Updated on Apr 10, 2024 11:49 AM EDT
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Prior to buying my first home, I’d spent my entire life working on cars outdoors. After years of ice, snow, rain, rocks, loose hardware, and other horrible things tearing at my backside, praising a concrete slab comes natural. That’s not to say a bare garage floor is ideal, though. The raw concrete holds stains, is tough to clean, and can get all chipped up if it’s not protected in one way or another.
Epoxy coatings are easily the most popular form of floor protection for a home garage, particularly since DIY kits have become so readily available. After nearly decimating my garage floor while giving my ‘69 Charger the body work and paint it needed last winter, that was the way I was headed. I had already started to plan out renting the equipment and buying the materials I’d need to do the job right, when NewAge Products reached out to see if I was interested in trying out its polypropylene garage floor tiles for review.
The appeal of this solution is that it’s non-permanent, easy to install, and can totally transform the looks of your garage. As you can see, it definitely checks that last box with stride. But looks aren’t everything. After working on a couple of major projects over the course of several months, I’m going to lay out what I’ve come to find of NewAge Products’ garage flooring tiles so you can determine if it’s the best way to protect your garage floors.
NewAge Products’ polypropylene garage floor tiles are a flooring system that’s entire spiel is giving you a quick and easy way to add a substantial and aesthetically appealing barrier to your garage. They’re a hard plastic tile that feature patented step-n-snap connections that make it possible for you to lay the tiles together with no need for additional tools, really speeding up the entire process. They do not require any kind of sub-flooring or special prep, so you theoretically can transform your garage floor within a few hours.
As tempting as it is to quickly write off a plastic tile, these are built with the harsh conditions of a workshop in mind. Polypropylene is resistant to stains and chemicals, making these tiles easy to clean and maintain. They’re also impact resistant, and can support up to 80,000 pounds of rolling weight and 2,000 pounds of concentrated loads per 3-inch diameter.
The tiles are available in a total of five different colors that you can mix and match to meet whatever styling criteria you may hold. On top of that, predetermined patterns can be selected to ease the personalization process. These tiles can also be fitted with edge trim and anti-fatigue shock towers to boost appearance and keep you comfortable over long periods.
As for the burning question of cost, the tiles sell for $4.19 per square foot, making it a middle-of-the-road flooring option versus other solutions. It’s more than a DIY epoxy floor kit will run you, but still considerably less than professionally-installed options. And if you need help mapping out your project, NewAge Products offers free consultations with pros who will help you figure everything out.
In the interest of getting on with testing as quickly as possible, I didn’t do anything that wasn’t required to move on to testing. I didn’t grind the concrete pad level, nor did I give it a deep cleaning or seal it prior to laying the tiles. I did pull everything out of the workshop and wash the floors with an industrial detergent, but that’s about it. Once that was dried up, I moved right to getting the floors in place.
The entire process took me two working days. One for cleaning the garage, then the second to lay the tiles in place and put everything back to where it was when I started.
Yes. I did keep track of the exact numbers for you data heads. Between unboxing the tiles, organizing them by color, then popping them together, while watching a new puppy, I was working at a pace of completing one row every twenty minutes. Each row measures 11 24-square-inch tiles long. With a total of 12 rows, I covered 528 square feet in just over 3.5 hours. It can definitely be done in about half the time, but I really wasn’t in a race to completion.
The installation of the tiles is pretty much on par with any other flooring solution that aims to make life easier, such as vinyl plank flooring that simply snaps together. However, much like those other solutions, the process really doesn’t go as smoothly in the real world as it aims to on paper.
The step-n-snap connections do work, but I definitely don’t recommend just using your foot to pop them together. Oftentimes, you need considerable force to get the connections to snap in. You will feel it in your joints after stomping a few tiles together. I used a plastic mallet instead, and I’d call it a necessity for anyone looking to tackle this. As for other mandatory tools, a fine-tooth blade on a miter saw and an oscillating multi-tool for odd shapes are what you’ll want should you need to cut tiles.
