Stopping Epoxy Floor Tire Marks

[Finally-a-V]

Quick question for everyone. My garage floor has a epoxy coating on it. The rear tires have left a brown spot on the floor. I know that's all about plasticizers in the tire compound. I have cleaned the spots off the floor and about 90-95% of it has come off.

My question is, what have you all used on the floor under the tires to stop future marks? I've seen mats with rubber backing that could work, but I'm concerned about the rubber backing transferring to the floor, either from tire heat or the car sitting, and making things worse. A neighbor suggested using outside carpeted door mats, but again, rubber backs. We have a kitty litter mat that is carpet material with no backing, but it's thin. I've even thought about cardboard, but that's kind of tacky. I'm not concerned about weather (rain, snow) since it's dry here. Any ideas?

 

[1Evil55]

Was gonna say cardboard as that was what I've used in the past. That was specifically when the finish was fresh, like the first week of completion. That just doesn't seem right for it to still react this way assuming it isn't fresh. I swore I would never do another epoxy floor in the garage. Once it starts to go bad its only a matter of time for the spread. I've used a clear wax on all my concrete for years and holds up great, looks awesome, cleans very easy. It is slick if wet however.

 

[Finally-a-V]

Thanks...Only the Blackwing does it. Our SUV's don't. It has to do with the compound (plasticizers) of most high performance tires. The coating is about 6-9 months old. I've done a fair amount of research on this. "Experts" will say if it's a well done job, it won't transfer. Tire guys say it will almost regardless of "quality" of the job. IDK, looking for what others have done.

 

[SonnyAK]

Thin carpet squares are what you see mostly in the aviation industry for floor protection, and they have some super expensive epoxy floors to take care of.

 

[1Evil55]

I've contemplated doing a tile floor for mine too. There are some really cool options for designs. Maybe a square of each of those to park on?

 

[Finally-a-V]

Thin carpet squares are what you see mostly in the aviation industry for floor protection, and they have some super expensive epoxy floors to take care of.

That is my other thought. See if Lowes/Home Depot sells indoor/outdoor carpet squares

 

[jbawden]

I'm doing my garage this summer, I guess I'm going with brown epoxy here.

 

[OldGoat]

I did my own garage floor with name brand 2 part epoxy going on 10 years ago. It is about time for a recoat. Has chips and some light staining and discoloration from tires. Tire staining took a few years but consider mine is a working garage with lift and equipment rolling around on it over the years. I'm always putting down chemicals, cleaners, fuel and oil and overall pleased with how it's held up.
I've found thin oil absorbing mats from Harbour Freight that are cheap and large enough to cut into quarters to place under tires for prolonged parking and hold up well.
I'm on the fence as to clearing benches, toolbox and anything else on ground to prep and recoat. Lots of work and quality floor epoxy isn't cheap. Good luck.

 

[OldGoat]

Just an opinion but save putting down any chips or flakes as it makes finding dropped hardware difficult

 

[KatyTxCT5V]

My 5BW was the first car to cause my epoxy floor to pull up where the tires sit and ruin it, so I was thinking about something like RaceDeck, TrueLock or similar this go around. Anyone have experience with these? I realize that they are most likely expensive, but I love the patterns.

 

[OldGoat]

My 5BW was the first car to cause my epoxy floor to pull up where the tires sit and ruin it, so I was thinking about something like RaceDeck, TrueLock or similar this go around. Anyone have experience with these? I realize that they are most likely expensive, but I love the patterns.

Looked into it before going epoxy. Depending on exact dimensions you need to trim tiles. Anything bolted down, posts etc. need to be tiled around leaving gaps. They raise floor height and allow water or fluids to possibly collect underneath. You could make floating floor smaller to save trimming but leaves uncovered border and then you encounter issues with benches, cabinets or anything else you want level on ground. Good side is if you crack a tile not to difficult to replace.

 

[KatyTxCT5V]

Looked into it before going epoxy. Depending on exact dimensions you need to trim tiles. Anything bolted down, posts etc. need to be tiled around leaving gaps. They raise floor height and allow water or fluids to possibly collect underneath. You could make floating floor smaller to save trimming but leaves uncovered border and then you encounter issues with benches, cabinets or anything else you want level on ground. Good side is if you crack a tile not to difficult to replace.

Thanks for the explanation! I have existing epoxy that needs to be removed which I never have done before, so don’t know how difficult or the cost if I hire someone with the proper tools. Need to get some estimates. I really like the oak looking RaceDeck 9 sq ft tile size, but expensive.

 

[Daijoubu]

I'd build 4 4x4 swisstrax panels to go under the tires.

Ribtrax Pro Interlocking Floor Tile | Swisstrax

Ribtrax Pro modular tiles have a revolutionary design that combines an eye-catching look with extreme performance and functionality.

www.swisstrax.com

 

[Finally-a-V]

That was another thought I had. I'm going to clean the whole floor and then figure something out.

 

[BimmerFan]

Thanks for the explanation! I have existing epoxy that needs to be removed which I never have done before, so don’t know how difficult or the cost if I hire someone with the proper tools. Need to get some estimates. I really like the oak looking RaceDeck 9 sq ft tile size, but expensive.

My 5BW was the first car to cause my epoxy floor to pull up where the tires sit and ruin it, so I was thinking about something like RaceDeck, TrueLock or similar this go around. Anyone have experience with these? I realize that they are most likely expensive, but I love the patterns.

First, apologies for bringing up an old thread. It may be too late to help.

My epoxy floor installer used grinders to grind down the concrete before application instead of acid like most folks. That would likely do a great job removing any old finish.

In my case, the previous owner had put down those plastic tiles (RaceDeck?) which had become dirty and stained, it looked like they never cleaned it (I'm a bit OCD) and water, dog pee, etc. would drain between the tiles and dry on the floor, so the whole garage smelled a bit and of course when I took it up, I had patterns left behind. It was also noisy and did I mention dirty? I bet it looked great when it was new though.

I've been very happy with the epoxy, although all of my cars have had hi-po tires like the BW, so I've got a smidgen of staining as well. I clean/scrub the floor usually twice a year and can get up most of it. I figure that most of the time the car is parked there, so I can't really see the stains.

I also have huge cabinets, and I paid my installer extra to move them all outside and do it right. They tried to weasel out of it, but I insisted. It was a major PITA for me to remove all of the screws and whatnot holding them together and to the wall, but in the end it was worth it.

 

[MatthewAMEL]

21 years ago when our house was built, I went with tile in the garage. It has been incredible. It doesn't care about fluids, it cleans easily and hasn't chipped or cracked even with my wife's 4-door Jeep Wrangler Diesel. Took me a minute to find someone willing to do the job, but 20+ years later, it's still amazing.

We are leaving this house next month and moving. In the new house, I have a stand-alone garage and I am going to use swisstrax over the sealed concrete. Biggest problem with swisstrax is handling fluid spills.

 

[Finally-a-V]

Sealed Concrete? Hmmm? Would that be better than epoxy? We have epoxy now, and while it looks good, I can't get the tire marks out of it. I'm back to saying no to epoxy with the new house. Sealed concrete might be an option.

 

[MatthewAMEL]

Sealed Concrete? Hmmm? Would that be better than epoxy? We have epoxy now, and while it looks good, I can't get the tire marks out of it. I'm back to saying no to epoxy with the new house. Sealed concrete might be an option.

Sealing is a bit more $ than epoxy coating, but I think it'll be worth it. In my climate, the sealant should be fine for 10 years without re-application. I am using a penetrating sealant, not a surface sealant. Mine will wind up with a matte finish. Then SwissTrax over the area where the cars will be parked.