Thank you, thank you, thank you for this video. On your recommendation I ordered a SwissTrax floor for my garage, I ordered the Smooth Pro tiles. I watched your video multiple times just to make sure I was doing it right. Every tip you gave was spot on accurate and made the job that much easier and more professional. I painted my moldings black as well as a 2”strip on the floor, I used a fence for absolute straight cuts, I used scrap from the back of the garage to patch in the front. Thank you for showing a right side start and the importance of orienting them the correct way as the right side was where I needed to start. My 20x20 garage took eight hours but most of that time was spent trimming, by the way no mis-cut tiles….straight/straight….that kept going through my mind with every cut. Your tip showing cutting two tiles at a time really cut down on the time and laying down all the full tile first made measuring more accurate. I did use your discount code so thank you for that. I will warn anyone out there that there are other videos showing how to install these tiles but they incorrectly done. In one video the guy puts down the first tile with the wrong orientation and then blames SwissTrax at the end for sending the wrong edge pieces. His entire video is what not to do. This video is done well, it’s accurate and full of great information. Thank you All Garage Floors!
Hi Chuck. We are glad the video made your floor installation go smoothly! The tiles are not hard to install, but it's very easy to make things more difficult on yourself if the procedures aren't followed. Have fun with your new floor!
Thanks for your help and for your incredibly, straight to the point video. Where I usually spend hours and days researching a product, it was so obvious that this was a cut above the rest that I’ve already ordered it. (Used your link and got the 10% discount, thanks!)
Thank you for a great video. Your videos are very informative and to the point. How would Swisstrax work in an area where we get snow, ice, and mud on our vehicles when we pull into the garage. The ice and snow melts after the vehicle has been sitting in the garage. I’m wondering if Swisstrax will get full of mud.
Hi Chris and thanks for the kudos. Yes, the area of floor under the tiles where the car parks will collect the various dirt, mud, and other debris that the car brings in. This allows the surface to remain much more dry to help avoid slip fall accidents and keep the garage cleaner. The nice thing about Swisstrax is that they are 1/4" taller than the competition and can hold more debris. You can use a hose with a high pressure nozzle to rinse the debris out from under the tiles and out of the garage. Just unlock the ramp edges first. Some people even like to unlock a large section of the tiles and just pull them out onto the drive to clean out the garage. We have an article that discuss this exact topic with interlocking tiles: allgaragefloors.com/winter-tips-interlocking-garage-tiles/
The self-draining Ribtrax tiles are not noisy at all. It's the solid top tiles that can create a hollow footstep sound when walking on them. It's not annoying though, just different.
A couple of questions before I place my order: I have a freshly painted gray floor. In order to save a little money (and especially to save the effort of having to make cuts) is there any problem leaving up to 1 foot untitled area on each side(except the front)? Also, whether I do this or not, is there any issue with tiles shifting, especially when turning the wheel on a stationary car?
Hi Arthur. Tiles won't spin up or unlock when turning the wheels of your car. If you center the floor, the most concrete you would have exposed on either side if you don't want to trim to fit would be just under 8". However, we do recommend that you trim the tiles in the back of the garage. If you don't, you may experience the entire floor shifting when pulling in and stopping. It all depends if you have heavy items on the floor or another car. Right now you can get 10% off Swisstrax through September 4th. Use this link: bit.ly/3utqNgD and code LABORDAY24 at checkout.
very informative -- got a new house in Florida being built with a 3 car garage -- initially thought going with epoxy but not anymore -- going swisstrax with this being a new floor should i put down a waterproof sealer? -- also love the idea of painting black along the base
Hi Steve. Applying a penetrating concrete sealer beforehand can help protect the concrete from moisture and the associated issues. We didn't do it since we live in Southern California. Just be aware that penetrating sealers do not waterproof concrete. They repel and resist water. If water sits long enough (longer than what it takes to evaporate), the concrete will still absorb some water. Coatings will prevent water from intruding except for joints. However, they are not recommended for floating floors such as Swisstrax. It creates a slippery surface that may cause the tile to shift when under load by a vehicle.
We wanted to compare and review both designs. Because most of our foot traffic is in the back of the garage, we decided to add the Smooth Pro there. We preferred the look of the Ribtrax Pro when inspecting individual tiles and looking at images online, so we opted for the majority of the garage to be that option. However, the Ribtrax Smooth Pro looks very nice once installed on the floor. The Ribtrax Pro is not hard on the feet and toolboxes and floor jacks roll nicely across it. The Smooth Pro is even better in that regard. We discuss it more in our 6 month review video: ruclips.net/video/-MQ2kDkBulo/видео.html
@@allgaragefloors thanks for the feedback and honest opinion on both floor types. I’ve been contemplating which finish to go with and heavily leaning on the smooth version and this helps tremendously. I’ve also been rethinking the silver color for smooth because of the dirt accumulation. I would think silver on pto would look cleaner than silver on smooth so perhaps grey is the happy medium for smooth. I know it’s highly subjective but always helpful to ask and hear feedback. Thanks
@@MrAmonts You are welcome. If you watch the video of our initial 6-month review, we purposely did not clean the floor since the day it was installed so that you can get an idea of what to expect in terms of dirt accumulation. We show you the results. You may be surprised.
