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Garage Envy - Flooring Options

There are many options for your garage flooring surface. We’ll explore each of these and look at the pros and cons.

The list below is generally in increasing order of total installation cost.

For a typical 2-car, 550 square foot garage, you can spend anywhere from $0 to $11,000 to install these floorings.

1. Bare Concrete - Free

   1. This is typically what your home builder will provide you. This is the typical garage flooring surface.

   2. Cons - Hard to clean, any liquid will soak into the concrete. It will visually look horrible after just a few years.

   3. Pros - Super durable, and it is nice to not have to fret about its appearance and upkeep.

2. Sealed Concrete - $2-3 per square foot.

   1. Sealing your concrete floor involves intensely cleaning the surface and applying a clear concrete sealer such as a product with siloxane in it.

   2. Pros - Makes the concrete impermeable to liquids so it helps keep the concrete a consistent color. Maintains the same look as the coating is clear.

3. PVC Tile Flooring - $3-5 per square foot.

   1. A Do-It-Yourself (DIY) option if you’d like to save some money.

   2. Pros - Easy to clean, install and repair. Available in many many styles and colors. Looks good (for a while).

   3. Cons - May be slippery, and start to look bad/worn after a few years of use.

4. Swisstrax (or similar ribbed) Tile - $5-8 per square foot.

   1. Also a DIY install option.

   2. Pros - Hides dirt really well so you’ll always have a clean floor. Will look the same for many years as it stands up to abuse.

   3. Cons - Slightly more expensive and a bit harder to install than PVC tile.

5. Polished Concrete -$6-12 per square foot.

   1. An option similar to the sealed concrete listed above, but with this installation the concrete is literally sanded or polished down to a super flat, super smooth and very consistent visual surface.

   2. After the concrete is polished, a variation of coatings can be applied to produce a really nice looking and feeling floor surface.

   3. Pros - Super durable, looks great.

   4. Cons - May be slippery, and if any areas get damaged it will be hard to repair. Requires warm temperatures to install.

6. Epoxy Coating - $8-13 per square foot.

   1. This coating requires a little bit less preparation than polished concrete, but still produces a nice coated floor.

   2. Cons - Not as durable as other coating options. Requires near perfect preparation. Recommend a reputable professional do the installation (Think - Warranty!). Requires warm temperatures to install.

   3. Pros - Looks great, easy to clean. Many colors/styles to choose from.

7. Polyurea Coating - $9-14 per square foot.

   1. Similar to polyurethane, this synthetic polymer is more durable than epoxy coatings. Provides a highly waterproof surface.

   2. Pros - More durable than epoxy. This coating simply bonds better to concrete.

   3. Cons - Requires warm temperatures to install.

8. Polyaspartic Coating - $10-14 per square foot.

   1. Probably the best choice for all of the “coating” options. This is essentially a coating that is applied overtop of a polyurea coating discussed above.

   2. Pros - More durable than epoxy. Cures fast! Has some ability to elongate (stretch). Ultimate in heat, ultraviolent (UV) light resistance and chemical resistance.

   3. Cons - Requires warm temperatures to install. Takes more time to install. Relatively more expensive. Less color options.

9. Porcelain Tile - $15-20 per square foot.

   1. The ultimate garage floor. Make sure to seal all the grout between the tiles with a clear sealer.

   2. Cons - Be careful not to choose a slippery tile.

   3. Pros - A beautiful and durable garage floor.

In conclusion, there are many great options for your garage flooring. You probably can’t go wrong with any of them. Just make sure to pay close attention to the work being done properly. If you have high moisture issues in your garage, you may want to consider the tile options discussed above for the best durability.

And finally,

1. Please don’t “paint” your concrete garage floors, as this is not a proper garage floor coating (you’ll thank us later)!

2. Shop around for installers. There are a lot of high pressure sales companies out there offering these services, so be careful.

3. Make sure you include a non-slip additive to all of your coating options above. You don’t want to end up with an ice skating rink in your garage!

Luxury Home Feature - Dedicated Music Room

A dedicated music room is a musician’s dream. Grand piano, sound deadening panels, acoustic panel design, amazing sound system?

If you can spare the space, this is a true luxury home feature.

Some things to consider when planning your music room are:

1. Soundproofing the room.

2. Add plenty of power outlets in carefully selected locations.

3. Ensure your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system for the room is quiet.

4. Ergonomics of the furniture in the room.

5. Place the room away from quiet areas of the home.

6. Engage a lighting expert to provide the right light in the right locations.

Just imagine have this awesome space to practice your musical instruments and entertain friends.

A New Home Design and Construction Tip

One thing we see a lot is the facades of homes being too close to the ground, or worse, buried in the ground. This is a recipe for destroying your home.

The photo below shows a masonry stone veneer which extends below the ground level. As moisture from the soil migrates into this stone and mortar, the stone veneer fails.

This problem can affect any exterior wall finishing material (siding, brick, stone, etc.).

When the material is in close contact, not only does the wall finish material get damaged, but the path for termites and other wood destroying insects to get into your home is hidden. You won’t notice when these insects are crawling into your walls.

Recommendations:

1. When you design and build a new home, we recommend that you ensure that the wall finish starts at least 12” above the ground level.

2. If you have an existing home, check to see how much clearance exists between your wall finish and the ground. If you can, remove soil/mulch so that there is a minimum 4” gap between the ground and your wall finish material.

The content of this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Always perform your own due diligence before making any financial decisions. There are no sponsors of this newsletter.