Garage Floor Mats And Epoxy: A Comparison

So you’ve narrowed your possible garage flooring options down to a garage floor mat or epoxy paint. Both garage floors have their pros and cons, so we’ll take a look at the ones most likely affecting your decision. Hopefully, by the time you’ve read this article, you’ll have a better understanding of exactly how the two garage floors compare. Note that, for the purposes of this article, we will be comparing epoxy paint to whole garage floor coverings, and not compartment mats. Because compartment garage floor mats are not sold in a package that can cover entire garage floors, they are not really appropriate for comparing to epoxy paint.

A Garage Floor Mat Is Easier To Install Than Epoxy Garage Floor Paint

This one is sort of obvious. A garage floor mat typically just has to be cut and placed, whereas the installation for epoxy is much more involved and tedious, requiring many hours of drying as well as various coats. Preparing your floor for epoxy is a chore as well since the garage floor must be meticulously cleaned just before applying. A mat is a mat, and it will happily rest on top of dust just as well as it would a clean floor. If you need an immediate solution that will be ready within a few hours of reading this article, a garage floor mat will certainly be your best option.

Garage Floor Mats Are Most Expensive Than Epoxy Garage Floor Coating

A garage floor mat, generally speaking, is likely to cost around $200, which is around three times how much epoxy garage floor coating costs. This difference in pricing really makes sense if you think about what you’re buying, and not just the end product. A garage floor covering gives you a pre-assembled solution while epoxy garage floor paint requires some assembly. If you have to pay someone to install your epoxy garage floor coating, though, the price will change radically since it takes hours to install, so be sure to figure that in as well if you don’t plan to install your own coating. If paying someone to install it, epoxy will almost always cost more in comparison to a garage floor mat.

Epoxy Garage Floor Paint Is More Durable Than A Garage Floor Mat

Epoxy has the undeniable advantage in longevity and durability, but it also changes things. Applying an epoxy garage floor coating changes the entire nature of the garage flooring. In comparison, a garage floor mat will just cover it. It’s unlikely but possible for either to become stained or damaged and, when that happens, swapping a mat is far simpler than repairing a paint job. Of course, you’re also out the $200 for the new mat. So before choosing, you should be asking yourself how rough you are likely to be on your garage flooring.

The Verdict?

All garage floors are a little different, so there’s no one best choice. They’re both available because people buy and use both types. The consumer must decide the best option for their situation. If money’s not a concern, you could always do both, using a compartment or even full garage mat on top of a pretty epoxy garage floor coating.

Check out my garage floor site for more garage floor mat information.