Posts Tagged ‘Garages’
Garage Floor Cover – A Good Investment Or A Waste Of Money?
Are you considering garage floor cover options for peace of mind? Some people are very meticulous with their garages. There are individuals who would like nothing less than perfection for their garage. This is especially true for car lovers, hobbyists, and everybody else who spends most of their time inside the garage. Other people believe that their garage should be as attractive as the car that’s housed in there. But however you use your garage, there is one way to make it look good and valuable – through your right choice of a garage floor cover.
In reality, the garage is just an open space. Some may build it with four walls. But without your car inside, it may look incomplete and bare. Now when an attractive garage floor cover is place over the entire area, it becomes more appealing and useful even.
By choosing the perfect floor covering, your garage can transform into a hobby center, game room, or a party reception area even. It surely is nice to have a very versatile garage.
As far as a garage floor cover is concerned, homeowners have several options. Covers are usually associated with mats. And a good number of consumers settle for floor mats simply because it is the easiest one to install. Floor mats are good to go after laying them on the floor.
They are not like floor paints, which require strict preparation and long drying time. And compared to floor tiles, garage mats are the much cheaper option.
Installing a garage floor mat requires an hour’s worth of your time at most. These mats are sold in rolls. To know how much you need, measure your garage’s floor area from each of the corners. Then go to the store to choose the design you liked best.
Garage floor covers come in many textures – coin pattern, ribbed, diamond, Levant, and clear. Choose according to the actual use of your garage. The ribbed texture is ideal for game room garage because this type of garage got loads of traffic. The friction-free design that these floor mats have is perfect for moving players.
The diamond texture is made for garages used primarily for storing vehicles. The garage mats with coin pattern is perfect for people who use the garage for hobbies such as carpentry. For other garage uses, either the Levant or the clear pattern should work.
If you’re into buying the right garage floor cover anytime soon, take a look at these options. Check out the stocks of the hardware store or the builder’s center. Choose the floor mat right for your garage. What’s more, there’s no need to hire a professional to install them. Just sweep your garage floor. They lay over the new floor mat. It should be ready for use right then.
How To Pick The Best Garage Door
If you want to maximize the value of your home, you’ll find garage doors are an easy and affordable method to increase your home’s curb appeal. A good garage door will distinguish it from the rest of the neighborhood. For something extra special, custom made garage doors can be designed to your specifications.
The most common types of garage doors are: Retractable, Canopy Side, and Hinged Sectional Retractable. Where limited space in your driveway is an issue, sectional garage doors are the right choice. They open and shut vertically, allowing cars to park very close to the door without keeping it from opening. Among the wide variety of designs, the most popular garage doors are sectional, upward acting, and self storing.
The Types of Garage Doors
Gone are the old manual doors. Today you’ll find that remote controlled and motorized garage doors have produced a more usable garage. The most popular style is the overhead garage door.
The primary concern in planning your garage door is the material used. Selecting the best garage door materials for your needs will depend on a few things like the style of your home, and how warm you want your garage to be. There are 3 main materials for garage door construction: Wood, Steel and Fiberglass (GRP).
When you’re planning to install a garage door, you must consider door type and materials. You can also incorporate into your plan such things as heated garages or unique window options.
The Most Popular Style is the Overhead Garage Door
Overhead garage doors are by far the most popular type of garage door available to homeowners. With automatic stop and begin features, people find overhead garage doors easy to use, with wonderful options and safety features.
Overhead garage doors work with a rolling system. The door rolls up and stores along the roof of the garage. Overhead door features to look for are that they are smooth, quiet and compact. Installing an overhead garage door is simple; do it yourself, or get help from the manufacturer. Popular garage door manufacturers include Garaga, Liftmaster, Raynor or DBCI.
The Appeal of Wood
Wood garage doors are preferred more for their appearance and affordability than for their durability.
