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Flooring How To GuideGarage floors are commonly left as concrete; a cold and dusty solution that often cracks and can become damp. Whether you’re converting your garage for habitual use, or simply want to smarten its appearance, fitting stylish flooring has never been simpler.
A modern floor covering will protect a raw concrete base and hide existing stains, blemishes and cracks, creating a finish matching the same standards upheld in the rest of your home.
Garage floors are commonly left as concrete; a cold and dusty solution that often cracks and can become damp. Whether you’re converting your garage for habitual use, or simply want to smarten its appearance, fitting stylish flooring has never been simpler.
A modern floor covering will protect a raw concrete base and hide existing stains, blemishes and cracks, creating a finish matching the same standards upheld in the rest of your home.
PVC tiles can be laid straight on top of concrete making them a cost effective and stylish floor covering with a long life span. Loose lay or glue it’s up to you! A key benefit of PVC tiles is they can be laid with or without adhesive, depending upon what strain your floor will be under. After years of experience our expert advice would be to use adhesive if your tiles will be exposed to heat over long periods of time or heavy footfall.
What equipment will I need?
Very few tools are required but to ensure a professional finish it’s essential to have, a rubber mallet and a chalk line. We'd also also opt for an electric jigsaw or table saw both featuring a medium or rough wood blade to cut the tiles where necessary.
Preparation saves time overall
It’s important tiles acclimatise to your garage temperature before installation; we recommend allowing 24 hours and to only start installation in a room with a temperature above 15 degrees. To ensure tiles lay flat and smooth, sweep or vacuum to remove any loose impediments, eliminate high points in the floor and fill in holes or pock marks with a suitable floor repair compound.
Installation
Lay tiles out on the floor allowing them to settle, before installation. When installing its vital tiles are square to each other, the simplest process we recommend is to use a chalk line. Begin connecting tiles, aligning corners and gently tap using your rubber mallet. When approaching any fixed point within the garage leave a 5mm gap to allow for expansion and cover with colour coordinated or contrasting skirting profile depending upon on the finish you require.
N.B If your tiles do not easily connect it’s likely that you’re not laying them straight to one another.
Care and Maintenance
The most proficient way to clean your new tiles is regular light cleaning. For best results use a neutral PH floor cleaning detergent with either a mop and bucket or a rotary scrubber. Avoid scratching your new tiles by fitting protective feet to furniture and avoid dragging items with sharp corners.
