Upgraded shop flooring

[Michael Burnside]

A few weeks ago I tiled my shop floor with 20x20, 7mm thick garage tiles. I wanted something softer than concrete/epoxy (which I've had before) but could also take the pressure of a heavy tool caster, jack or my UTV. Install was super simple and I just cut them with my bandsaw as needed. This weekend I spent 7 or 8 hours walking around / kneeling while working on a couple CNC projects and "playing around" to prepare for my new dust collector I ordered. The tiles are quite hard but wow did my feet and knees thank me. Cannot believe the massive difference it makes on the body. They absorb just enough impact from walking around without feeling squishy/spongy. In addition the, shop is noticeably quieter due to the floor reflecting less sound and lighting is seemingly a bit brighter. Overall very happy with the look but more importantly the performance.

Got these from garageflooringinc (flex nitro). Total square footage is around 1200.

(a few snapshots - new to posting pictures on this forum so hopefully I got it right)

[Patty Hann]

Looks good.
Total total square footage and source for tiles?
I am not completely sold on doing Mats.... this is another option to think about...

[Michael Burnside]

Updated the thread, sorry forgot about that info. I think there are a few viable options, this just happened to be the one I landed on. I recommend ordering samples from various people to get an idea of hardness, flexibility, color, etc. I ended up getting them shipped free and 30% off. Took about a week to arrive, via drop-gate truck.

[Jim Becker]

Wow...that really looks good! Matches your PackOuts, too. LOL I really wanted to do something like this with my new shop, but unfortunately, the budget just didn't support it.

BTW, love the high windows in your shop, too.

[Michael Burnside]

LOL thanks Jim. It does match well. My wife talked me into the red and I’m glad she did.

The windows are great for natural light without taking up wall space

[Bernie Kopfer]

Waah, I’m envious ! I think you just wanted to show off what a nice shop you have. Who ever heard of having ladders that match the floor? But the smart wife of yours selected a wonderful color! Floor colors are usually black, gray, or wood but that red is energizing. If in the future you find that red color becoming unconsciously annoying please report back to us. That is not meant as a criticism but sometimes a strong color can do funny things to our brains.

[Michael Burnside]

LOL I know, it’s crazy how matchy-matchy but I promise it wasn’t intentional (mostly).

Worked in it for a few hours today and so far I’m loving it. One thing I didn’t expect to be such a big deal was how much quieter it is, with and without machines running.

I think even the big rolls you can get would be something to consider just for the noise deadening affects alone.

[Tom M King]

What is the texture on that like? I can't tell in the picture. Is it easy to roll things on it?

We have a large garage converted into a game room in a rental house, with a ping pong table and pool table. Right now there is just industrial linoleum tile in it that we want to change, but so far undecided on what to use. Considerations so far are ceramic tile, and epoxy coating, but noise is already a problem in there, so if the texture on this was suitable, it would be better all the way around.

[Michael Burnside]

What is the texture on that like? I can't tell in the picture. Is it easy to roll things on it?

We have a large garage converted into a game room in a rental house, with a ping pong table and pool table. Right now there is just industrial linoleum tile in it that we want to change, but so far undecided on what to use. Considerations so far are ceramic tile, and epoxy coating, but noise is already a problem in there, so if the texture on this was suitable, it would be better all the way around.

The texturing is pretty subtle on mine. Kind of like a low profile diamond plate? Rolling my planer/jointer/tablesaw and even my 2000lb CNC wasn't a problem at all and moving my Festool vac and other "mobile" tools works just fine, no issues. They do make a low profile texture that is pretty smooth (still textured but VERY low profile). I ordered a few 20x20 samples of each texture (and a few 4"x4" for different color choices). I did consider the "smooth" option, but since my shop is detached, and we get snow here in Colorado, I was worried it might be too slippery since I couldn't avoid getting my shoes wet getting to the shop.

For your case, the smooth sounds like a great option.

I've had epoxy and while it was "ok", it still did stain (oil and some different wood stains) in few places and of course minor stress cracks showed up a few years later. Nothing major, but it was visible. I tried Rubio, oil, grease, etc. and the tiles wipe clean. They are easy to replace anyway, so even if you have something major, it's easily fixed. Like I said, the biggest thing was the sound difference.

For what it is worth, the cost of the tiles and my own labor installing (very simple) was about 1000-2000 bucks less than my epoxy bids.

[Tom M King]

Thanks so much! This sounds like just what we need.

edited to add: I ordered a couple of the smooth tiles to see if they'll work.

[Dave Fitzgerald]

How does this kind of tile hold up to heavier equipment? I would worry about getting "dimples" in the flooring from tools that spend most of their time in one place but need to move from time to time.

[Michael Burnside]

How does this kind of tile hold up to heavier equipment? I would worry about getting "dimples" in the flooring from tools that spend most of their time in one place but need to move from time to time.

They aren't that soft. Don't think of them like a squishy weight mat or something like that. They are pretty hard. You can't compress them with your fingers, for example. Not sure what your definition of heavier is, but I recently shifted my 650lb jointer and it left a tiny hint of a depression that is completely gone now. My CNC fully assembled is close to 1800 lbs on 4 heavy duty casters. I also moved that about 1" when reconnecting my vacuum pump and there the dimples were noticeable (~1/32-1/16") but after about a day they are completely gone.

Rolling around the floor with my jointer, planer, CNC, tablesaw, etc and getting them in to position after I had the floor complete was a non issue as well. They didn't curl or flex when being compressed by the casters.

[Ole Anderson]

I don't understand how tiles that are quite hard can help your knees and feet. Wouldn't shoes with soft soles do the job much better? Does look sharp though!

[Wayne Cannon]

Soft and cushiony mats or shoes are actually more tiring when standing. Your feet and legs are constantly making tiny adjustments to compensate for the flex under foot. You want just enough give to reduce the shock on your joints.

[Michael Burnside]

Soft and cushiony mats or shoes are actually more tiring when standing. Your feet and legs are constantly making tiny adjustments to compensate for the flex under foot. You want just enough give to reduce the shock on your joints.

Exactly this. I couldn’t have said it better and I’ve noticed the difference too.