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.
Wow, I didn’t know there were so many choices of tile for my garage floor. I really like the inter-locking tiles. I think my husband could install these without messing anything up!
I’m glad you liked the interlocking tiles Nancy. Yes, the nice thing about them is that they are so easy to install – even for your husband.
It’s nice to see all these choices. I really thought I was going to go with VCT for my garage, but I really like the idea of the interlocking tiles. I think it’s time to talk to the wife about our garage budget!
I’ve had VCT in my garage for over 10 years now and it still looks great. I did a blue and gray diagonal checkered pattern that looks fantastic. I get compliments everytime someone sees it. I don’t look forward to stripping it down and rewaxing each year, but it’s well worth it after I’m done.
Where can I find the blue tile in the main picture???? Ive been looking for that color everywhere!
The color is Black Blue and is a porcelain tile designed to look like natural slate. Sorry, but the local supplier that the home owner purchased it from is no longer in business.
Good luck with your search though!
I’ve learned a lot about vinyl tiles lately – the hard way. Would like to hear others’ comments.
I had intended to install two different colors of hidden seam interlocking tiles. Light grey in the shop area and dark grey where we park the vehicles.
These are a premium, 100% vinyl, 7mm thick tile. They were the best I could find on the market.
First problem was that the two different shades were slightly different sizes. Two of them could be forced to “mate” but a run of several tiles accumulated the error and after 16 tiles or so, the difference was about half an inch.
I can’t imagine they came out of different size molds so I suspect that the composition might have been different and the one lot shrank more than the other as it “aged”. Or perhaps the one lot was considerably older than the other.
We decided to use all the same lot to ensure they would interlock, and went with the light grey. The looked stunning. That is, until I started noticing tire marks.
These marks would not scrub out. Turns out, they were caused by a chemical reaction between the hot tire and the vinyl, which actually altered the tile. It was not so much in or on the vinyl as it WAS the vinyl.
We decided to go back to dark grey under the vehicles and to seal them with urethane. We were in the process of taking up the light grey tiles when we noticed gaps of about a 16th of an inch between the interlocked tiles.
Note that the garage has a heat pump and was maintained at 60 degrees all winter. On the day we noticed the problem, it was 70 degrees outside. The shrinking may have been due to temperature, but it may also have to do with the vinyl shrinking as it ages — apparently due to plasticizer evaporation.
For as long as it lasted, the floor was beautiful. My wife and I would practice dancing on it. We’ve taken it all up and are putting it on a pallet to ship back to the manufacturer.
Epoxy?
Hi Shea,
For starters, great website and it has been extremely informative. I just completed a garage that has an attached workshop (approx. 1200 sq ft total). I intend to restore cars in the garage (personal use, not commercial). Will porcelain floor tiles really hold up to tools and other heavy items being dropped on them and floor jacks rolling over them? How do I determine if a tile has the “appropriate rating”? Also (and you may not know the answer to this one), can I install a 2-post lift over the tiles or should I tile around the base-plates of the lift?
Thanks in advance, John
Thanks for the kind words John and congrats on your new workshop. The short answer is yes, porcelain holds up extremely well to abuse from the type of environment you will have. You might have missed our article that has answers to most of your questions regarding porcelain tiled garage floors. You can find it here. Regarding the lift, people have installed lifts on top of porcelain tile without issue, but we feel that the best install is to attach it directly to the slab and tile around the post.
Just reviewed the Armstrong website to find out about their VCT tiles. In their FAQ section they state that VCT is not recommended for garages because it does not meet building codes for flammability. Yet I see a lot of people using them. Your comments please.
Hi Gary, great question. Armstrong does not warranty their tiles for use in garages either, but as you state, people have been using VCT tiles in garages for years and years without issue. We’ve always found it interesting that the tiles meet flammability requirements in the home, but not the garage. The reasoning behind this is that certain types of fires that start in a garage, due to the various chemicals and other oddities that people store, can burn much hotter than in the home. If the fire is hot enough to ignite your VCT tile, then you have much bigger issues to worry about. Incidentally, these same VCT tiled garage floors always pass home inspection when the home is resold as well.
I nearly read your entire site a few weeks ago and decided to go with a VCT floor in my garage. It’s now complete, and I love the look….however….after the first rain, I drove my cars in the garage for the night and awoke the next morning to adhesive squirting between some of the tiles and a number of loose tiles where rain water had run off of our cars. Upon further inspection, I realized that wherever water got between tiles, the adhesive was breaking down. I now have a complete mess on my hands. Any recommendations? Thanks.
