killrwheels@autogeek said:
I would add Race-deck or a colored mat to liven it up and make it more useful. Repainting a light color and shelving would be next step.
The roll out coin patterned flooring as pictured above did not hold up for us. We had Motorcycle kickstands, tooling and other things puncture & tear this flooring. We also had some Race-deck tiles to test out, but the problem with them was that any fluids we spilled went right underneath the tiles and left a mess underneath, some of which etched into and damaged the concrete. Both of these options are great for many people, but definitely do some thinking and research before jumping in.
We ended up with epoxy flooring, but there are all kinds of gotchas with epoxies in terms of types, grades, quality, preperations, etc. Testing the concrete for moisture is vital if you want to minimize the chance of problems down the road. Ideally, the concrete should be sealed with a product that reacts with lime. Correctly cleaning / prepping the concrete is essential to minimize the chance of the epoxy peeling off down the road. If you do look into epoxy flooring and want the really good stuff, then look for a two component self leveling 100% solids non-blushing cycloaliphatic amine cured phenol novolac epoxy. This type of epoxy provides excellent protection in extremely hostile environments when factors such as heat, chemical and abrasion factors are concerned. While you won't find this high of quality product at Home Depot, you don't have to look too far because your local paint supplier may be able to get you this kind of product. Or you can simply google for this type of product and I'm sure you'll find plenty of companies offering this type of high quality epoxy.
For the average homeowner with simple needs in their garage / shop, the roll on vinyl flooring as pictured above is about as easy as it gets and it's tough stuff for normal use. It also comes in different thicknesses (up to ~0.85 mill) and you can order it in custom sizes if you don't mind paying the premium for it. It's a very good solution for many people, but look at it carefully if you're planning to use it in a harsher environment.