6 Best Garage Flooring Options

Dan Simms is a contributing writer at USA TODAY Homefront specializing in home repair, renovation and renewable energy. While working as a property manager for one of the largest real estate management firms in New York, Dan worked alongside contractors and renovation specialists to prepare homes for sale. He is an avid DIYer and has completed a shed construction and a bathroom renovation in his own home and investment properties. He lives on Long Island, New York. Reach out to him on LinkedIn.

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A polyaspartic coating is the most expensive garage flooring type but delivers the best value.

Garage floor paint is the least expensive option but wears down quickly.

Consider physical wear, cracking, and stain and moisture resistance when choosing flooring.

Your garage floor sees a lot of action, whether physical wear from car tires, dropped tools, abrasive materials such as sawdust or staining from leaking automotive liquids. The best garage flooring options will withstand wear and tear while remaining aesthetically pleasing and cost-effective.

“Unfortunately, the most popular and common option for garage flooring is bare concrete, and depending on the builder, the concrete may be extremely well-finished and smooth or very rough,” said Aaron Cash, president and co-founder of Garage Living Franchise Systems, a garage-floor finishing company with locations nationwide.

“As a stone product, concrete is naturally porous and wears with use. This results in a surface that is easy to stain and is a source of dust from both foot and vehicle traffic,” he said.

Fortunately, you can choose from other garage flooring options, including topical finishes that protect the concrete from damage and staining. We rounded up six garage floor options and how they differ in price, appearance and performance to help you decide on the right flooring for your space.

The following garage flooring options offer durability, stain resistance, cost and aesthetic appeal.

Epoxy, polyurea and polyaspartic coatings have similar properties but different strengths and weaknesses. “Epoxies are the most commonly known and widely available of these three products,” Cash said. Like polyurea and polyaspartic coatings, epoxy consists of “a resin (oil-based product) and a hardener,” he explained.

Epoxy coatings provide outstanding protection from physical wear and staining. “For extremely heavy traffic in warehouses or commercial applications, this is ideal,” Cash continued. “The downside is that they can crack or damage with significant impact.”

Epoxy flooring is relatively straightforward to install, so it’s sometimes suitable for DIYers. You’ll have to work somewhat quickly to ensure proper and even coverage before the product dries, but it’s simple enough for many homeowners to tackle.

Polyurea coating is another option that’s less likely to crack. “Polyureas cure rapidly, are extremely flexible and have excellent chemical resistance,” Cash said. However, they “can have issues with adhesion and, depending on the composition, may not be UV-stable.” UV rays yellow or tarnish both epoxies and polyurea coatings.

Polyaspartic coating is another option that resists UV rays and adheres well. Polyaspartic coating has a longer pot life — the amount of time before the coating dries — than the other two options, but it’s challenging to apply, Cash said. He advised against applying this product as a first-time user or DIYer.

Polyaspartics remain somewhat flexible after curing, making them less likely to crack than epoxy. “They will absorb impact and will expand and contract with the concrete surface as the temperature rises and falls,” Cash added.

We’ve combined epoxy, polyurea and polyaspartic flooring because they’re all similar in application and appearance, but there are some key differences to note.

According to Cash, a professionally installed epoxy coating will average between $4 and $7 per square foot on the lower end of these three options. Polyaspartic coatings cost the most at $7 to $10 or more per square foot.

One of the easiest and fastest ways to freshen up your garage floor is to use garage floor paint. Acrylic, latex and epoxy paints are common for garage floors and come in dozens of colors.

Garage floor paint is one of the most affordable garage flooring options and is arguably the easiest to DIY. Based on prices from Home Depot, garage floor paint will cost an average of $40 to $50 per gallon, covering approximately 500 square feet with a single coat.

Garage floor paint comes in the following types:

“Paints are applied in extremely thin layers and are not designed to wear like resin-based coatings,” warned Cash. “Latex [and] acrylic paints may offer some stain resistance but will likely wear rapidly. Of these three options, epoxy is by far the most durable and will resist staining.”

Regardless of the paint you choose, you’ll need to fill any cracks in your floor to create a smooth, even and clean surface before application.

Garage floor mats are usually made from textured vinyl — specifically, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) — for slip resistance and durability. They’re waterproof (provided the liquid doesn’t run off the sides) but can stain from motor oil and other substances.

Floor mats are an easy solution for DIYers, as they typically come in rolls and only require cutting to size with a utility knife.

Vinyl mats are significantly more expensive than garage floor paint, averaging around $2 per square foot, according to Home Depot. However, you can save on installation labor by tackling it as a DIY project. You can also save money by placing these only where you park your car or under workstations instead of covering the entire garage floor.

Rigid garage floor tiles are also made from vinyl, providing many of the same benefits as vinyl garage floor mats. They’re relatively affordable, easy to install and durable. They can stain, so choose a dark color to help mask spills of automotive liquids or other chemicals.

Rigid garage floor tiles have a couple of downsides. “They are generally not great for any environment that has moisture or wet weather,” Cash said. “The water will seep through the interlocking teeth and sit below the tile. Over time, this trapped moisture can become musty and moldy. Washing the floor adds to this challenge,” he warned.

The primary difference between tiles and mats is that floor tiles are rigid and come in sections that snap together like puzzle pieces rather than in a roll. These tend to stand up better to physical wear than vinyl floor mats.

Rigid garage floor tiles typically cost between $2.50 and $3 per square foot, according to Home Depot.

