If you’re going to install a garage floor, you have a few options to choose from. It can be overwhelming if you don’t know what to look for!
However, due to the amount of stress put on garage floors from vehicles, dropped tools, oil spills, heat, and more, you’re left with two main garage flooring options – interlocking tiles or epoxy flooring.
These are the floor covering options that can actually survive in a garage environment!
Here we compare garage floor tiles vs epoxy floor paint, looking to find the best garage floor option to meet your needs.
Let’s get to it!
The Pros and Cons of Epoxy Flooring
Pros of Garage Floor Epoxy
- Safe & sanitary
- Easy to clean
- Very durable
- Anti-slip options
- Many colors & designs
- Can hide dirt & scratches
- Withstands spilled chemicals & oils
- Withstands dropped tools & objects
- Suitable for foot & vehicle traffic
There’s a reason that this paint is so popular as a garage floor coating – it’s designed to withstand the stress that garages face on a day-to-day basis. Easily installed over concrete, these versatile garage floor coatings can come in color flake patterns that
make it easier to hide dirt and scratches on the floor.
Now that’s low maintenance!
This coating is non-porous and doesn’t have any gaps or grout lines, so it’s very easy to clean and grime/dirt/bacteria have nowhere to hide. It’s also very durable – it takes a long time for this garage flooring to crack under the force of dropped tools or car parts, for example.
Furthermore, epoxy garage floors don’t succumb to spilled chemicals, oils, and fluids in general. You’re able to make a mess when changing your oil or wiper fluid without worrying about destroying your floor. You are also very unlikely to stain epoxy coating or do any serious damage to it.
Cons of Garage Floor Epoxy
- Hard to install
- Toxic fumes when installing
- Can crack & chip (eventually)
- Slippery when wet
- Strong concrete floor needed
There aren’t too many downsides to epoxy coating in your garage, but there are some things to keep in mind when searching for the best flooring solution.
The biggest downside with this type of garage flooring is that it’s very hard to install. It’s very difficult for one or two people to install this type of flooring if they don’t have experience… the humidity must be right, it has to cure correctly, and there are toxic fumes that one must avoid.
Leave it to the professionals!
Also, while this paint is very durable, it can crack and chip away eventually, especially in high-impact areas. For this type of garage flooring, you must also have a decent concrete base floor and keep in mind that this paint can be slippery when wet.
The Pros and Cons of Garage Floor Tile
Pros of Garage Floor Tiles
- Easy to install
- No toxic fumes when installing
- Can go over low-quality wood & concrete
- Softer underfoot
- Decent impact resistance
- Easy to renovate
Garage floor tile does have some upsides over epoxy paint, mainly when it comes to its convenience and ease of installation. Unlike paint, garage floor tiles can go over a slightly uneven surface, including wooden floors and low-quality concrete floors that wouldn’t be suitable for epoxied floors.
Interlocking tiles are also softer underfoot, which is an added bonus… though most people aren’t walking around their garage for comfort and leisure.
Garage tiles also have decent impact resistance, though you should get high-quality rigid tiles if possible. Cheaper garage floor tile is often plastic, vinyl, or PVC, which tends to break and stain. Just make sure you’re getting high-quality rubber floor mats instead of floor mat made from cheap PVC or vinyl.
Cons of Garage Floor Tiles
- Not simple to clean
- Surface can be uneven & bumpy
- Cheaper tiles susceptible to staining
- Water damage likely
- Can’t take as much weight
- Contract & expand in the heat/sunlight
- Easier to lose small screws etc. in gaps
- Look cheaper
First things first, garage floor tile is not simple to clean.
When it comes to tiles vs epoxy, you’ll find that tiles have lots of gaps in the grout lines where dirt, grime, mold, and bacteria can get in, making this type of product much less hygienic than epoxy overall.
The surface of the tiles can also be uneven and bumpy, which is not ideal for toolboxes and garage equipment with wheels. Ideally, you need to be investing in high-spec tiles that are going to stand the test of time… cheap plastic tiles will quickly go to waste in a garage.
And let’s not forget about stains!
This type of flooring stains much more easily and cannot take as much weight or stress as epoxy or concrete can. If you’re looking for flooring that can survive the toughest conditions when it comes to tiles vs epoxy, epoxy paint will win every time.
Is epoxy flooring better than tiles?
Yes, epoxy flooring is better than tiles on the whole.
Most flooring types have their upsides and downsides, but epoxy is able to resist more stress, force, heat, and moisture than tile can.
What is better than epoxy for the garage floor?
The only thing better than epoxy for your garage floor is polyurethane coatings.
However, these types of floors are very expensive and it’s more than what most people need for how they use their home garage.
Should I epoxy my garage floor?
Yes you should epoxy your garage floor!
Though the installation is inconvenient and takes some time, epoxy flooring is one of the best, most cost effective options for a garage floor.
It’s durable, stain resistant, and it can withstand oils and chemicals. It can’t grow mold and it’s incredibly easy to wash.
It’s much better than tile on many fronts!
Are garage floor tiles any good?
Garage floor tiles are only good if you spend quite a lot of money on them, something that most people don’t like to do!
Your home garage tile can look decent if you get the high-cost interlocking floor mat product made from strong rubber or similar materials.
However, we would recommend an epoxy covering installation over an interlocking tile installation any day!
Does epoxy flooring crack?
Epoxy flooring can crack, but only after you’ve subjected it to large amounts of pressure in high-impact areas over a very long period of time.
In everyday home garages, your epoxied floor is unlikely to crack with normal use.
Is epoxy flooring cheaper than garage tiles?
Epoxy flooring is cheaper than garage tiles if you’re getting decent tile that will stick around for years to come. If you’re buying super cheap garage tile, you’re basically wasting your time.
Here’s the cost of epoxy flooring vs floor tile:
- Epoxy Paint Floor – $2.50 per sq ft (DIY) or $4+ per sq ft
- Garage Floor Tiles – $4 – $5 per sq ft for anything decent
Once you factor in the cost of materials, professional installation, and how long each type of flooring will last, epoxy is clearly cheaper and more cost effective for your home in the long run.
The bottom line
When it comes to epoxy vs garage floor tiles, it’s clear that epoxy paint coverings are the best option, especially for a home garage.
While you may like the look of interlocking tiles, paint coatings do come in various colors and styles, including color flake designs which help to hide dirt.
On the whole, these paint floor coverings are just better suited to what you need in a home garage!
