RaceDeck Floor Tiles

[DanEC]

I've pretty much settled on ordering RaceDeck floor tiles for my garage. Reasons being I can't move everything out for the 3 - 4 days necessary for prep, applying epoxy and curing (also a lot of disaster stories). Looked at peel and stick tiles (Race Day) but I keep my ERA parked in a corner of the garage on 4-wheel dollies and have to roll it out for every drive and back in afterward. I worry that a vinyl-type tile will be softer and bog down the dolly wheels (more effort for this old guy). Also, the floor prep recommendations are even more strict than for epoxy (acid clean, 2 coats or primer) and the attraction of just throwing RaceDeck tiles down on the floor in an afternoon is too attractive to ignore.

My question - they offer a surface treatment on the 12x12 tiles called Tuff Shield. It's a glossier finish that resists scratches better and aids in clean up. Anyone try this on their RaceDeck floor tiles? If so is it worth the 33% price premium?

Thanks in advance for any input.

[Millsy]

got my race decking 7 years ago and i went with the tuff shield because it was much shinier but i dont think the upgrade was that much back then. My tiles have a diamond plate pattern and if you need to dolly your car around i would not get that pattern, just flat would be the best. The back of the tiles are reinforced so they are extremely rigid. I just sweep the floor once in awhile and mop the tiles, using some soap only if needed. Oil and fluids wipe right off with a rag

[lcrabtree]

Dan,
Caster wheels don't play well with Racedeck. They can't stand the concentrated pressure from small narrow casters the racedeck understructure will mash flat and cause the tile to warp. Even a floor jack without a piece of plywood under it will damage the tile (first hand knowledge). PM me if you want to.

Lester

[Rjw289]

I have had mine for almost 4 years and did not go with the Tuff shield. I prefer the non glossy tiles.

[DanEC]

You guys have definitely got my attention. I did most of my research on the Corvette Forum because I figured it had a larger audience for input. No one thought car dollies would pose a problem. But if this storage situation will be a problem then I'll have to hold off for now.



I can't afford to end up with an un-workable situation.

[1795]

Geez Dan, your garage looks cleaner than my living room! No wonder you do not want any stains on the floor. I do not have a covering on my old ben floor, but I would share your concern about moving heavy materials sitting on small casters as it would seem that over time there would be an increased risk that corners would loosen and start to curl up.

[Al G]

I don't think those casters would be a problem on Racedeck. I move a creeper and jacks around on mine with no problem. There's a lot of Racedeck information on the Garage Journal forum. If you join the forum you can get a discount buying Racedeck directly from the manufacturer.

[marcocsx3121]

Using a floor jack, even to lift a corner of my daughter's 4000 lb. pickup did not damage our Racedeck flooring. Watch out for gasoline spills; given a little time, it will badly warp the tiles.

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by Millsy

got my race decking 7 years ago and i went with the tuff shield because it was much shinier but i dont think the upgrade was that much back then. My tiles have a diamond plate pattern and if you need to dolly your car around i would not get that pattern, just flat would be the best. The back of the tiles are reinforced so they are extremely rigid. I just sweep the floor once in awhile and mop the tiles, using some soap only if needed. Oil and fluids wipe right off with a rag

That's a colorful floor. I haven't seen a smooth tile from Race Deck. They do have a tile called CircleTrak with a coin pattern - I wonder if it might work better with casters? I've found a few comments on line that it's a little harder to get a car moving on dollies but once moving is about the same. Still thinking it over.

[rodneym]

I originally wanted polished concrete but couldn't find someone locally who would do such a "small" job (3 car garage)

I settled on on what I thought was an epoxy installed by "pros". It looks nice but when the tires sit on it a while, they get brown spots that can't be cleaned. It leeches oil right from the tires. It's probably some urethane.

I'm not too crazy about any of the tile options. If I had to do it again, I'd look VERY hard for someone to polish a "small" 3 car garage.

