Garage floor makeover

[westcobbdog]

This is a pic of my wife's side of the garage where she parks. The white metal door to the right leads to a finished suite we had finished last year. Features a den bedroom full bath closets kitchenette ect..
Soon my elderly in laws will be living at my house, in this finished suite. He's 94 and she's close behind. They have a legion of help coming and going all day.

Here's my question:

My Father in law likes to prowl around at night. With their mental health where it is and their ability to just walk off, we will be locking all exterior doors at night (not in their living space) in the basement itself, with a code to work the lock to exit the exterior door, he won't have said code. Will also lock the interior door off the garage to my 3rd car garage man cave.

We are worried about the escape factor but mostly worried about either one of them slipping and falling on the garage floor.
They will walk across the garage floor most every day to exit the house to go outside as they enjoy watching nature. Both are still fairly ambulatory.

1. Do we have a company clean prep and install a non slip epoxy floor?
or
2. Do we instead install a "cushioned" floor system, interlocking with rubber panels or some other material to soften the concrete. We need to be able to park 2 cars on it, too.

Thank you in advance for any ideas, we have about 3 weeks till move in day.

 

[jaybirdius]

I put vinyl plank flooring in the apartment I built for my Mom. It has the underlayment attached to each plank. Rugs in areas she would be prone to fall in. Advanced age and falls don't go well even on carpet.

 

[hopper]

I'm in the epoxy floor buisness. Personally I don't like interlock tiles for clean up under the tiles. An epoxy full flake system will be easy to clean plus provide plenty of slip resistant. If done properly the floor should last you 15-20 yrs. Most 100% epoxy floors will run you $4 to $5 a sqft. I do not serve west Cobb for residential floors but if you would like I will PM you my supplier to find an installer in your area if you would like. The most important part of the system is prep via a heavy diamond grinder. If a contractor tries to prep in any other way send them home.
I will link our garage floor page for reference to give you a good idea how the process goes plus what options you have. https://www.southernstatesrefinishing.com/services/garage-floor-coatings/
Good Luck!

 

[westcobbdog]

Hope I agree with everything you stated but it's about surviving the probable fall vs slipping. I prefer epoxy with non slip in it but wife wants to have a more rubber surface.

 

[westcobbdog]

I put vinyl plank flooring in the apartment I built for my Mom. It has the underlayment attached to each plank. Rugs in areas she would be prone to fall in. Advanced age and falls don't go well even on carpet.

We have that product too in the living areas but this is for the eventual fall in the garage and maybe just getting bruised up vs a busted hip / pneumonia.

 

[Spotlite]

Following. We’re about to re-coat our carport floor. I’m interested in the non slip information.

 

[hopper]

Hope I agree with everything you stated but it's about surviving the probable fall vs slipping. I prefer epoxy with non slip in it but wife wants to have a more rubber surface.

Well then. You dont have much of a choice then. Alot of the garage type tiles (racedeck) are pretty hard. Check into sports flooring it's alot more spongy (like the type in a (DoJo) high quality ones could probably be driven on in straight lines like pulling straight in and straight out. They would certainly give good cushion for falls (better than concrete) plus come textured for slip fall. Again good luck.

 

[basshappy]

Throw down a wrestling mat. You can drive on it, ideally as mentioned already straight in and straight out. The mat will cushion a fall probably better than some of the other options. You will have to deal with chemical drips from your vehicles but again if cushioning a fall is top priority I would look into wrestling mat(s).

 

[paulito]

First, glad you are planning ahead. That being said, as a fireman, i can say that i would 100% concentrate more on the non slip than the cushioning. As we get old our bones get brittle, fact of life. You wont be able to pad the entire house, plus i've seen too many times where an elderly person has broken a leg or hip in the bathroom or kitchen from the slip, with little or no fall. often times its the twistng motion from trying to catch themselves that does it.

Hate to say it but you have to go back into baby proofing mode. It will be a constant battle of trying to out think their future actions

 

[westcobbdog]

First, glad you are planning ahead. That being said, as a fireman, i can say that i would 100% concentrate more on the non slip than the cushioning. As we get old our bones get brittle, fact of life. You wont be able to pad the entire house, plus i've seen too many times where an elderly person has broken a leg or hip in the bathroom or kitchen from the slip, with little or no fall. often times its the twistng motion from trying to catch themselves that does it.

Hate to say it but you have to go back into baby proofing mode. It will be a constant battle of trying to out think their future actions

We have come full circle, my father in law once fiercely guarded his stuff, had 3 women trying to thin out his hoarding, phe's got pieces of art / objects from all over the world plus I got a lot of his tools...he long forgot this stuff living the last 4-5 yrs in assisted living. Now he will be in my basement and 1 room away from a lot of his original stuff, like maybe 100 civil war books, tools papers artwork guns ect..Wondering if he will try to reclaim them.

 

[westcobbdog]

Throw down a wrestling mat. You can drive on it, ideally as mentioned already straight in and straight out. The mat will cushion a fall probably better than some of the other options. You will have to deal with chemical drips from your vehicles but again if cushioning a fall is top priority I would look into wrestling mat(s).

I think the mat is a good idea but tough to walk on without wiping out.

 

[basshappy]

I think the mat is a good idea but tough to walk on without wiping out.

As in you think your FIL might trip? The surface isn't slick. I can't see slipping or sliding. And if laid flat no bumps it should be easy to walk on. If anything the wrestling mat might be grippy? I don't know. I was on them preschool through college and beyond so I just thought might be a viable option to help someone minimize hurt if they fell.

 

[hopper]

Maybe a lock on the garage door for when he wonders off

 

[westcobbdog]

Electronic is what I will be installing.

 

[livinoutdoors]

What about stall mats? That might work.

 

[hipster dufus]

Throw rugs and mats are a no no, the tripping aspect is why.

 

[bany]

I was just thinking as I read and it was occurring to me a rubber or cushioned floor would facilitate stumbling in the way other surfaces would facilitate slipping.

 

[westcobbdog]

Agree, my wife has sorta pivoted from a non slip epoxy ( my preference ) to leaning towards ordering some sort of pvc tiles from Amazon and we install them. Either way the In-laws could wipe out about anywhere, but they are her parents so I will play along. Will post some pics after we complete it.
Thank you for all the valued opinions.

 

[hopper]

Agree, my wife has sorta pivoted from a non slip epoxy ( my preference ) to leaning towards ordering some sort of pvc tiles from Amazon and we install them. Either way the In-laws could wipe out about anywhere, but they are her parents so I will play along. Will post some pics after we complete it.
Thank you for all the valued opinions.

Your a good Man. Those PVC tiles will be sturdy enough plus slightly cushion a fall. Good luck on your install and new tenants.

 

[Batjack]

Any way to clear out the center and put a hand rail from where the end of the foosball table is to exit door? If you run a rail from their door to the corner, that would only leave a 3-4 ft. area they didn't have something to hold them up and if you wanted you could put a rail hinged to the wall with a hasp on the floor rail that whoever need to travel from one side of the garage to the other would have a gate.