How To Ensure Your Tiled Garage Floor Can Last a Lifetime
Few surfaces look better on a garage floor than porcelain. Nothing compares to the timeless beauty, durability, and ease of maintenance as porcelain, which is why it has become a major trend for residential garages and a must-have for homeowners.
When properly installed, a porcelain tiled floor is practically indestructible. Able to withstand extreme weight loads, tile is unaffected by the weight of vehicles, making it a perfectly suitable surface for the garage.
The major cause of damage to tiled garage floors are a result of movement stresses and water penetration, which can cause cracking of the tile or grout. In extreme examples, which are rare, delamination of the tiled surface can occur.
One way to ensure that your finished tile floor will last a lifetime is through its proper installation. Tile has been successfully installed for thousands of years and preventing your tiled floor from this type of damage starts before the first tile is installed, beginning with an underlayment that is installed between your tile and the concrete subfloor to prevent stresses from being transferred directly to the tile and causing cracking or delamination of your tiled surface. These underlayment membranes work by allowing the tile and subfloor to move independently from each other, effectively neutralizing the movement stresses between the substrate and the tile, thus eliminating the major cause of cracking and delaminating of the tiled surface.
Another distinguishing feature of these membranes is the creation of free space, or channels, on the underside of the matting, that creates an escape route for excess moisture and vapor that could otherwise cause damage to the tile layer above and preventing mold and mildew from building up. Tiled floors that are installed using these types of membranes are reliable, durable, and engineered to last the lifetime of the home. A wise investment indeed.
One such membrane that we have used and highly recommend is made by Schluter Systems under the brand name DITRA. This membrane was specifically engineered to prevent cracking, delamination, and moisture damage and enjoy the lasting benefits and beauty of your new tiled floor over any even and load bearing substrate. Made of waterproof polyethylene, it prevents moisture penetration, which is particularly important in today’s residential homes where most garage floors are either damp or have moisture issues
To learn more about DITRA underlayment membrane, watch this video:
Visit our garage flooring page to learn more about the perfect porcelain tile for your garage and we will guide your through the thousands of choices of porcelain tile options so that you can get exactly what you want.