Garage flooring is perhaps one of the most overlooked things in someone’s garage when converting their garage or just for general maintenance. After reading this guide, you will not only see that as a crime, but should get some great ideas as to how you can get the perfect floor for your garage.
In case you’re not quite on board yet, let’s take a look at why garage flooring is important for your garage.
Why Good Garage Flooring is Important
Whether you’re using your garage as a storage, workplace, or somewhere to relax, having a good, strong floor is not only important, but very needed, especially if you’re going to store heavy things in your garage such as a car. It is also important to have good foundations for carpets if you decide to make your garage into a living space such as a bedroom, lounge, or even an office.
The last thing you want to do is install carpets on your garage floor and cause dents/dips due to flooring that isn’t reinforced. It’s also worth considering how easily you can install underground central heating if you’ll need it for your garage.
What it comes down to is what you’ll be using your garage for, for comfort, you’ll need a good floor to lay a carpet down or a wooden floor. For a workplace/storage garage, you’ll need a strong, concrete floor ideally.
Different Types of Garage Flooring and their Costs
Now, we’ll take a look at the main types of garage flooring, the pros and cons, and the cost involved, starting with carpets.
Carpets
Installing carpets to your garage may be the go-to choice if you’re planning to use the space for comfort such as a lounge or bedroom. I am personally a fan of carpets, to back myself up, I’ve compiled a list of pros.
These include: A comfortable, soft feeling on your feet, anti-slip protection, noise Insulation, nice look (with decorative and multi-coloured options), insulation from the cold, easy to clean, and easy installation. The only downsides I can think of is potential staining from paint, wine etc. and not being able have your dog in (if they like to get their paws muddy).
The cost of laying a carpet down in a medium sized room can vary from $300 to around $600, this of course varies on the size of your garage and doesn’t take into account the cost of the carpet itself.
If you’re looking for an even easier installation process, and possibly cheaper alternative, take a look at these carpet tiles. These have all the benefits of a carpet, but are easier to install and uninstall, seems like a win-win to me.
Concrete floor
This is the classic option for a garage floor, especially if you have a classic, storage garage. This is the default floor type and for good reason.
Concrete is easy to lay and provides a hard-wearing, durable solution for garage floors, which have to support heavy vehicles, withstand contaminants like petrol and anti-freeze and put up with freezing temperatures. A good concrete floor will last you a goof thirty years if you treat it well and it definitely helps if you use epoxy paint. This makes for a cost effective way to floor your garage and most homes will have a concrete floor in the garage already meaning you only need to worry about maintaining it.
The cons of concrete flooring involve the maintenance of it. Using epoxy paint is a must for long-term maintenance of your concrete garage floor, however, even if you do use this, you can expect the paint to start chipping after three years. This is why bi-annual touch ups are necessary, otherwise you’ll find that it gets weathered. Saying this, the concrete floor should be easy to clean and therefore makes for a good option for having a clean, useful garage floor.
If you need to install a concrete floor, for a basic finish, you can expect to pay $2 to $12 per square foot. This makes concrete flooring very cost effective and a very cheap option even for a bigger garage.
Wooden flooring
This type of flooring is a happy medium between utility and comfort/style for your garage floor. Wooden floors can work for both storage, albeit not as strong as a concrete floor, or for a lounge, albeit not as comfy/cosy as a carpet.
There are a lot of benefits to a wooden floor, such as its look/style, adding value to your home if done correctly, Easy to maintain and clean (I’d suggest adding varnish to make it longer lasting). On top of that, it can be cost effective, provide superior air quality (as it doesn’t trap dust), and is better acoustically which can be a bonus if you’re planning to start your band from your garage (cliché, I know), or it just makes movie night that extra bit more realistic.
Most of the cons involved with wooden flooring stem from not varnishing it properly. This can include water damage or a termite infestation, make sure you avoid spilling liquid on your wooden floor, and have regular checks for mould and insects. Wooden floors can also be loud sometimes as well, so maybe leave your shoes off. If you’re looking for some wood varnish, follow this link for affordable but great quality varnishes.
