PVC garage tiles expansion

[rcx132]

I just noticed that Duramat have put a sale price of £3.60 on their garage PVC mats: https://duramat.co.uk/product/checkerplate-black/. I think it's a genuine sale because they were £5 when I last checked and most competitors are charging £5+ for PVC mats.

Their fitting guide says to leave a 1/2" gap around the edges to allow for expansion. That's quite a serious gap and a dirt trap. Has anyone had any expansion issues with these sorts of tiles? I was thinking of leaving a 5mm gap and filling it with silicone.

I don't see how the tiles can move due to expansion anyway as most edges of my garage will have heavy shelves and work benches on them anyway.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

If they do move I guess they will buckle upwards, I've seen some dodgy wooden floor installs where no expansion gaps have been left and they have rippled like a roller coaster.
In a house the expansion gap is hidden by the skirting boards.

 

[Bullet2012]

Yes they do expand, I had them in my last workshop.
Was mainly very happy with them, I installed with a gap around the edge as per instructions and made a false skirting edge so that they could expand under it. All worked well unless you had something heavy on the tiles, like a car etc as then it was impossible for the tiles to "sled" while expanding. Only happened a few times though, good old English summers.

 

[rtcosic]

As with Bullet2012 - they really do expand a lot. My brother in law reclaimed some from a skip when a local school was refurbishing their workshop and donated them to me.
In my garage I left around a 25mm gap all around and fitted 2"x4" as skirting board.
When you jack a car up the wheels - especially rear - tend to adopt positive camber, dragging the tiles together slightly. When you lower them they grab the tiles and push them apart. Drive the car off and the tiles wriggle back home again. If the interlockng teeth pop apart a tap with a rubber mallet sorts that out.

I fitted the scrappy leftovers in the shed. It can reach high 30s deg C in summer in there and I didn't leave enough perimeter gap so they rise up. Soon go back as the sun goes down.

They are great - keeps your toes warm, silences dropped tools, take trolley jacks and axles stands.

BUT take care dropping red hot weldments on them - they melt.

 

[Mr Fro]

I was about to ask exactly the same question from the same supplier!

It's putting me off the tiles a bit so what's a decent alternative? Heavy duty lino maybe?

 

[rcx132]

I looked at vinyl but apparently it doesn't last and it creeps when you roll anything on it.

 

[rcx132]

Other option I considered was ceramic tiles. you can get garage ones. But cold and install costs put me off.

 

[Mr Fro]

Cold is bad! Surely ceramic would fracture if something hefty and spiky was dropped on them.

 

[rcx132]

Apparently ceramic is good and doesn't easily fracture because the garage tiles are smaller and thicker. apparently most workshops used to be fitted with raw ceramic tiles.

 

[Rig Pig]

Paint is rubbish too, I used Ronseal diamond hard, it pulls off with masking tape!

 

[rcx132]

I heard about paint not being great. I'm starting to consider the ceramic tiles again. they will last a lot longer and are resistant to brake fluid and welding splatter and everything else.

 

[rtcosic]

I was about to ask exactly the same question from the same supplier!

It's putting me off the tiles a bit so what's a decent alternative? Heavy duty lino maybe?

I looked at vinyl but apparently it doesn't last and it creeps when you roll anything on it.

Then we have both mislead you.

They don't 'creep'. Any 'tucking up' reverses easily.
Mine were decades old when I fitted them about 8 years ago.
They have trolley jacks, axle stands, engine cranes and all normal DIY equipment on them regularly. The usual vehicles getting attention are Jaguars - 'classics' and modern XJs, Rover 800s or Series Land Rover, so not lightly loaded when trolley jacks and engine cranes are rolled over them,or axle stands on them.

However whilst the jack or crane wheels will roll easily you cannot force the wheels to slide sideways over them.

I have had them creep or tuck under when I had a Jaguar engine and gearbox in a frame with very small castors hence very high point load. It didn't help that the grossly overloaded rusty castors wouldn't actual turn properly to provide the castoring action.
Also when I used 2 trolley jacks to move a Jaguar sideways. The main jack wheels rolled over them without problem but the rear castors started off at an angle and the tiles tucked under. Once the jacks had been shuffled about until the castors were pointing straight back the tucking was reduced to a small 'ripple' and my wife and I moved 1.5 tonnes of Jaguar 2 feet sideways.

I use the powerwasher patio cleaner on them.

My garage is roughly 6m x 6m so there is a big area to expand & contract which they do without issue.

They just 'bounce back', except if exposed to direct flame or extreme heat. Certainly far superior to any 'heavy duty lino'.


However if this is for a commercial workshop I could not comment on ultimate life, and they would creep with extremely loads loads on very small castors.

 

[rcx132]

Mine were decades old when I fitted them about 8 years ago.
They have trolley jacks, axle stands, engine cranes and all normal DIY equipment on them regularly. The usual vehicles getting attention are Jaguars - 'classics' and modern XJs, Rover 800s or Series Land Rover, so not lightly loaded when trolley jacks and engine cranes are rolled over them,or axle stands on them.

Just to be sure, you're talking about PVC garage tiles?

 

[Crater Creator]

I have the PVC tiles fitted in my garage.
They are sturdy, but they do "ripple up" when warmed by sunlight or the space heater.
I think maybe if you fitted them when it was warm (not like what I did in the dead of winter), then anchored the edges with your workshop equipment, shelves etc they would be better. There's not much point IMHO in the expansion gap as you're likely to have plenty heavy stuff round the edges stopping them moving anyway, or at least I do.
They handle jacks etc without problems and look good when they are clean. Don't get light coloured ones. If I did it again I would go with porcelain tiles or PVC in a dark colour.

 

[rcx132]

I'm going to wait a bit before deciding between PVC or porcelain tiles.
For anyone who doubts the strength of porcelain check this video of a porcelain tile being hit with a club hammer:

Just spoke with Mepei technical (tile adhesive manufacturer), they say their Keraflex maxi adhesive is suitable for heavy duty commercial use.

 

[Shox Dr]

Ceramic tiles only crack if they are not supported underneath by a full bed of grout. If you tap the tile and hear a hollow sound there is a void, any pressure at that piont is likely to break the tile.

At £14.40 per sq meter you can buy button flooring, that will not creep