To create a floor in the garage there is a large number of various materials and technologies, but despite this diversity, many motorists choose natural wood for flooring, since this material has a number of significant advantages over others. In this article we will tell you how to install a wooden floor in a garage yourself, describe the advantages of this type of coating and installation technology.
Controversy over the use of wood as garage flooring have always been, since wood, like any other material, has its advantages and disadvantages.
Disadvantages include:
All of the above disadvantages can be easily eliminated with your own hands using various protective equipment, which we will talk about below.
The advantages of wood coating include:
For your information. When using special wood impregnations, the coating absorbs moisture from the room well without losing its physical characteristics. This allows you to reduce dampness in the room and protect the body from moisture.
Before making wooden floors in the garage, you need to take care of protecting the material used, which will significantly increase its service life. The use of various varnishes, paints and impregnations will give the wood new physical characteristics, which will allow the material to resist moisture, rot, increase wear resistance and fire safety.
All protective substances can be divided into three types:
Important. Before covering a wooden garage floor with paint or varnish, the wood must be thoroughly dried and treated with antiseptic solutions, the combination of which is selected depending on the use of the room.
Before you start creating the coverage, you need to create step by step plan actions, study the construction of a wooden floor in the garage and purchase material from the right quantity. Today you can find many various options device, but the most optimal option is the one shown in the photo above.
The most optimal technology would be:
The listed steps can be used by you as instructions for action, as well as to create an estimate for the purchase consumables. Below we will look at the list necessary materials, which will be required to create a wooden floor.
To work we will need:
Important. Before installing a wooden floor in your garage, we recommend that you consider purchasing tongue-and-groove floor boards, as the presence of special grooves will provide additional strength and help avoid gaps, making the joints airtight.
Before making a garage floor from boards, you need to create a solid foundation in the form of a cement screed (see). To do this, you need to remove a layer of soil 40 centimeters thick and level the surface horizontally using a level.
Then the soil is compacted, a layer of sand with a thickness of 5-6 cm is placed on its surface. A layer of crushed stone with a thickness of 5-6 cm is laid on top of the sand and everything is thoroughly compacted.
After creating the pillow, it is placed on it metal lathing made of rods in the form of a mesh with a cell width of 15-20 cm. The rods are tied together with wire, and the sheathing is installed on the bricks so that the mesh is at a distance of several centimeters from the crushed stone layer.
After this, the solution is prepared and poured over the entire surface of the floor with a thickness of 10-12 cm, followed by leveling.
Important. After cement strainer Once it has dried, roofing felt or construction film is placed on its surface to create waterproofing. The waterproofing is laid with an overlap on the walls, and the joints are taped to achieve tightness. At this point, the creation of the subfloor is completed and the installation of the wooden floor in the garage begins.
We will use a beam with a cross-section of 200x200 mm as transverse support logs, but for this we can also use a beam with a cross-section of 150x200 mm, only in this case it must be laid on an edge to increase rigidity.
For your information. Before you properly install a wooden floor in your garage, remember the strict plan for laying the boards. Load-bearing logs are installed across the garage, at a distance of 30-50 centimeters from each other, depending on the thickness of the floor board and the weight of the car. The deck boards are laid perpendicular to the joists along the garage.
When installing logs, follow these recommendations:
Laying wooden floors in the garage requires additional thermal insulation. This procedure is not mandatory, but if you plan to carry out Maintenance and in the cold season, it is better to provide it in order to preserve heat.
Mineral wool or expanded clay is used to lay thermal insulation. The material is placed in the free space between the joists.
Using mineral wool try to lay the mats as tightly as possible, avoiding free space. When using expanded clay, pour it into the free space, level it and compact the layer as much as possible.
For your information. To achieve the maximum effect of thermal insulation, you can additionally lay a layer of transparent film over the insulation and secure it to wooden joists. Film will also be required when using non-grooved boards.
The final stage is laying the tongue and groove boards, as shown in the figure above. There is nothing complicated in this process, the main thing is to maintain the tightness of the seams, which can additionally be treated with silicone for tightness.
Start laying from the far corner, and lay the boards in such a way that the end joint of the boards of the first row does not coincide with the joints of the next one, that is, install in a checkerboard pattern.
Once you have finished laying the boards, you can begin processing them. Before treating the wooden floor in the garage with varnishes or paints, it must first be cleaned of dust and dirt, treated with antiseptic and other impregnations.
