Garage Carpeting? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

jamesnj · #1 02-07-2002, 09:22 AM

Has anyone ever heard indoor/outdoor carpet installed in a garage? The house that's being built across the street has a heated garage AND indoor/outdoor carpeting.

Now, I bet you guys would be afraid to drive on that

Kuan · #2 02-07-2002, 01:39 PM

Only if you had a Fiat

Although, I shouldn't be so hard on Fiats. They've gotten a lot better since the EU made it illegal to leak oil.

Kuan

G-Benz · #3 02-07-2002, 01:56 PM

Actually, I had installed indoor/outdoor carpeting on a covered porch in a former home...the pile is synthetic, and resists dirt far better than standard indoor carpeting. Plus you can just hose it down when you want to clean it up, and it dries quickly, and won't mildew.

Not sure how well it can withstand the more caustic fluid discharge from automobiles...

I'm planning on getting my garage done soon, but I will go with the professional aggregate floor coating instead of carpet. It is sealed, so oil and other fluids can't penetrate, and you can hose it off. And unlike smooth concrete, it's not slippery when wet.

Don't really need a heater in my garage here in Texas, but I wish I had A/C put in when I built the house...but at least I did put in a ceiling fan...

jamesnj · #4 02-07-2002, 02:21 PM

G-Benz are aggravated floors like the ones you see in new car dealerships service garages and come in different "textures"? I know when you see the service techs drive the cars in on a hot day everytime they move the cars on those surfaces the tires chirp or make a squeashy noise.

I didn't know it but they say hot tires is what damages new garage floors more than anything

jamesnj · #5 02-07-2002, 03:13 PM

blackmercedes, did you ever have the chance to drove onto his marble garage floor? seems like you'd be afraid too, also marble is soft and gets so slick when wet

jamesnj · #6 02-07-2002, 03:37 PM

ah, so you never drove over his carpet or his marble. by the way, what did you teach?

G-Benz · #7 02-07-2002, 03:56 PM

There are specialized "industrial" coatings and paint, and there is regular concrete or "porch" paint.

Concrete or "porch" paint is fine in non-dynamic settings where there is no more than light foot traffic.

Tire friction generates enough heat to degrade the chemical adhesion between ordinary paint and the concrete surface to "lift" the paint.

Industrial coatings withstand that type of heat as well as surface abrasions from moving heavy loads around. I watched someone demo their new coating using a fork lift truck and having the wheels spin "in place", leaving a smoky tire smell and huge black tire residue. The residue wiped right off, and the coating remained in place with no damage.

The aggregate coatings have a grainy, pebbly surface, and are slip resistant.

Surface preparation is the key to getting good results, and most do-it-yourself products are warranted only if the prep work was done properly...so I'm just letting the pros do it for peace of mind...even though I have to park all three MBs out in the weather for about a week!!!

I'll make sure I don't pick the hail season to do this...

jamesnj · #8 02-07-2002, 04:04 PM

yeah as I said in the earlier post, G Benz I was surprised its the heat from the tires that really damages new garage floors and thats why on ordinary floors you'll see smooth almost polished areas where the car is drive.

your new surface sounds great, even if you scuff it with your tires you'll be able to rinse the rubber right off

jcd · #9 02-07-2002, 04:29 PM

I live in NJ, and I can just imagine what that carpeted garage floor would look like after my wife pulls into the garage on a snowy day with as much snow, slush and muck as is carried in a Zamboni.

More $ than brains.

G-Benz · #10 02-07-2002, 04:44 PM

I would assume that only the "pampered" cars would be parked in a carpeted garage...the daily drivers would remain outside...

...saw an HGTV program entitled "Extreme Garages"...unbelievable stuff! Many owners had separate garage buildings...one, a fully-equipped shop to work on their cars, and the other would house the vehicles in a "dealer showroom" type of design.

They saved the best for last. The owner had a subterranean garage built under his backyard (his already lavish backyard landscape had to be dug up and redone after it was finished)!

He had several beautiful antique vehicles, but the "piece-de-resistance" was a 1930-something French Delanye (one of two ever in existence) on a rotating turntable with custom lighting. The turntable surface was painstakenly machined in engine-turned design (like the front cowling on Charles Lindbergh's famed "Spirit of St. Louis plane)! Many display cabinets and shelves displaying automotive paraphernalia, a huge wet bar and home theater included...it rivaled any auto museum I had ever visited!!! And all this under an already lavish mansion estate!

I will have to settle for latex paint on the walls, some wall prints, my show plaques and the aggregate coating...and the least I'll have the "floor-de-resistance"...

rmasteller · #11 03-12-2002, 01:42 PM

G-Benz (and others),
You said you would go with the professional aggregate floor coating in your garage. Could you list some of the DYI products out there? Would I find these at my local Home Depot or Lowe's hardware stores? Where's the best place to learn about my options for putting an eazy-cleaning, surface-protecting coating on my garage floor?

Thanks,

G-Benz · #12 03-12-2002, 03:09 PM

You can find DIY products at most major hardware stores, but I can't remember the brand names.

Still, they are available in the paint department.

The job is easier if you have a already clean and mar-free surface to begin with. Large cracks or heavy oil buildup requires some work. Even with a new garage floor, there is an acid-etching treatment you must do first to prepare the surface for proper adhesion. This is a nasty (and caustic) process...but prep work is the key to good results.

Once that is done, the painting part is easy! The instructions say how long to let the paint dry and cure before you start driving anything over the floor.

You can probably do a 2-car garage for about $80 worth of materials. A typical professional aggregate job goes for around $1500!

Frank X. Morris · #13 03-12-2002, 09:28 PM

Howdy All,
If you want something that will be there after the house falls down, try terrazzo $$$$. Only problem is when it gets wet you better have suction cups for shoes

#14 03-12-2002, 10:30 PM

I painted my garage and drive way and iw was great no more stains. YES! only bad thing is when you pull in to fast or punch the gas it spins like there is no tommarow espically when wet.

David C Klasse · #15 03-12-2002, 11:00 PM

My garage has carpeting. THe carpet has held up just fine, with no major discoloration, stretching, pulling, 'unwinding,' mildew, or anything of the sort. It has been there for a good 10 years, professionally installed. Just to make the point, I've never even thought about it until this thread.

**Here is the best pic I could find with the carpeting. (Excuse the lifted Mercedes!

)

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