Overall, this product hits the mark in terms of easy installation. It takes a little more effort than advertised, it’s definitely easier than the many steps required to lay epoxy floors. That said, should you go through and grind the pad and seal it, which I definitely recommend you do as it’s a loose thread eating my subconscious, that will change things a bit. Still, I’d say it’s a quicker process altogether.
It’s been several months since I put the tiles down. Over that period, I’ve worked on several vehicles and performed a few major jobs, including a differential swap in my 1969 Dodge Charger and now a monstrous suspension overhaul with Heidts Suspension. The floors have been beaten, dirtied, and battered enough for me to give an honest take.
I’ll start with my criticisms. The biggest issue I’ve found by far is how slick these floors get when there’s oil on them. I have a 1969 Dodge Charger. It’s always leaking something. And though the diamond-plate design is there to keep you from slipping, you might as well be ice skating when there’s oil on top. Not that that’s a surprise considering oil’s primary function as a lubricant, but NewAge Products does emphasize the anti-slip surface quite a bit, and my experience shows it’s not as effective as it’s made out to be.
Thankfully, cleaning the floors really is easy. You can hit these tiles with pretty much any cleaning solution short of destructive acids, or simply spray them down with a hose. In fact, Just before writing this, I used a hose and push broom to deal with road salt and crud that had fallen from the vehicles. I’ve also wiped away oil many times with just a rag and some carb cleaner.
The only other complaint I have is that there are no bright color options available. I opted for a titanium and black checkered pattern in hopes that the titanium would be reflective enough to complement what little lighting I have and brighten things up a bit,. It didn’t work. I think a true white color would have helped more if it were available, but, really, my ineffective planning and inadequate lighting solution are to blame.
As for the wins, we’ve already covered ease of installation and cleaning, so let’s get into appearance. These floors made my shop so much nicer. I get that the particular pattern I selected appeals to a certain taste, but that could be said about anything. The fact is that it made a massive aesthetic improvement in just a few hours.
That alone makes working on my car and bike so much better. It feels like I’m walking into a professional, classy workspace as opposed to a dark, dank garage. As someone who cut their teeth bolstering mental toughness by working through the elements, it’s a much-appreciated change. The shift has absolutely transformed my attitude during projects. It keeps me in a much better mood while I work, allowing me to put more into the job at hand.
Beyond looks, the floors are more than durable enough for the average shop. I’ve had several projects put vehicles on jack stands on the tiles, including a 5,000 Pound 2018 GMC Acadia and they held up just fine. I’ve also dropped many heavy parts on them, and nothing’s succeeded at even leaving a mark.
By all accounts, NewAge Products’ garage floor tiles are a solid choice if you’re after a quick and affordable way to revamp your concrete slab. It’s not a flawless product, but nothing is. You’re going to take hits somewhere with anything you choose, and, for me, the pros vastly outweigh the cons, making it an excellent fit for my setup and any like it.
I don’t think this totally smokes professionally-installed epoxy flooring, but I do think it’s a better choice than DIY epoxy floors for a few reasons. First and foremost, more goes into doing that job right than many anticipate. While a DIY kit certainly has high appeal, there’s more to it than throwing down a quick coating. You need to take the time to clean and etch the floors, then level the pad, and then you can get into applying the epoxy, which is an entire process in and of itself. All of that really drives the investment above the $2 per square foot the kits are advertised to sell for.
However, when you are done with an epoxy floor, you do have a permanent solution that properly seals the concrete. So, which is best ultimately boils down to what you prefer and what you’re willing to invest in. After all, you can take a few extra steps with this product to get the best of both worlds.
Hank is a Staff Writer at The Drive. He recently came to us as a freelancer with three years of industry-related experience and eventually earned his official title among our staff. As a self-taught gearhead, he spends the majority of his free time dissecting and playing with all things mechanical. He may be here to recommend tools and parts, but he’s always happy to venture deep into the world of tech discussions and how-to guides, especially when it gives him the opportunity to display his beloved classic Dodge.
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