Only after this can you apply protective varnishes or paint the floor with special paints and varnishes for wooden surface. Additionally, you can lay a rubberized coating where the floor comes into contact with the wheels, this will significantly increase the service life of the wood.
From the material we proposed, you learned how to properly make a wooden floor in a garage; you can use the article as step-by-step instructions for action, and to consolidate the knowledge gained, we suggest watching video material describing some stages of the work.
Which floors are best for a garage is a question that many car enthusiasts ask themselves. The main thing is not to make mistakes, so that in just a year you won’t have to break and redo everything.
There are many reasons for surface damage. These include the heavy weight of the car, harmful effects aggressive fuels and lubricants (fuels and lubricants), large differences in temperature and humidity.
Which floor is best to make in the garage is discussed in this article.
In order to determine which floor is better in the garage, you should become familiar with the requirements for them so that they are durable and have a high-quality coating.
The garage floor must have:
Before deciding which is best for your garage floor, you should answer the following questions:
Most often, garage owners choose for flooring traditional version – .
The advantages of this coating are:
But, the serious disadvantages of a concrete floor are:
Advice: Despite all the variety of shortcomings, they can be completely eliminated. For this upper layer should be covered with paints or sealants.
Coating a concrete floor in a garage special paint will do it:
This option for finishing concrete pavement is used most often. This is what many car enthusiasts choose when answering the question, which garage floor is best?
This is explained:
To improve an ordinary concrete floor in a garage, it is best to use modern bulk mixtures as shown in the photo.
Such compositions most often have two components that contain a polymer resin and a hardener. The instructions for use indicate that they are applied to the floor in liquid form, forming an absolutely smooth, impact-resistant base with high durability and frost resistance.
These advantages will fully manifest themselves only with a certain thickness of the coating on the base; it must be at least five millimeters. Self-leveling floors are not only practical, but also beautiful. Their aesthetic appearance is at a high level.
Tip: This is perfectly smooth, glossy or matte finish can be painted in different colors, put a drawing on it.
To achieve durable garage floors, you can use ceramic tiles on a concrete base. For this purpose, only certain types of ceramic tiles should be used.
It can be:
Tip: When installing a garage floor, tiles should be selected with an anti-slip surface, which will protect the car owner from accidental falls.
So modern flooring material looks like separate modules. For its manufacture, durable, chemically resistant polyvinyl chloride is used. High frost resistance allows the tiles to be used in heated and unheated rooms, even on the street.
The PVC surface has the following features:
Advice: Car enthusiasts who prefer everything environmentally friendly should make wood floors in their garage.
Advantages of wooden floors:
Advice: When choosing a floor for a garage, you should focus on your capabilities, but you should not forget about quality. The durability and safety of your car depend on properly laid, high-quality flooring.
The disadvantages of wooden floors include:
The listed floor coverings are not all that can be used in the garage. These are just the most popular solutions. For example, you can make an ordinary earthen floor - the most cheap option and floor from natural stone- one of the most expensive.
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Happy car owners who have own garage, spend a lot of time there alone with their own iron horse. Interior decoration In this case, the garage should be as neat, practical and convenient as the decoration in your own home. Of course, the floor is subject to the greatest load. In a huge variety of coatings, you need to choose exactly the one that will satisfy all the owner’s requirements and will be the most durable and economical. Which garage floor is better? modern materials or rough surface? The answers to the question are in this material.
Floor in a modern garage
The floor in the garage is subject to extremely intense impact: car wheels ride on it, heavy objects move, and people walk on it in shoes. In addition to mechanical damage, the floor covering also receives chemical damage: fuel, oils, acids, paint and other aggressive compounds fall down even on the most careful car enthusiasts. Washing a car will also shorten the life of the floor if its finish is not suitable for the load.
The economical option of bulk earthen or sand coating can hardly be called successful for obvious reasons: with such a finish, dirt is inevitable, which will end up in the cabin or at home, especially in conditions high humidity. When wondering what the best floors are in a garage, you can answer that any except earthen ones, since they can hardly be called floors at all.
An earthen floor is the simplest, but also the most unfortunate solution.
