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It’s a fact that every job is at least 87.3% easier when done in a clean, organized garage. Having painted walls, good lighting, and proper storage are all necessities, but finishing it off by covering the concrete with one of the various flooring options out there is the finishing touch that turns parking spots into workshops. A permanent coating may be the best option, but it isn’t always feasible. Luckily, there are other options that give mostly the same outcome.
The type of flooring you choose for your garage floor should be determined by its intended use case. Do you need your garage floor to be spill-proof and easy to clean? Do you need flooring that allows for drainage, rather than pooling? Are you going to be rolling floor jacks and creepers around on the floor? Or, are you the type of car enthusiast who is lucky enough to have a separate shop, so your garage is more of a showroom? No matter your particular case, we’ve assembled the guide below, not so much to make the decision for you, but to educate you on how to make the best decision yourself.
Summary List
- Best Overall: NewAge Products Garage Flooring Tiles
- Best Value: HDX Diamond Black Universal Flooring
- Best For Spills: ArmorAll Garage Floor Mat
- Honorable Mention: G-Floor Vinyl Protector Mat
- Best Overall Runner-Up: RaceDeck Interlocking Garage Tiles
Our Methodology
We take our buying guides very seriously here at The Drive no matter if it’s a component you’re trusting your life with like a performance tire or something as benign as garage flooring. A product like this whether you are using a tile or roll-up product, isn’t going to give you the same performance as a high-end epoxy flooring, but if you want to improve looks and add some protection from oil or other fluids, these will do that.
Without the ability to do hands-on testing, we read countless lines of praising and damning feedback from owners on the internet. There are so many products, especially in tiles, that all look exactly the same but the performance differences are huge. With any of the tiles, you will want to use load-distributing plates under jacks and jackstands, but some will hold up better than others. For those who aren’t worried about being able to work on their cars on top of these floors, then you should be happy with just about any of them.
The Best Garage Flooring Reviews and Recommendations
Best Overall: NewAge Products Garage Flooring Tiles
Pros
- High durability
- Simple installation
- Easy to personalize
- Easy to clean
- Competitive pricing
Cons
- Chemical spills are slick
- Installation is more difficult than advertised
Our staff has personal experience with NewAge Products’ polypropylene garage floor tiles, and we can say they are the best solution for most home garages. The benefits start with their ultra-durable nature. They can support 80,000 pounds of rolling weight and 2,000 pounds of concentrated loads per 3-inch diameter, which is overkill for most shops. That strength doesn’t come at the cost of good looks, though, as the diamond plate design and multiple color options match just about any taste.
The aesthetic appeal stacks with ease of installation. These tiles use Step-N-Snap installation, which keeps setup simple and allows you to easily customize patterns as you work. However, you can opt for preset patterns and even get professional help personalizing your selection through NewAge Products free of charge. These tiles are also easy to cut and can be paired with anti-fatigue shock towers to bolster the atmosphere they create. Lastly, middle-of-the-road pricing cements its place at the top of our list.
Being the best doesn’t mean perfect, though. The biggest issue with these tiles is that they can get really slick when oil is spilled on them. While they are chemical resistant and easy to clean, this can be problematic. Also, we found that installation is a bit tougher than advertised, though still simple.
Best Value: HDX Diamond Black Universal Flooring
Pros
- Easy to clean and stops liquids from getting to your floor
- The price is considerably less than just about any tile
- Can be cut with a razor knife or even scissors to go around posts or other obstacles
Cons
- This flooring is only going to stay completely flat if you glue it down
- You can see joints or big cracks underneath the flooring
Not everyone can or wants to spend thousands of dollars covering their garage floor, but they still want to protect or hide their concrete. One choice is some cheap tiles, that will frustrate you by pulling apart, collapsing, dissolving when you spill solvent on them, or literally melting. The better choice is rolled flooring. It functions a little differently than tiles but still works pretty well.
A sheet covering like this is going to give you more spill protection than tiles. This product from HDX will contain spills and let you wipe them up and not have to worry about anything getting in the seams of tiles – mostly. If spills are big enough, you can drag these out in the driveway to scrub them down and hose off the rest. These are easy to keep clean.
The downside is that these come in specific widths and if your space is wider than the roll, they don’t join together tightly. Also, if you want to make sure they stay wrinkle-free, you will have to adhere to the floor with tape or glue. This negates some of the ease of cleaning benefits. But, for a fraction of the price of good tiling, this is a good value.