[Lou1119]

Originally Posted by DanEC

I've pretty much settled on ordering RaceDeck floor tiles for my garage. Reasons being I can't move everything out for the 3 - 4 days necessary for prep, applying epoxy and curing (also a lot of disaster stories). Looked at peel and stick tiles (Race Day) but I keep my ERA parked in a corner of the garage on 4-wheel dollies and have to roll it out for every drive and back in afterward. I worry that a vinyl-type tile will be softer and bog down the dolly wheels (more effort for this old guy). Also, the floor prep recommendations are even more strict than for epoxy (acid clean, 2 coats or primer) and the attraction of just throwing RaceDeck tiles down on the floor in an afternoon is too attractive to ignore.

My question - they offer a surface treatment on the 12x12 tiles called Tuff Shield. It's a glossier finish that resists scratches better and aids in clean up. Anyone try this on their RaceDeck floor tiles? If so is it worth the 33% price premium?

Thanks in advance for any input.

I have been using Race Deck tiles for12 years in various garages without any problems. I have used a floor jack on my Cobra without any issues. I have also used a floor jack on my wife' S class Mercedes without problems as well and that car is over 2 tons in weight.
In one garage I did a black and white checker pattern and would not recommend it since the white tiles stain from the tires and can't be cleaned. You should not have any problem moving the dollies over the pattern on the tiles.
I have used epoxy on the floors and this is by far a better solution.
I did try the tough shield and it is not much better than the normal product-- not worth the price of the upgrade.
Good luck,

Lou

[Millsy]

"That's a colorful floor. I haven't seen a smooth tile from Race Deck. They do have a tile called CircleTrak with a coin pattern - I wonder if it might work better with casters? I've found a few comments on line that it's a little harder to get a car moving on dollies but once moving is about the same. Still thinking it over."

7years ago i had no idea i would ever own a cobra, still cant believe mine is getting built now. The awesome part is the cobra will be red and is going into the garage with the race decking and the vette will be going in the crappy garage, so it will match the flooring still. Its funny how sometimes things work out perfectly but in my life that barely ever happens. Good luck with whatever you go with and post pics if you decide to do any floor covering.

[Bernica]

I have thought about terrazzo, similar to what you see in airport terminals etc. Very durable, polished and you can do about anything with it as far as designs and colors. Not cheap, but if you're only wanting to do it once....

Here is a sample of what you can do. I've used these guys on projects for years, but there are many out there...

Corradini Corp. - Terrazzo Contractor

[DanEC]

Terrazzo would be interesting - you can do a lot of designs with it. Pretty sure however, that the installation time on it is even longer than epoxy.

[fordracing65]

I polished my concrete just like my Kirkham.

[Bernica]

Originally Posted by DanEC

Terrazzo would be interesting - you can do a lot of designs with it. Pretty sure however, that the installation time on it is even longer than epoxy.

True, but good things come to those that wait!

It's a several step process that includes prep, layout of design etc. Install takes a while for sure and includes several steps of grinding and polishing.
But look what you end up with!

You garage floor is literally a polished sheet of stone, impermeable and durable as hell!

[Bernica]

Figure for about 1,000 square foot garage using a single color and no graphics, probably about 7 days (maybe less). Add graphics and multi-colors and your results will vary.

[Dimis]

I'm in the process of investigating similar options myself, including polyaspartic.
I'm a bit fickle and cheap, so I keep coming back to marine grade square carpet tiles with a drip tray (just in case). Carpet is warm, cheap, easy to replace square tiles, and I'm told keeps dust away (probably just sits buried in the carpet). Rollers work on it just fine as they are rubber and short pile. Also if I get bored, I can easily change the pattern cheaply and easily.

That said, my set up is a little different to most. I do have a seperate undercover enclosed carport area where I can move the car to, with concrete floor, where I can mess with things that cause fluid spills and the like.

Ps. That terrazzo stuff looks good. But I can see me wanting to change colours or patterns every few years. Same dilemma with polyaspartic.

[Bernica]

Originally Posted by Dimis

Ps. That terrazzo stuff looks good. But I can see me wanting to change colours or patterns every few years. Same dilemma with polyaspartic.

Yeah, you need to commit and live with it. It's pretty messy and expensive to remove and replace.

[fordracing65]

Marine grade carpet squares here cost $1 a square foot.