Flooring Choices, Fewer Regrets: Smart Picks for Garages, Patios, and Basements

What Are Some Common Mistakes People Make When Selecting A Flooring Option?

Think your floor choice is just about looks and price? We dig into the decisions that actually determine whether your space stays beautiful, clean, and resilient—or becomes a cycle of repairs and redos. From DIY garage kits that peel under hot tires to patio tiles that crack when slabs shift, we unpack the hidden risks and the smarter alternatives that stand up to Colorado weather and daily life.

We share why moisture is the silent deal-breaker in basements and garages, how interlocking tiles can trap mold, and why entryway carpet ages faster than any other surface in your home. You’ll hear real stories from flood-prone basements where carpet and laminate failed, and how polished or sealed concrete turned maintenance nightmares into quick mop-and-done cleanups. We compare lifetime cost against sticker price, explain where prep makes or breaks a coating, and outline practical choices for rentals, high-traffic homes, and anyone who wants fewer regrets and cleaner air.

If you’re choosing floors for a garage, patio, basement, or entry—and especially if you’re considering pets, kids, or rental turnovers—this conversation gives you a clear framework: prioritize moisture tolerance, surface prep, and long-term performance over hype. We talk finishes that flex with concrete, coatings that resist UV, salts, and chemicals, and simple ways to get design without sacrificing durability. Subscribe for more practical renovation insight, share this with a friend planning a project, and leave a quick review to let us know which flooring choice you’re weighing next.

To learn more about Mile High Coatings visit:
https://www.MileHighCoatings.com
Mile High Coatings
970-314-1023

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:03):
Welcome to the Mile High Coatings Podcast, where we
elevate your spaces to a newpeak in quality.
Hosted by David Naniga,president of Mile High Coatings,
this podcast explores how expertresidential painting, concrete
coatings, and epoxy flooring cantransform garages, basements,
patios, and commercial spacesacross Colorado's front range.

(00:26):
So grab your favorite beverage,sit back, and dive into the
world of high-quality coatings.

SPEAKER_02 (00:39):
Before you commit to that new floor, listen in.
David shares the most commonpitfalls people make and how to
avoid them.
Welcome back, everyone.
I am William, co-host andproducer back in the studio,
David Managa, president of MileHigh Coatings.
How are you, David?

SPEAKER_01 (00:52):
Good.
How are you?

SPEAKER_02 (00:54):
Awesome.
Let's jump into this.
What are some common mistakespeople make when selecting a
floor and a fan?

SPEAKER_01 (01:01):
It's kind of a loaded question.
I think that, well, depending onthe space, of course.
I think that if we're talkingabout a garage floor, I think
probably a DO DIY type of floor,maybe people thinking that that
they're maybe more capable thanthey really are, or that it's or

(01:23):
that it's just easier than thanit really is.
Or they think that they can justbuy a kit from the store and go
home and it's gonna be and it'sgonna be great and it's gonna
last a long time.
We redo a lot of DIY floors andgarages, especially.
Another thing that I've seenover the years is on patios, you

(01:46):
know, or balconies, I guess youcould say.
And that can be risky becauseconcrete moves, because the
ground underneath the concreteslab moves.
And so if you've got movement ofthe slab with tile, um obviously

(02:11):
tiles is uh you know, there'sgrout in between tile, and if if
you get that movement, eitherthe tile can crack, the grout
can crack, and so it kind ofcreates creates issues with with
maintenance and cracked tiles,potentially.
Another thing I don't see it asoften anymore, but outdoor
carpet.
I I've I've seen on you knowmaybe maybe semi-enclosed types

(02:36):
of spaces, maybe a four-seasonroom.

SPEAKER_02 (02:38):
Screening porches, maybe.

SPEAKER_01 (02:40):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Yeah, a screening porch.
Um, but but I've also seen it onjust straight up outdoor
exposed, you know, patios, andand man, it just I mean, usually
by the time I see it, it's it'sin pretty rough shape and it's
pretty ugly and it's hard to do.
You can never be good, carpetoutside.
So many reasons.
You know, indoors, I I thinkthat you know, maybe and again,

(03:05):
I think newer homes, I think youyou you don't see this as much,
but certainly older homes, youknow, homes that were you as
soon as you step in the thedoor, there is you know, you're
just walking on carpet.
That's not not obviouslyappealing if you know you're
coming from out outdoors andit's wet or your you know, shoes
maybe are dirty or whatever.
And so that's maybe not and it'sjust the highest traffic area

(03:28):
potentially of the home is isright right in that that
entryway.
And so uh obviously that's notgonna wear well.
So yeah, I think those you know,maybe are some examples.
Uh another garage example thatI've seen is interlocking tiles.
Um, they they look cool, youknow.

(03:50):
You see them online and that youcan do all kinds of patterns,
checkerboards, and and anddesigns and and and sort of
geometric shapes and all thisstuff, but they there's
definitely some some potentialissues with those if you don't
get the right you know the rightkind.
You know, they can trapmoisture, um, they can they can

(04:13):
break, they're just not as easyto clean as as you would think.

SPEAKER_02 (04:18):
So yeah, that trapping moisture can be really,
really bad because the moldcreates uh all types of issues
of its own, and it makes itagain, like we talked about in
the last episode, makes itreally hard for you to sell your
house and other people associateit with, you know, mold and
things like that.
So, what's the most overlookedfactor when choosing a floor
type flooring type?

