Haha, horse stall mats—never would've thought of that, but makes sense. I tried those recycled mats too, and yeah, winter turned them into brittle crackers. Ended up using old conveyor belt material from a local factory. Heavy, awkward, and smelled weird at first...but it's been bulletproof so far. Curious if anyone's found other random industrial materials that turned out perfect for garage flooring?
Conveyor belt material is clever—I hadn't thought of that. Did you notice any issues with moisture buildup underneath? Asking because I once repurposed some thick rubber liners from an old industrial cooling tower. Super durable and insulated well, but trapped moisture became an issue after a few months. Had to drill drainage holes eventually... still worked though, just extra work. Sounds like your conveyor belts might breathe better?
"Super durable and insulated well, but trapped moisture became an issue after a few months."
Yeah, moisture buildup can definitely sneak up on you. I've used conveyor belt material before—it's pretty breathable compared to thick rubber liners. Didn't have any major issues with moisture underneath, just occasional dampness after heavy rain. A slight slope or subtle drainage grooves usually did the trick for me. Sounds like your cooling tower liners were solid though... just needed a bit of tweaking. Good thinking with the drainage holes!
I've actually found that drainage holes can sometimes make things worse, depending on your setup. If they're not positioned just right, dirt and debris tend to clog them up pretty quickly, and then you're back to square one. Instead, I've had better luck layering materials—like putting a breathable fabric or geotextile underneath the liner. It lets moisture escape without letting water pool up. Might be worth trying if the holes don't solve it completely...
I've run into the same issue with drainage holes myself. I once did a rooftop garden design for a client who insisted on holes drilled everywhere—ended up clogging within weeks and turned into a muddy mess. After some trial and error (and a few ruined shoes...), we switched to a layered setup with geotextile fabric, gravel, and then the soil. Worked like a charm ever since. Sometimes simpler really is better.
