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Turning Garage in to Bike Cave and Workshop - Flooring Recommendations

joeyhalloranjoeyhalloran Posts: 725
in Workshop
We have a detached and unheated garage which I am planning on using as a turbo den as well as a workshop to tinker on my bikes. At the moment it's just a plain concrete floor, but I want to put something nicer down and easier to keep clean

It looks like the options are rubber tiles, expoxy paint or I was considering laying laminate down.

Any others to consider? Or any recommendations?

Posts

  • pblakeneypblakeney Posts: 19,643
    Something non-absorbent, no gaps, and easily cleaned.
    I have laminate and future warping is a concern unless you can keep it dry.
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  • exiger1272exiger1272 Posts: 10
    You could do worse than these
    https://www.halfords.com/tools/garage-equipment/garage-essentials/halfords-6pc-black-floor-mat-set---120cm-x-180cm-336870.html
  • oxomanoxoman Posts: 10,617
    Halfords type mats are good if your standing alot bike fettling to stop cold feet. Another option is if concrete floor slab is smooth and sealed against damp then thick non slip lino such as used in wet rooms, toilets etc.
    Too many bikes according to Mrs O.
  • elbowlohelbowloh Posts: 7,078
    The skins of your dead enemies.
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  • photonic69photonic69 Posts: 1,543
    If it is a semi-permanent set-up then you could use some wooden battens and T&G floorboards nailed to them. Wickes make fairly good quality boards and a tin of their floor varnish to top it off. It's hard wearing, relatively cheap, slightly sprung underfoot and warm too. I did this in our bathroom 26 years ago. We had a concrete floor in there and it was always cold. It's still looking good to this day.
  • itboffinitboffin Posts: 20,037
    Those Halfords matts are the way forward then you can also mop and hoover
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  • super_davosuper_davo Posts: 749
    I've used this for mine https://www.toolstation.com/rubber-rib-anti-slip-floor-matting/p14293?searchstr=rubber floor
    No need for a turbo mat, easy to lay.
  • womackwomack Posts: 566
    When I took up all the laminate from inside the house I just relaid it in the garage. Been down about 8 years, not been a problem. I put the thick felt stuff underneath it to make it extra comfortable. Also easy to brush and mop.

    It was only cheap stuff and as stated on it's second use and not had any major problems with water ingress / delamination.
  • thistle_thistle_ Posts: 6,297
    I've got one of the planet x turbo mats to keep the sweat off the laminate.

    I've got some of this stuff in the bathroom: https://www.lifestyle-designerfloors.co.uk/discover-designerfloors/GALLERIA/page/1 It clips together like laminate flooring but it's vinyl so it doesn't mind getting wet. Depends how fancy you want to make your turbo den look.
  • joeyhalloranjoeyhalloran Posts: 725
    Thanks for the replies so far. Are the halfords tiles easy to cut down for a good fit?

    I don't think we want anything super fancy, just something to easily keep clean and dust free. Though it does need to be somewhat waterproof as we will store our outside bikes on it. In the old house we stored the bikes in the hallway on laminate flooring and after 5 years it still looked great so I'm thinking that might be a good way to go. Maybe pick up some second hand bits
  • super_davosuper_davo Posts: 749
    I looked at the Halfords tiles, and B&Q also sell something identical, but thought they looked a bit like foam rubber and would rip by getting on and off the bike in cleats. That's exactly what happened with my old foam rubber turbo mat.
    Laminate doesn't disintegrate if it gets a bit wet, but only as long as it can dry out properly which would be my concern in a non-heated outbuilding (my outbuilding gets too damp for it to be viable).

    The rubber carpet I linked to earlier seemed to me to be the best solution because it insulates, absorbs vibrations from the turbo, can cope with getting wet and general damp, makes a good workshop floor as it can cope with grease / oil etc, and worked out significantly cheaper than the tiles.

    Fitting was a breeze. Hardest part was moving the roll, which weighs a ton! PVA sealed the concrete floor, left to dry, then rolled it down and glued it direct onto the concrete floor with spray adhesive. Went round the edges with a Stanley knife to get a clean edge. Did my entire 3.5 * 2 metre outbuilding on a single £75 roll with some to spare. I'm well pleased with it and will post pictures at some point.
  • womackwomack Posts: 566
    In my shed, which albeit is half the size of the garage, I did a screed to level up the concrete base then tiled it with leftover floor tiles. Looks the part and easy to keep clean.

    NB. Doing the screed was hard work!!
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