We’ve all seen pictures of amazing epoxy floor designs or high-end interlocking tiles. Still, not everyone can afford to spend that much on their garage floors.
This article will examine six inexpensive garage flooring ideas that will improve your garage without breaking the bank. Then, we’ll finish with one type of cheap garage flooring you should NEVER use.
Let’s get started.
If you want to take your garage to the next level, check out some ways to make your garage look more expensive.
Garage Floor Paint
Painting your garage floor is an affordable way to give your garage a facelift. When it comes to cost, painting is generally much cheaper than installing other types of flooring.
Here’s what you can expect in terms of cost, durability, and lifespan:
Cost: (Around $75)
Painting your garage floor is easily the cheapest option. The exact cost will depend on the size of your garage, the type of paint you choose, and any additional materials you need, such as primer or sealer. In general, expect to pay around $75 for a two-car garage.
Durability:
Unfortunately, while painting your garage floor is one of the most inexpensive garage flooring ideas on this list, it’s also the least durable. Epoxy paint is more durable than latex paint, but neither will withstand much abuse. Tire marks and hot-tire pickup is common.
Lifespan:
How long your painted garage floor will last depends on a few factors, including the type and quality of the paint and the level of traffic in your garage. Generally, you can expect a painted garage floor to last anywhere from 2 to 5 years before needing to be repainted.
Painting your garage floor is the cheapest method on this list and the one that most homeowners use. While paint may not be the most durable option, a painted garage floor can look good for a couple of years with proper preparation and maintenance.
Before choosing paint for your garage floor, consider how much foot and vehicle traffic your garage gets.
Concrete Sealing
Sealing your concrete garage floor is another popular, and cheap garage flooring option for upgrading your home.
Here’s what you can expect in terms of cost, durability, and lifespan:
Cost: (Around $100)
Sealing your concrete garage floor is slightly more expensive than painting but still much cheaper than other options on this list. Generally, you can expect to pay around $100 to seal a two-car garage’s concrete floor.
Durability:
Sealing your concrete garage floor will provide moisture protection but won’t help your floor resist tire marks or chemical spills. That said, several companies, like Seal-Krete, make a product that combines concrete sealant and epoxy paint. Although slightly more expensive, it will provide more protection to your garage floor.
Lifespan:
In general, you can expect a sealed concrete garage floor to last anywhere from 5 to 10 years before needing to be resealed.
Sealing your concrete garage floor can be more expensive than painting. However, it offers better moisture protection and lasts longer.
Big-Box Epoxy Kits
Rust-Oleum RockSolid Garage Floor Paint Kits are among the most popular products for upgrading garage floors. It gives homeowners the look of a high-solids epoxy coating at a fraction of the cost.
Here’s what you can expect in terms of cost, durability, and lifespan:
Cost: (Between $200-$375)
Rust-Oleum RockSolid epoxy is generally more expensive than painting or sealing but offers much better durability and protection. They have kits for one and two-car garages. Expect to spend around $100 for a one-car garage and up to $375 for a two-car garage.
Durability:
Rust-Oleum RockSolid epoxy is designed to be durable and long-lasting, with a thick, protective coating that can resist spills, stains, and abrasions.
Lifespan:
Rust-Oleum RockSolid epoxy is designed to last for many years. Still, most homeowners must resurface their garage floor in 3 to 5 years. If you have a low-traffic garage and proper care and maintenance, you can potentially extend the lifespan even longer.
Epoxy floor kits like Rust-Oleum RockSolid are an easy way to get the look of an expensive high-solids epoxy coating while being priced close to other inexpensive garage flooring ideas on this list. They’re reasonably durable and long-lasting but considerably more expensive than painting.
Garage Floor Mats
While not practical for covering the entire garage floor, rubber mats are a cheap garage flooring idea that you can take with you when you move to another house.
Here’s what you can expect in terms of cost, durability, and lifespan:
Cost: (Around $300)
Rubber mats are best used to cover smaller, more targeted areas like parking spaces. Parking space mats start at around $60 and go up from there. If you want to protect your entire garage floor, expect to pay about $300.
Durability:
Rubber mats are the best option for catching snow melt or motor oil before it hits your garage floor. They’re an excellent option if you use your garage for heavy-duty work or storage. Rubber mats can also provide some cushioning underfoot, which can be helpful if you spend a lot of time in your garage.
Lifespan:
Expect your rubber mats to last 3 to 5 years, but can shorten significantly if the mats aren’t taken care of properly.
