Choosing equipment

WE ALL KNOW GARAGES ARE MORE THAN JUST places to store or work on your automotive toys – they’re places of sanctuary, contemplation and, occasionally, car-calamity cursing.

Quality flooring can obviously improve the aesthetics, but if you’re more hands-on with your cars and motorcycles, you don’t have to trade off looks for practicality, either. If we’re talking utilitarian purposes, we’ve surely all seen the low-cost foam tiles for sale in discount stores and auto shops. While these do a job, they by nature expand and contract – and, unless finished in black, they are easily stained permanently by tires and leaks.

Garage floor tiles are a better option, and they available in two types: flexible PVC and rigid polypropylene. The former might be softerfeeling for the enthusiast mechanic, but rigid tiles are better for dissipating any moisture that forms underneath them or through the concrete. They’re also much easier to install and will do a good job of avoiding tire stains. You can replace individual tiles fairly easily, too, and create attractive patterns to suit your garage theme.

However, if you need more protection for your concrete floor, have a rather more dramatic artwork theme planned or your cars are – shall we say – not shy in trying to return their minerals and chemicals to the earth, epoxy coatings may be the way forward.

Applying a coating will require a lot of prep work such as filling joints or cracks, and if you’re looking to paint your floor, now’s the time to do it. You’ll also need to apply primer before the epoxy-coating process begins.

There are several different epoxy options, but the best results are from ‘high solids’ and ‘100 percent solids’. High solids are usually sold with a number, which determines how much of the can is solvent. The 100 percent solids are much better, though, because they don’t shrink – yet the prep work must be perfect prior to application. The final coat should be urethane, which is more resistant to UV, and wear and tear.

However, a recent development has been the use of polyurea coatings. While the smell in the days and possibly weeks immediately after application is, at best, ‘challenging’, it provides a glossy look to the concrete, is easy to install, is less likely to be fouled by chemicals and is more durable in the long term. If you do take the polyurea route, make sure there is no drywall or exposed insulation that could trap the odor… In summary, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to this, because it very much comes down to what you do with your car and the aesthetic you’re aiming for. Tiles are much easier to install and require little prep work, but the aesthetic is an acquired taste. Epoxy and polyurea coatings offer more protection to the concrete from leaks, and the opportunity to create artwork installations, but require plenty of prep work, the removal of your cars and equipment for much longer, and – in the case of polyurea – very understanding neighbors for a week or two post-install...

As proud of your ride as this gal is of hers – a tow car for the children’s ‘Grand Prix’ races that took place on a parking lot in Detroit’s Livonia suburb in the mid-1950s? Bring it to the Woodward Dream Show on August 18, 2023. See you there!

PHOTOGRAPHY

THREE LIONS/GETTY IMAGES