In this article, we will talk about how to carpet the garage floor. I’ll admit that up until recently, I never understood the need to carpet a garage floor. That was until I saw something on the internet and decided to give it a go. I was really happy with the result and wanted to share the process here.
Why Would You Want To Carpet your Garage Floor?
Of all the finishes that are out there that you could use to carpet the garage floor, why would you want to use carpet in your garage? Well, let me attempt to answer that.
The garage is so much more than a place where you keep your car or tools. Many great businesses including Microsoft and Apple were started in garages.
Many bands also initiate in garages and the list can go on and on but I’m sure that you are getting the idea. It’s more than a place where we can store the junk we no longer use in our homes.
It’s a place that deserves as much respect and attention as every other room in your house so why not treat it as such. A carpet will give your garage that great look and feel and actually be a place you would want to hang out in.
There are many other types of flooring that may be considered more suitable for the garage instead of using carpet but I recently made the discovery that there are certain types of outdoor carpets that are perfect for the garage.
Not only do they look good but they are easy to clean and can withstand much more than your standard indoor carpet can.
Types of Garage Carpet
There are different carpeting options available for your garage. There are the standard carpet rolls, carpet runners, and garage carpet tiles which you can use for various effects.
1. Garage Carpet Roll
Garage carpet rolls are ideal for carpeting large spaces. They are great for two or three-car garages and even work for smaller spaces if what you are looking for is a relatively convenient job with as little hassle as possible.
The widest carpet roll I ever bought measured twelve feet in width and was custom cut for the room I wanted to carpet.
They are a bit harder to work with if your garage has a lot of corners and maybe some beams here and there but it’s not a train wreck if these are in your garage. It simply means you’ll have to be that extra bit more creative.
2. Garage Carpet Tiles
Garage carpet tiles are just like your regular tiles but instead of ceramic or other tile materials, they have Clothing material.
They also come in a wide array of sizes and designs and you will be able to find something that suits your needs. There are 2 types on garage carpet tiles.
The first type is designed to simply be laid out in your room without any need for any type of adhesive. Admittedly, these work better indoors where there is no possibility of them slipping like in the case of driving a car into and out of the garage.
The second type or way of fitting carpet tiles is to use adhesive to stick them to the floor. I would like to think that this option works a lot better for a garage setup and will hold up better to the rigors of a garage.
3. Carpet Runners for Garage Floor
Another option that is available is to use carpet runners in certain portions of the garage that may likely not experience a lot of traffic.
This can be a specific portion of the garage specifically for other purposes like a band setup for example.
How to Carpet the Garage Floor?
I took the option of using a carpet roll because I wanted to cover the space of a 2-and-a-half car garage. My garage floors are concrete.
Step#1
The first thing I did after clearing everything out of my garage was to sweep and mop the floors making sure there was no excess dirt or debris on the floor.
After I was done I then began by nailing in some gripper rods all around the garage leaving a space of 20mm between the gripper rods and the walls.
I need to point out here that you need to make sure that the gripper rods you use have nails specifically designed for concrete.
You also need to have extra concrete nails ready in case there are loose parts of the rods that need extra re-enforcement.
Also, make sure that the sides of the gripper rods with nails are pointing towards the wall. This is the side that the carpet will grip onto.
Step#2
Next up, I laid the padded underlays throughout the garage. Some would argue that these are not necessary for the garage but I wanted to have that extra level of feel to it so I went with the underlay option.
I then rolled out the carpet starting with the edge closest to the garage door and then putting a seam in about three-quarters of the way.
This is a great way to get the perfect seam while researching how to do this job. I overlayed the layers of carpet overlapping them by about four inches.
Step#3
I then cut both layers of carpet on the same spot then removed the off cuts. What remained was a perfect seam which I glued down with clear carpet glue. The job took me about eight hours to complete and I was pretty pleased with the outcome.
Conclusion
So, in this article, I showed you how to carpet the garage floor. If you have a DIY bone in you, this is something you can definitely do yourself.
If, however, you feel that you would rather have professionals do it instead, no one will judge you for it. It is a project worth doing and you will be glad at the outcome once you do take the plunge.