Another option - wooden floors - also has more disadvantages than advantages. In terms of cost, it is comparable to bulk, and in terms of wear resistance it is much inferior to it. Due to its flammability, such a floor is one of the worst options for garages, where fuels and lubricants can easily splash out, catch fire and cause serious damage.
The basis of any gender - concrete slab or monolithic concrete block. In the first case, the quality and grade of concrete is checked by the manufacturer, so the factory-made concrete slab has good strength characteristics and can be used as a floor covering.
Monolithic concrete, which is installed on site, may be inferior in strength to a slab. According to the norm, it takes 28 days for concrete to completely harden. During this period, the cement composition is protected from drying out by constantly watering it with water and preventing evaporation.
Concrete is not just a dried solution, it is a substance in which water molecules are embedded in the structure of the stone; the strength of the finishing coating depends on moisture content. If the technology is followed, the screed will last a long time.
It’s easy to identify a poor-quality coating; just rub the screed with the soles of your shoes, and if sand appears, the floor should be “brought to the senses” with other types of finishing, otherwise it will not last long.
Floor in your garage: what better stove or screed - it is impossible to answer unequivocally, since the coating should be assessed individually in each case.
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Self-leveling floors are ready-made compounds that have high plasticity, are able to fill all voids evenly and, by analogy with liquids, spread strictly horizontally. Such products are easy to install as they do not require additional alignment.
Bulk composition in the garage
There are several types of compositions, but all of them can be divided into two large groups - cement and polymer. Which floors are best made in the garage depends on how often they will be exposed to aggressive substances. Compositions with cement have very high strength, they are extremely durable and are relatively cheap.
Polymer compositions contain various substances, which, when the screed hardens, form a plastic, moisture-resistant monolithic coating. Additives are added to some mixtures to make the finished floor chemically resistant. This technology cannot be called revolutionary; on the contrary, it has been tested for decades, since polymer bulk compositions have been used in production workshops at factories since Soviet times.
Ceramics is one of the leaders among wear-resistant floor coverings. The secret to the success of such tiles is its silicate glaze, which is essentially glass, which is famous for its chemical resistance and abrasion resistance.
Using tiles as flooring
The disadvantages include fragility, because if heavy objects fall, the tiles can crack. The quality of the finished base greatly depends on the quality of the tile joints and the quality of the base. Under the tiles, you will have to level the rough surface to perfect condition.
The technology for constructing porcelain stoneware slabs is the same as that of ceramic tiles. Porcelain tile is not inferior to it in terms of strength and durability, but from an ergonomic point of view it is preferable. The structure of the material is such that the surface will never be slippery. Water flows through it just as quickly, cleaning with solvents and rough cleaning is allowed. mechanical cleaning. Porcelain tiles can be purchased at a low price; budget items will cost much less than tiles.
Durable, easy to install, ergonomic and stable, polymer flooring has the only drawback - its high price.
What is best to make a garage floor from can be decided by assessing the pros and cons of each type of coating.
Concrete surfaces and surfaces made of moisture-resistant coatings behave differently during operation. In a garage finished with any type of tile, you can create perfect cleanliness, in which it is pleasant to work and just be. Concrete surfaces can also be washed, but appearance still inferior. Oils and fuel are easily removed from ceramics without leaving a trace, and the concrete floor remembers such stains forever. Acids do not harm tiles or polymer floors, and they destroy the concrete, it begins to crumble, and local damage appears.
In a building like a garage, everything is important. These are the walls and the roof, Garage Doors. But few people pay due attention to such a detail as the floor in the garage. The floors are subject to serious loads - first of all, a car, which presses its weight on the floor covering. There are also various mechanical and chemical influences. The car is not only stored in the garage, but it is also where it is serviced and repaired - often during work, various, sometimes quite heavy, tools can fall onto the floor. Its durability depends on how well the structure is made. Also, garage floors can suffer as a result of leaks of fuels and lubricants and various technical fluids.
It follows from this that the design must have high level strength, increased wear resistance characteristics, as well as resistance to chemical and mechanical influences. The appearance of the flooring is also important for many. There are many flooring designs - each with its own characteristics.
Based on the requirements that are provided for floors in the garage, we can distinguish concrete coverings, designs from ceramic materials, wooden structures, as well as self-leveling floors that are popular today.
Concrete screeds are especially popular among car enthusiasts and garage owners. The floor structure is multi-layered. This screed fully complies with all the requirements for a garage floor.