You can select wood types like solid cedar for a durable garage door, which will last for years and look wonderful. Sections of roll-up wood doors may have either panel or flush construction. For panel doors, manufacturers fit several separate, rectangular panels into a wooden frame. Flush sections are made by fastening a plywood panel on top of a wooden frame.
The main disadvantage to a wooden garage door is that wood expands and contracts and can warp or crack as it weathers. It demands re-painting or refinishing every couple of years to keep it looking good and in top condition.
Steel Garage Doors Have Many Advantages
The main advantage to steel garage doors is that they won’t warp, crack, or fall apart because of weather. With no painting or refinishing requirements, steel doors are a low maintenance possibility that will keep your home looking stylish. Nowadays most steel garage doors are made of hot-dipped galvanized steel that is vinyl clad or given a baked on polyester finish. They will not rust or require repainting like wooden doors.
Another important advantage of steel garage doors is that they achieve the look of wood without the maintenance. Some have grained steel skins that can be stained to look just like wood. A design mimicking carriage house doors has become quite popular for nearly a decade. Some manufacturers use composite or vinyl boards on the exterior of a steel door to make it look like an outward swinging door.
The only disadvantage to steel doors is that they dent and can be difficult to repair. A premium door is often 2 inches thick, filled with insulation, and clad in 24-gauge steel. Less-expensive doors are usually thinner and made of 28 gauge steel. So steel offers real benefits over wood; it costs less and it needs much less maintenance and with can look just like wood.
The Assets of Fiberglass
Fiberglass, sometimes called GRP, garage doors are chosen for locations where light is important or in salty ocean climates. GRP garage doors need only mild exterior cleaning to retain their quality finish. They generally they do not need to be stained or finished. The most popular style for a GRP garage door is the retractable garage door. Fiberglass is a tough and durable material which will keep looking good for years.
Conclusions
Each of garage door material has its own benefits: Steel up and over doors are sturdy and give great value for money; wood doors are insulated and have an appealing look, and fiberglass up and over garage doors are extremely low maintenance offering a timber effect without the maintenance of real wood. Which ever you pick you’ll be sure that it will elevate the curb appeal and the value of your home, and increase your feeling of security.
Is Garage Floor Paint Worth The Investment?
Garage floors are usually overlooked when remodeling the home. Some houses look really beautiful from the outside but on the inside, the floor looks neglected for years. Keep in mind that a lot of garages suffer the worst conditions because they are the most exposed to the weather. The tires of your car even add up to the torture it faces each and every day. This is where floor paint comes in. It is not merely used for decorative purposes. It also works to protect your surface from normal wear and tear.
Garage floor paints are composed of epoxy resin-based solutions. Armor Proxy and Original Color Chips are popular examples. These paints can resist oils and other chemicals that can damage concrete floors. But more than that, it adds a whole new look to your garage. It can make the extra room look twice as attractive than before.
Epoxy floor paints come in a range of colors. It is easily available from hardware shops and do-it-yourself stores. Other solutions can be added to it too, to add more luster, grip, or durability to the paint. You need to apply it on the floor of your garage for the simple reason that bare concrete doesn’t last long enough. In time, it would crack, get stained, and become very hard to clean. Use floor paint to lengthen its lifespan.
However, epoxy resin-based floor paints can’t be used on floors that were sealed. You have to determine first if there’s some sort of a sealant applied on your garage floor. A good test will be to use some water. Pour a glass of water on one part of the concrete floor and see if it will be absorbed by the concrete after a few minutes. If the water stays on top, then it probably is treated with a sealant and epoxy paints can’t be used to cover it.
If you would like to preserve the beauty of your garage and keep your home’s worth at maximum, simple add-ons such as floor paint and other flooring ideas are definitely worth the investment. Your garage floor needs protection too. Whenever you remodel your house, don’t overlook the extra room in the house. It is part of your house too. And if it isn’t maintained as much as the rest of the parts of your house are, it can pull down the market value of your house unnecessarily.