slipping hazards, you will need to lay down mats to provide it. For customers looking to avoid the stressful installation process, check out our All-Weather Floors Polyurea.

Tile Flooring:

Tile floors are interlocking tiles that are either flexible or rigid. They come in a variety of options, from specialized textures like the TrueLock HDXT Coin garage tiles to ribbed tiles to snap carpet tiles and more. If you’re going for an impressive aesthetic look, diamond-plated tiles are a bold choice that also offers extreme durability and resistance. We HIGHLY suggest rigid tiles over PVC tiles for automotive applications– PVC tiles can stain from tires. If you do go PVC use black under the tires.

The Pros:

Compared to epoxy, one of the main pros of tiled garage floors are the fact that they are much easier to install than epoxy. Sweeping and assuring the absence of large rocks or bumps is pertinent to a successful installation. We also recommend that customers apply a low-cost concrete protector like the B4 floor prep. Tiles can be installed over low-quality concrete or even wooden floors (not a feature epoxy can boast.)

Like epoxy, tiled floors are also a wonderful choice for a homeowner or business owner that cares about aesthetics due to the full range of textures and designs that are available. Flexible tiles offer a softer floor underfoot and offer amazing impact resistance, while rigid tiles take are more stain resistant. Lastly, interlocking tiles are less permanent than epoxy – beneficial for customers that move often or will move in the near future.

Cons:

While interlocking tiles create a fantastic look for your garage floor, it is the less seamless option in comparison to epoxy. Rigid interlocking tiles are also not quite as easy to clean as epoxy. Tiles with an uneven profile may be difficult to roll over. In an area with rolling toolboxes, drawers, and other similar workshop items, we recommend the TrueLock HDXT Coin tiles. Flexible tiles tend to be susceptible to staining and have the potential to expand and contract in direct sun-exposure or high heat. Finally, a textured tile could prove more challenging to keep clean than a smooth surface like epoxy.

Verdict:

When comparing epoxy to interlocking tiles, it all comes down to what matters most to you. For easier installation, durability, and mobility, the interlocking tiles might be your pick. On the other hand, for customers that desire a beautiful, long-lasting, and easy-to-clean floor and don’t mind an involved installation process, epoxy is a great option. Polyurea takes much of the complexity out of the installation while still offering the Pros of epoxy. Polyurea tends to be more chemical resistant and more durable.

Either option will transform your space from boring to brilliant. For whatever you choose, Garage Flooring LLC is always here to answer questions at any step of the process.
You may find this garage floor tile review of interest too!