There are many affordable, beautiful, and durable garage floor options that'll upgrade your space
Low-budget home renovations often come with limited options. But when it comes to garage floors, however, that’s simply not the case. Use our list to get low-cost garage floor ideas, compare garage flooring prices, and find the best fit for your next project.
There are many reasons you may want to resurface your garage floor. Perhaps you spend a lot of time outdoors working on projects and you need a surface that can stand up to the wear and tear you subject it to. Maybe your bare concrete floors need protection from the elements that you experience in your area.
Whatever your needs, you may not always have the budget for expensive renovations. Luckily, there are a variety of affordable garage flooring options to match just about any budget level.
One of the most affordable garage floor ideas is concrete paint, which is, essentially, a tougher version of interior wall paint for your home. Highly susceptible to damage from road salts and other chemicals, floor paint is not as tough as the other options on this list. It is, however, the least expensive by far.
Simply roll it onto a clean, dry concrete surface and touch up as needed. Keep in mind that any amount of dirt, grease, or moisture on your floor can prevent your paint from sticking properly. You may want to hire a professional to ensure that your small budget doesn’t go to waste.
Cost of garage floor paint: $40 or less for each car in your garage ($0.15 per square foot). Requires a new coat every one to two years.
Like paint, sealers are on the more affordable end of the spectrum and can also be applied with a roller. They’re also a bit tougher and can dry in finishes ranging from clear satin to tinted semi-gloss. If your budget is tight and you can’t afford any other options, a garage floor sealer alone may be enough.
Acrylic and latex sealers are very vulnerable to chemicals, but stick well to concrete and can be used as a primer for paints. Urethane sealers are the opposite, struggling to bond to bare concrete but resisting chemicals and sun damage quite well. It is often used on top of an epoxy floor to add extra durability.
Cost of concrete sealers: $50 for acrylic/latex in a one-car garage ($0.20 per square foot) or $370 to $420 for urethane ($1.40 to $1.60 per square foot).
Like the look of natural stone? Translucent concrete stains soak directly into your concrete garage floor, becoming a part of the concrete itself. Your concrete shows through the mottled stain to create the marbled look of natural stone. This option requires rolling or spraying on multiple coats and working them in with a scrub brush.
For better or worse, concrete stain is all about looks. While it won’t chip like paint, it also won’t protect your concrete. You’ll need a urethane sealer to protect against moisture, chemicals, and unwanted stains, as well as an annual waxing or touch-up. Your existing floors will also show through the stain, so beware of staining discolored concrete.
Cost to stain concrete: $10 to $15 per square foot. It will cost about $2,900 to stain a standard one car garage, and at least $4,000 for a two car garage, not including the protective topcoat.
Tougher than other garage floor ideas, epoxy contains a built-in hardener. Most epoxies are two-part formulas that get mixed before being rolled onto the flooring surface. These floors are tough, glossy, and beautiful, able to resist oil stains and wipe clean easily.
The main drawback is that you can’t drive on them until they’ve cured completely—a process that can take up to a full week. Depending on how much wear your epoxy floor experiences, you may need to recoat it every three to five years. Add a urethane sealer on top for extra durability.
Cost of epoxy garage floor: $720 to $2,900 for a one car garage, labor not included ($3 to $12 per square foot for materials).
Carpet is not the first material people think of when flooring a garage, and traditional carpeting is not safe for spaces like the garage where heat, chemicals, and machinery converge. However, indoor-outdoor carpeting or carpet tiles designed for auto use are made of synthetic fibers that resist fire, staining, moisture, mold, mildew, and more.
Garage carpeting creates a warm atmosphere that insulates from noise and cold. It’s more comfortable than bare concrete in the winter, and the moisture-resistant backing is ideal for areas that get a lot of rain and snow. Simply vacuum for standard cleaning and blot small spills with mild detergent. Larger messes, however, are tough to deal with.
Cost of garage carpet tile: $270 to $1,320 for each car in your garage ($1 to $5 per square foot).
Interlocking floor tiles are a great garage flooring option if you want a finished floor within the same day. These colorful plastic, rubber, or vinyl squares require little to no preparation for installation. Simply snap them together, and you’ll have a stable, cushioned surface to stand, park, and work on in just a few hours.
Interlocking flooring tiles can resist stains, spills, moisture, and mildew formation effectively. They are slip-proof and easy to clean. However, the gaps between tiles may trap dirt and debris. They also tend to be more expensive compared to other flooring options. Common types of interlocking floor tiles include high-impact polymer tiles, PVC (rubber) tiles, EVA foam tiles, and concrete tiles.
