Garage containment mats

[StreetRacerX]

The issue I had since buying this home with the garage has become significantly worse as the result of the unit heater I installed this summer and I am in the market for a garage containment mat for all the water and snow that drops onto the floor from the vehicle when it is parked.

I've looked at a couple options thus far and would like anyone who uses any of these mats first hand experience with them.

The Park Smart Clean Park mat seems to be the most popular but people who have reviewed them say they are crap to install and are of poor quality:

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.1000735373.html

The next one I found was Auto Floor Guard Containment mat, which I can't seem to find any negative reviews of and is the mat I want due to it being wider than most others, I can't seem to find these locally other than

http://wickedworkshops.ca/auto-floor-guard-garage-floor-mats/

The next one I found is similar looking to the Auto Floor Guard one but made in Canada I guess?

http://www.canadamats.ca/garage-containment-mats.html

[eblend]

Interesting idea, never knew about these. I just use a large squeegee blade broom thing to take all the crap out of the garage, along with a humidity controlled exhaust fan, seems to work alright

http://www.concretesupplyhouse.com/images/products/gg224_lg.jpg

[Kavy]

Originally posted by eblend
Interesting idea, never knew about these. I just use a large squeegee blade broom thing to take all the crap out of the garage, along with a humidity controlled exhaust fan, seems to work alright

http://www.concretesupplyhouse.com/images/products/gg224_lg.jpg

Must Buy.

I will be hunting for those next week. I have been dealing with a soaking wet garage for two years now.

[StreetRacerX]

I'm afraid a squeegee won't save my drywall as it goes right to the concrete floor and the water runs towards the wall.

[mix123]

Put in a drain...

[rob the knob]

Originally posted by mix123
Put in a drain...

how you add a drain to old cement floor?

[ExtraSlow]

Are drains in garages legal in the city?

[benyl]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Are drains in garages legal in the city?

Yes, I have 2.

[codetrap]

.

[benyl]

Originally posted by rob the knob


how you add a drain to old cement floor?

You cut it.

http://cdn7.buildingmoxie.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Concrete-Cut.jpg

[pheoxs]

My dad got a huge really heavy weight tarp and some 1" wood dowels, wrapped the edges around the dowels and uses that. It contains all the water inside it, then he uses the shop vac to suck up the water if it gets too much.

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Are drains in garages legal in the city?

I would think they have to run into the actual waste water lines and not just into the storm drain system.


Originally posted by codetrap
You could glue down some channel around the edges of your garage to keep the water from the drywall... or just cut the drywall an inch up from the floor to prevent the wicking...

This is the best idea, drywall shouldn't touch the garage floor.

I'm assuming that this is a detached garage (as the footing on a attached garage is usually concrete the first 2 feet up)? Because even if you cut the drywall back, you'll still want to keep the 2x4 studs from getting wet as well.

Proper ventilation goes along way, it surprises me how few garages have some sort of air return setup so moisture can leave.

[StreetRacerX]

The garage is detached, thanks for the suggestions and all but for the time being I'm just looking to contain the problem as I also wish to preserve the concrete slab from the water/dirt/salt etc and don't pLan on coating yet. I'm guessing none of you guys have used the containment mats, I've read about the improvised ones and would much rather buy one prebuilt, I was just looking to see if anyone had any experience with them.

[SKR]

Originally posted by StreetRacerX
The garage is detached, thanks for the suggestions and all but for the time being I'm just looking to contain the problem as I also wish to preserve the concrete slab from the water/dirt/salt etc and don't pLan on coating yet. I'm guessing none of you guys have used the containment mats, I've read about the improvised ones and would much rather buy one prebuilt, I was just looking to see if anyone had any experience with them.

My parents have what looks like the third link in your OP. They seem to work.

[rob the knob]

Originally posted by benyl


You cut it.

http://cdn7.buildingmoxie.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Concrete-Cut.jpg

is it that easy to do in calgary? i know you can cut basement for toilet. that is deep.
if you cut garage floor like that, then water freezes, and ice causes pushing on concrete? look like big problems. any experts here?

