Garage floor protection?

[Eric]

I am moving into a new (for me) house this weekend with a--get this--virgin garage (meaning there is no oil or grease or like spillage on the cement floor. Is there anything anyone would recommend to put on the floor (such as a mat or linoleum, etc.) initially so I can keep the pristine floor exactly that: pristine? (cheap solutions are more appreciated.) And are there recommendations as to how I can get oil which has leaked onto the floor of my OLD garage off/out of the floor? Thanks for all your suggestions.

[Ascaris]

The garage floor paint is great and really a class solution.

Personally I use corrugated cardboard from old refrigerator boxes. It is free, easily replaced, and gives a little cush and insulation when you are crawling around under there.

Kevin

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

You could also use one of those tin drip pans from your FLAPS. I got mine at the Pep Boys just around the corner for pretty cheap.

I actually only use mine for oil changes (since I tend to drop oily drain plugs and so forth; it makes cleanup a lot easier). You could either go through the trouble of putting it down and picking it up every time you park or leave, or you could just be careful when you pull into or out of the garage and leave it down the whole time.

Cardboard is probably better for leaving down the whole time, though, since you don't really care if you drive over part of it.

--DD

[Paul]

I just put down some cheap used extra thin office carpet. It is ok if you aren't leaking a bunch of oil or anything and its nice to sit on when doing work on the 914.

-Paul

[Eric]

Thanks for all your advice. I will probably go with cardboard until I save enough of my pennies to put down the paint (sounded pretty damn nice from the description). I guess I now need to look into showroom lights...

[Brister]

Hello Eric. I just got onto the bbs so I'm catching up on past messages.. the carpet suggestion was very good. I used old rugs and carpet in my last house and in my present house. It's mighty comfy when you have to crawl under the car and it helps catch the oil drippings.. my other car is a Healey and British cars wouldn't be British without the drips. To soak up the oil from the carpet and from concrete, liberally cover the spot with kitty litter. It's basically the same as the oil absorbing products found in auto parts stores and much more economical. I had a huge spot in my previous drive from a real leaker of a car. After a month or so of kitty litter pulling out the oil the area became whiter than the rest of the concrete.

[Eric]

The funny part about this question is I have been very busy so I did nothing to the floor, and discovered that my 914 has an oil leak! (over a 2-3 month period). So the kitty litter suggestion will come in handy when I finally get around to the garage floor paint.