So like most people I have a two garage floor made of concrete. I have tried mats, better shoes, I’ve tried all sorts of stuff. But it’s time to make a change. I was thinking a lot about a rubber floor but due to heavy machines and indentations etc. it just didn’t seem worth it.
So it got me thinking.... what about DRICORE just as a floor itself. I know it’s not the best looking floor in the world but right now I’m about comfort and cost. And it looks like if I need to park and occasional car on it I can get away with it. According to the rep online at a big box anyway. Thinking two coats of a very strong polyurethane over it and it may do the trick. Wondering if anyone had any experience with this.

"According to the rep online at a big box anyway."

I don't think I would ever accept and answer from one of the 'online reps' or even the 'in-store reps' to give me a answer I would put this much trust in.

I prefer to ask the manufacturer and a quick Google search turned up this straight from the horses mouth.

https://dricore.com/faqs/can-dricore-subfloor-panels-be-installed-in-a-garage/

Quote from: Df1k1 on April 25, 2021, 08:33 PM

So like most people I have a two garage floor made of concrete. I have tried mats, better shoes, I’ve tried all sorts of stuff. But it’s time to make a change. I was thinking a lot about a rubber floor but due to heavy machines and indentations etc. it just didn’t seem worth it.
So it got me thinking.... what about DRICORE just as a floor itself. I know it’s not the best looking floor in the world but right now I’m about comfort and cost. And it looks like if I need to park and occasional car on it I can get away with it. According to the rep online at a big box anyway. Thinking two coats of a very strong polyurethane over it and it may do the trick. Wondering if anyone had any experience with this.

"According to the rep online at a big box anyway."

I don't think I would ever accept and answer from one of the 'online reps' or even the 'in-store reps' to give me a answer I would put this much trust in.

I prefer to ask the manufacturer and a quick Google search turned up this straight from the horses mouth.

https://dricore.com/faqs/can-dricore-subfloor-panels-be-installed-in-a-garage/

I should have been more specific. It was a DRICORE rep who stated that a car could be parked on it.  Although I have no intention on doing that but occasionally.

I'm a very big fan of horse stall flooring of some kind in a shop. there are several configurations and products available. The stuff is designed to provide a non slip cushioned easy to clean environment for horses. If they good enough for high end show horses and thorobreds they should be good enough for me. If you have big stationary machines you can just floor around them not under.

Here is a vendor to show some examples.

https://www.rammfence.com/barn/horse-barn-flooring

Ron

Thanks Ron! I will have to move a car in occasionally. I live in Florida and it’s an older car that my wife absolutely loves so any potential storms I’m going to have to park on it. Do you know if it can withstand the weight of a small car for a day or two? I obviously don’t want a floor that’s going to have indentations all over it. I don’t see myself moving a lot of machinery especially my saw stop an out feed table will probably never move so I would work around them. In my last shop I think I move my saw stop once 

This may be an option for you, it's used for flooring in motorcycle & snowmobile trailers. It's also used in some large car haulers. An HDPE overlay on both sides of the material. I'm sure it's not as cheap as Dricore but you're dealing with larger sheets rather than 2' x 2' panels.
I also noticed that Dricore rates their standard subfloor product at supporting 6642 pounds per square foot.

https://www.nudo.com/p_nupoly_quadfloor_transportation.php?crumb=%3Ca+href%3D%27l_transportation_panels.php%3Fitem%3Dproduct%27%3ETransportation+Panels%3C%2Fa%3E

I did Dricore R+ in my garage over the winter.  Installation was a breeze. Having small 2x2 boards have me a lot of flexibility with moving my tools around while I worked. The Dricore itself made a huge difference in temperature and comfort.
I did end up going a bit overboard and installed a floating cork floor on top. Not recessary but it made my shop even more comfy and inviting. Here is a link to my shop build including flooring.
https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/workshops-and-mobile-vehicle-based-shops/new-12'x19'-shop/30/

Wow your shop looks awesome. That’s kind of what I like about the dricore. I can always put a floor over it if I get tired of the look.

