To our Reader’s: This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to make a purchase, we may earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, All Garage Floors earns from qualifying purchases. You can read our full disclaimer here.
When choosing garage floor tiles for your home, never before has there been such a large range of styles and materials to choose from. Some of your options include interlocking floor tiles from popular companies like RaceDeck and SwissTrax. PVC or rubber garage floor tiles, porcelain, and even peel and stick vinyl garage tiles.
Garage flooring can now be custom designed with color, texture, pattern, and durability in mind to match your flooring needs.
Besides the fantastic looks that garage floor tiles can offer, they provide tremendous benefits as well. The best part is that some tile garage flooring can easily be installed in less than a day by the average person. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the different tile options to see what the best garage flooring tiles are based on your needs and budget.
Interlocking Floor Tiles
Interlocking garage floor tiles are gaining fast momentum as some of the best options in garage floor coverings today. Homeowners are quickly realizing how easy they are to install as well as the good looks and benefits that this modern day product delivers. One of the more appealing aspects of interlocking tiles is that it enables the homeowner to custom design the floor of their garage to whatever suits their needs.
In fact, many companies have online tools that let you design your floor right on your computer. You can choose an all solid color, multiple colors, do racing style checkered flag themes, create colored borders for car parking and storage areas, or even design walking paths between vehicles if you like.
Interlocking garage tiles are available in either the rigid polypropylene plastic or more flexible rubber like PVC tiles. The benefits of this kind of garage floor coverings are impressive. They are resistance to stains, chemicals, oils, and road salts. The tiles are non-slip, U.V. resistant so they won’t fade in sunlight, and are mold and mildew resistant. Sizing starts at 12″x12″ and can be as large as 24″x24″.
There are many surface patterns and sizes to choose from such as simulated diamond plate, coin pattern, free flow, and ribbed, all of which can stand up to the rigors of an active garage. The best part is how easy they are to install. Since they are “free floating”, meaning that they are not affixed to the floor, they just snap into place. You can do an average garage in just a few hours.
A nice example of how easy interlocking tiles assemble
Cost, of interlocking garage floor tiles can start as low as $1.90 per square foot for the least expensive rigid polypropylene and over $3.00 per square foot for the rubber-like PVC. When choosing which tile is right for you, don’t forget to look at the warranties. While the less expensive brands are attractive, they usually have a much shorter warranty. The more premium brands have warranties as high as 15 years.
Vinyl Composite Garage Floor Tile
Vinyl composite tile for a garage floor, otherwise known as VCT, is another nice choice that is fairly easy to install if you like to do your own projects. These are the same sturdy tiles that you see in grocery stores and school hallways that are buffed to a high glossy shine.
Depending on the colors selected, they can provide a nice “retro” look to your garage floor that many people find appealing. These tiles are generally 12”x12” x 1/8” thick and are glued into place. The traditional black and white checkered look is easily the most popular.
Vinyl garage tiles have a nice glossy finish when waxed and buffed, are resistant to stains, automobile fluids and road salts though they can sometimes be a little slippery when wet. As tough as these tiles can be, VCT can gouge from sharp objects and it might be wise to place a board under jack stands if you like to work on your car.
In terms of cost, VCT is the least expensive alternative in garage floor tile and can sometimes be found for as low as .69 cents a square foot with a little searching. They are a great choice for a budget garage flooring. Keep in mind that they still require general maintenance such as waxing and the occasional buffing to keep looking nice.
Installation is not as easy as interlocking tiles since the cement floor must be cleaned and prepped properly to accept the adhesive, but they can be installed in a weekend. For the price and looks, this garage floor tile is by far the best option if you are on a budget.
Peel and Stick Vinyl Garage Tile
A close cousin of VCT is the new polyvinyl peel and stick garage floor tiles. These come with a pressure sensitive adhesive on the back that is exposed when you peel the release paper off. This means that there is no glue required to put down on the concrete when you install them. They also have a very glossy, non-porous finish that doesn’t require any waxing or special treatment like VCT and provides for even better protection from stains and spills.
Available in a diamond or levant (smooth) tread pattern, these durable tiles come in 12 different colors and two sizes, 12″x12″ and 24″x24″, to customize the look of your floor. Cost is a little over $3.00 a square foot and they can be installed in a weekend.
Some people say that the hardest part about choosing this kind of tile is trying to determine which colors to go with since there are so many to choose from.
Porcelain Garage Floor Tile
Surprising to most people, one of the most durable and beautiful flooring options that can be installed is porcelain tile for the garage. Porcelain is rated for both hardness and slip resistance and contrary to many beliefs, it is extremely difficult to scratch, break, or even chip. Porcelain has been used for years in professional garages as the flooring of choice. It stands up well to abuse, moisture, oils, stains, road salts, and more. It even does well in cold climates where garage floors routinely see temperatures below freezing. It is also very easy to keep clean.
Available in a multitude of sizes and color, it can be found for less than $1.00 a square foot with the appropriate ratings for your garage floor. If you have some experience laying tile you will find that these can be installed without too much difficulty. If you are unsure of your abilities then you can always find someone to install it for you for a fair price depending on your area of the country.
