New Tile Garage Floor

It is a good time to do household repairs. Material prices are down and contractors need the work. You know I have too much free time on my hands when I decided to tile the garage floor. Since we moved here back in 2004 - the garage floor was a mess. The concrete was cracked and covered with chipped red paint (I should know I did the red paint job). Whenever you approached the front of the house - the first thing you saw was a messy floor.

I got the idea to tile the floor while shopping at Lowes. On the clearance pile - there was some beautiful gray marble - yes marble - that was on sale for $2.25 a foot. After several days of trying to justify marble - the sales people at Lowes - my builder - and anyone else I talked to steered me away from the marble. It would have been the prettiest floor in town - but marble is relatively soft - is absorbs oil and stains - it scratches easily - and is a bit slippery when wet.

What really convinced me was when the Lowes salesperson tried to switch me to porcelain tile - even though it was much less at $1.25 a foot on sale. Porcelain tile is harder - the color goes all the way through - it is water proof - has a bit of texture on the surface to prevent slipping - and it is very easy to clean and care for.

When my neighbor Fred saw it - he said I was setting up a showroom for selling things on Craigslist. I did not think of it - but it is a good idea that I will use.

I did not do the actual tile installation - my neighbor Bill Gwynn's workers did the job. I installed the new baseboard - changed some wiring - painted the baseboard - and sealed the tile grout to make it waterproof.

I think we have the only garage with doors on each end. It used to be a carport when we moved here - but I could tell the openings were perfect for 7 x 16 foot doors. It is the only garage your can drive in and out without ever backing up.

We still have 3 cars and a scooter sharing a two car garage. Lulu drives her Dodge convertible - I prefer the Toyota truck or the Vespa. The Honda van sits waiting for guests - it is sort of like our station wagon for the airport.

I realize this is a boring story - but this is what a retired guy does for entertainment.