Rubber flooring rolls or mats are a good garage flooring option because they’re 100% waterproof and easy for beginners to install. These floors will cost you an average of $1.80 per square foot per Home Depot. You can limit installation costs by installing this flooring just under your workstations or in the area where you park cars or store landscaping equipment.

“[Garage] mats cover the concrete instantly by rolling them out,” Cash said. “The mats are usually standard sizes, so they will not cover the entire floor and float like an area rug in one spot.” However, you can cut them to size with a utility knife.

Rubber flooring can come in rolls or mats made from recycled rubber materials. It resists staining and provides good protection from physical wear. Rubber floors are especially popular for homeowners who have home gyms in their garages, as the natural bounce they provide gives good protection from dropped weights.

Concrete sealer binds with concrete to seal the pores. This adds water and moisture protection to your concrete garage floor and helps block stains, although it only adds minimal protection from damage.

“Depending on the quality of the product, sealers can be very effective in preventing stains,” said Cash. “They prevent any liquid from absorbing into the pores of the concrete [that would result] in staining.

“Like any other coating, though, the sealer will only bond to the concrete if it is prepared properly. Sealers can also wear easily as they are typically applied in very thin, watery coats,” he said.

Sealers are relatively easy to install because you won’t need much floor preparation beyond sealing cracks and cleaning the surface. You can apply sealer with a garden sprayer or roller.

Concrete sealers are an affordable option — according to Home Depot, sealer averages around $40 to $50 per gallon, which covers around 300 square feet. You’ll need to reapply regularly, however. Some sealers under regular wear will need replacement every year or so.

Choosing the best garage flooring option for your space means considering your short- and long-term budget, DIY project skills, desired floor durability and more.

One of the first things to consider is your short- and long-term budget. Garage flooring options range widely from around 10 cents to $10 per square foot, with more durable options incurring higher up-front costs.

A concrete sealer, for example, will cost you about 13 cents per square foot for the initial application of a single coating, but you might need to reapply it annually, depending on how much traffic your floor sees. For comparison, a polyaspartic garage floor coating could cost $10 or more per square foot, according to Cash. However, you likely wouldn’t need to reapply it for years, leaving you with lower costs over time.

Ideally, you’ll consider budget and value together. “I always prioritize value, which is different from budget,” said Cash. “Some people want to complete a project for a specific amount of money. What they don’t often realize is that saving money in the short term may result in a great cost over a longer period if it needs to be redone.”

Installing a new garage floor often involves looking at the state of your current concrete slab. Some garage floor coverings, such as rubber rolls, vinyl mats and interlocking garage floor tiles, will easily cover up imperfections. Small cracks and even divots likely won’t show up through thicker floor coverings.

On the other hand, topical applications, such as epoxy, paint and sealer, won’t cover up anything, and you’re likely to see cracks, divots and other imperfections in the finished floor. That means they require more floor preparation if you want the best appearance possible. Prepare your concrete by cleaning it and sealing any cracks.

On the other hand, liquid coatings such as epoxy, paint and sealer will require more prep work if you want a perfectly smooth finish. In the case of an epoxy coating, you might also need to etch the floor beforehand to get it to adhere properly. That often means hiring a professional to complete the work.

The installation itself depends on the type of flooring. Rubber or vinyl rolls or mats and vinyl tiles are simple enough for any homeowner to install, especially because they require minimal tools and little prep work. Paint and sealer are also straightforward but will require additional floor preparation.

Epoxy, polyurea and polyaspartic coatings are DIY-able, but they require the most prep work and cure rapidly, making it somewhat challenging to get a smooth finish.

Garage floors must be durable and stand up to vehicle traffic, foot traffic and impacts from anything you drop. You can choose your flooring based solely on durability if you know the garage will serve as a workspace, whether it’s for automotive work, woodworking or something else. Similarly, a durable garage floor is necessary if you plan on installing a home gym and could be dropping weights on the floor.

Finally, you should consider how easy cleaning and maintaining your floor will be. If you store household chemicals in your garage or plan to work with paints, stains or automotive liquids in your space, consider how easy it will be to clean when you experience an inevitable spill.

Epoxy and concrete sealers, for example, resist staining well, while vinyl floor mats and acrylic paints can stain much more readily. If you care about how good your floor will look for years to come, consider investing in a stain-resistant garage floor.

Durability is another factor. Think about how often you’ll need to replace your flooring or reapply your coating, as well as how easy it will be to remove stains, dirt and dust. Low-maintenance flooring can make your life easier and even save you money.

Now that you know about the different garage flooring options and understand the durability and longevity each one provides, you can choose the one that suits your needs best. Consider how you’ll use the space and what kind of wear your flooring will see. Make sure you keep your budget in mind as you decide, and use the cost of each option to rule out anything that would be a stretch financially.

Once you decide on the garage floor right for your space, decide if it’s DIY-able given your skillset and comfort level. If it is, and you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, you can buy the materials and knock out your project in a weekend. If you choose a garage floor with a more complicated installation process, like epoxy or polyaspartic coatings, reach out to garage floor professionals in your area to get some estimates and find one that fits your budget.

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Dan Simms is a contributing writer at USA TODAY Homefront specializing in home repair, renovation and renewable energy. While working as a property manager for one of the largest real estate management firms in New York, Dan worked alongside contractors and renovation specialists to prepare homes for sale. He is an avid DIYer and has completed a shed construction and a bathroom renovation in his own home and investment properties. He lives on Long Island, New York. Reach out to him on LinkedIn.

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