How to Give Your Garage Floor a New Life

(ARA) – Winter is just around the corner and while the kids are excited about the idea of getting bundled up and playing in the snow, it’s the worst time of year for your garage, particularly if you park your cars in it.

Every time you come back home after driving through snow, water containing salt and corrosive chemicals will drip onto the floor, mixing with the antifreeze, oil and other stain-causing chemicals already there. As the temperatures rise and fall throughout the winter, this chemical soup can cause cracks and pits to form, leaving behind a big mess to clean up in the spring.

Make this the year you prevent any more damage from being done to your garage floor by taking steps to protect it, but not with a protective coating you have to paint on the surface over and over again for it to remain effective. “Having had many years of experience in the floor coating business, I advise people against do-it-yourself floor coating kits,” says Mike Parker of American Garage Floor, a company that specializes in garage solutions. “Not only do they involve a lot of preparation, but after all the work, it is very possible for the coating to start peeling and chipping within a matter of weeks.

So what should you do instead? Justin Krauss, operations manager for GarageFloor.com advises his customers to look for a floor covering that only has to be put down once and will protect the surface for years. “There is a lot of garage flooring on the market and everybody has different needs. If you’re looking for a simple, affordable, attractive product that provides a high degree of protection to your new or concrete slab, then G-Floor by Better Life Technology is one option that I would definitely consider,” he says.

Created by father and son Don and Brett Sneed, the G-Floor is made of specially formulated polyvinyl that hides cracks and stains while protecting floors from all the dirt and fluids that make their way into the garage. It comes in sheets that are between 14- and- 60 feet long and widths that range from 7-and-a-half to 10 feet.

All you have to do to install it is unroll and cut to size using a utility knife, overlapping or butting the flooring together for seamless protection and a custom fit. “While some people, particularly those who use the roll-out flooring for commercial purposes, like to secure it with double sided tape or a permanent adhesive, that’s not really necessary. The G-Floor stays down on the garage floor due to its weight and won’t move unless you want it to move,” ” says Don Sneed, president of Better Life Technology.

The flooring comes in seven attractive colors -- grey, blue, green, red, black, sandstone and new metallic silver -- and four designs. All four patterns are great for garage use. The original channel/rib pattern is particularly suited for containing and channeling water and slush out of the garage. The coin and tread patterns offer a distinctive look for the garage and provide additional traction. In addition, the coin and leather-like levant patterns are great in workshops, basements and utility/laundry rooms.

Better Life Technology is based in Kansas, but its products are available through various catalogs and Web outlets, including Sam’s Club, Griot’s Garage and NorthernTool.com. You can also find it at retail locations nationwide, including Menards home centers. For more information or to find a retailer near you, log on to www.bltllc.com or call (877) 810-6444.

Courtesy of ARAcontent