Tile Installation Question

[threeputtpar]

I'm thinking of installing porcelain tiles in my garage this summer, right on top of the concrete slab. I don't think that I'll be able to do the entire 3-car garage in a weekend, so I'm trying to determine how I can do it in sections over a couple of weekends.

Let's say that I start with the single stall section first. Can I lay the tile and grout just the one stall and a week later start on the other sections where I left off on the first one? After laying the last row of tiles where I plan on stopping, should I make sure that the thinset is cleaned off of the floor where I won't be laying tile until later on? Should I even grout one section at a time, or wait to do the whole thing at once? What is the purpose of grout, anyway? Is it there just because you shouldn't lay the tiles right next to each other because they expand and contract? Can I go cheap and use silicone caulk instead of grout?

Any and all advice is appreciated, and thanks in advance.

 

[bepperb]

You can (and should) stop and clean up the thinset where you won't lay anymore tiles and continue later.

While silicone would work I think grout would be easier. I also think it's harder and less likely to get junk embedded into it. Caulk is sticky and messy. Grout is messy but it just wipes right off.

I hope you're using pretty large tiles. I'd love to see pictures.

 

[IndyIan]

You can get grout with silicone in it. Its supposed to resist cracking better than grout without it.
You should pick up the how to tile book at homedepot. We used that and we have no cracks or lifting on our tile floors. It's not rocket science but you can't wing it either.

 

[Donald]

I would not do it. I think you will drop tools and crack them. Either a floor coating or the plastic times made for a garage.

 

[threeputtpar]

I spent a couple of hours on garagejournal looking at other people's installs of tiles in their garage, and it really looks nicer than the epoxy coating that I was considering first.

My main concern was using a floor jack and stands on the tile to work on vehicles, but it seems to be a non-issue when the tiles are installed right. They are just as durable as the concrete floor below.

I've tiled a bathroom before, so I have the tools and cutter. With the price of the epoxy coating and clear top coat, the tiles aren't all that more expensive if I go with a basic tile at $1/sqft. The part I want to aviod with the epoxy is etching the concrete, and with tile I don't think I'll need to do that. Just wash it really well and go to town.

I'd probably do at least 12 x 12 tiles as they are cost effective and easy to get. 18 x 18 would be nice, but the cost per sqft really goes up.

The thought of grouting 600+ sqft of tiles was not very appealing to me. It would be nice to just be able to skip the grouting and use a caulk gun and my finger to fill in the gaps and be done much quicker.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

I'm not sure how much I'd like a floor jack or creeper running over those grout lines. Even very thin grout lines can cause an issue for those little wheels. Especially with 12X12 tiles there will be grout ruts everywhere for little wheels to get trapped in. I can't imagine trying to roll around while working under a vehicle with grout lines everywhere, or trying to get my rolling seat out of a grout rut when I'm sitting on it and I have to shift position.

Another thing to consider is rain/snow. I have my shop floor epoxy coated, and I have sand mixed in around the doors. If it's wet or there's a little snow on your shoes it's extremely slick in the areas where there is no sand. I can imagine that tile, especially with a glazed coating would be even worse, especially without the ability to embed sand around the doorways. And tile that doesn't have a glaze on it would probably soak up every drop of oil or other fluids that were spilled on it.

You'll also want to make certain that your garage floor isn't sealed. I can't imagine thinset making much of a bond to a sealed floor, although it's not something I've ever tried so I'm only speculating.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Note that grout is much softer and easier to damage than a high quality fired porcelain tile.

Depending on the installer the grout line could be quite high in the joint or low, it's like an art to get it just right. Either way it is an issue as Pops said above. Silicone caulk would be so soft you would get stuck in it easily.

You should be able to get a nice product with a non-slip surface, but maybe not in porcelain. No offense intended, but I regard this as a poor choice of flooring for a car shop.

 

[threeputtpar]

I thought that it was a relatively poor choice too, until I read some of the threads on garagejournal. There are two members there that have done it and run jacks and stands on it without any tile breakage, but they never mentioned anything about using a creeper and grout lines.

I'm just in the research stages for now, but the main reason that I'm even looking into this is that the floor is very slippery when there is slush or snow on it right now. It's acutally not slippery at all when wet. I suspect that it is sealed concrete, so that was a good point about thinset adhesion. I have seen where many have epoxied the floor and then in the clear topcoat have added some type of abrasive to get a non-slip surface. Shark skin and aluminum oxide are the two that were mentioned the most.

 

[SteveSRT8]

properly set without any air the tiles will support weight no problem. PSI specs suggest even a good commercial grade 4 floor tile would likely work.

I used to run a 15000 pound forlift over a tiled area in a warehouse and never hurt anything, so they can definitely handle it.