Great video. Above your tool box you have some shelves and you have those black with the yellow top binds. What brand are those black shelves? Thanks in advance.
Great question! They are called FlexiMounts and we purchased them here from Amazon: amzn.to/3BsUl13 We are currently writing up a review on those racks and doing a video. We really like them. They can be used as corner racks or lined up side by side. They provide a real clean look that we like.
@@allgaragefloors Really cool! And if I may ask also, what is the product you used to hang your bicycles off the wall/ceiling? I could use that! Thank you.
@@progression_decibel Good eye! Ours was bought years ago and called a Racor Pro. There are other companies selling it under different names now. You can find it here on Amazon: amzn.to/3UnHjrZ
It depends on what you are cleaning. Any loose material such as dirt, debris, sawdust, etc. can be pulled right off the concrete through the tile with a shop vac. We did that when we cleaned all the shavings from cutting tiles during our installation. The only time to pull tiles up is if you have some sort of major spill such as oil or some other automotive fluid. Even then, it's fairly easy to pull the tiles up. One of the major advantages of the Ribrax tiles is that they rarely look dirty due to the ribbed design. On the flip side, solid top tiles require regular cleaning maintenance. We had a solid top RaceDeck floor for 8 years :)
Hi Gearl. The Ribtrax Pro and Ribtrax Smooth Pro are both popular for detail shops that wash and detail vehicles indoors. Swisstrax states that the Ribtrax Smooth Pro provides the best grip between the two when the tiles are wet with soap.
@@gearlstrickland3365 There are a couple of ways to determine what you need to order. If you click on this link: bit.ly/3utqNgD it will take you to the Swisstrax product page. Click on Floor Designer in the menu bar at the top. It will allow you to input your floor size. You can then choose your tile and color/s and it will determine how many you need. You can place an order from that. Or you can call their toll-free number to give them the information if that is your preferred method. Don't forget to use code AGF24 to get your discount. 🙂
Superb video covering all the important points, gives me confidence to lay down this flooring optimally. Besides the discount linked in the description, do y'all provide any heavier discounts around certain times of the year (e.g. Black Friday, holiday, turn of the new year, etc.)?
We never know for sure with Swisstrax. One year they had a Black Friday sale, and the next they didn't. They sometimes have good sales out of the blue. I would suggest going to our site and signing up for our Newsletter. Swisstrax let's us know when sales are coming and we notify our readers. :)
Yeah, it can vary depending on your area. I just checked and it's still in stock at our local Lowes. You might want to check HomeDepot. Our local one carries Behr 1-part epoxy in Jet Black for $48.
Great video. I would like to suggest that people use a non-marring rubber mallet, using your hand as a hammer is not recommended. Thank you for the video.
It depends on which tiles you purchase. The link I provided in the last comment takes you right to pricing. If you use code: AFG24 you can get an additional 5% off.
This is a common question that people have. Oils and most chemicals won't eat concrete. Only acid will do that. We use a few PigMat towels to lay down when doing oil and gear oil changes. Same for brake jobs, bleeding brakes and anything else may encounter a fluid spill. In the event you do make a mess, the tiles are very easy to pull up so you can clean the concrete. We demonstrate how easy it is in our 6 month review. You can watch it here: ruclips.net/video/-MQ2kDkBulo/видео.html
Hi Rick. I've laid my fair share of porcelain, ceramic, and natural stone tile floors in past homes. With few exceptions, I agree that the layout should always start in the center of the room. However, plastic and PVC tiles layout differently due to expansion characteristics. The industry standard is to always start at the entrance of the garage at the doors.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this video. On your recommendation I ordered a SwissTrax floor for my garage, I ordered the Smooth Pro tiles. I watched your video multiple times just to make sure I was doing it right. Every tip you gave was spot on accurate and made the job that much easier and more professional. I painted my moldings black as well as a 2”strip on the floor, I used a fence for absolute straight cuts, I used scrap from the back of the garage to patch in the front. Thank you for showing a right side start and the importance of orienting them the correct way as the right side was where I needed to start. My 20x20 garage took eight hours but most of that time was spent trimming, by the way no mis-cut tiles….straight/straight….that kept going through my mind with every cut. Your tip showing cutting two tiles at a time really cut down on the time and laying down all the full tile first made measuring more accurate. I did use your discount code so thank you for that.