Overall, rubber garage floor mats are best used underneath vehicles to protect your garage floor from spills and leaks. While covering your entire garage floor is possible, it becomes cost-prohibitive quickly. There are better, cheaper garage flooring options available.
Vinyl Composite Tiles (VCT)
Vinyl composite tiles (VCT) are the cheapest option for tiling your garage floor. While they’re less durable than porcelain or interlocking tiles, they are an easy way to customize your garage’s appearance.
Here’s what you can expect in terms of cost, durability, and lifespan:
Cost: (Around $550)
In general, you can expect to spend anywhere from $1 to $4 per square foot on materials for installing VCT in your garage. At the entry-level price, expect to pay about $550 to install these tiles in a two-car garage.
Durability:
Vinyl composite tiles are incredibly durable and long-lasting. They were initially designed for schools and commercial spaces, so they could handle a lot of foot and vehicle traffic.
VCT provides a hard, smooth surface that can resist spills, stains, and abrasions. They’re also easy to maintain, only needing the occasional polish to maintain their appearance. Unfortunately, they’re prone to cracking from impact damage, so they aren’t the best option if you use your garage for heavy-duty work.
Lifespan:
In general, vinyl composite garage floor tiles are designed to last anywhere from 10 to 20 years before needing to be replaced.
Generally speaking, vinyl composite tiles on your garage floor can provide a cheap, extremely durable garage flooring solution. Colors and styles may be limited at lower price points.
Avoid spending more than $3 per square foot of tile. Once you get into that price range, you should look at interlocking tiles instead.
Interlocking Tiles
You’ve probably seen showroom garages with amazing-looking interlocking tile designs by now. While it’s easy to spend $2000-$4000 on high-end interlocking tiles like Swisstrax and RaceDeck, cheaper options are available.
Here’s an overview of what you can expect in terms of cost, durability, and lifespan:
Cost: ($1000++)
The high-end interlocking floor tiles cost between $3 and $5 per square foot, so they’re not cheap.
However, you can get reputable brand tiles for as low as $2.50 a square foot and no-name tiles as low as $1.75 a square foot. Expect to pay around $1100 to tile a two-car garage using a decent quality interlocking floor tile.
Durability:
Interlocking tiles are highly resistant to impact damage and easy to clean. While the tiles are resistant to spills, stains, and abrasions, any liquids usually seep into the garage floor.
Lifespan:
Most interlocking garage floor tiles will last between 10 to 20 years. In most cases, individual damaged tiles can be easily replaced. With proper care and maintenance, interlocking tiles could be the last garage floor coating you ever need.
Interlocking garage floor tiles may be the most expensive item on this list, but they also last the longest. If you consider the total cost over the length of time you own your home, interlocking tiles may start to look cheap by comparison.
A Cheap Garage Flooring Option to Avoid!
We don’t recommend installing carpet in your garage for several reasons:
- Moisture and humidity: Garages are often exposed to excess moisture and humidity, especially if not adequately ventilated. This can cause the carpet to become damp and moldy, making it difficult to clean and even causing health problems.
- Stains and spills: Carpeting is not resistant to spills and stains. Once they soak in, they can be difficult or even impossible to remove.
- Durability: Carpeting is not durable enough to withstand heavy equipment, tools, and vehicles. It can quickly become damaged and worn out.
- Fire hazard: Garages are also a potential fire hazard due to the presence of flammable materials like gasoline and oil. Carpet is highly flammable and can quickly ignite, potentially causing dangerous garage fires.
Overall, carpet is not a suitable flooring option for garages due to the potential for moisture and humidity, stains and spills, lack of durability, and fire hazard.
Instead, consider using more durable flooring options like epoxy coatings, interlocking tiles, or sealed concrete. These options can offer better protection and longevity for your garage floor.
Wrapping It Up
Upgrading your garage floor doesn’t have to leave a massive hole in your wallet. This article has presented a wide variety of inexpensive garage flooring ideas that can bring a fresh, polished look to your space without breaking the bank.
We explored everything from the affordability and convenience of garage floor paint and concrete sealing to more durable options like big-box epoxy kits and interlocking floor tiles.
Finally, we covered one cheap garage flooring to avoid: carpeting. While a plush carpet may seem inviting, it’s an absolute no-go for garage flooring due to moisture, stain, durability issues, and fire hazards.
So, are you ready to give your garage a facelift?
Go ahead and experiment with these cheap garage flooring options or check out this article where I ranked several garage floor coatings on price, durability, application, and maintenance to see which was the best!