SPEAKER_01 (04:41):
Overlooked factor, I think maybe maybe long, maybe
long-term performance, I guess,or maybe long-term sort of
dollar or cost per square foot.
You know, example, you know,hardwood over over time, you

(05:04):
know, you gotta have it, youknow, resealed, maintained.
Carpet, you gotta have it, youknow, you're supposed to have it
cleaned every you know sixmonths, what once a year,
whatever it is.
Um, you know, and and it's notnecessarily always that, you
know, they say carpet is yourbiggest air filter too.
It's you know, it can be it cantrap a lot of stuff, you know.

SPEAKER_02 (05:22):
Yeah, and so you know, polish less the carpet and
more the sponge underneath.
I think the carpet gets a badwrap.
It's that sponge, but go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 (05:31):
Oh, yeah, no, it's the mat, but but either way,
it's still there.
Either way, it's there, yeah.
Um, I think, you know, whetherit's polished concrete or or you
know, sealed concrete, you know,we do a dye and seal, we do
other other types of of finishedconcrete, you know, that last a
long time.
And it's very economical, youknow, even compared to I mean it

(05:55):
was certainly compared tohardwood, it's way way less than
than hardwood, than tile.
Pretty on par with I'd sayaverage carpet, you know, I mean
carpet can range quite a bit.
I mean, you can get some reallycheap carpet, um, and you can
get some fairly expensivecarpet.
But yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (06:11):
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take you off track.
But does but do you think budgetplays a role in making the wrong
choices?

SPEAKER_01 (06:19):
Oh, for sure.
Oh yeah.
I I think, you know, especially,you know, when you when you look
at um, you know, you know, we wedo, you know, we do house
painting and and things, and soyou know, we, you know, there's
you know, you have investmentproperties, people are, you
know, maybe you know, redoing,you know, you know, tenant moves
out and redoing the carpet, andyou know, they're redoing the

(06:40):
the painting and the floors andand and whatever, cleaning it,
cleaning it up for the nexttenant.
And so so I so I see that, youknow, obviously uh, you know,
when it comes to, you know,they're just replacing with the
cheapest carpet because theyjust assume that it's gonna you
know get ruined again.
And you know, scenarios wherewhere you know there are there
are places in Colorado where youknow you have maybe a bottom

(07:03):
floor uh you know of a home orduplex or multifamily type of
thing is is concrete.
And instead of putting carpetover that, you know, you could
you could finish the concreteand you know, and then you know,
you can have you know area rugsor or whatever to sort of you
know build out the decor aspectof it.

(07:24):
And so so from a sort of budgetinvestment perspective, it you
know, having sealed concrete,you know, finished concrete can
be a wise long-term investmentthat's gonna be pretty low
maintenance.

SPEAKER_02 (07:36):
That's a great idea.
Yeah.
Can you walk us through ascenario where a client
regretted their flooringdecision?
Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (07:47):
It happens a lot in basements because and usually it
revolves around water issues.
So, I mean, there's been overthe years just many, many
projects that we've had whereyou know we go in and it's
finished basement, you know,there's a bedroom down there,
you know, they had they and theyhad a flood, water issue,
whether it's from outside, waterheater broke, whatever the

(08:08):
scenario is, and they're like,this is the second or the third
time this has happened, andwe're just sick of having carpet
down here.
I mean the carpet floods, andit's pretty much like once that
happens, you gotta you gottatear it out, you gotta replace
it.
And so I I've seen that multipletimes when people are on their
their second or third round ofcarpet or laminate or or

(08:31):
whatever, you know, all theseall these other types of
flooring are affected negativelyby by water issues.
Whereas, you know, polished orstained concrete, you know, you
essentially can just mop it up.
You know, if you have a waterheater link, it's you know it's
obviously gonna flood all overthe place, might ruin some
baseboard, but your floor isgonna be fine.

(08:52):
And so that's probably thescenario that I've encountered
the most over the years.

SPEAKER_02 (08:58):
Makes sense.
What's your top tip for ensuringpeople make the right flooring
choice the first time?

SPEAKER_01 (09:04):
I'd say, you know, consider what's your lifestyle
or your your goals might be, youknow, in the next, you know,
three to five years or so,meaning, you know, you may be
maybe a young young couplewithout you know kids or a pet.

(09:25):
You know, if you're consideringgetting a pet, that's you know
something very valid to considerfor flooring, because you know,
animals can can tear up allkinds of things, including
floors.
And so that that could becertainly something to to
consider.
Maybe that's the the the bestthe best thing is just kind of
consider you know what what yourhousehold or living situation

(09:48):
might be like in three to fiveyears, and you know, maybe plan
accordingly.

SPEAKER_02 (09:53):
Look to the future.
Thanks again, David.
Always a pleasure learning fromyou.
Catch you next time on the MileHigh Coatings Podcast.

SPEAKER_01 (10:01):
Sounds good.

SPEAKER_00 (10:06):
Thanks for tuning in to the Mile High Coatings
Podcast.
Ready to give your space afresh, durable finish?
Visit MileHighCodings.com for afree price quote or call
970-314-1023.
At Mile High Coatings, we're notjust painting walls.
We're setting a new peak inquality.

(10:27):
Until next time, keep yourstandards high and your coatings
higher.