I will warn anyone out there that there are other videos showing how to install these tiles but they incorrectly done. In one video the guy puts down the first tile with the wrong orientation and then blames SwissTrax at the end for sending the wrong edge pieces. His entire video is what not to do. This video is done well, it’s accurate and full of great information. Thank you All Garage Floors!
Hi Chuck. We are glad the video made your floor installation go smoothly! The tiles are not hard to install, but it's very easy to make things more difficult on yourself if the procedures aren't followed. Have fun with your new floor!
Thanks for your help and for your incredibly, straight to the point video. Where I usually spend hours and days researching a product, it was so obvious that this was a cut above the rest that I’ve already ordered it. (Used your link and got the 10% discount, thanks!)
I'm glad the video helped. I try to get the best information to our viewers. Thanks for using the link!
Great video! I definitely like the smooth top tiles, but wonder about safety. Do these tiles seem like they might be slippery?
Hi David. No, quite the contrary. They are very grippy dry and don't slip when wet. That's fairly standard for most polypropylene interlocking tiles.
Thank you for a great video. Your videos are very informative and to the point. How would Swisstrax work in an area where we get snow, ice, and mud on our vehicles when we pull into the garage. The ice and snow melts after the vehicle has been sitting in the garage. I’m wondering if Swisstrax will get full of mud.
Hi Chris and thanks for the kudos. Yes, the area of floor under the tiles where the car parks will collect the various dirt, mud, and other debris that the car brings in. This allows the surface to remain much more dry to help avoid slip fall accidents and keep the garage cleaner. The nice thing about Swisstrax is that they are 1/4" taller than the competition and can hold more debris. You can use a hose with a high pressure nozzle to rinse the debris out from under the tiles and out of the garage. Just unlock the ramp edges first. Some people even like to unlock a large section of the tiles and just pull them out onto the drive to clean out the garage. We have an article that discuss this exact topic with interlocking tiles: allgaragefloors.com/winter-tips-interlocking-garage-tiles/
is it noisy when you walk on it?
The self-draining Ribtrax tiles are not noisy at all. It's the solid top tiles that can create a hollow footstep sound when walking on them. It's not annoying though, just different.
just curious how you made the template around the water conditioner?
I used a piece of cardboard and trimmed it until I was happy with curve. I then used that to draw the line on the tile.
A couple of questions before I place my order:
I have a freshly painted gray floor. In order to save a little money (and especially to save the effort of having to make cuts) is there any problem leaving up to 1 foot untitled area on each side(except the front)? Also, whether I do this or not, is there any issue with tiles shifting, especially when turning the wheel on a stationary car?
Hi Arthur. Tiles won't spin up or unlock when turning the wheels of your car. If you center the floor, the most concrete you would have exposed on either side if you don't want to trim to fit would be just under 8". However, we do recommend that you trim the tiles in the back of the garage. If you don't, you may experience the entire floor shifting when pulling in and stopping. It all depends if you have heavy items on the floor or another car. Right now you can get 10% off Swisstrax through September 4th. Use this link: bit.ly/3utqNgD and code LABORDAY24 at checkout.
very informative -- got a new house in Florida being built with a 3 car garage -- initially thought going with epoxy but not anymore -- going swisstrax
with this being a new floor should i put down a waterproof sealer? -- also love the idea of painting black along the base
Hi Steve. Applying a penetrating concrete sealer beforehand can help protect the concrete from moisture and the associated issues. We didn't do it since we live in Southern California. Just be aware that penetrating sealers do not waterproof concrete. They repel and resist water. If water sits long enough (longer than what it takes to evaporate), the concrete will still absorb some water. Coatings will prevent water from intruding except for joints. However, they are not recommended for floating floors such as Swisstrax. It creates a slippery surface that may cause the tile to shift when under load by a vehicle.
Great video. Just curious why you transitioned the smooth pro in the back? Is the smooth much easier on the feet and wheels is this why?
We wanted to compare and review both designs. Because most of our foot traffic is in the back of the garage, we decided to add the Smooth Pro there. We preferred the look of the Ribtrax Pro when inspecting individual tiles and looking at images online, so we opted for the majority of the garage to be that option. However, the Ribtrax Smooth Pro looks very nice once installed on the floor. The Ribtrax Pro is not hard on the feet and toolboxes and floor jacks roll nicely across it. The Smooth Pro is even better in that regard. We discuss it more in our 6 month review video: ruclips.net/video/-MQ2kDkBulo/видео.html
@@allgaragefloors thanks for the feedback and honest opinion on both floor types. I’ve been contemplating which finish to go with and heavily leaning on the smooth version and this helps tremendously. I’ve also been rethinking the silver color for smooth because of the dirt accumulation. I would think silver on pto would look cleaner than silver on smooth so perhaps grey is the happy medium for smooth. I know it’s highly subjective but always helpful to ask and hear feedback. Thanks
@@MrAmonts You are welcome. If you watch the video of our initial 6-month review, we purposely did not clean the floor since the day it was installed so that you can get an idea of what to expect in terms of dirt accumulation. We show you the results. You may be surprised.
