RaceDeck Garage Surfaces - Latest Opinions? vs. Epoxy?

[tenorplayer23]

RaceDeck has been discussed in few threads.



Just wondering if folks have had recent experiences & developed opinions about the product.........and whether it's better quality, "pro-like" epoxy surfaces?



I actually think the price of professionally applied epoxy systems is more than RaceDeck for my 3-car garage. On the other hand, UCoat and other DIY quality brands of coatings are much, much less.



Being in the land of ice, snow, salt, slush and general "crap" in the winter time makes me wonder about how RaceDeck on top of my bare floor will effect the concrete. For a 10 yr. old surface, it's in very good shape. (The good news is, though, that you can take Racedeck up and take it with you if you want........it doesn't have to stay with the garage).



Any recent or new opinions/recommendations............pictures, experiences, et. al. would be helpful.



Thx. in advance.



See ya. :wavey

 

[TLMitchell]

Just wondering if folks have had recent experiences & developed opinions about the product.........and whether it's better quality, "pro-like" epoxy surfaces?



I actually think the price of professionally applied epoxy systems is more than RaceDeck for my 3-car garage. On the other hand, UCoat and other DIY quality brands of coatings are much, much less.



Being in the land of ice, snow, salt, slush and general "crap" in the winter time makes me wonder about how RaceDeck on top of my bare floor will effect the concrete. For a 10 yr. old surface, it's in very good shape. (The good news is, though, that you can take Racedeck up and take it with you if you want........it doesn't have to stay with the garage).

As in everything else, you get what you pay for. Are you thinking about moving and wanting to take the flooring with you or is it just a possibility?



I've looked at every option I can find. I only want to do the floor once and expense is less important than a great finish and durability. I ran across these guys on eBay:



Armorcoat Flooring



Since they're only an hour away from me I dropped by for a look-see. Impressive products! They referred me to a local customer that has been using lift trucks on their coatings for over 10 years and the floors show no wear at all. I use water in the garage along with the inevitable salt and winter crud in NE Ohio plus have a gravel driveway with stuff getting dragged in on the tires. I'm thinking this is going to give me the best option for longevity.



YMMV.... TL

 

[tenorplayer23]

....................:nixweiss

 

[tenorplayer23]

Any other opinions??? :nixweiss



See ya. :wavey

 

[BobD]

Honestly, they both have their pros and cons in my opinion. I've seen professionally done epoxy jobs last 2 years or less and have to be redone. They are finicky with some chemicals because they are resistant to chemicals and not chemical proof. I'd never do it myself. The floor has to be PERFECT in order for it to stick and sometimes that means grinding down the concrete. Then you have the texture choices. If it's smooth it'll be slippery when wet. If it's textured it will be rough and harder to sweep and squeegee and if you roll around the floor a lot or lay on the floor a lot you might not want textured. In my opinion the only pros is that it looks nice and adds protection to the concrete, but a concrete sealer would do that as well.



Then you have the race deck and the likes. Again you have a rough surface to laying on it or rolling on it will be a pain. Any water or melted snow will get through the seems and just sit between that and your concrete all winter. Most likely creating a musty smell by winters end and all the moisture sitting is not good for tools and stuff. The pros would be that it looks nice.



I went through this a few years ago and decided not to do anything. If I end up wanting anything done for looks I'll just stain my concrete.

 

[flyersfanjd]

Any other opinions??? :nixweiss



See ya. :wavey

You might want to check out this forum:



Garage Journal Flooring Forum



I moved last October into a house built in 1966. Before we got really settled in, I decided to go the epoxy route. I used Wolverine Coatings epoxy, and I love it. The prep work was rough, but well worth it. It's only been a year, but there's no peeling, chipping, or other signs of wear and tear. I would go this route again given it's in the same shape in another five years.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I did tile -- partly because my slab wasn't in good enough shape for epoxy, partly because Race Deck has to be pulled out if you spill oil -- but mostly because it was cheap, at .68/sf. I can walk on it barefoot, clean it with an air hose, spill paint, oil or whatever and just wipe it up.



It's held up well. The picture is all cleaned up and pretty, but I do a lot of work (most recently welding together a wrought iron fence) in that garage.

 

[BobD]

I did tile -- partly because my slab wasn't in good enough shape for epoxy, partly because Race Deck has to be pulled out if you spill oil -- but mostly because it was cheap, at .68/sf. I can walk on it barefoot, clean it with an air hose, spill paint, oil or whatever and just wipe it up.



It's held up well. The picture is all cleaned up and pretty, but I do a lot of work (most recently welding together a wrought iron fence) in that garage.

What material is that tile?

 

[Jack Olsen]

It's ceramic -- which is rated by hardness, coefficient of friction and moisture content, and this stuff meets commercial code in California for public use (like malls and plazas). As an alternative, you can get porcelain tiles from Lowes for about a buck a square foot, which would be even more durable.

