How to Design a Garage Floor

Typical garage with sealed floor.

Garages work hard as places to park vehicles, store yard equipment, sports equipment, do the laundry, use workbenches and for storage. The garage floor is often overlooked and left with a thin sealant finish from the original contractor. This sealer deteriorates with time and use and at some point the concrete floor becomes less resistant to stains. In addition, many garage floors develop cracks with age making accidental spills even harder to clean. The garage floor can be improved with a little good design.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Notepad
• Pencil
• ¼-inch scale graph paper
• Tracing paper
• Straight edge
• ¼-inch scale ruler
• Budget

Instructions

Designing a Garage Floor

1. Measure the garage from one outer wall to the other. Draw the shape of the garage on the graph paper using ¼-inch per one foot. Calculate the square footage of the garage floor (length times width).

2. 

   Using the straight edge, draw thin lines to indicate the garage zones. Each garage has different use zones. These may include: parking, storage, workshop, laundry, water heater, stairs, garden equipment, sports equipment, freezer and more. Use these zones to rethink how the garage can be optimized and improved by designing a new garage floor. Consider issues like cushion for heavy work zones like laundry areas. Also, consider ease of cleaning if your current floor is hard to clean and if you use your garage in ways that require frequent cleaning.

3. Examine the condition of the floor surface. If the concrete is damaged, badly cracked or degraded, then it may need to be repaired prior to applying a finish that will improve the function of the garage. (This may require an examination and repairs by a concrete expert.)

4. Establish a budget. This will help determine the type of applied finish that is available within that budget. The least expensive finishes are latex and polyurethane paints. Epoxy is somewhat more expensive. All of the paint finishes require that the floor be in (paintable) good repair prior to painting. Factor in repair costs along with the rental of equipment if this floor finish design will be a do-it-yourself project.

5. Compare other flooring options if the floor with repairs will still not look good and may not be a good surface for your primary use. These options include a protective mat surface. This rolls out over a clean concrete floor and depending on the manufacturer it may require adhesives. Other options include: coin-pattern PVC surfaces, diamond-plate texture polyvinyl products, and snap-together non-skid plastic floor tiles. Some of these products provide cushion, some are better for cleaning up spills, most will mount easily over ugly concrete floors completely renovating the appearance and usability of the garage floor.

Tips & Warnings

• A floor tile application may be a good choice if the existing floor's finish is too degraded for a paint. These floors are designed to be driven on and most have warranties for at least 10 years of service. Painting a garage floor can be difficult and it may not hold up to conditions in your area as well as other products.

• Check the products for salt or other products used in the winter to de-ice roads. These get tracked into the garage and should be considered when selecting the right floor design.

References

• Garage Detailer