Garage floors take a beating. From oil and grease leaks to frozen ground temperatures and ice, your garage floor goes through a lot. If you want to protect your garage floor, make it easier to keep clean and unstained, and prevent cracks from developing, you can use metal plating with treads in it. Here is how to create this metal-plated garage floor, from start to finish.
Purchase Steel Bolts and Stainless Steel Plates/Sheets with Treads
Sheet metal with treads stamped into it is exactly what you are looking for. As an example, think about the treaded steel and chrome running boards on some trucks. That is the kind of product you are looking for, only with sheets or square tiles of this stuff. Purchase enough to cover the square footage of your garage floor. Also purchase steel bolts to anchor the plates/sheets to the concrete floor. Make sure the bolts can drive through concrete.
Buy a Drill and Drill Bit That Can Drive Through Concrete
Buy (or rent) a drill and drill bit meant for concrete drilling. These are essential to the success of this project as you will have to pre-drill the concrete for each bolt. Make sure the gauge and size of the concrete drill bit matches the gauge and size of the bolts you purchased, or you will have to start over when you realize your mistake.
Remove Everything from the Garage to Expose the Floor
There should be nothing sitting on the garage floor when you start this project. If you are using steel tiles, lay down the first row to see how they will fit. If you bought the sheet variety, lay the sheets down and keep the edges very close together.
The Process
Now you are ready to begin.
- Remove all tiles except the first row, or if using sheets, remove the sheets until you have only one sheet to secure.
- With your concrete drill, pre-drill the holes in the concrete under the corners of the tiles or sheet.
- Pre-drill or mark on the sheet or tiles where the bolts are to go. Create holes on these spots. A punch awl or a steel drill bit will work.
- Hammer and drive the bolts through the steel holes into the pre-drilled holes in the concrete.
- Repeat this process until all the steel tiles or sheets have been secured to the floor.
If you notice a little buckling or push-up along the edges of the sheets, pre-drill the concrete and insert additional bolts in these areas before moving on to installing the next sheet.
For more information on using concrete in your home renovation projects, contact companies like A & B Concrete Coring Company.
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