 

[BobD]

It's ceramic -- which is rated by hardness, coefficient of friction and moisture content, and this stuff meets commercial code in California for public use (like malls and plazas). As an alternative, you can get porcelain tiles from Lowes for about a buck a square foot, which would be even more durable.

So it'd hold up to like a hammer falling on it? I just ask because I'm always dropping stuff on my floors. What about rolling a jack around on it?

 

[tenorplayer23]

You're in California, right? If so, that's why tile might be a nice choice. With all the snow, water and crap here during the winter months, I think ceramic would be treacherous. I agree about the RaceDeck and water under the tiles, but lots of people swear it's OK. I'm actually torn between using epoxy (probably professionally done) and the decking. The deck can be taken up, long warranty, can't be any harder to work on than bare concrete, plus it can be designed. And if you want to, you can un-install and take it with you. Might still be the best choice.



The only thing that concerns me is water/salt, etc. under the decking eventually (and how it impacts the concrete surface). I'm sure the decking holds up. Folks say they use floor jacks on it with no issue, jack stands and the like. I have a sample and it is stout stuff. The install also seems a lot less difficult than epoxy, as the prep. is essentially down to sweeping the floor clean.



Thx. for the info about the tile. If there was a good really, non-slip version, I'd do that. The price is right, for sure. Plus, you can do the patterns like the RaceDeck.



Other opinions..........please chime in.



See ya. :wavey

I did tile -- partly because my slab wasn't in good enough shape for epoxy, partly because Race Deck has to be pulled out if you spill oil -- but mostly because it was cheap, at .68/sf. I can walk on it barefoot, clean it with an air hose, spill paint, oil or whatever and just wipe it up.



It's held up well. The picture is all cleaned up and pretty, but I do a lot of work (most recently welding together a wrought iron fence) in that garage.

 

[BobD]

You're in California, right? If so, that's why tile might be a nice choice. With all the snow, water and crap here during the winter months, I think ceramic would be treacherous. I agree about the RaceDeck and water under the tiles, but lots of people swear it's OK. I'm actually torn between using epoxy (probably professionally done) and the decking. The deck can be taken up, long warranty, can't be any harder to work on than bare concrete, plus it can be designed. And if you want to, you can un-install and take it with you. Might still be the best choice.



The only thing that concerns me is water/salt, etc. under the decking eventually (and how it impacts the concrete surface). I'm sure the decking holds up. Folks say they use floor jacks on it with no issue, jack stands and the like. I have a sample and it is stout stuff. The install also seems a lot less difficult than epoxy, as the prep. is essentially down to sweeping the floor clean.



Thx. for the info about the tile. If there was a good really, non-slip version, I'd do that. The price is right, for sure. Plus, you can do the patterns like the RaceDeck.



Other opinions..........please chime in.



See ya. :wavey

I would be more concerned with the salty mixture just siting under the tiles. That stuff gets into the air and will get to your tools and other stuff over time.

 

[tenorplayer23]

Yea, I sweep it up all the time. Wouldn't worry about it getting on the tools, but would worry about how it deteriorates the concrete. Not much we can do about it in this neck of the woods. Salt, salt, salt......must be about the same in MI. But, I do like the way the Racedeck looks, though. It is pretty when installed and the walls are painted in a complimentary color scheme!



Thx.



See ya. :wavey

I would be more concerned with the salty mixture just siting under the tiles. That stuff gets into the air and will get to your tools and other stuff over time.

 

[BobD]

Yea, I sweep it up all the time. Wouldn't worry about it getting on the tools, but would worry about how it deteriorates the concrete. Not much we can do about it in this neck of the woods. Salt, salt, salt......must be about the same in MI. But, I do like the way the Racedeck looks, though. It is pretty when installed and the walls are painted in a complimentary color scheme!



Thx.



See ya. :wavey

I keep thinking of the old school deck with the holes in it. I keep forgetting they have solid decks now. I keep picturing the salty water sitting under the deck where you can't get to it.

 

[Durddy]

What about a large blue tarp or similar under the racedeck?

 

[Jack Olsen]

You're in California, right? If so, that's why tile might be a nice choice. With all the snow, water and crap here during the winter months, I think ceramic would be treacherous.

Like I said, this stuff is rated for its coefficient of friction -- it's approved for public malls and other places here where it pours rain. It's not slippery like the shiny tiles in your bathroom.



Freeze/thaw cycles might be an issue, though. As a Californian, I didn't look into that.



The brittleness has a lot to do with how the tiles are set. I 'doble-buttered' everything, so there wouldn't be air pockets. I've jacked up my car, dropped hammers. The only ways I've damaged it so far is with direct hits from welding slag (tiny spots -- now I put down a welding tarp), and my 65-pound 10-inch forged steel vise, which fell 37" off of my new table while I was installing it.

It chipped the glaze off a corner of tile, but didn't crack it.

They're easy to replace if they do break. But so far, they haven't.



For further reference, that new table I added has a 510-lb piece of 1-inch steel on top of a 360-lb Strong Hold cabinet. I've pounded on it hard with that big hammer you see above it, and the tiles it's sitting on have all been fine.