Match the bay floor to the vehicle weight and to the water on the slab.
What a bay floor must handle
An apparatus bay is a garage that works hard. Vehicles drive in wet, crews wash equipment, and fluids drip onto the concrete. Our garage category page names four formats: tiles, rolls, rubber gym flooring, and epoxy kits. It says all four stand up to oil, gas, and road salt. They differ in install time, drainage, and repair.
| Format | What our pages say | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Interlocking tiles | Install in hours. You can replace one damaged tile. | Seams. Car-jack advice is not the same on every page. |
| Vinyl garage rolls | One seamless sheet that keeps snowmelt and spills on top. | Local damage can mean a new section or a new roll. |
| Epoxy coating | Seals the slab permanently. | It can take days or weeks before the floor is ready to use. |
Vented tiles for wet bays
Vented tiles have an open surface. Water and melted snow pass through to the slab, where the water drains or evaporates. Our garage FAQ says water and snow do not damage garage flooring.
Swisstrax Ribtrax Pro is one vented tile we sell. Its product page lists resistance to oil, gas, acid, and solvents, including Skydrol and alkalis. The tile is UV stable, slip resistant, made in the USA, and 15.75″ square, with a 15-year limited manufacturer warranty. Our garage comparison says the vents show some of the concrete below, so buyers often paint the slab black first.
Send us your bay size and your heaviest vehicle. We will match a floor to them.
Check the weight ratings
Our garage FAQ separates two loads. Rolling weight is a vehicle that moves across the floor. Static weight is a vehicle that stands still. If either load is more than the tiles can handle, the floor can be damaged and need replacement.
- Ribtrax Pro: the product page lists 70,000 lbs of rollover weight and a compressive strength of 3,120 psi.
- Heavy parked loads: our garage FAQ says a 1/2″ plywood sheet under the vehicle can spread the load.
- Your fleet: get the weight of each apparatus from your fleet records. Compare it with the rating on the product page.
Car jacks and repairs
Our garage category page says hard plastic tiles do not work well with car jacks. It tells you to put sheet metal or plywood under the jack. Our pages do not agree on which rigid tiles are safe under a jack, so read the product page first. When a tile breaks, pull up that row, put in a new tile, and lay the row back down.