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Costco Ultralock garage tile - feedback, experience?

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  • Nov 16th, 2018 2:54 pm
Newbie
Oct 19, 2016
46 posts
31 upvotes
Ottawa

Costco Ultralock garage tile - feedback, experience?

I've put a sealer down on my floor and I've got spalling and cracks that will make prep for an epoxy or polyurea aspartic coating challenging at best. Also, given the cost, I'm thinking of tiles as an alternative, Swisstrax Ribtrax are available $3.29/sq ft in larger quantity, plus shipping. They appear to be the benchmark product on the market, similar to Racedeck out of the states (US$2.69 delivered within the US).

Costco Canada is offering a Canadian made product now: https://www.costco.ca/Ultralock-Black-G ... 70069.html C$2.75/sq ft delivered to the home.

I'm specifically looking for a ventilated tile given our winters here in Ottawa with the ice/snow/salt etc.

Any direct experience with the Ultralock or the comparable products on the market?
8 replies
Deal Addict
User avatar
Jan 31, 2004
3279 posts
1272 upvotes
Montreal
I found what seems to be the same thing as costco but on special at C$2.44/sq ft.

https://www.patrickmorin.com/fr/produit ... orieId=353
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Deal Expert
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May 10, 2005
36997 posts
11419 upvotes
Ottawa
One thing to keep in mind when putting any of those tiles on the garage floor, they get all sorts of mud, muck and dirt in them. Park a wet car and the floor gets wet and stays wet and with the dirt, it s a mess. It is a real PIA to pick up all the tiles just to clean the floor.
Oh and, if it is an unheated garage, the water freezes. If it is heated, then it can also begin to smell. Lastly, if you don't clean the dirt out, it dries so hard you may end up having to scrape the floor to clean it.
“Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.”
Deal Addict
Oct 23, 2017
2965 posts
2633 upvotes
GTA West
I think you should try to keep salty slush from sitting on the concrete. This is what ruined my garage floor, from years of previous occupants doing that. I guess ventilated tiles don't prevent that.

In my garage, I have 2 of those large car-sized vinyl mats that Costco used to carry in their warehouses. Had them for 6 - 7 years and they still look great. They are easy to mop. I pull them out and wash them down once a year, especially the underside. I get a lot of moisture seeping up through the floor which is in very bad condition, and this results in some white mold on the underside of the mats.

Mold would be less of a problem with the ventilated tiles, but I don't see how you can get the dirt out them unless you can take them up.
Deal Addict
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Oct 14, 2010
1879 posts
1407 upvotes
Barrie ON
Dealmaker1945 wrote: I think you should try to keep salty slush from sitting on the concrete. This is what ruined my garage floor, from years of previous occupants doing that. I guess ventilated tiles don't prevent that.

In my garage, I have 2 of those large car-sized vinyl mats that Costco used to carry in their warehouses. Had them for 6 - 7 years and they still look great. They are easy to mop. I pull them out and wash them down once a year, especially the underside.
About 20 years of exposure to salt was also causing my garage floor to spall badly. I treated the concrete with a concrete sealant to help reduce further deterioration, and then covered the floor with one of these mats.

After 5 years the mat is holding up quite well. The only problem is brown spots forming where the tires are sitting, which occurs on all garage flooring including epoxy etc. There are also some ripples in the vinyl near the front wheels. The ripples formed because I back into my garage and need to turn the wheels sharply to park very close to one wall in order to provide space for my 2nd car.

This flooring can be swept out very quickly with a push broom, and annually I spray it with soapy water and rinse it with the garden house. Oil spills can be cleaned up with regular household cleaners, and I can sit directly on the floor to service my brakes with no abrasion, and minimal dirt on my clothing.

In the winter I use my plastic snow scoop to easily remove the slush deposits without any damage to the vinyl.

I would really like to have an epoxy coating, but the cost to repair all the pockmarks in the concrete, the high cost of professional installation, and the high rate of failure for DIY installations , has ruled out that option for me. This vinyl mat is the next best thing, and the most affordable of all options.
Deal Addict
Feb 22, 2007
2108 posts
300 upvotes
Mississauga
I think applying a garage floor paint is the best of the basic DIY'er. Yes it will start to peel in the areas that the tires go on, but re applying the paint every 3 - 4 years seems plausible.

That's what I'm thinking of doing. My garage is clean and ready to be painted, but time hasn't been on my side and now the temperatures have dropped. I'm trying to find an industrial oil based paint that I could possibly put down on the floor now - any ideas?
Deal Expert
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May 10, 2005
36997 posts
11419 upvotes
Ottawa
Dealmaker1945 wrote: I think you should try to keep salty slush from sitting on the concrete. This is what ruined my garage floor, from years of previous occupants doing that. I guess ventilated tiles don't prevent that.

In my garage, I have 2 of those large car-sized vinyl mats that Costco used to carry in their warehouses. Had them for 6 - 7 years and they still look great. They are easy to mop. I pull them out and wash them down once a year, especially the underside. I get a lot of moisture seeping up through the floor which is in very bad condition, and this results in some white mold on the underside of the mats.

Mold would be less of a problem with the ventilated tiles, but I don't see how you can get the dirt out them unless you can take them up.
Rick007 wrote: About 20 years of exposure to salt was also causing my garage floor to spall badly. I treated the concrete with a concrete sealant to help reduce further deterioration, and then covered the floor with one of these mats.

........
The OP is asking about tiles, not mats. These tiles clip together and have 1/4 inch holes. Nothing to stop the salt or water or dirt fro sitting on the floor.
“Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.”
Deal Addict
Oct 23, 2017
2965 posts
2633 upvotes
GTA West
Rick007 wrote: About 20 years of exposure to salt was also causing my garage floor to spall badly. I treated the concrete with a concrete sealant to help reduce further deterioration, and then covered the floor with one of these mats.
Just wondering what kind of sealant you used? I have read about sealants that harden the surface and prevent moisture from reaching the surface, and I assume that other sealants are more like paint and will lift. Does your sealer appear to keep the surface dry?
Deal Addict
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Oct 14, 2010
1879 posts
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Barrie ON
Dealmaker1945 wrote: Just wondering what kind of sealant you used? I have read about sealants that harden the surface and prevent moisture from reaching the surface, and I assume that other sealants are more like paint and will lift. Does your sealer appear to keep the surface dry?
There are many products listed as "concrete sealers". Here are a few from Canadian Tire. I personally used the Stone Mason product. It has the consistency of water and a slight milky appearance. When it dries it is transparent and gives the concrete a slightly wet look. In other words the colors look darker and richer. This is a nice look on concrete pavers for example. I have applied this on some vertical brick surfaces of my home, and it is still beading water after a year. I guess you could say it works like a deck stain on wood.

I'm not sure how long it would last on a garage floor with constant vehicle traffic, but since I planned on covering the floor with the vinyl, it wasn't a concern. I only wanted to prevent further damage from any salt that seeped through the seams of the two vinyl mats were they overlap. As it turns out, I have zero leakage at this seam. It appears that the 4 inch overlap is all it takes to prevent water infiltration. The bottom sides of the mat are always bone dry during any season. I don't have the problem of water seeping upwards that Dealmaker1945 has. EDIT: That you have.

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