Best For Spills: ArmorAll Garage Floor Mat
Pros
- It feels like carpet so it’s even comfortable barefoot
- Easy to vacuum and can be hosed down
- The price is reasonable so if you do have a big oil spill it doesn’t hurt so much to replace
Cons
- It does include tape, but is reportedly not of very high quality
- Some customers didn’t like the look of what is basically a charcoal grey carpet
Show of hands, how many of us have scraps of carpet in the garage? This product from ArmorAll is a similar solution, but with a product that does what you want that carpet to do. This garage floor mat is designed to soak up oil or water and keep it from getting to your floor. It includes double-sided tape, to keep it from bubbling or wrinkling. Although several reviewers say they had to use their own double-sided tape for best results.
It looks like compacted indoor-outdoor carpet, so it won’t seem out of place in your garage. It is comfortable enough for bare feet and tough enough to roll a floor jack on top of. These come in multiple sizes, all the way from something that is basically a mat to fit under your drivetrain up to 22 feet by 9 feet. While quality tiles will be at least $4 per square foot, this is closer to $1. A mat like this is a good idea even if you have an epoxy floor.
Honorable Mention: G-Floor Vinyl Protector Mat
Pros
- Solid, seamless polyvinyl with no filler
- Parallel molded ribs are good for grip and containing spills
Cons
- It is pretty expensive for rolled garage flooring
Another solid choice in rolled flooring and a little tougher than a best-value pick, this vinyl covering from G-Floor will stop spills and give a more finished look to your garage or shop. The ribbed flooring isn’t the most comfortable option if you’re barefoot, so this may not be a good choice for a garage slash yoga room, but it will keep things from rolling away and make small spills more manageable.
The thicker design is less likely to wrinkle, but you still will want to adhere it to the floor if you want it completely flat. It can be easily trimmed with a utility knife if you have posts, stairs, or furniture you need to work around. Overall, most owners are pleased with this product, although some say they wished there was a way to seal two rolls together.
Best Overall Runner-Up: RaceDeck Interlocking Garage Tiles
Pros
- Pick your color colors, styles, and materials to make custom designs in your garage
- One of the most secure fastening tiles made of the toughest materials
- Reported to be less susceptible to temperature than others
Cons
- These are on the more expensive end of the spectrum for tiles
- Like most plastics these won’t handle high point loads
RaceDeck tiles are on the ground everywhere from the paddocks of top-level racing to booths at the SEMA show. It isn’t an inexpensive option, but it looks great and will outlast the knock-off tiles by a considerable margin. The company says its tiles are made from “only the best high-impact copolymers,” which really doesn’t tell you anything other than it’s a polymer made from more than one monomer type.
The tiles are available in 9 different styles, some of which are available in up to 15 different colors, with custom colors also available. If you want to combine lime green diamond plate, with orange drains, encircled by oak and carpet, that’s totally up to you. Or, go even less tasteful and put BMW M Sport stripes in your garage.
These tiles snap together using RaceDeck’s patented “The Power Of 4” interlocking system. They do hold together with extreme vigor, but you can remove individual tiles with a scraper if you manage to drop something through a vented drain tile, which you inevitably will. The tiles are held off the floor to allow for airflow so water won’t pool underneath. You can cover a reasonably sized garage floor in a few hours if you aren’t trying to recreate the Sistine Chapel in Minecraft-like resolution.
Our Verdict
Garage flooring can’t be considered a replacement for a good epoxy coating, but it will look a lot better than a stained cracked floor. It can also help keep a clean concrete floor from becoming stained. Our Choice for Best Overall is NewAge Products Garage Flooring Tiles. If you are just looking for protection at the best price, our Best Value is HDX Diamond Black Flooring.
FAQs
You’ve got questions, The Drive has answers
What is the cheapest garage floor covering?
A rolled polymer coating is going to give you the best results at the lowest price when it comes to spill protection.
What kind of garage flooring is best?
The best option is a professional-grade epoxy coating, but tiles or rolled covering can give adequate results that are often more convenient or more affordable.
Can I DIY my garage floor covering?
Yes, just about all of the tile and roll options are easily accomplished yourself, some with literally no tools.