Reinforced concrete floor is the maximum reliability. This type of base is resistant to moisture and dampness. It is easy to clean with a hose. Also, this coating is non-flammable, which reduces the risk of fire to almost zero. Of great importance for many is the cost of creating a coating - the materials for creating such a screed are not expensive. To equip such a floor for a garage, you will need sand, crushed stone, waterproofing materials, cement, reinforced mesh. This option is easy to implement and making a garage floor with your own hands will not be difficult.
For organization concrete screed First of all, the foundation is prepared. Often this is soil. The top layers of this soil are removed. The depth should be approximately 30-40 cm. Then sand is poured into the resulting pit. The layer of this material is made small - about 10 cm. The sand is poured with water and then compacted using a vibrating plate or other hand tools. Then it is leveled using concrete mortar with a low cement content in it. After the solution has dried, waterproofing materials are applied. It is very important that the waterproofing extends to the walls.
Next, the resulting platform must be reinforced. So, a mesh with a cell of 5x5 mm is laid. It is recommended to raise the mesh slightly above the screed. To control the horizontal level, special beacons are installed. They are located at some distance from each other. It is also necessary to leave a gap between the screed and the wall in case the structure begins to expand under the influence of climate.
The future floor in the garage is made with a slight slope towards the exit. The solution is poured between the beacons and then leveled using the rule. Later, the beacons are removed, and the solution is poured in their place again.
This design has many advantages, but with all this there are also disadvantages - the concrete will flake off and collect dust. To avoid this, you can paint the screed. You can also lay rubber tiles.
If the concrete floor in the garage is the most inexpensive solution, then a ceramic-based coating will cost a little more. Lay the tiles on a pre-poured concrete screed. However, professionals do not recommend doing this right away. It is imperative to wait until the garage shrinks.
If the screed is perfectly level, then all that remains is to apply a layer of priming solutions to it, and then you can proceed to the installation of the tile itself. Ceramics do not like low temperatures, so if the building is not heated, it is recommended to use porcelain stoneware instead. It tolerates low temperatures much more easily.
Stacked finishing coat not for solution. There is a special glue for this. Adhesive composition should not be on the outside of the tile. Special crosses are inserted between the tiles. The evenness of the installation can be controlled using a level. After three days, you can begin work on grouting the seams, and after 14 days the surface is cleaned and the garage can be used.
This surface also fully meets all the requirements for a garage floor.
This is a special finishing coating based on polymer substances. It's different unique characteristics. Unlike ceramics, polymer floors are not afraid of frost, moreover, they do not smell and do not generate dust. Their appearance is very presentable. And making such a floor in the garage with your own hands will not be difficult. The pouring technology does not require special skills.
Wooden garage floors, despite their high environmental performance, high thermal insulation and excellent appearance, have not become particularly popular. Despite this, many people make just such designs. The cost of such a floor is low, and the labor intensity of installation is also low. The floor has a high fire hazard, and its service life is about 5 years, but if damaged areas are replaced in a timely manner, then this is a good choice.
Car enthusiasts are divided into two categories. The first believe that a wooden floor in a garage is economical and best option, the latter are ardent opponents of the former.
However, wood has many advantages. Thus, the durability of wood can be quite high if it is treated with special impregnations. With these substances, the service life can be extended to several decades. At the same time, the floor will not rot and deteriorate.
If some areas wear out, they can be easily replaced - there is no need to redo and renew the site completely. In addition, such repairs do not require special costs and labor.
The wooden floor in the garage also perfectly absorbs excess moisture. This additional protection for the car body. Wooden flooring is not hazardous to health, unlike concrete. Sometimes you have to lie under a car - it’s much more pleasant on a tree.
If you use a thick board and timber large sizes, then the strength of such a coating will be in no way inferior to a concrete screed. The wood can withstand even small commercial trucks well. There is nothing easier than making a wooden garage floor with your own hands. Installation is much simpler than installing a concrete screed. And one more advantage - the wood will not generate dust.
With all the advantages of wood, there are also disadvantages. Thus, wood perfectly absorbs the odors of fuels and lubricants. This is strongly felt if you turn on the heating. Also, wood rots and is very susceptible to rodents and microorganisms. Even wood itself is a very flammable material, and if the floor in the garage is saturated with gasoline, oils and other substances, the risk of fire increases significantly. It is not recommended to use a welder in garages with wood floors.
