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3 Garage Flooring Ideas to Inspire Your Next Remodel

With property values skyrocketing across the country, homeowners are looking to get the absolute maximum value out of their homes. Many are upgrading their garage flooring to add additional usable space to their homes. Garages can be transformed from merely a place to store your car to game rooms and entertainment spaces or even home offices.

Something to keep in mind about garage remodels is that not all changes will add value to your home and some may even diminish it. If you live in an area where there is plenty of on-street parking or you have another structure available to house a car, then a garage remodel is likely to add value. If parking is prime, however, the lack of a useable garage space may decrease your home’s value. For this reason, it is wise to cover the floor of your garage in such a way that it can still be used as a garage by future residents, but can also be used as additional square footage for entertainment or business use if that’s what you want to do with it.

For this reason, hardwood flooring is not generally a good option for a garage. Not only will the higher moisture levels in most garages ruin the wood and the finish, but it also makes a terrible surface for inevitable fluid leaks and spills that come from most cars. To get the most bang for your buck in a garage to remodel, here are some other great flooring options to choose from.

1. Epoxy Coatings for Garage Floors

Epoxies and other coatings give your garage floor a hard, durable, stain resistant surface that is still attractive and even beautiful. An epoxy-coated floor will allow you to use your garage as an entertainment, storage or office space and turn it back into a parking space when you are ready to sell. Because epoxies allow you to quickly and easily clean up any fluids or spills from a vehicle, applying a coat will enable you to use your garage as a place to store your car most of the time and quickly turn it into entertainment or extra living space when that’s what you want.

Floor coatings also come in a wide variety of colors and styles, which means you can make your garage floor look like whatever you want it to. From high gloss, solid color coatings to coatings that are nearly indistinguishable from marble, granite, quartz or other natural flooring options, your garage no longer needs to be a bland, utilitarian space no matter what. There are a number of DIY coating kits you can purchase, but for the best results, coatings are really best left to garage flooring professionals.

2. Garage Flooring Tiles

Floor tiles are most definitely an easy DIY project and offer some of the same benefits of a coating. You can lay tiles to either protect the surface in your garage or to create a beautiful space for an office, game room, or entertainment space. Garage floor tiles can be made from two different types of material: Rigid tiles are hard, interlocking plastic that offer excellent stain resistance, while flexible tiles are constructed of PVC and provide a more smooth, seamless appearance.

Floor tiles can also be used in conjunction with coatings to give a garage floor a more decorative appearance, while still offering the same protection and durability as a coated floor. Like coatings, floor tiles come in a wide variety of colors and styles, but unlike coatings, they can be quickly and easily removed to turn your garage back into an everyday vehicle storage space.

Floor tiles also make it easy to create an appealing checkerboard design in your garage, giving it a striking, stylish appearance. Remember that, when choosing flooring materials, you want to create an overall look and style in your garage. Make sure that you plan storage and paint colors and methods at the same time you are planning your flooring to make sure your garage has a polished, uniform appearance.

3. Garage Flooring Mats

Garage mats are probably the quickest and easiest DIY garage flooring on the market. Garage mats come in large rolls that can be rolled out and cut to the exact dimensions of your garage. Like coatings and tiles, they provide a smooth, stain resistant surface, but are not generally as decorative as coatings or tiles. Mats are a fabulous choice when you want to install a protective cover in your garage but aren’t as concerned with appearance. If you merely want to protect the floor, use a mat. If you’re going to turn your garage into a usable or functional living space, you are far better off going with a coating or tiles.

Another type of mat you can use in your garage is called a containment mat, which also pairs well with a coated floor. A containment mat fits under your car and protects your garage floor from moisture, snow, mud and fluid leaks. If you want to use your garage on occasion as something other than a parking space, placing a containment mat under your car when stored in your garage will help you quickly and easily convert it for use for something else when the need arises.

More Easy Garage Upgrades to Try

Doing a large-scale garage remodel starts with the floor of course, but certainly doesn’t stop there. In addition to housing and protecting your car, most garages are also necessary for critical storage space for a wide range of items like tools, household supplies, and sporting gear. Custom cabinetry will give you a place to store all the necessary equipment you will undoubtedly need, while still providing you with a vast expanse of clean, open space.

If you have a smaller garage that doesn’t have an area for a giant bank of custom cabinets, garage storage ideas like overhead compartments are another great option for making your parking area into a double-duty space. Overhead compartments are great for single-car garages that need to house both a car and a wide variety of other items.

If you don’t have the space or the money for custom cabinets, shelving is also available to help organize all the supplies you need to keep in your garage while still supplying open floor space. While shelving may not keep your garage looking quite as beautiful as custom cabinetry, it will furnish functionality in your while keeping everything neat and tidy.

Final Thoughts

Even if you don’t want to use your garage as anything other than a place to store your car, you can prevent it from being a nightmare with the right flooring and storage options. While new home buyers may not be willing to pay a premium price for a high-end, tricked out carport in a middle-income neighborhood, they will most definitely be attracted to a clean, well-maintained space with plenty of great storage options already installed.

