Genuine Hotrod Hardware Flooring

Posted on November 27, 2014 by Jefferson Bryant in Racing, Tech // 0 Comments

Since hot rodders like to customize just about every aspect of their life, the garage is certainly no different. Genuine Hotrod Hardware understands this, which is why they offer the Harley Davidison interlocking tile floor system from Race Deck. This system allows for easy layout in any pattern you choose using the 12”x12” tiles. During the build of the Red Dirt Rodz Studio, we looked to Genuine Hotrod Hardware to create a unique look that will last forever. Mission accomplished.

Each kit includes 36 tiles along with the edges and corner trim pieces to build a 4-foot by 8-foot section. One kit is perfect for showcasing your motorcycle, but there is potential for so much more. Because the tiles are universal with in the Race Deck system, they can be coupled with other kits for larger areas. We ordered 8 kits for our studio, leaving us with a 14-foot by 18 foot area. Using a combination of alloy (think satin aluminum) and classic Harley Orange and Black, we created a unique design that looks as good on camera as it does in person. This is not all about looks, the tiles are extremely durable, each tile can support 25,000 psi of rolling stress and 250 psi for standing loads, which means that it can support even a lift directly on top of the tile itself. Because the tiles are made of a high-impact polypropylene copolymer, it will not fade, discolor or stain from oil, fuel or sunlight. It will protect your concrete floor from impacts and stains, plus provide you the ability to customize the look of your garage or shop.

We spent a couple of hours designing our tiles using the Race Deck layout tool on their website. This tool is a valuable resource for complex designs, such as how many tiles of each color you need. The Harley Davidson kits come in 3 versions- Alloy, Black and Alloy, and Orange and Black. Each tile is molded with the Harley crest as the grip pattern, which adds even more style.

The installation process is simple. The tiles have male tabs on 2 sides and female tabs on the other. Lay each tile together with the male tabs on top and tap them with a mallet. If you are only putting together a few tiles, you can use your hand to smack them, but a mallet is much easier on your hands. There is a specific procedure for the installation; one you should pay attention to- always start with the smooth side out, and the female loops to the inside. This will make the installation so much easier. The corners and edges are little tricky at first, mainly because there are 2 pieces- the beveled edges and the beveled corner, but each corner is the same direction, there are not two corners that go together. Each corner consists of one corner and one edge together. We started with the main tiles first and added the edging after. This helps maintain the positioning of the tiles on the floor and the narrow edges tend to curve, making it more difficult to keep things in line. If you make a mistake in your pattern or if you just want to move the tiles, they disassemble just as easy. We popped ours apart by hand, but a putty knife will release the locks without risk of damaging them.

Maintaining the tiles is very simple- broom up dirt and debris for general cleaning. Oil and fuel spills can be mopped up without worrying about stains or damage. The entire assembly process took about 2 hours for the 8 boxes of tiles we used. Once in position, they don’t shift or move, even when driving a vehicle on them. The tiles really brighten up the studio and add a nice bit of color to an otherwise neutral facility.

1. The process begins with setting up the corners. If you are covering the entire floor, you can start with the tiles pulled away from the walls a couple of feet and then move them to the walls after the L has been formed. We are setting our tiles about 3.5 feet away from the walls.

2. The female loops should be positioned to the inside of the flooring, with the smooth (male side) out.

3. The male tabs lay on top of the loops and simply pop into position.

4. With the outer L-shaped border, we moved to the inner section. The outer L covers the overall length and width of the entire floor section. Do not complete the ring; the tiles are placed from the center of the L outward.

5. When working with 2 sides of the tiles, we found it easiest to set the outer two locks (one of each side) before setting the rest of the locks. This pulls the tile into the corner, rather than away from it.

6. If you are working with a large area, a rubber mallet will save your hands the pain of smacking the hard plastic.

7. The corners are little tricky as the box does not come with any instructions. The corner section (the one on the right with the rounded edge) connects to a standard straight edge, forming the corner. There are male and female edges and corner sections.

8. We installed the first edges and corners after placing the tiles 3 deep in the L. If you do the edges first, setting the tiles will be slightly more difficult at first as the edges will snake around.

9. Our pattern went Orange outer ring, Alloy for 2 rings, Orange inner corners with a Black ring, another Alloy ring, and then a Center section.

10. If you mess up your pattern, you will have to start over. Notice how we missed 2 rows of Alloy here. Oh well, the tiles are easy to remove.

11. By peeling up the tiles, the locks release easily enough. Race Deck says that a putty knife will release the locks without risking breaking or stressing them.