DIY Garage Floor Cover

Matt Weber

Update your garage with an easy-to-install floor protector.

Protective floor covers are gaining steam in residential garages and workshops, where homeowners are sick and tired of looking at ugly oil stains and discolored concrete. Installing the covering is an easy project you can complete in a single afternoon, and the result is a brand-new surface that’s impervious to corrosive road materials such as antifreeze, oil, salt and battery acid. Floor protectors reduce dust travel and withstand all sorts of contaminants found in the garage and work environments.

Another plus for floor protectors: Most products are easy to move. They can be cleaned inside or outside of the garage, and the nonporous surface allows easy cleanup of oil and antifreeze with soap and water. Vinyl floor cleaners can be used to remove stubborn debris. Floor protectors also provide a moisture barrier, reduce noise, hide pre-existing cracks and stains and they last for years. Plus, the ribbed or channeled floor cover channels away liquids to reduce the amount of dirt tracked into a home.

When it comes to floor covers, homeowners have a several different but similar products to choose from. Companies such as Better Life Technologies, LLC., and Gladiator Garage Works offer flooring that rolls out for easy installation. The rolls come in a variety of sizes to fit almost any garage. The floor covering installs in most two-car garages in less than two hours.

Both SwissTrax and Craftsman offer a tile design for its floor covering. The square tiles, available in several different colors, can be mixed and matched and laid onto the floor in a desired pattern. Each tile is constructed of durable, high-impact co-polymers and has a suspended peg-construction underside that promotes airflow and cushions the floor. No tools, glues or adhesives are required to install. Each tile in the modular system has a female loop and male peg that interlock, for a secure fit.