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Home Decor Uncategorized

3 Window Treatments Ideas for Historic Houses

 

Window treatments provide homeowners with a sense of privacy, while also adding to the decor of the room. Some window treatments look great with hardwood floors, while others clash in unfavorable ways. The type of custom window treatment you choose for your historic home will have a huge impact on the style and overall feel of the space, so you should consider your options thoroughly before committing to something that you are less than crazy about. If you’re in need of some inspiration, check out these 3 ultra-cool window treatment ideas that could breathe life and character into your historic house!

Install or Update Interior Shutters

We’re all familiar with shutters on the outside of the home, but adding these features to the inside of your home is a sure-fire way to add Interior shutters in a living area, image courtesy of ProctorDrapery.comdramatic flair to any space! They will also help protect against pesky winter drafts. Reminiscent of New England’s colonial era-homes, windows with a completed interior shutter treatment are far too elegant to hide behind curtains. Instead, they are grandiose enough to stand alone. If your historic home is like many, its windows may already be covered with interior shutters. In that case, consider updating their look by replacing them with modern plantation shutters, which are available in many beautiful stains and paint shades that would work well with any period look.

Shades

If your heart is set on keeping the row of eye-level windows in the kitchen of your historic home that allows you to Sheer rollup shades in a dining area, image courtesy of ProctorDrapery.comadmire the views of the back yard, but are concerned about privacy issues or the glaring sun, consider installing simple roller or pleated shades. The easy-to-use window treatment may seem uninspiring at first thought, but you don’t want to draw the attention away from the intricate details of your historic home. And since the shades can be adjusted to block or allow the sun at different times of the day, they make for a convenient and attractive option. Also, maintenance will be a breeze if you opt for shades made of 100% polyester or some other material that is both nonabsorbent and easy–to-clean. This holds true especially if you have hired a restoration company for home clean up for mold or flooding.

Venetian or Georgian Blinds

Before you curl your nose, it’s worth noting that Venetian blinds have a colorful history when it comes to interior decoration. If you have purchased a historic home you probably appreciate history, so don’t venetian blindscount this option out too quickly.

If you want to stay true to the style of your old home, what says “historic” more clearly than Venetian Blinds? Generally, they are made of 2″ slats, and Georgian blinds have slats ranging in size from 1″ to 3″ wide and were held together by a long, flat piece of cloth. They could be stained any color to match the look of your home, though dark cherry and walnut were the most popular during the Georgian Era. For the finishing touch, add a cornice to create an instantly more dramatic look. 

This guest post is courtesy of Proctor Drapery and Blinds of St. Louis, a veteran window treatment company of 35 years with a mobile showroom!

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Hardwood Flooring Hardwood Maintenance Uncategorized Under-Floor Heating

Not Necessarily High & Dry Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors are prized in many homes for their beautiful looks and easy cleaning. Yet, just as with any flooring materials, hardwood brings with it unique challenges which any homeowner must address. In particular, dry climates and high altitudes expose hardwood to adverse conditions not found elsewhere. Even so, if you live in a desert climate or tucked away in the mountains and still want a beautiful floor, you don’t need to give up on your dream of owning hardwood.

The problem

Unlike artificial flooring, wood is a living material. It derives many of its qualities from internal moisture both at build time and over its life. If you’re in a high, dry climate, your floor isn’t getting the moisture it needs.

This lack manifests in several ways. Most common is dry cupping, a process caused by the difference between the floor’s underlying plywood substrate and the hardwood top. As these layers dry, they contract unevenly. The result is a top layer that contracts faster than the layer beneath, causing cracks and other disfigurements.

The Solution

Fortunately, dry cupping and other hardwood floor issues are easy to prevent by following a few important principles.

Pick Good Materials

Wood thickness and density plays an important role in how flooring responds to drier climates. Thicker woods absorb less humidity, but once they’re warped, those changes aren’t going away. Dry climates need materials that will respond well to sudden shifts in humidity and temperature.

Cherry and walnut are very stable woods. They may warp over time, but not in ways that will adversely affect the utility of the floor. No hardwood floor is perfect, and good materials will settle into their structure over time. A wood like hickory is dense and unyielding, but walnut and cherry will accommodate a foundation and retain that shape despite shifts in temperature and humidity.

Acclimate When Installing

Floors were most likely not manufactured in the environment where they are to be installed. Even if they are, conditions in the factory and at the installation site may differ enough that the wood’s character will change slightly over time. It is important for these changes to manifest before the floor is installed.

Acclimation is the process of letting wood sit in the ambient environment before commencing installation. This is especially important in dry climates, whose conditions are particularly harsh for moist woods.

Heat in Winter

Cold materials contract. As such, hardwood in winter will shrink and split, causing cracks that may expose the underlying plywood. Since colder temperatures are particularly harsh at high altitudes, heating in winter is critical to minimizing the temperature transitions to which a floor is subjected.

Control Humidity

Humidity permeates wood more slowly than it does air. As such, variable humidity levels will travel through hardwood and plywood like waves, causing tension that damages your floor over time.

By maintaining a constant humidity level, the tension between these layers can be normalized. Rather than expanding and contracting at random, they will maintain an equilibrium appropriate for their environment. The best way to achieve this is by integrating humidity control directly into HVAC systems, thus maintaining regulated levels of moisture throughout the life of the home.

Conclusion

While caring for a hardwood floor in high, dry climates may seem more complicated, it is just a matter of making the right initial choices while being aware of an area’s unique weather conditions. With the right wood, acclimation and internal environment, hardwood floors will look good and perform well for many long years.

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