The cost of installing wooden flooring to your garage you on average $3 and $7 per square foot for materials and $3 to $5 per square foot for labour. This price is similar to concrete flooring, but this of course can vary on the type and quality of the wood you use.
Interlocking garage floor tiles
If you’ve read my article on interlocking garage floor tiles, then great. If you haven’t, click here.
No go on, I’ll wait.
Ok, read it? Good, now you should be an expert in the subject, but if you some weird reason you disobeyed my instructions, I’ll summarise it for you here.
The best reasons to get interlocking garage floor tiles is because they are so easy to install, offer great protection to your garage floor, and they offer long-lasting grip. This makes them perfect for any functional activity you may be doing in your garage such as having a workshop or home gym.
The only cons I can think of is that it may not look authentic, but there are many styles that should be able to suit your garage. That, and the fact that it doesn’t mix well with water, spilling water may lead it to go onto the sub-floor and may make it lose its grip.
If you’re looking for some great quality interlocking garage floor tiles, go to my article here. There you will find much more information on them and also find a price for you, but you should expect to pay less than 100 dollars for your whole garage floor, not bad at all.
How to Maintain and Heat your Garage Flooring
It’s all well and good installing your ideal type of garage flooring, but that will mean nothing in months and years to come if you don’t maintain your floors. It is also worth noting how you will set up your heating in your garage, if you choose to use central heating then make sure to read on.
Epoxy Paint or Varnish
I’ve already mentioned these methods of maintaining your garage floor but wanted to expand on them. First of all, using epoxy paint is very important for concrete floors. Epoxy paint specially for garage floors comes in many different colours to improve the look of your garage. Applying Epoxy paint to your garage floor will not only give your garage more personality, but also reinforce the floor to protect it from scratches, peeling, cracks, oil stains, tire marks, etc.
Compared to any other type of paint, Epoxy is considered to be the most scratch resistant. This is also ideal for areas with high moisture, such as outdoor areas or saunas. This is the case since it also offers moisture and abrasion resistance. Therefore, if you want to improve the longevity of your garage floor if it’s concrete, use this type of paint. If you’re looking on guidance to apply this paint to you garage floor alongside the best paints you can get, read my article here.
Next is varnish, this can and should be used for wooden garage floors and the effect it has is basically the same as epoxy paint on concrete garage floors. It improves the look and longevity of your garage floor, making it resistant to scratches, mould, and therefore keeps your wooden garage floor looking great. Click here if you want to browse a varnish that will work for your garage floor.
Central Heating
A final point I want to make is about central heating. This is definitely something you’ll want to consider potentially before your garage flooring is installed. Make sure your boiler can handle the strain of extra pipes under your garage floor and then get it installed before your flooring is put in.
You also need to consider labour costs when installing features like central heating. Labour costs for this type of work can range at around $100-$200. The good news is that most jobs will only take a couple of days. I’d recommend this type of heating if you’re using the space long term for comfort, if you don’t want to go through all the hassle, check out my article on The Highest Quality Garage Heaters of 2021.
Final Thoughts
I hope you’ve not only realised the importance of good flooring for your garage, but you’ve chosen a garage floor type/style that is perfect for what you want to use. Remember, you’ll want to use a harder wearing floor for functional activities such as a workshop, gym, and/or storage. You’ll want to use carpets/carpet tiles for a space you’ll use for comfort/relaxation. Interlocking garage floor tiles can offer a happy medium.
Having the right flooring is half the battle, make sure your garage floor is maintained properly, whether this is through epoxy paint on concrete floors or varnish on wooden floors, treat carpets the same way you would anywhere else in your house. If you want more guidance on general garage conversion, check out my article here.
Thank you for reading this far, I hope you are inspired to get and keep the best garage floor you can for your garage. Please share this article if you found it useful, and make sure to check out my other articles for more garage guidance!