Hi there CJ. Sorry to hear about your tile issues. Generally when things like this happen it’s an installation issue that causes it so we have a few questions. Did you use a weighted vinyl floor roller on the tile during installation to press out any trapped air and increase adhesion? Did you wait at least 48 hours before driving on it? Did you seal the tile and then apply multiple coats of a quality acrylic floor wax on it? If you sealed and waxed the tile, did you damp mop it to clean the tile beforehand or did you wet mop? The only reason for water getting in under the tiles would be either poor adhesion which led to a tile edge curling up, wet mopping the floor initially before sealing which allowed water to get between the seams and up under the tile, or not sealing and waxing the tile properly or some combo of all three. Either of these would allow water to get in under the tile and cause a delamination issue.
What needs to be done is to pull the tile up in the areas where the water got to it. Scrape up the glue residue and let the floor dry for a day or two. While the floor is drying, you can use mineral spirits to clean up the edges and top surface of the tile that was pulled up. Once the floor is dry, reapply the glue and then the tiles when the glue is ready. Make sure to roll it properly and then seal and wax the tile.
Shea – Thanks so much for the response. To answer your questions…I followed the instructions that were provided on the side of the adhesive container. So I filled cracks, scraped off bumps, shop-vacked the area and laid the adhesive in 200 sq/ft portions. Since I laid the tile over an epoxied floor, the curing time seemed to be quite different than the instructions suggested. It said that I should be able to start laying tile within 20 to 40 minutes, but it took more than 4 hrs before the adhesive was ready to accept tiles. In the research I’ve been doing, it would seem that the presence of the epoxy could be playing a role in this problem. In addition to that factor, I didn’t roll it when it was complete. I did walk across every corner and assumed my body weight was enough to set the tiles. The adhesive container only “suggested” using a roller which is why I didn’t rent one….oh, and the fact that I’m a cheap Dutchman. After laying the tiles, I put two coats of sealer over the entire floor. I didn’t apply any wax because I wasn’t wanting a high-gloss finish. I did wait more than 48 hrs. before I drove on it.
Does that give you a fuller picture of the situation?
CJ, quality adhesive is important. Hopefully you used a name brand like Armstrong or equivalent. VCT can be installed over epoxy, but it’s important to make sure that the surface of the epoxy be roughed up a bit and not be left smooth. You can get away with using your body weight on the tile if you were setting them in your home, but you need to remember that you will be parking cars on these tiles, not people…. lol. The $20 investment to rent a roller really is worth it.
It’s good that you applied a sealer as it helps to keep the tiles from getting stained if contaminants get past the acrylic wax. But it’s also very important (for a few reasons) to apply the acrylic wax. The acrylic wax is the sacrificial layer that protects the tiles. Sealing the tile and then waxing the tile is standard procedure for VCT flooring. The sealer however just seals the tiles, it does not do a good job of filling in the joints in between the tiles to protect the underside from liquids. That is what the acrylic wax does. There are many good quality acrylic waxes available in a matte or satin finish if you don’t care for the gloss.
Our guess is that the main culprit of your issue is from not applying the acrylic wax since water was coming up from underneath the tiles. The other factors may have been a contributor as well. Sealing and then applying a quality acrylic wax (matte or satin finish) after you have reset the tiles should solve your problem. Your local janitorial supply is a great place to find good sealers and acrylic wax.
Shea – do you have a suggestion for a high-quality coating/wax for my tile? Thanks!
CJ, for a high quality product we like Hilway Direct. Their acrylic wax products have a higher solids content than most and are used commercially. They have a matte finish available. We recommend that you contact Justin Krauss from Garage Flooring LLC. He carries the line and can answer any question that you may have. You can find them here. Hilway has a complete line of cleaners, strippers, and waxes to make your job easier and to insure great protection for your tile.
Mate I need to make bigger my garage or rebuild my garage like double garage in tiles don’t know if you can help me or not??!! Thanks.i leave in Hampton park Vic.
Hello Ahmed. We’re not quite sure what you are looking for, but if it’s information on making your garage larger we really can’t help with that.
Hi Shea,
In your opinion, what are the top American made interlocking tiles other than Snaplock (Racedeck / Gladiator) and can you rate them by value? Also is SwissTrax made from our friends in Canada?
Hello Steve. Yes, SwissTrax used to be manufactured in California but have since moved their manufacturing operations to Canada. We have always been of the opinion that RaceDeck as well as SwissTrax are the top two competing lines of premium interlocking garage floor tiles available today. In fact, we have an article comparing the two. Our only real complaint about SwissTrax at the time was the fact that you could not combine their extremely popular RibTrax tiles with any other tile in their lineup due to size differences. That has recently changed, however, and we are currently writing a new article about changes that have been made by SwissTrax including some exciting new tile designs. In terms of value, both are excellent though you will typically pay more for SwissTrax due to more material being used in their product.
