What do I need to consider when using our floor tiles within a garage environment?
•Catalytic Converters – When the car is running the catalytic converter gets extremely hot and if the car is left running whilst sitting on the tiles for very long periods of time it may cause the tiles directly under the converter to expand through the heat. This is only a temporary issue and the tiles will shrink back to their original size once the heat source has been removed. In a busy commercial garage it is worth considering gluing the tiles down in-between the lifts or ramps where vehicles may be left with the engine running.
•Potential staining from car tyres -Rubber tyres will stain almost every type of floor including bare concrete, painted and vinyl flooring. The stain is a chemical reaction and will not damage the tiles or impact on their durability. How to avoid the staining issue? Because the stain in a dark grey / green it is far less obvious in the darker colours and is almost indistinguishable from the colour of our Dark Grey / Anthracite Tile (which also happens to be one of the smartest and most popular colours). It is also less obvious in the black and green colours. If you wish to use the lighter coloured tiles to brighten up the garage or workshop you can design the floor in a layout that incorporates different colours using the darker coloured tyres where the car will be parked or in line with the cars tyres. If any tile does get marked you can replace just the one tile so it's very quick and easy but the darker colours are more practical in areas where tyres will be in contact.
Can our tiles be used with under floor heating?
What Cutting Allowance / Wastage Factor should I allow?
We recommend that you allow a 5-10% wastage factor. To make your calculations accurate measure to the nearest 25 centimetres. Any unused tiles can be kept as spares or returned for a refund so it's best to be generous when calculating how many tiles you will need rather than running out of tiles during installation.
What tools are required to install our tiles?
A rubber mallet to connect the interlocking joints and a Stanley knife with a concave blade are the bare essentials required. You can use a table saw, electric jigsaw or bandsaw to cut the tiles, a blade suitable for timber is best. We use a guillotine to cut the tiles which we also rent out by the day, you can email us for price and availability. We also offer nationwide installation at competitive rates if you would rather leave it to the professionals.
Can I use a floor jack on your floor tiles?
Garage style interlocking floor tiles are extremely tough and hardwearing. It is a vinyl product so it will compress under heavy loads but will always return to its original shape.
No, one of the main benefits of the Garage Style flooring system is that it can be laid on damp and contaminated substrates. The tiles allow the floor to breathe so any moisture will evaporate up through the joints. Because the tiles are not glued down oil contamination will not create a problem.
The joint is extremely tight but we do not claim that it is 100% waterproof. If large amounts of water are left to sit on the floor it is possible that some will seep through the joint. The most common concern people have is that the water will become stagnant and start to smell but this will not happen. Firstly the chemicals in PVC act as a natural biocide that prevents the growth of the bacteria that would make the water smell and secondly any moisture under the tiles will evaporate back up through the joint because the temperature above the tiles is almost certain to be higher than that under the tiles.
Do I need to carry out repairs to the substrate before installation?
Do I need to use an adhesive with the floor tiles?
The only instances in which the tiles need to be glued is when a vehicle with heavy point loading is turning in confined spaces or when part of the floor is likely to be exposed to much higher temperatures than the rest of the floor (e.g. adjacent to a south facing door). If gluing is required the simplest adhesive to use is Uzin MK92S which is available in our online shop.
No,we do not recommend the use of our garage/ workshop floor tiles outdoors although we do now offer our outdoor range of floor tiles. See the category outdoor flooring for more information.
Can the floor tiles be installed over a painted / vinyl / carpeted floor?
Yes to the first two but we recommend lifting carpet where possible.
What are the differences between the various thicknesses and designs of floor tiles available?
Very little, it is primarily down to personal choice. In areas of very heavy traffic it may be sensible to use the 10mm tiles but in most other applications, thickness and surface design is the customer's choice.
We guarantee to offer the best value for money for like for like product (material, size and thickness). Because we are using state of the art machinery and our process is fully automated we believe that there is no one in the market who can compete on a like for like basis.
The only way a competitor's product will be cheaper is because they are using an inferior raw material compound that will impact on quality, durability, maintenance and performance. For projects that are extremely price sensitive speak to us about the availability of tiles manufactured from recycled material, the quality will be similar but the price lower although availability is limited.
We would be happy to answer any other questions you may have feel free to contact us.