Cost of flexible interlocking tiles: $800 to $1,850 for each car in your garage ($3 to $7 per square foot).
Vinyl flooring is a great lightweight alternative to traditional garage floors and has become quite popular in the past few years. They are affordable, easy to install, easy to clean, and last far longer than any other option. However, vinyl floors are not durable enough to have actual cars or heavy equipment parked on top of them. Therefore, they are better ideas for smaller garages for passion projects or house storage.
Common types of vinyl garage flooring include SPC flooring and WPC flooring. SPC floors have a much lower contraction and expansion ability than WPC floors because they use a stone and plastic composite core, whereas WPC floors use a wood and plastic composite core. Both SPC and WPC flooring comes with high resistance, making them perfect for any workshop environment. Both types of flooring require 48 to 72 hours to acclimate after installation.
Cost of vinyl garage flooring: SPC flooring costs $3.50 and $8 per square foot. WPC flooring costs $4 to $12 per square foot.
Polyasparic flooring is a type of polyurea coating created by combining isocyanate and resin. It is highly durable and is one of the few flooring options with UV resistance. Overall, polyasparic flooring is also stronger than epoxy flooring but more cost-effective than porcelain tiles. Unlike vinyl flooring, polyasparic is more eco-friendly and releases less odor or harmful chemicals.
However, polyasparic flooring cannot be installed in a highly moist environment. The application is also more challenging and it's best to hire a professional concrete and garage coating contractor. While it is resistant to most chemicals and abrasions, it is vulnerable to acid damage.
Cost of polyasparic flooring for your garage: $4 to $9 per square foot, labor not included.
Porcelain tiles are one of the most resistant garage flooring options available. Barely anything can stain or penetrate their surfaces because porcelain is non-porous and impervious. May it be motor oil, grease, brake fluid, or antifreeze, porcelain tiles can resist them all. Porcelain tiles also have a high weight tolerance, such as a vehicle or heavy machinery. They will also last throughout your lifetime. Therefore, the only real concern with porcelain tiles is their higher upfront cost, although many would happily consider the cost a fair investment given the overall value.
Cost of porcelain tiles in a garage: $5 to $30 per square foot, or $1,320 to $7,920 per bay.
Rollout mats are a wise investment if you spend ample time in the garage during colder days or walk, stand, and work for prolonged periods in the garage. Like carpet tiles, rollout mats provide effective garage insulation from the chilly concrete floor and more support for your feet. They are also quick, easy solutions to prevent rain, snow, or automobile fluids from contacting your garage floor directly.
Most regular garage mats are half-inch thick, and heavy-duty mats are about 0.75 inches. You can find vinyl, rubber, and carpet mats in rolls in most hardware stores. However, rollout mats can curl and shift over time. They also pose fall risks because they may get slippery if they get wet.
Cost of rollout mats for your garage: $380 per roll on average, or $24 to $750 per standard roll (127.5 square foot coverage).
With so many vastly different options to choose from, how can you find an inexpensive garage floor that you can also confidently say is the best? The right solution will be different for everyone and truly depends on your individual needs and stylistic tastes.
If you’re working with a smaller budget, a low-cost coating such as paint, sealer, or stain might be the best way to express your style in the garage. If you need a high-performance surface that can handle the tough projects and maintenance you do in the garage, or if you want a wide range of colorful customization options, flexible tiles might be for you.
As with anything you buy, be wary of prices that seem too good to be true. Some low-cost flooring products can contain chemicals that release harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in the form of fumes that can be inhaled or dust that can cause skin conditions.
Even good-quality products can be dangerous for DIY-ers who don’t take proper precautions. Always carefully read manufacturer instructions and wear the recommended protective gear when working with paints and other chemicals. You can also hire a local garage flooring pro with the experience and equipment needed to perform the installation safely with no lingering fumes or debris.
You’ll find many of the options we listed at big-box home improvement retailers and department stores, as well as smaller independent floor specialists in your area. Many of these stores offer full-service installation of the products they sell, and others may offer to refer you to a trusted partner for installation.
You can also shop for these products online. We recommend shopping around to compare prices, service offerings, and reviews from previous customers to help make a more informed final decision.
Interlocking garage tiles made with PVC are the most effective for garages with past issues of humidity and flooding because damp concrete is not suitable for paint. Epoxy coating is also water-resistant and can prevent mold buildup. Finally, porcelain tiles are a wonderful option for wet conditions if your budget allows.