I am currently in the process of putting down Dri-Core in my shop.  It has enough give in it, as I walk across it, that I would be hesitant to drive a vehicle atop it.  Might be fine but I plan on leaving enough room in the center of my area to be able to bring a vehicle in and park it atop my floor drain.  I plan on installing the Dri-Core along each side of my shop, skirting the open area in the center.

I plan on putting down something to spread out the weight of my heavier tools that rest on a small area, such as my Laguna Shaper that rests on casters, to avoid the possibility of dented/depressed areas.  Most of my tools, however have a larger base that they rest upon and shouldn't be to much of an issue. 

I'm happy with how it is has gone together so far and it is much easier on a body than the concrete it is covering.  Knowing it will keep my stuff up off the floor and dry, (had water run in earlier this year and freeze across the floor), was a major factor in the decision to install it.  Still haven't decided what to install on top of it, but with the OSB being only around 1/2" thick, should install something.  If anyone has suggestions, would like to hear your thoughts.

In answer to the OP's original question, I don't plan on leaving it as the "only" floor, and will use it as a subfloor, and therefore would recommend the same to others.

Thanks for the information. The website listed it at three-quarter inch but I’m assuming you’re just talking about the OSB part at a half an inch. And the car is under the weight of what the product can hold but like you I’m a little concerned. However I just don’t see many other options that suit my needs out there. What I like about the dricore as I can always go over it later if I need to with just about anything. There doesn’t seem to be a downside from what everyone has mentioned to at least trying it as a standalone floor

I went and got some this morning and started putting it down today. Will have to do in sections and move all the machines and benches around but it's doable. Works out to about $1.48/sf. My walls sit on two courses of block so I covered the interior faces of the block too, leaving a gap to the floor.

I went and got some this morning and started putting it down today. Will have to do in sections and move all the machines and benches around but it's doable. Works out to about $1.48/sf. My walls sit on two courses of block so I covered the interior faces of the block too, leaving a gap to the floor.

Can you post some pics after you make some headway?

Well let’s do some math here.

Average horse say 1300lb

Average car say 5000lb

Contact area of 3 shod hooves (1 raised while walking) is say 24 sq inches eg 8 sq inches per hoof. So 54 psi.

Contact area of 4 average tires is say 120 sq inches eg 30 sq inches per tire. So 42 psi.

So, assuming it’s a solid sub-floor, eg structurally can take the weight, then I would say if a horse can walk on it a car can drive on it.


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Can you post some pics after you make some headway?

In no particular order. This is a little over half of what I got done today. I got 32 panels down. That includes moving everything and unloading/reloading in cabinets as required. Those cabinets have a plywood benchtop spread across them and all of it will be replaced this Summer once I get the floor done. With everything in the shop this will require multiple moves and shuffling of equipment.

I used TapCon 5/16 x 1-3/4 FH screws to secure the panels to the wall and the floor.

I decided to do the floor because I had the cabinet moved out and everything off the wall so I could insulate and drywall. Then I figured why all that stuff is out of the way why not get this corner of the floor done.

Now it's one giant snowball. :-)

Moving the bench won't be difficult, but it is anchored to the floor with Hilti drop-in anchors and 5/16" rod. Finding those anchors again after they are covered with the Dricore won't be easy.

The Drill press was not difficult I just walked it back, put down a couple panels, then moved it back in position. It too was anchored to the floor. Don't know if I will do that again as I am thinking of replacing it this year so may wait and see before I punch a couple more holes in the Dricore.

My bandsaw is also anchored to the floor with 3/8" Hilti drop-ins, then shimmed level and bolted down with 3/8" rod.

The Unisaw, router table, and accessory cabinet are all one piece and at ~900 pounds I plan to crib up to the same level as the floor then while protecting the edge of the floor panels with some scraps roll it onto the new floor. The mobile base for the Unisaw which supports the saw, router table, and a cabinet of drawers with jigs, blades, some bits, and other accessories for the saw and router rests on four 2 inch diameter feet when stationary.

