Mile High Coatings Podcast

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

• David Nanninga • Episode 11

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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

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to the Mile High Coatings Podcast, where we elevate your spaces to a new peak in quality. Hosted by David Naniga, president of Mile High Coatings, this podcast explores how expert residential painting, concrete coatings, and epoxy flooring can transform garages, basements, patios, and commercial spaces across Colorado's front range. So grab your favorite beverage, sit back, and dive into the world of high-quality coatings.

SPEAKER_02:

Before you commit to that new floor, listen in. David shares the most common pitfalls people make and how to avoid them. Welcome back, everyone. I am William, co-host and producer back in the studio, David Managa, president of Mile High Coatings. How are you, David?

SPEAKER_01:

Good. How are you?

SPEAKER_02:

Awesome. Let's jump into this. What are some common mistakes people make when selecting a floor and a fan?

SPEAKER_01:

It's kind of a loaded question. I think that, well, depending on the space, of course. I think that if we're talking about a garage floor, I think probably a DO DIY type of floor, maybe people thinking that that they're maybe more capable than they really are, or that it's or that it's just easier than than it really is. Or they think that they can just buy a kit from the store and go home and it's gonna be and it's gonna be great and it's gonna last a long time. We redo a lot of DIY floors and garages, especially. Another thing that I've seen over the years is on patios, you know, or balconies, I guess you could say. And that can be risky because concrete moves, because the ground underneath the concrete slab moves. And so if you've got movement of the slab with tile, um obviously tiles is uh you know, there's grout in between tile, and if if you get that movement, either the tile can crack, the grout can crack, and so it kind of creates creates issues with with maintenance and cracked tiles, potentially. Another thing I don't see it as often anymore, but outdoor carpet. I I've I've seen on you know maybe maybe semi-enclosed types of spaces, maybe a four-season room.

SPEAKER_02:

Screening porches, maybe.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah, a screening porch. Um, but but I've also seen it on just straight up outdoor exposed, you know, patios, and and man, it just I mean, usually by the time I see it, it's it's in pretty rough shape and it's pretty ugly and it's hard to do. You can never be good, carpet outside. So many reasons. You know, indoors, I I think that you know, maybe and again, I think newer homes, I think you you you don't see this as much, but certainly older homes, you know, homes that were you as soon as you step in the the door, there is you know, you're just walking on carpet. That's not not obviously appealing if you know you're coming from out outdoors and it's wet or your you know, shoes maybe are dirty or whatever. And so that's maybe not and it's just the highest traffic area potentially of the home is is right right in that that entryway. And so uh obviously that's not gonna wear well. So yeah, I think those you know, maybe are some examples. Uh another garage example that I've seen is interlocking tiles. Um, they they look cool, you know. You see them online and that you can do all kinds of patterns, checkerboards, and and and designs and and and sort of geometric shapes and all this stuff, but they there's definitely some some potential issues with those if you don't get the right you know the right kind. You know, they can trap moisture, um, they can they can break, they're just not as easy to clean as as you would think.

SPEAKER_02:

So yeah, that trapping moisture can be really, really bad because the mold creates uh all types of issues of its own, and it makes it again, like we talked about in the last episode, makes it really hard for you to sell your house and other people associate it with, you know, mold and things like that. So, what's the most overlooked factor when choosing a floor type flooring type?

SPEAKER_01:

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 know, you gotta have it, you know, resealed, maintained. Carpet, you gotta have it, you know, you're supposed to have it cleaned every you know six months, what once a year, whatever it is. Um, you know, and and it's not necessarily always that, you know, they say carpet is your biggest air filter too. It's you know, it can be it can trap a lot of stuff, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and so you know, polish less the carpet and more the sponge underneath. I think the carpet gets a bad wrap. It's that sponge, but go ahead.

SPEAKER_01:

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, whether it's polished concrete or or you know, sealed concrete, you know, we do a dye and seal, we do other other types of of finished concrete, you know, that last a long time. And it's very economical, you know, even compared to I mean it was certainly compared to hardwood, it's way way less than than hardwood, than tile. Pretty on par with I'd say average carpet, you know, I mean carpet can range quite a bit. I mean, you can get some really cheap carpet, um, and you can get some fairly expensive carpet. But yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take you off track. But does but do you think budget plays a role in making the wrong choices?

SPEAKER_01:

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 we do, you know, we do house painting and and things, and so you know, we, you know, there's you know, you have investment properties, people are, you know, maybe you know, redoing, you know, you know, tenant moves out and redoing the carpet, and you know, they're redoing the the painting and the floors and and and whatever, cleaning it, cleaning it up for the next tenant. And so so I so I see that, you know, obviously uh, you know, when it comes to, you know, they're just replacing with the cheapest carpet because they just assume that it's gonna you know get ruined again. And you know, scenarios where where you know there are there are places in Colorado where you know you have maybe a bottom floor uh you know of a home or duplex or multifamily type of thing is is concrete. And instead of putting carpet over that, you know, you could you could finish the concrete and you know, and then you know, you can have you know area rugs or or whatever to sort of you know build out the decor aspect of it. And so so from a sort of budget investment perspective, it you know, having sealed concrete, you know, finished concrete can be a wise long-term investment that's gonna be pretty low maintenance.

SPEAKER_02:

That's a great idea. Yeah. Can you walk us through a scenario where a client regretted their flooring decision? Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

It happens a lot in basements because and usually it revolves around water issues. So, I mean, there's been over the years just many, many projects that we've had where you know we go in and it's finished basement, you know, there's a bedroom down there, you know, they had they and they had a flood, water issue, whether it's from outside, water heater broke, whatever the scenario is, and they're like, this is the second or the third time this has happened, and we're just sick of having carpet down here. I mean the carpet floods, and it's pretty much like once that happens, you gotta you gotta tear it out, you gotta replace it. And so I I've seen that multiple times when people are on their their second or third round of carpet or laminate or or whatever, you know, all these all these other types of flooring are affected negatively by by water issues. Whereas, you know, polished or stained concrete, you know, you essentially can just mop it up. You know, if you have a water heater link, it's you know it's obviously gonna flood all over the place, might ruin some baseboard, but your floor is gonna be fine. And so that's probably the scenario that I've encountered the most over the years.

SPEAKER_02:

Makes sense. What's your top tip for ensuring people make the right flooring choice the first time?

SPEAKER_01:

I'd say, you know, consider what's your lifestyle or your your goals might be, you know, in the next, you know, three to five years or so, meaning, you know, you may be maybe a young young couple without you know kids or a pet. You know, if you're considering getting a pet, that's you know something very valid to consider for flooring, because you know, animals can can tear up all kinds of things, including floors. And so that that could be certainly something to to consider. Maybe that's the the the best the best thing is just kind of consider you know what what your household or living situation might be like in three to five years, and you know, maybe plan accordingly.

SPEAKER_02:

Look to the future. Thanks again, David. Always a pleasure learning from you. Catch you next time on the Mile High Coatings Podcast.

SPEAKER_01:

Sounds good.

SPEAKER_00:

Thanks for tuning in to the Mile High Coatings Podcast. Ready to give your space a fresh, durable finish? Visit MileHighCodings.com for a free price quote or call 970-314-1023. At Mile High Coatings, we're not just painting walls. We're setting a new peak in quality. Until next time, keep your standards high and your coatings higher.