How to choose the best flooring for your garage?

Choosing the best type of flooring for your residential garage depends on several factors such as your intended use, your budget, and your aesthetic preferences.

Here are a few of the most popular options to consider (or not).

1. Painted concrete | Although an economical option, painting your garage floor with concrete paint is a bad solution. This type of paint cannot withstand the weight of your vehicles and the heat of the tires in winter and summer and will eventually delaminate and chip the paint. This is the worst solution if you want to park your vehicles in your garage.
2. Tinted concrete | Tinted concrete consists in adding natural or synthetic pigments directly into the concrete mix. It is the whole concrete that will be tinted, in all its thickness, during the pouring of your floor. Note that the concrete will be tinted in the mass to give a pastel color, more or less light, which will lighten up when drying. It is impossible to obtain an intense coloring with this technique. In addition, large quantities of pigment are often needed when you must dye dozens of cubic meters. Do not use this technique unless you plan it very early in the construction of your concrete slab.
3. Polished concrete | Polished concrete is an expensive and inappropriate option for a residential garage. Although it offers a smooth, shiny, easy to clean, very durable and stain and scratch resistant surface, polished concrete is extremely slippery in the presence of water and snow making its surface extremely dangerous and accident prone. Do not use it.
4. Porcelain Tile | Porcelain tile is an expensive but certainly an excellent option in a residential garage. Although the choice of tile is more limited, the result is a floor covering that is aesthetically pleasing, stain resistant and easy to clean. However, this option should be considered for double garages at a minimum. The slopes found in a garage can complicate the installation of these tiles. Always use a professional tile setter for best results.
5. PVC Tile | PVC tile is a modular, affordable, easy to install option available in a variety of colors. Stain resistant and durable, it requires though partial removal for spring cleaning. For the discerning do-it-yourselfer.
6. Vinyl Carpeting | Although affordable, easy to install and stain resistant, vinyl carpeting should not be used in a residential garage. Under no circumstances should you consider gluing them to your concrete floor to prevent them from moving. Their future removal could be very expensive. Do not use it.
7. Epoxy Coating | Epoxy is a two-component chemical coating that is catalyzed on site during installation. Available in a variety of finishes with colored flakes, epoxy is tough and durable and is applied directly to the concrete floor following mechanical preparation and provides a non-slip surface with colored flakes embedded between the base and clear topcoat. However, the clear topcoat does not offer adequate UV resistance and may tend to yellow over time. Always use a professional to install this coating.
8. Polyaspartic coating | Polyaspartic, or polyurea, is a two-component chemical coating that is catalyzed on site during installation. Available in a variety of finishes with colored flakes, polyaspartic is resistant and durable. It is applied directly to concrete following mechanical preparation and provides a non-slip surface with colored flakes embedded between the base coat and the clear topcoat. Its clear topcoat offers excellent UV resistance and will not yellow over time. Always hire a professional to install this coating.

In summary, the choice of coating for your residential garage floor must be made with discernment. Beyond your budget, coating your garage floor involves considerations related to its context of use and a minimum of safety for you and your family.