Depending on your skill level, willingness to learn and the time you have, there are several flooring materials that you can install yourself. Here’s a list of DIY garage floors starting with the easiest to the most difficult. It will give you an idea of what’s involved, so you’ll know which types of DIY flooring you want to explore for your garage.
Interlocking PVC Vinyl Tiles
Tiles are typically 18 to 30 inches square and up to .75 inches thick. They are extremely durable and can be driven on, if your game room or man cave doubles as an actual garage. The tiles are available in a wide range of colors and lend themselves to interesting designs often incorporating favorite team colors, stripes or creative patterns.
Start installing in a very visible corner and work toward less visible locations, perhaps those that will be covered by cabinets or furniture. Cutting can be done with a utility knife and T-square.
Carpet or Vinyl Squares
Carpet and vinyl squares have adhesive on the back. Remove the backing, and stick them to the subfloor, whether concrete or plywood/O.S.B. They can be cut with a utility knife or strong pair of scissors.
These squares come in a wide range of colors and styles to give you a good-looking, affordable floor.
Roll Carpet or Vinyl
If your garage is pretty open, installing rolled flooring is quite easy. Use a carpet/vinyl knife to trim at edges and around fixed obstacles such as posts. Installing the vinyl or carpet before cabinets go in allows you to hide the edges. Watch instructional videos on bonding vinyl or carpet seams. It’s the toughest part of the job.
For vinyl, consider perimeter gluing it rather than gluing it all over. This will make it easier to remove down the road.
Floating Hardwood or Laminate Flooring
This type of flooring locks together side to side. The only difficult part is cutting pieces lengthwise with a circular saw to fill in at an edge. Try to make that edge one that won’t be very visible. Vary lengths as you install, so you won’t have short seams lining up.
Stained and/or Stamped Concrete
If your garage floor is severely cracked or if part of it has settled, self-leveling concrete is a fantastic fix. Install a one-inch raised perimeter at the front. Mix the concrete and pour it. As it begins to set, you can stamp it. For staining, allow it to cure, and follow the directions on the staining product you’ve selected for the job. Instructional videos will help too.
Stamps can give the floor the look of pavers, flag stones or other designs. If you’re not staining the concrete, it can be pigmented with virtually any color.
Staining and polishing the floor can produce an amazing number of looks including granite, slate, field stone and marble. Once stained, polish it to make it gleam using polishing powder and a floor polishing machine. Concrete also needs to be sealed to make it resistant to staining. Another finishing option is to seal it with a high-grade, clear epoxy coating.
Stone, Ceramic or Glass Tiles
The two keys to a successful tile job are proper subflooring and getting the tile lines straight. If you don’t have tiling experience, watch instructional videos before you start and refer to them at every step. Plan the installation so that the final row of tiles, the row you have to trim, ends where it will be the least visible.