At 46.125# per square inch (6642/144) those 2 inch diameter feet combined could (on paper) support 579.6 pounds, so I will look at adding a 1/4" steel plate 2.5"x2.5" under each foot to spread the load. I have never moved the saw in 10 years so I don't see this as a problem. A 2.5" square plate gets me to 1153 pounds which gives me a little margin.

@Bob D. Looking good!

I guess I have sorta hijacked this thread documenting my Dricore install, but hey you asked for photos as I went along so just tell me when you've had enough. Might as well log all of this in one place so the next guy can learn from my mistakes. 

Since I last reported on this I have purchased another 64 panels. With the 64 I bought so far that is 128 which gets me closer to what I need. You don't really get 4sf coverage per panel. That 2x2 is nominal, actual exposure is 23.25" x 23.25". That 3/4" adds up and after 12 rows you're missing 9 inches. So looks like it will could take as many as 169 panels (13x13) not 144.

I decided to leave the bandsaw on the floor and not lift it. I am thinking I should have dome that for the DP too. The bandsaw base intersects four panels so I set that many aside which when we move sometime in the next 2 or 3 years I can use to repair the opening I left for the BS. I think I will go back and do the same for the drill press, but since that area of the floor is already covered I will cut an opening for the DP base plus a 3/8" all around. Then set the DP back in that opening and relevel and anchor to the floor again using the existing Hilti anchors.

Finding the anchors for the WWing bench was easy. Don't know what I was thinking when I mentioned it would be difficult but later my brain kicked in and I realized all I had to do was swing an arc off the center of each anchor and I could use that to precisely locate the location on top of the Dricore then drill a 3/8" hole for the 5/16" rod. Worked like a charm. I used my beam compass to draw roughly 90 degree, 14" radius arc from each anchor then after placing the floor panels I came back and swung off two points on the arc to locate the center and X marks the spot. Drilled my holes and didn't miss a one.

The most time consuming was raising the table saw/router table/outfeed table assembly since they are interconnected. On the TS base I have built a cabinet to store saw blades and other accessories for the TS and the router. Working by myself it took time running from corner to corner to raise it up (and keep it close to level) so I could get some 3/4 plywood under it and roll it over onto the new floor. Once I did that I was able to put down some more panels under where the TS lives and then shuffle some more equipment around.

Then it was time to start putting shelves back on the wall and the bench back together so I could get the stuff that was on the wall off the floor and make room to keep going with the floor. But first I needed to paint the wall.

I also needed to get my fastener cabinet back in place and loaded up again as I had boxes of screws and such all over the place. That took a while to organize but it now done and much neater than it was (see photo) but not perfect (and probably never will be).

So that's all I got done in the last week on this between all the usual stuff that keeps me busy every day. Probably won't get a chance to work on this again for a week or two except I will try to squeeze in some time to shift equipment around and clear the next section of floor.

There is one area that I need to figure how to deal with. In the third photo you can see an area I have outlined in red which is about 3 feet wide (L to R) by 9 feet long. In that area the floor slopes up from right to left 3/4" to meet the floor in the old section of the garage. Why they did not make then the same I don't know. Maybe it settled over time but the new section which is the shop area was only 5 years old when we bought the house and it was like that then. I thought maybe the plan was to add radiant heat in the floor but 3/4" doesn't seem anywhere near enough for that.

Anyway my thought is to end the Dricore and the right side of that sloped area and finish the edge with some 1/8 x 3/4" aluminum angle then use some self-leveling grout to cover that sloped area and bridge between the old floor and the Dricore.
I will cut an straight edge on the panels and butt the angle up to it with the horizontal leg out into the grouted area. I am thinking I can either just seal the angle to the concrete with some adhesive or use some Tapcon screws. But the angle would protect the edge of the Dricore and the grout from getting crushed when moving heavy loads over them and it wouldn't look bad. I guess I could use steel but I already have some aluminum left over from another project so thought I would use that up. But that's my guess at how to make this transition. If anyone has a better idea I would like to hear it.