I am torn between RaceDeck Diamond and Norsk PVC garage tiles. I like the quality of RaceDeck, but not the sound when I walk on them. Norsk PVC is quieter to walk on, but I do not know if the surface will withstand the Florida sandy soil that is occasionally tracked in. Will my Ulti-Mate storage cabinets that stand on 4 legs sink into the Norsk PVC tiles? Both options have the under-side air ventilation grid that I want. This is for a residential garage with a Honda Civic and stored items. No car repair happening here. Thanks for your input.
Hello Karen. The Norsk tiles are a premium PVC tile and will withstand the sandy soil without issue. Your Ulti-Mate storage cabinets will not affect them as well. These type of flooring systems have been designed for that. Based on your requirements, concerns, and the fact that you will not be performing routine car maintenance and repairs, I believe the Norsk flooring is going to be the product that will make you most happy.
Have a two car garage with a heavy duty treated plywood floor. What recommendations for a tile floor?
Thanks, Brian
12″x12″ porcelain tile or larger will work Brian. Just be sure to choose one with a PEI rating of 4 or 5. Home improvement centers seem to almost always have some on special in the $1 per square foot range. It’s also important to make sure your sub floor is properly reinforced. If it flexes under load of a vehicle it can cause your tile to crack.
Am so grateful to have learnt about various types of garage floor tiles.
Where in Uganda can i get these tiles?
Hello James. We suggest that you contact the manufacturer for any of the tiles you are interested in. They will be able to tell you who the nearest distributor would be that could ship to you.
My garage floor is concrete, the garage floor is uneven and pulls water at one end
What product do you suggest I use.
Thank you
Husein
Hello Husein. I don’t quite understand what you are asking. Could you elaborate a bit more? Do you think tile will fix your issue?
use a wet dry vacuum to remove the unwanted water!
Hi Shea,
I wanted to put an epoxy coating on my garage floor but I found out there is a moisture problem. Can you recommend a product that I can put on the floor?
Hello Susan. The first thing you want to do is try to figure out what is causing the moisture issue to begin with. For example, make sure all water flows away from the foundation and does not collect up against it. Also, check that you don’t have any leaking pipes or drains under the foundation either. If your slab is below grade, sometimes there isn’t much you can do.
A product that we recommend applying to the concrete is a straight densifier. This one here is an example. Do not use a densifier with sealer added. It may require back to back treatments. Once the densifier is applied, it takes 7 days for it to react to the concrete and take effect. After that, you can test the concrete to see if you still have the moisture issue.
Thank you for the information.
I was also considering floor tiles. Is this an option? If so what do you recommend?
Yes, interlocking garage floor tiles would be a great option. They will allow the concrete to breath and dry out during periods when your moisture issue is most prevalent. They are easy to install and allow you to custom design how you want your floor to look. I suggest reading this article to see if it is something that interests you.
Do you have a recommendation for a specific porcelain tile?
We don’t in terms of brands or manufacturers, David. Tile is always going on sale from one vendor to the next. What we do recommend, however, is purchasing the appropriate rated tile.
Can I purchase in Australia?
Yes. Just do a search for garage floor tiles and you should find distributors in your country.
Hi Shea…in the polyurea coatings section you recently suggested to me that due to the efflorescence and dampness in my garage, I should consider interlocking PVC tiles instead of either coatings or G-floor rolls as the tile design will allow moisture to evaporate. I appreciate the suggestion and I have been looking into Racedeck tiles. I think I like the CircleTrac best, and I do not like the Freeflow. I live in Pennsylvania where we get a moderate amount of snow. Does melted snow from the cars need to be swept off the CircleTrac tiles or might it evaporate? With bare cement sweeping was rarely an issue as some melted snow was absorbed by the cement and some evaporated. Also, can you suggest edging products especially for the garage entrance side (and possibly for the other edges). Amazon carries a compatible “Snapfloors” product, but several of the reviews mention that they often come apart. Racedeck makes edges, but I have been unable to find reviews for them. Are they good? Big Floors sells Racedeck compatible (I think) edging by DuraGrid and another unbranded selection. Do you know if these are good quality?
