How to Install Interlocking Tiles: Garage Flooring Guide

Your home's garage is used for more than keeping your vehicle safe and secure. It can be used as a workshop, extra storage, or even an addition to your house. Flooring is one of the most essential parts of making your garage valuable and friendly.

Many things could make putting in your garage floor harder, like how the garage is set up, the concrete surface, any obstacles, or where the doors are placed. Choose an incorrect starting point, which could make your installation take many hours longer.

This guide will show you how to install interlocking tiles by giving you step-by-step instructions and professional advice.

Is Installing Rubber Floor Tiles for a Garage Suitable for Everyone?

Not everyone can do every DIY project, but handy people should be able to put down floor tiles that fit together. When you need help with something, it's always nice to have an extra hand. Another good thing about having a friend or relative with you is that they can help you work faster. 

It's always helpful to read about what you should know before you do anything with your DIY project tile floor installation. That's it for now. This article will walk you through the installation process, from buying the suitable tiles to adding an extra tile coat to make it shine. Before installing garage floor tiles, homeowners should get a clear outline of what needs to be done.

Clean the Garage Floor

We all know this is true. There is a further incentive to clean the floor; besides that, no one wants to put down their new garage tiles on a dirty one. If you clean it first, you'll see cracks you might not have seen before. It will also prepare the floor to receive any additional tips discussed below.

The best way to clean concrete is with a concrete degreaser unless the floor is brand new or the concrete is already pretty clean. Could you clean it up with a hose and let it dry?

Installation of Garage Floor Tiles Starting Point

Where to start depends on how your garage is set up. There are different garage shapes, each with a starting point that we would choose based on its shape. We found three common shapes for garage floors.

• Garage Floor Plan in the Shape of an "L"
• Plan for a Staggered Garage Floor
• Floor Plan for a rectangular garage

As a general rule for all three configurations, we start at the main entrance to the vehicle and pick the side with the garage door. If there are no doors on the side of the garage, we start on the longest side to reduce the amount of cutting we have to do.

Getting Oriented

Open the garage door. Look inside from outside the garage. Unless stated otherwise, all directions are written from this point of view. The garage door will be called the "front," and the side facing it will be called the "back." If you are positioned outside the garage and looking in, "left" means on your left.

You should ALWAYS proceed from left to right and front to back when putting down garage floor tiles. This allows you to put tile locks over tile cycles and makes installation much easier.

Garage Floors with Drains

If your garage has a drain, you should put our punctured drain garage flooring on the part right above the drain. This will make it easier for any water that gets into your garage to drain. You can also cover the whole floor of your garage with our drain tiles. 

Putting drain tiles all over the garage will make the floor look cleaner, which is a plus. However, you might have to clean more slowly because you will have to use a commercial vacuum and, more often than not, a power washer. For many individuals leaving northern states with lots of snow, this is a good choice.

Start Laying Tile

Start with the first row of tiles with the line or mark you made with "Measurement B." If you are outside the garage and want to look inside, you want the flat side facing you and the flat side facing you to your left. Keep your eyes on your mark and the edge 1/2 to 3/4 away from the wall. We find it beneficial to use tiny pieces of plywood as spacers to keep the gap the same. When you're done, make sure to take them off.

Arranging Garage Floor Tiling Properly

To put the tiles together, line them upright and snap them together with the palm of your hand or a mallet. It is essential to line up the Interlocking Floor Tiles so they all face the same direction. Remember that these tiles may remain interconnected even if they are not lined up correctly because they are modular. 

Please look at the picture for a simple guide on lining up the tiles. Note that all the loops on the right-aligned tile face the same way. Putting the pegs and loops in the right place will make it much easier for them to snap together.

You can start your project as soon as you decide where to start the installation. We begin at the garage door when we put in a whole garage floor. Please read the above to find the best place to start with the installation. It depends on where you start figuring out how to line up the installation tiles. 

A good rule of thumb is to line up the tiles so that the loops point towards the walls you can build from where you are now. To begin putting in the garage floor, you should start at the doorway so you can direct the loops towards the back of your garage. If you start at one wall, the opposite side of the looped tiles should point towards the other wall.

How to Install Snap-Together Raised Tiles on a Garage Floor

1. Start putting down your tiles in the garage's squared-off corner. The loopy sides of the tiles should face out. The loops are like arrows pointing to where you'll add more space to your floor.
2. Place the following tiles on top of the previous tiles' loops, ensuring that the "arrows" still point in the same direction. Then, step on or tap the joint with your toes until you sense or hear those tabs snap through the loops. You can also do this by hand. To speed things up, have two individuals on hand. One person puts the tile down, and the other steps on the seams. Keep going like this until you reach the coverage area you want.
3. You can use a power saw to cut the tiles to the right size for wall-to-wall installations. Just remember which way the tiles need to face. You can also score the tile with a razor-sharp utility knife, then bend it onto a table or additional solid edge at the cut point until the garage's tile breaks. If you use a utility knife, ensure the cuts are deep enough that the tile won't get flex marks when you snap at the cut.
4. If you install an island, you may finish with snap-in-place increased borders or cut off the loops on the floor's edges.

Benefits of Garage Floor Tiles

• Easy to install: No matter how much experience you have, you can do this yourself if you want to install something. The connecting tile pieces snap together, and you're good to go—no need a painter or installer.
• Colour and pattern options: Take this route if you want to be in charge of how your garage looks. Mix and match colours and patterns, wear the classic chequered look, or be creative with your ideas. Each pattern has a massive range of colour options.
• Easy swap: Most tiles can stand up to chemicals and stains. You won't lose the whole floor if one gets broken. A new tile is easy to put down and makes your floor look brand new.

