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INTERLOCKING TILE FAQs

Here is a list of the most common questions we get. In general Armor Tile are extremely versatile and virtually indestructible. They have been used for just about every conceivable application and are commonly installed as residential garage floors, commercial garage floors, warehouse floors, offices, showrooms, service facilities, shops, factory production areas, labs, testing facilities and even as temporary dance and party flooring to name just a few of the applications. When you're finished with the FAQs click the blue link to go to the main tile page. Main Tile Page.There you can download and review our Tile Brochure that lists all the different types of tiles we now carry and their specifications. If you still have questions about our tile or your project give us a call or send us an email, we'll be glad to help.

Q. What is the advantage of PVC vs Copolymeres & Polypropylenes used in other tiles and can your clarify your pricing.
A. PVC is the highest grade of material(plastic) used for interlocking floor tiles. Armor Tiles are extruded for us, to our exact specifications, from 100% pure PVC. Very few manufacturers use PVC and most of those who do, use a combination of recycled and cheap filler materials, the few manufacturers who use prime PVC are much more expensive than us. The majority of tiles are made from recycled and much cheaper plastics such as Polypropylene that you mentioned above. Polypropylene and Copolymers are used to make water bottles and food containers, no comparison to PVC. Although they may look similar to our tiles they are not nearly as strong, as flexible or as durable. Compare the weight of each tile and the guarantees! Each Armor Tile is a 1/4"(6.5mm) thick solid virgin PVC, weighs 5.5lbs and are the only ones guaranteed for life! Ask yourself if those other tiles are so great why do they carry only a 5 or 10 year warranty? If you're going to spend the money don't you want a floor that will never wear out?

Look at the wear surface not the total thickness of the tile. Hollowed core tiles give you only a 1/16" of wear surface! Our 100% SOLID PVC construction keeps our tiles looking new while other cheaper materials are easily damaged and worn out leaving you with an unsightly floor for a long time. Armor Tiles are priced per the sq ft. Each tile is 2.9 sq ft. Please add 5% to the sq footage of your floor for cutting waste and enter that square footage total into the Qty box.

Q. I've read that interlocking tiles are noisy, is this true?

A. It is true for hollow cored peg & loop type tiles. They make a cheap hollow click clacking noise as you walk over them and when you drive your car over them they make a continuous click clack noise that sounds like a rattle, which you may have seen referred to as Tile Rattle. This is from the pegs and loops popping in and out of each other. You can purchase hollow cored peg & loop tiles with rubber plugs and grommets to deaden the sound but then you end up with inferior tiles that cost much more than our higher quality tiles.

Q.You state your tiles are water tight, how's that?
A. Unlike other tiles that use Peg & loop connectors that frequently break during installation and have large amounts of play in them, we use close tolerance interlocking teeth that form a very tight seam. The other problems with Peg & Loop tiles is that they have a tendency to shift out of place after a while and the seams tend to accumulate dirt and grime that form ugly grout lines. We know because we have tried to sell a less expensive line of tile and have tried many Peg & Loop style tiles and none have measured up to our standards.

Q. What floor preparation do I need to do and what is the best way to install?
A. No preparation is really needed, just sweep the floor clean and remove any lumps of concrete or other materials. The tiles are flexible enough to follow the contour of your floor. We suggest you start from the center front row and work your way back. You will have cut tiles at the back wall and the side walls. If cut tiles at side walls are very thin you can start with a full tile at one side and have one cut tile on the other side. We also recommend you cut the locking tabs off the front edge of tiles where you will install the ramp edging. Use any good floor tile adhesive to lock in the ramp edging. Use a rubber mallet to knock the tiles together.

Q. How hard is it to remove a tile.
A. Tile removal is as easy as installing the tiles. Just pop the tile out. You can also drill a small hole in the tile to aid in prying the tile up without damaging the adjacent tiles. If you move you can easily take your floor with you. Armor Tiles are often used as temporary flooring over fine finished flooring such as hard woods, granite and marble.

Q. I'm worried about corrosive road salts getting underneath the tiles and ruining the concrete floor.
A. This is not an issue with Armor Tiles. They have 100% water tight seams unlike most other popular brands. They are also 100% impervious to road salts, any type of vehicle fluids and just about any other chemical. They really are just about indestructible.

Q. My floor is uneven, is that a problem?
A. No, Armor Tile are flexible enough to conform to the contours of your floor without having voids underneath that are future failure points like copolymer and polypropylene tiles that are brittle and stiff.

Q. How long will it take me to install Armor Tile in my two car garage and do I need to glue them down or prep the floor?
A. A two car garage should be able to be installed in couple of hours. No adhesive is needed nor is any special prepping. Adhesive is used only when fork lift traffic will be on the floor making sharp turns and sudden starts and stops. We suggest you simply sweep the floor clean. The beauty of Armor Tile is that it covers all your floor's blemishes and will last a lifetime.

Q. Can ArmorGarage help me with laying out my floor.
A. Yes. Email or fax us a sketch with dimensions of your floor. We'll email or fax you back a list of the products and a description of what you'll need. You can fine tune it as you desire, if necessary.

Q Can I use Armor Tile in my shop or commercial garage.
A. Yes. With a roll over capacity of 60,000 lbs per tile you can park any vehicle you want on it and put most contractor equipment on it. We don't recommend placing industrial machinery such as a 50 ton hydraulic press or 100 ton stamping machines on them, tiles should be installed around this type of machinery.

Q. How do you clean Armor Tile.
A. Mild soap and water is all that's needed. Armor Tile are stain resistant so they clean very easily. A sponge squeegee works great on them also.

Q. Do I glue down the first row of tile.
A. Not necessary but not a bad idea. A little liquid nails under the ramp edging is fine.

Q. Do I need to leave an expansion joint. If so how do I seal that joint?
A. All materials expand and contract. Armor Tile's PVC construction expand and contracts less than tiles made of copolymers and such other materials. If you install the tiles in the summer you can install them tight to the wall and they will contract about an 1/8" in the winter time. If you install in the winter time leave the 1/8" gap for expansion come summer. If you install them in a year round conditioned area then no expansion or contraction will occur.

You can seal the joint along the walls with any type of flexible caulking.

Q. What's the best way to cut Armor Tile.
A. Any type of power saw will work fine. Circular saw, table saw, jig saw or sawzall. Armor Tiles cut quickly and smoothly with regular wood cutting blades.

Q. Can I use Armor Tile in my production plant.
A. Yes but we strongly suggest you order the Flat style Tiles. They offer a smooth surface for steel wheeled carts, bins, dollies and other production vehicle traffic.