We have an article here that discusses the different tile designs for winter weather, Tom. With solid top tiles, the snow will eventually melt and the water will puddle since it does not drain very well between the seams. It will eventually evaporate if you don’t broom it out. RaceDeck is considered the pinnacle of interlocking garage floor tiles. SnapLock Industries is the company that makes them. The Big Floors tiles are the private label version the Snaplock produces. Very nice tiles, especially for the money, but they are not the same quality as RaceDeck. You purchase edge ramps from which ever type of tile brand you choose. You will not find independent reviews on edge ramps. They are rarely an issue that comes up. Don’t buy tiles from Amazon. They are sold in packs and you usually have to buy more than what you actually need. It also limits how you want to design the floor since you can’t buy them one at a time. Buy them from Big Floors or RaceDeck direct if that is what you are interested in. Garage Flooring LLC is also a great source.
Hi Shea…thx for the helpful reply. I think I will go with Racedeck diamond interlocking tiles. I’ve read several of your articles re sealers, densifiers, and densifiers w/sealers. Due to the efflorescence problems I’ve been having (unable to uncover the source of moisture under the slab) I thought (based on reading your articles) that before installing the tiles it might be good to apply PS104 densifier/sealer. Since the efflorescence has caused some damage to some of the top layer of the concrete, I thought that applying PS104 might help reduce or eliminate the efflorescence and thus help reduce or eliminate further damage to the concrete. Do you think that is a good idea? or an unnecessary step? or would you suggest another product such as a penetrating sealer?
Treating your floor to PS104 would be a great choice, Tom. It’s a relatively inexpensive option that will help to reduce the moisture and efflorescence issues as you state, plus it’s very easy to apply. Just clean the floor really well and let dry for 24 hours before applying it. FYI – we have RaceDeck tiles in one of our garages and it sees heavy car maintenance all the time. It’s still performing flawlessly.
Hi Shea, I applied PS104 to my garage floor. It has rained several times and it looks like I’m only getting about 10% of the amount of efflorescence from moisture below the slab that I would have expected based on experience. So it seems to have helped a lot. My purpose was to help reduce the continued deterioration of the top layer of the cement that I plan to cover with interlocking tiles. I have ordered Racedeck diamond tiles and will install them when they arrive. I’ve read that a table saw is best for cutting the tiles, but I don’t have one. I can rent a circular saw or a manual tile cutter. I have experience with neither, don’t have clamps, and only have a small rolling tool cabinet with a workbench top to work on. My preference would be a tile cutter. The device claims it will work on up to 16″ tiles that are up to 1.5 inches thick. It works with ceramic tiles and I believe plastic. It looks like a large paper cutter. I believe it scores the tile and then snaps the end off. My concern is that after scoring the tiles, whether the snap off will work with the uneven, non-solid underside of the Racedeck tiles. Do you know if a tile cutter will work on Racedeck tiles? I also have a few places that I will need some special cuts around the feet of a built-in cabinet. I plan to purchase a coping saw for those few cuts. Does that make sense?
Hi Tom. No, those type of tile cutters will not work with plastic tiles. The properties of plastic will not snap like porcelain or ceramic does. You need to cut it. You can make all the straight cuts and circular cuts with an inexpensive jigsaw with a fine blade. Home Dept rents them, but a day’s rental with the blade is about half the cost of buying one. We have done two different garages in this manner. If you don’t trust yourself to make a straight cut, you can make a fence to guide the jigsaw. All you need is a straight edge, such as a piece of 1×2 that is a few inches longer than the 12″ tile, and a couple of spring clamps from your local home improvement center that cost approximately $10 for the pair. Mark a line on the tile that needs cut. Measure from the edge of the jigsaw blade to the outer edge of the base plate. This is how far from the line you need to measure to clamp your fence. You will get good at it after your first tile or two. If you have a flat file, you can file the edges clean in about 10 seconds.
Thanks Shea…will do as you suggest. You have been of tremendous assistance from helping me decide which products best meet my needs through suggesting the best ways to apply and install products. Without your help I likely would have purchased and installed products only to run into difficulties down the road. You have been a gem!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Tom!
Shea,
I have a slightly pitted concrete garage and would like to place porcelain floors directly over it. Can I just lay the tiles to the pitted concrete and use the thinset to fill the pits on the concrete?
Hi Terence. Yes, you can do that as long as the pitting is not too deep (> 1/2″). The key is to make sure there are no open air pockets under the tile at all.
If the pits are >1/2” what product do you recommend I use (since epoxy is not binding) and do I need to grind the surface to make it level?
Use a polymer-modified cement repair product. This here is an example from Home Depot. You won’t need to grind since you will be troweling a layer of thinset over it. Just trowel the repair material in level with the floor and you will be fine.