How to Navigate the Garage Roof Support Beam

The floor is clean, but now you're stuck. A garage ceiling support beam is right in the centre of the spot where you want to put down the new floor squares that fit together. This is a pretty common issue, and there are two methods to "get around" it. Don't even think about removing the support beam. 

Which path you'd like to take might depend on the form of your beam. You aren't interested in cutting off the interlocks on the tile, no matter how shaped your support beam is. These elements are needed to keep the flooring going. Remember that you ordered extra tiles in case you mess up.

Final Tips

As we already said, there is little you need to do to get the garage floor ready for interlocking garage tiles. You might only need to sweep it if you live somewhere that doesn't get snowy and the floor is young enough.

If your garage floor is made of lousy concrete with cracks, holes, and saltwater damage, you can put the interlocking tiles directly on top. The tiles will not be affected by the bad concrete.

Yet, if noise is the most important thing to you or if you live where road salts and deicing fluids will be used every winter, you should safeguard the concrete in the garage before you install it.

Conclusion

This guide provides step-by-step instructions on placing interlocking tiles in your garage and professional tips. There is something for everyone. Not everyone can do every DIY job, but handy people should be able to put down floor tiles that fit together. People should clearly know what needs to be done before putting down garage floor tiles.

To choose which side has the garage door, clean the garage floor and do this for all three shapes. When putting down garage floor tiles, you should always go from left to right and front to back. This will help water drain faster if your garage has a drain. Just put pierced drain garage flooring on the part right above the drain. You can also cover the whole floor with drain tiles for a cleaner look.

Start putting down the tiles with the row of tiles with the line or mark that says "Measurement B." Use small pieces of plywood to keep your eyes on your mark and the part that is 1/2 to 3/4 of the way away from the wall. Take them off when you're done.

To put garage floor tiles in the correct order, line them up straight and use your hand or a mallet to snap them together. Make sure all of the tiles face the same way. They may still be connected if you don't line them upright. To get the loops to the walls, you can build from the start of the job at the garage door.

To put it down, snap together raised tiles on a garage floor, put the tiles in the squared-off spot, and ensure the loopy sides face out. Stack the following tiles on top of the loops of the tiles below them, making sure that they all point in the same direction. You can step on the joint or tap it with your toes until the tabs break through the loops. A sharp utility knife or a power saw can cut the tiles to the right size for wall-to-wall placements. These tiles should be scored.

Garage floor tiles are helpful because they are simple to install, come in many colours and patterns, and are easy to change out. Figure out the direction you want to take on the garage roof support beam and remember to order extra tiles in case you mess up.

If it doesn't snow and the floor is still new, clean it to get it ready for interlocking garage tiles. If the floor is terrible concrete with holes, cracks, and damage from saltwater, put the interlocked tiles on top of it.

Content Summary

• Learn the ultimate guide to installing interlocking tiles in your garage.
• Garage flooring: Transforming your car's haven into a functional space.
• The role of flooring in optimising garage utility.
• Critical factors to consider when installing your garage floor.
• Mistakes to avoid: The correct starting point for garage tile installation is essential.
• Step-by-step instructions to perfect your garage tile laying process.
• Discover if rubber floor tiles are the right fit for your garage.
• DIY project: Making garage flooring installation a breeze for handy individuals.
• Boost your installation speed with a friend's assistance.
• Must-read tips before diving into your DIY garage tile project.
• The importance of cleaning your garage floor before tile installation.
• Detect unseen cracks by ensuring a clean garage floor.
• Clean concrete floors effectively using a concrete degreaser.
• You are choosing the perfect starting point for your garage tile installation.
• Customise your installation approach based on your garage's shape.
• Guidelines for "L" shaped, staggered, and rectangular garage floor plans.
• Where to start? Use the garage door as your reference point.
• Ensure proper orientation during installation with our easy tips.
• Understand the directions: front, back, left, and right from a garage perspective.
• Maximise ease with a consistent tile laying direction.
• Drain provisions in garage floors: What to know.
• Enhance water drainage with punctured drain garage flooring.
• Achieve a cleaner look with all-over drain tiles in your garage.
• Essential equipment for cleaning garage floors with drain tiles.
• Beginning the tile laying process: Your comprehensive guide.
• Employ plywood spacers for uniform tile gaps.
• Assembling interlocking floor tiles is made simple.
• Ensure correct alignment of interlocking tiles for smooth installation.
• Visual guidelines to aid in perfect tile alignment.
• You are selecting the ideal starting point based on your garage's design.
• Remember the rule: Point tile loops towards potential walls.
• Master the installation of snap-together raised tiles.
• Follow the "arrows" To ensure the correct tile direction.
• Speed up installation with a two-person approach.
• Techniques to resize tiles for wall-to-wall setups.
• We are finishing touches for island installations.
• Top benefits of choosing garage floor tiles.
• DIY-friendly: Snap, connect and set up your garage floor.
• Personalise your garage with a plethora of colour and pattern options.
• Quick fixes: Swap out damaged tiles effortlessly.
• Overcome challenges: Navigating around garage roof support beams.
• Always strive for interlocks, even around tricky obstacles.
• I am ordering extra tiles To safeguard against installation errors.
• Minimalistic floor preparation for newer, non-snowy regions.
• Lay tiles atop damaged concrete for an instant facelift.
• Prioritise noise reduction in your garage flooring selection.
• Defend against road salts and deicing fluids with proper garage floor preparation.
• Protect the foundational concrete before laying interlocking tiles.
• Enhance the lifespan and appearance of your garage with the right flooring.
• Garage transformation: From simple storage to a visually pleasing space.