Let's see how to make a wooden garage floor yourself.
Often, wooden garage floors are installed directly onto the ground. Therefore, appropriate technology will be used during construction. The design can be either double or single.
The first step is to remove the fertile soil layers in the inner part of the base. It is also necessary to prepare a mixture of sand, gravel and clay and pour it into the resulting pit. Experts recommend carefully compacting this pillow.
To furnish the floor will be used wooden beams. Their edges will rest on the foundation. Between the beams it is necessary to install special supports in the form of columns. To do this, small holes are dug under them. The first row of columns from the wall are installed at a distance of 50 cm. Between the remaining columns, a distance of 1 m can be made. A distance of 50 cm is recommended between the beams.
Coarse gravel should be poured into each hole. The layer should be about 20 cm high. Next, concrete mortar the hole is filled to the ground. When the mortar hardens, a column is made from red brick. This will be the main support for the wood floor in the garage.
It is imperative to lay roofing felt waterproofing between the bricks and mortar, as well as at the top of the supports. In those places where there are no pillars, open areas are also covered with roofing felt or film.
The floor experiences significant loads from the weight of the machine. Therefore, for wooden floors in garages, it is recommended to use more thick timber. So, its thickness should be from 150×150 mm or more. You can also use sleepers made of wood.
The timber is laid edgewise - this is done to increase the rigidity of the structure. The logs are mounted perpendicular to the gate. Flooring, on the contrary, is done along the movement of the car.
The logs are secured exactly to the level. If there is a need to correct the slope of the garage floor, you can use pads. Also, do not forget that between the wall and the joists it is necessary to maintain compensation gaps of 2 to 3 cm. Along the edges of the room for beams, it is necessary to install supports with a height of 10 cm. Installation can be performed as follows: in the usual way, directly and around the entire perimeter. Free space is left under the beams - this is done for natural circulation air.
If there is a need to lay insulating materials, then a subfloor is laid on the laid beams. Next, waterproofing materials are laid out. Then you can lay insulation - polystyrene foam, backfill or roll materials. Mineral wool is also excellent for insulating garage floors.
It is necessary to lay a layer on top again waterproofing materials. Then the finishing floor is laid.
Such wood floors are best made from special floorboards. Their thickness is 50 mm. A medium-sized room may require up to 1.3 m3 of material. It is very important to purchase well-dried wood for garage floors. Otherwise, there is a risk of deformations and cracks in the floor.
As you can see, there are many options for making your own garage floor. Many of these options do not require special costs, and their installation is not too labor-intensive. As for wooden floors in garages, this decision is quite controversial. If you often have to lie under a car, then this is the best choice.
When building a car “house”, not all vehicle owners take it seriously. structural element, like the floor. Completely in vain! Properly executed floor covering will ensure high-quality preservation of the car and protect it from premature corrosion.
Among the abundance of materials that can be used to make garage floors, it is quite easy to get confused. There are basic criteria for what any garage floor covering should be:
- fire resistance and moisture resistance;
- resistance to oil and acids, gasoline, as well as other chemicals;
- sufficient period of operation, required resistance to mechanical damage.
Today, it is easy to choose a reliable flooring, since there are several options for arranging a garage flooring.
The concrete floor has remained the leader for many years. This coating is quite durable and suitable for fairly harsh use. Moreover, such material is a relatively cheap coating. The disadvantage should be called constant availability dust, as well as the possibility of dirt stains appearing on the surface of the concrete.
It will cost much more as a garage floor reinforced concrete slab. This can be explained by the fact that it is impossible to lay such a slab independently, without the involvement of a work team, as well as special equipment.
Its cheapness attracts some car enthusiasts. wood flooring, however, it quickly disappoints with its short service life. Ceramic tiles are easy to clean and resist moisture, but they are not able to withstand impacts.
The most modern and reliable floors today are polymer floors. This is the most promising technology for arranging garage floors. Long-term operation and reliability of such a floor depends only on good preparation of the base, as well as adherence to coating technology. After the water evaporates, such a floor significantly enhances the existing positive qualities.
When thinking about which coating to choose, you should take into account the influence of each factor of its upcoming operation: the presence of chemicals, possible loads, human movement and influence. Either option can make your garage functional as well as attractive.