[mix123]

I've seen it done in 2 Saskatchewan garages. Both were heated. Had a trough the length of the garage cut in by the overhead door then a hole similar to the picture above. Cement poured in and cleaned the trough up. Then put a submersible pump in the hole to pump the water. Your imagination can figure out where it pumps to. I also had one where there was a 3 foot deep pit in the middle of the garage. Similar to the hole above where the water just collected and then I would empty it with a wet vac every so often in the winter. That worked really well actually.

Ideally a new build with a proper drain is best...but thats not always an option

[ExtraSlow]

If you were building the garage from new, a dry well below the low point that is dug down below the frost line is an option. I have heard of that being done, and apparently works fine for "normal" amounts of water.
I suspect that's a little more of a pain to retrofit into an existing slab.

[StreetRacerX]

Ordered a 7' 9" x18' Auto Floor Guard mat from wicked workshops, cost $429 shipped, taxes included. They sold out of the 8' 6" ones earlier in the year and said they won't be bringing them in anymore due to the weak dollar.

[ZeroGravity]

Originally posted by StreetRacerX
Ordered a 7' 9" x18' Auto Floor Guard mat from wicked workshops, cost $429 shipped, taxes included. They sold out of the 8' 6" ones earlier in the year and said they won't be bringing them in anymore due to the weak dollar.

Very interested as well. Please post a review after you've got yours. Any reason why you didn't go with the third option? Is it because it is beige color?

[Kjonus]

Here's another brand Tapson (http://tapsongaragemat.com/) that is made in Canada and available here in Calgary.

[StreetRacerX]

Originally posted by ZeroGravity


Very interested as well. Please post a review after you've got yours. Any reason why you didn't go with the third option? Is it because it is beige color?

Beige isn't a bid deal to me, width is a major reason considering how my wife parks and backs into the garage, the Auto Guard mat is only 3" wider but could be the deciding factor for whether or not the Jeep is on the mat completely or not . If canada mats offered something wider than 7' 6" I would have bought from them.

[StreetRacerX]

Might as well give my thoughts on the mat thus far;

Does what it's designed to do, only issue I have with it is the wrinkles in it haven't flattened out, but apparently it has to be left in the sun for a while.

Draining the water is fairly easy I just pull the mat halfway out of the garage lift the portion that is in the garage so the water drains to the side outside of the garage, then take a squeegee and push the water off of the mat. The frequency that I have to drain the water varies depending on the weather but I would say I drain it two to three times a week when the snow is sticking to the vehicle just because I don't like the tires sitting in the water all the time otherwise maybe once a week when its just wet out.

[gregrego]

I've just been squeegeeing.. How I miss my floor drain..

Those mats work well, but are more work to maintain than just pushing the water out once a day.

is like to cut in a drainage system, but the floor is level so most of the water will not go toward a drain.

[revelations]

Any pits in my garage would immediately get filled with sand and gravel - pumps would have a short working life with the salts used on the roads as well. I was thinking something more passive in our, sunken and sloping garage floor.

[cyra1ax]

Does the mat not move at all when driving on/off it?

[StreetRacerX]

Originally posted by cyra1ax
Does the mat not move at all when driving on/off it?

I never have any issues with it myself, I assume you might have an issue with a standard trans, or if you have to gas/brake while on top of the mat. The wife manages to move it every once in awhile though, went out this morning and it was partially under the garage door :nut: otherwise no problems with it yet.

[theken]

does your garage not have a footing? just drywall to the ground?

[StreetRacerX]

Originally posted by theken
does your garage not have a footing? just drywall to the ground?

This is correct, and the main reason I have the mat, still sucks that I have some drywall to replace as a result of water damage but at least I don't have to worry about it any more.

[cyra1ax]

Originally posted by StreetRacerX


I never have any issues with it myself, I assume you might have an issue with a standard trans, or if you have to gas/brake while on top of the mat. The wife manages to move it every once in awhile though, went out this morning and it was partially under the garage door :nut: otherwise no problems with it yet.

Yeah....that was my worry. I guess this won't work for our garage since there's a manual and a driver who hits the gas/brake right on the threshold.