Great video. Above your tool box you have some shelves and you have those black with the yellow top binds. What brand are those black shelves? Thanks in advance.
Great question! They are called FlexiMounts and we purchased them here from Amazon: amzn.to/3BsUl13 We are currently writing up a review on those racks and doing a video. We really like them. They can be used as corner racks or lined up side by side. They provide a real clean look that we like.
@@allgaragefloors Really cool! And if I may ask also, what is the product you used to hang your bicycles off the wall/ceiling? I could use that! Thank you.
@@progression_decibel Good eye! Ours was bought years ago and called a Racor Pro. There are other companies selling it under different names now. You can find it here on Amazon: amzn.to/3UnHjrZ
Some people say you have to take your tracks up to clean under them is that true?
It depends on what you are cleaning. Any loose material such as dirt, debris, sawdust, etc. can be pulled right off the concrete through the tile with a shop vac. We did that when we cleaned all the shavings from cutting tiles during our installation. The only time to pull tiles up is if you have some sort of major spill such as oil or some other automotive fluid. Even then, it's fairly easy to pull the tiles up. One of the major advantages of the Ribrax tiles is that they rarely look dirty due to the ribbed design. On the flip side, solid top tiles require regular cleaning maintenance. We had a solid top RaceDeck floor for 8 years :)
I like the Swisstrax also I’m going to use my garage to wash my cars which one will be the best for me
Hi Gearl. The Ribtrax Pro and Ribtrax Smooth Pro are both popular for detail shops that wash and detail vehicles indoors. Swisstrax states that the Ribtrax Smooth Pro provides the best grip between the two when the tiles are wet with soap.
@@allgaragefloors so my garage is 24 x 24 is that how you order it?
@@gearlstrickland3365 There are a couple of ways to determine what you need to order. If you click on this link: bit.ly/3utqNgD it will take you to the Swisstrax product page. Click on Floor Designer in the menu bar at the top. It will allow you to input your floor size. You can then choose your tile and color/s and it will determine how many you need. You can place an order from that. Or you can call their toll-free number to give them the information if that is your preferred method. Don't forget to use code AGF24 to get your discount. 🙂
Superb video covering all the important points, gives me confidence to lay down this flooring optimally. Besides the discount linked in the description, do y'all provide any heavier discounts around certain times of the year (e.g. Black Friday, holiday, turn of the new year, etc.)?
We never know for sure with Swisstrax. One year they had a Black Friday sale, and the next they didn't. They sometimes have good sales out of the blue. I would suggest going to our site and signing up for our Newsletter. Swisstrax let's us know when sales are coming and we notify our readers. :)
I don't see a link for the discounts?
Hello Ed. It's in the "Description" below the video. You can also use this link: bit.ly/3utqNgD Use code: AGF24 to get a discount.
lowes dont have that epoxy seal anymore. only way is to have them ship it but its like 80bucks shipping :(
Yeah, it can vary depending on your area. I just checked and it's still in stock at our local Lowes. You might want to check HomeDepot. Our local one carries Behr 1-part epoxy in Jet Black for $48.
Great video. I would like to suggest that people use a non-marring rubber mallet, using your hand as a hammer is not recommended. Thank you for the video.
How much is Swisstrax per square foot
It depends on which tiles you purchase. The link I provided in the last comment takes you right to pricing. If you use code: AFG24 you can get an additional 5% off.
so when you spill chemicals, oil.......you cannot wipe it off.....just let it eat the concrete?
This is a common question that people have. Oils and most chemicals won't eat concrete. Only acid will do that. We use a few PigMat towels to lay down when doing oil and gear oil changes. Same for brake jobs, bleeding brakes and anything else may encounter a fluid spill. In the event you do make a mess, the tiles are very easy to pull up so you can clean the concrete. We demonstrate how easy it is in our 6 month review. You can watch it here: ruclips.net/video/-MQ2kDkBulo/видео.html
Floor tile look terrible when not started from the center of the room
Hi Rick. I've laid my fair share of porcelain, ceramic, and natural stone tile floors in past homes. With few exceptions, I agree that the layout should always start in the center of the room. However, plastic and PVC tiles layout differently due to expansion characteristics. The industry standard is to always start at the entrance of the garage at the doors.