Let's talk about the flooring for your garage. If you're considering using rubber, you've come to the right page. We asked the experts if you could park your vehicle in a garage with rubber flooring and here's what we got from them.
You can park a car on rubber flooring as long as it is made of vulcanized or virgin rubber. This rubber can endure the demands of a garage because it is more durable and thicker than other types.
Vulcanized rubber flooring materials are heated so that they would melt and form a solid flooring that's resistant to oils and solvents.
Keep on reading to find out more about virgin and vulcanized rubber flooring as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using rubber for your garage flooring. Let's get down to business!
Is a rubber floor good for a garage?
Many homeowners nowadays take advantage of the extra space that a garage offers. They turn it into a workshop, gym, or a home office. But of course, the main purpose of a garage is to provide a safe place for our vehicles as they are parked in our property to protect them from the elements.
As such, a garage floor has different demands than other rooms in the house especially if vehicles will constantly be driven over and parked on it. Consider the material's durability, traction or non-skid, and ease of maintenance.
The garage floor material needs to be extremely durable considering the sheer weight of the cars that pass over it on a daily basis. There needs to be traction so that the vehicles won't slip and slide for safety purposes.
It should also be easy to maintain because the garage is always exposed to debris, mud, and outside dirt. There's also the occasional water, oil, and other leaks.
So, you'd want a garage floor material that you can clean up easily and won't be negatively affected by these substances so that it'll last a long time.
Rubber flooring isn't exactly a popular choice for garage floors and many floor experts have differing views about it. But with the right kind of rubber, you can actually make it work.
Rubber flooring can be made from natural or virgin, synthetic, or recycled rubber materials. It usually comes in tile, roll, or mat formats.
Virgin or Vulcanized Rubber Vs. Traditional Rubber
But if you want to use rubber flooring for your garage, with the intention to use it for its main purpose of housing your vehicles, ordinary rubber floors won't do. You would need to use virgin or vulcanized rubber.
These types of rubber have what it takes to endure the weight and movement of cars. Unlike traditional rubber, they aren't just glued together to make a whole. Since they don't have glue, you won't have to worry about the adhesive breaking down when there are leaks in your car.
Virgin and vulcanized rubber are mixed together thoroughly and then subjected to high heat and pressure to produce a solid flooring material that demonstrates a tensile strength of at least 890 PSI and 90% compression recovery.
This means that they will stand up well to the vehicles' weight loads. They won't lose their shape along the way as they've become more elastic after going through vulcanization.
Virgin and vulcanized rubber also have even thicknesses all throughout and are textured to provide excellent grip and traction. Speaking of thickness, these rubber materials are thicker than traditional rubber.
They are available in different colors and can be ordered as a roll, mat, or interlocking tiles. They are easy to install and maintain. You don't need adhesives for the interlocking tiles. They also have the added benefits of being non-porous and hassle-free cleaning.
What are the advantages of rubber flooring?
If you're still contemplating using rubber flooring for your garage, here are the benefits of this material.
Easy to Install
There are rubber tiles that you can just put over the concrete floor and attach to each other using the interlocking mechanism. There's no need for adhesives or waiting for cure time. These aren't permanent so they are easy to remove and replace in case one or two rubber tiles are damaged.
Cost Effective
Rubber flooring is relatively affordable. You can find decent ones for $3 to $8 per square foot although premium rubber tiles and mats that come with attractive designs and patterns can cost up to $15.
And since you can install them by yourself, you don't have to spend on installation costs and other materials needed for this job. The repair costs is also so much cheaper than other permanent floorings.
Aesthetics
Rubber floors come in different colors to suit your preference or complement the look that you're going for. You can also choose your preferred patterns and styles to glam up your garage albeit the available designs are quite limited compared to other flooring materials.
Sound Absorption
A garage is usually a noisy place with the sound of the engine or with the other activities that you do there if you're using it for other purposes. Rubber will help dampen the sounds so that you won't be bothered by the noise.
Comfortability
People use the garage for other purposes such as a workshop or home gym. Rubber flooring will make users comfortable whether they sit on the floor or stand on it. This makes this flooring material so versatile since you won't have to worry about comfortability.
Durability
Rubber floors can last up to 20 years as long as they are properly cared for. Depending on their thickness and density, they are also expected to withstand heavy impact, bear substantial loads, and absorb shocks.
As you can see, rubber floors offer many benefits that can convince homeowners to consider its use in their garages.
What are the disadvantages of rubber flooring?
We want homeowners to always come up with an informed choice so we're also informing you of the drawbacks of using rubber floors. It's entirely up to you to consider if these are major issues for you.
- Traditional rubber can be sensitive to grease, oil, and harsh cleaning agents. These substances can stain, discolor, or damage the surface.
- Rubber has an unpleasant odor upon installation but it usually goes away with time.
- Interlocking rubber floor tiles have numerous seams where water can creep into to reach the subfloor and cause moisture damage there.
- Untextured rubber tiles, mats, or rolls can be slippery when wet.
- Adhesives used for the installation of rubber flooring rolls can be a fire hazard.
- The polyethylene-based glue used on rebonded rubber can break down when it comes into contact with oil.
- It is not a good insulator for the floor. You would need to think about heating solutions during winter.
These are the main drawbacks of using rubber flooring material. But keep in mind that these issues will depend on the rubber type and format that you choose.
Final Thoughts
Use only vulcanized or virgin rubber flooring for your garage for a long-lasting garage floor material. You can rely on its high performance even in the high traffic and hard-wearing areas of your house such as the garage.
If you have other flooring concerns, feel free to read the following posts:
