Weather-Resistant Garage Flooring for All Seasons

Recommended: Epoxy Flooring

Epoxy flooring is a popular choice if you’re looking for the “showroom shine” you might have seen in an automotive showroom. As you can imagine, any material used in a showroom, of all places, needs to be able to stand up to the elements, and this is true of epoxy coatings.

Epoxy creates an easy-to-maintain floor surface that’s smooth and remains shiny over time, even after being walked or driven on. It can stand up to the heat of the summer, and it will remain slip-resistant even if you track in water on a rainy day. It will also be fine for people who live in colder climates than we experience here in Southern California. 

If you choose a coating with flakes included, it will even hide dirt and mud that ends up in your garage. When you’re ready to clean it up, just hose down the floor, use a broom or mop, or bring out your shop-vac.

Recommended: Rubber Flooring Tiles

Swisstrax rubber floor tiles are another garage flooring option I often recommend to my clients. They’re durable, easy to maintain, and remain safe even if they’re wet. Like epoxy flooring, they will stand up to both heat and moisture. For those in snowy regions, it’s a great option to keep the garage dry and slip-resistant.

One of the secrets of rubber flooring tiles is that it’s self-draining. It creates a raised texture above the floor, so any rainwater or mud will settle underneath where you’ll be walking. When you’re ready to clean it up, you can use a shop-vac or a garden hose to remove any debris.

Not Recommended: Hardwood Flooring

The first type of flooring I wouldn’t recommend for a garage is hardwood flooring. While it’s a great choice for indoors, it is unlikely to be able to stand up to the demands of a typical garage. Exposure to moisture can make it warp or even rot, and it will also be vulnerable to scratches, dents, and stains. 

A flooring company in Maryland, Jason Brown Wood Floors, discusses where you should and shouldn’t use hardwood flooring if you want to keep it looking nice and lasting a long time.

Not Recommended: Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring is affordable and popular to use inside the house, so a few of my clients have asked me if I thought it was a good choice in the garage. Unfortunately, the answer is no. Laminate floors are made from multiple layers of thin wood byproducts, and they’re bonded with a thin layer of resin. It’s quite susceptible to moisture damage; if it gets wet, it will swell, warp, and begin to peel.

Not Recommended: Vinyl Flooring

Finally, I want to address vinyl flooring. This is sold in large sheets, and it’s good for parts of the house that aren’t exposed to heavy use. It can handle foot-traffic and is easy to clean, but that’s where its suitability ends. Vinyl floors are easy to puncture or tear, they’re likely to bubble when the weather is very hot, and it is slippery when wet. Avoid using this type of flooring in your garage.

Conclusion

There are a lot of flooring options available for indoors, but when it comes to your garage, you should stick to those that are going to be able to withstand typical garage conditions, which can include high humidity, heat, cold, and rainwater. Weather-resistant flooring options include epoxy floors and rubber floor tiles. I recommend both of these options, and my team can install either one. If you’re unsure, give us a call, and schedule a consultation with a member of my design team to learn about the options available.

Source

• https://www.jasonbrownwoodfloors.com/blog/good-bad-places-install-hardwood-flooring/