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More Garage
Flooring Products Make Choosing a
Garage Floor Difficult
Grand Junction, CO: June 7, 2006: The
garage flooring industry has emerged from a non-existent fringe
product a couple of years ago to a booming industry with new and innovative
products being launched every month. With an increasing number of
manufacturers, retailers and Web sites joining in with
garage floor products and
accessories of their own, consumers are experiencing a more difficult
time when having to
shop for and choose
garage flooring products for their
improvement needs.
JNK Products, LLC, is a leading
garage flooring company that has sold many brands of
garage flooring in addition to
quality garage storage and other
service products. While JNK Products sells millions of dollars in
garage flooring products on an annual basis, Justin Krauss,
operations manager for JNK Products, LLC, warns “garage
flooring is just like any emerging industry. There are good
garage flooring products and there are not so good
garage flooring products. There are also some
garage flooring products which probably should not even be on the
market.”
Many consumers use warranties to
separate the
great products from the bad ones prior to
making an
order for their
garage flooring area. While reviewing a manufacturers warranty is
certainly a helpful and
easy way to
, it is also important to
view and
find out other
information, like how long the
product has been on the market and how long the manufacturer has been
making similar flooring products. A 10-Year warranty on a product that has been
on the market for a year may be cause for a potential
customer to pause. Another important factor in choosing a
garage floor is how you are going to
make use of it.
Garage Floor Mats have become an affordable and attractive solution
for the
garage flooring needs of many consumers.
Garage floor mats are typically one of the least expensive
garage flooring products on the market while some products offer a
high degree of performance. An important thing to consider when
shopping for and purchasing
garage floor mats is again the purpose. There are basically two
types of mats for
garage floors on the market.
The first type of
garage floor mat is a true
garage floor covering like the products made by Better Life
Technology® (BLT). BLT mats for
garage floors are constructed of a high quality PVC and are available
in 4 patterns, 6 colors, widths of up to 10 feet and lengths up to 60 feet.
Rolled
garage flooring like that manufactured by BLT can be easily seamed to
cover an entire garage floor, or a smaller piece can simply be rolled out over a
portion of the garage. When choosing rolled
garage flooring products, there are several very important factors to
consider. If you are hoping to contain liquid or debris, then you will want to
make sure that you choose an appropriate pattern like the ribbed
pattern. If you are going more for style or looking for more of a traditional
look, then you should consider the coin, diamond tread and other attractive
options offered by manufacturers. Next you want to make sure that you choose a
rolled
garage floor mat that is at least 55 Mils thick. Most industry
experts agree that PVC is the best choice of substrates for this type of garage
flooring.
The containment mat is another
type of garage mat that is often confused with the product above. Containment
mats are not
garage flooring. Thus, they should not be used to cover your entire
garage floor. Containment mats are not generally designed to
withstand high traffic, snow tires, chains, cabinets, etc. Containment mats are
simply designed to be driven onto with the sole purpose of keeping snow, ice,
dirt, water and debris off of
garage floors. There is a big difference between one containment mat
and another, even within the same manufacturer! When choosing a containment
mat, it is very important to choose a containment mat that is over 40 mils
thick. You should also choose a mat that is shipped rolled (as opposed to
folded) such as the new Park Smart® Special Edition Parking Mat.
Garage floor tiles are also available from a wide variety of
manufacturers. The advantage of
garage floor tiles over other
garage flooring products is that they are generally thicker and can
be assembled to create a variety of patterns. While
garage floor tiles will take longer to install than a rolled
garage flooring product, many
garage floor tiles (such as the Daytona® Sport Court®
Garage Floor Tile) offer longer warranties. When choosing a
garage floor tile, it is important
to know that price and quality are not necessarily related. You should consider
purchasing a tile that is at least ½” thick polypropylene. It is also
advantageous to choose a
garage floor tile that combines drainage and solid tiles. The
drainage tiles allow water and debris to wash off of the surface, keeping it
cleaner and dryer. Make sure the
garage floor tile you choose is UV resistant and also incorporates a
loop and peg locking system. Finally make sure the tile is rated at 200 PSI or
better.
“There is a lot of talk about
garage floor tiles that lock moisture and dirt on top of the floor,”
said Krauss. “It has been our experience that this is a horrible mistake. This
type of tile has the potential to have three major issues.
“First if the lock is too tight,
there can be an issue with buckling when the tiles expand and contract. Second,
when the dirt is trapped on top of the system, you can be left with a very
expensive, yet very dirty
garage floor. Third, moisture trapped on top of the
garage floor can cause a potential hazard and increase the likelihood
that you may slip.
“I believe that Sport Court®
presents the best value for the customer. Sport Court® has manufactured modular
garage floor systems for three decades. Their
garage floor tiles are priced under $3.00 a square foot, and they
offer two solid tiles that can interact with a drainage tile. While we have
many many
garage floor tiles available to us, Sport Court® is the only
garage floor tile we’ve chosen to stock.”
Regardless of what
garage flooring product you choose, most industry experts agree that
if you are going to choose a non-coating product, then you should always order a
sample first. Companies like JNK Products offer free samples of BLT flooring.
JNK Products will also send samples of
garage floor tiles for a nominal shipping cost. “Ordering a
garage floor without getting a sample first is like buying a house
you have never seen,” Krauss said.
According to Krauss, the following are ten questions you
should ask your
garage flooring supplier before making a purchase:
If you were choosing a product, which one would you put in
your own home?
Do you stock any
garage flooring products in your warehouse?
What happens if my
garage flooring arrives and I do not like it?
How long will my order take to arrive, how will it be shipped
and where is it shipping from?
Can I have a copy of the warranty?
What tools do I need to install this product and how difficult
is installation?
What complaints have you received about this product?
If you are buying
garage flooring online, make sure they are a legitimate operation.
Thus, if there is a problem down the road, then you will have a legitimate
company to work with. Is the company you are dealing with a one person
operation and a cell phone or a well staffed company with a warehouse or store
front? Just because an
online company does not have a warehouse or a storefront does not
mean they are less legitimate. It just means you might want to consider checking
a little harder.
Tell your salesperson what you use your garage for and ask for
their recommendation based on that specific
information. I would recommend a different
garage flooring product for a
garage storage/workshop than I would for just a garage.
When should I expect to receive tracking information and how
will I receive it?