You can actually have a beautiful and professional looking porcelain garage floor installed for less than you think – especially if you do it yourself. This is by far the best garage floor tile that you can install in terms of durability and resistance to staining.
No matter which type of product you choose, you can’t go wrong with garage floor tiles. They can add character, flair, class, and even attitude depending on your design. Plus, you get a floor that is easy to maintain and one that all your neighbors and friends will envy.
Where can I get peel and stick vinyl tiles, please tell, it’s urgent.
You can purchase them here, Pawan.
Can l see all fixing view of peel and stick vinayal tiles
Hi R A. You can view more of the peel and stick tiles here.
I would like a price quote on the tiles please for garages
Hello Joyce. Just to avoid confusion, All Garage Floors is an informational website only. We do not sell or install garage flooring products. If you would like to tell us what type of tile you are interested in, we would be happy to point you to vendors that we can recommend.
Hi Shea – do you have any experience with NewAge Stone Composite Luxury Vinyl Tile?
Hi Gene. As a matter of fact, we have a sample kit that we are currently doing some limited testing with ourselves. We will be putting out an article about this new product within the next 30 days. The tiles look very promising from what we have learned so far. However, NewAge customer service has not impressed us at all. We’ve sent two emails requesting information and so far we have not received a response. Apparently, we are not the only ones having this issue.
Thank you! Look forward to your article.
And FWIW, I had great customer service so far both via email (design and pricing) and when I called.
That’s encouraging to hear, Gene.
Do you have any recommendations on the flow through style or pvc style tiles for brands or places to shop? Hoping to find a good black friday deal.
Hi Joshua. RaceDeck is one of the top two premier brands. They usually have an 8 hour Black Friday sale with great deals. I would recommend contacting them to confirm if you are interested. Another great place to shop interlocking tiles is Garage Flooring LLC. Their TrueLock HD Ribbed tiles are excellent quality. We did a Reader’s Projects article about them.
Does rubber flooring insulate from cold well?
Our laundry room is in the garage and the floor is very cold.
Is there a type of flooring that works well to allow us walk and stand a little more comfortably?
Hi Silas. No, rubber does not insulate from the cold very well. It will take on the same temperature as the concrete. The rigid polypropylene interlocking tiles is one of the only options that will provide some insulations from the concrete. The underside structure is somewhat hollow and provides an air gap between the concrete and tile surface. The surface of the tile will tend to hover closer to the room air temperature than the floor temperature.
Excellent post, Shea. I have a suspended concrete garage floor with a few cracks that leak rain/snow runoff from vehicles to the room below. Parking garage coatings have been suggested to solve the problem, but they are crazy expensive. I’ve considered rollout mats, but am concerned that wheel turns will cause them to wrinkle and tear the seam. That leaves the vinyl tiles that purport to have waterproof seams, like Tuff-Seal and Armorpoxy Supratile. My thought is to seal with cracks with a good caulk, cover the floor with a waterproof membrane, like RedGard, then lay the tiles on that. I considered covering the floor with 6 mil plastic under the tiles, but thought that might make the tiles prone to slide. What do you think? have your seen RedGard other other waterproof membrane under interlocking tiles? Are the vinyl tile seams of the noted brands really watertight over time?
Hi Michael. The PVC garage floor tiles with the water tight seems rarely if ever leak. We would recommend sealing all the cracks, contraction joints, and the expansion joints at the perimeter of the slab with a self-leveling polyurethane sealant. Sikaflex is an example. Do not use caulk as it will shrink over time. The perimeter expansion joints are important to seal correctly, particularly if the slab is sloped in a way that allows water to collect there. Once that is done, apply a quality densifer with siliconate sealer added. This here is an example. We do not recommend using RedGard. The slight movement of the tiles as they flex will wear it away. In addition, don’t use the plastic sheeting. It can interfere with the way the tiles breath underneath. Even if a little bit of water made it’s way past the tiles, it will be allowed to evaporate.
Thank you, Shea. I was lazy with the word “caulk.” Sikaflex is what I intend to use. Would the densifier/silconate sealer be useful on a slab that is nearly 30 years old? I can certainly apply it. It’s not clear if it would provide backup protection for existing cracks, though.
Good thought on RedGard wearing with slight tile movement. My thinking is to provide 3 layered water mitigation solutions specifically for the cracks. Sikaflex sealant is one, and the watertight tiles is another, forming the top layer. RedGard was my first thought for a middle layer. Sani-Tred or Liquid Rubber applied as a wide swath over the cracks are other ideas. It sounds like you don’t think this belt-and-suspenders approach is necessary.
The age of the concrete does not matter, Michael. As long as it’s not dusting badly due to a soft surface, the densifier with siliconate sealer added will work well at sealing the surface. It doesn’t make it completely water proof, but if any moisture gets under the tiles it’s not going to penetrate far past the sealer if it gets to sit long enough. Penetrating sealers such as these do not seal cracks. That is why you want to use Sikaflex or equivalent. As long as large amounts of water does not run and pool between the edges of the tile and stem wall, you should be fine with this approach.