Volunteers hammer away at 'Extreme Makeover' house

Durable Modular Garge Floor Coverings - Plastic floor tiles snap into place transforming a concrete floor into a beautiful, low maintenance flooring surface.

HOLT - Like a colony of ants, hundreds of blue-shirted workers swarmed on what will become the Nickless family's home. It had been only a foundation at 8 a.m. Monday. By mid-afternoon it was a full-fledged house.

"I'm just so thankful there are so many people helping," said Terry Engstrand, whose mother, Arlene Nickless, and brothers Aaron, 11; Noah, 9; and Andrew, 7, will move into the house Friday. "It's going to be a healthy, clean place where we can come spend time with our mom and not have to worry about fixing things."

On Sunday, crews demolished the 1860s house the Nickless family had been living in as part of the ABC TV show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." The house had fallen into disrepair after Arlene Nickless' husband, Tim, became ill with hepatitis C nearly seven years ago, family members said. Tim died in January.

The family's story helped provide fuel for the long hours that began Monday, volunteers said. Crews will work around the clock until the house is finished. The work is being done by volunteers with donated materials.

Mark Hamelink of Grand Ledge started his day at around 7 a.m. building trusses. "I feel like I could go another 10 hours," he said. "You go inside and everybody is working together. You could ask anybody for a tool. On a normal job, it's just not like that."

Organizers said the volunteer workers are the key to getting the project done so quickly. At any given time, there are hundreds swarming the job site doing jobs from building to picking up trash. More than 1,600 are expected throughout the build.

"Instead of three, four, five guys, there are 45 guys," said framer Brad Durrant, 29, of Eagle. "We still bump elbows, but we all know what has to be done." Dale Hosford, owner of Hosford Bros. Concrete of East Lansing, brought a crew of 14 to the job site Monday. They poured the basement and garage floors.

"I don't think I've seen anything like it," Hosford said as the site bustled around him.

Brothers Jason and Jerome Helton spent the day working on furniture for the themed bedroom of Andrew, the youngest Nickless brother. They own a set design and art displays company in the Detroit area and donated their crew for the project.

"We've been gifted from birth," said Jason, who graduated from East Lansing High School. "The best way to be is to give back and teach others to give back."

"What we get in return is to see what happens when the kid first walks into the room," said Jerome. "It's priceless."

Garage Floor Coating Can Help You Avoid The Bare Floors Syndrome

Bare Concrete Floor

Concrete Floor Covered with
Modular Garage Floor Covering Tiles

from Housing Floor

To the dismay of homeowners, builders most often leave bare concrete floors in your garage. The bare concrete floor left by the builder is not protected in anyway and can diminish the value of your home when you continue to fail in protecting by failing to install garage floor covering. There are several methods for protecting your garage floor which include, garage floor paint, garage floor coating, garage floor mats and garage floor tile. All of these garage floor coverings can help in the protection of your garage floor, and thus provide protection to your home. More than simple protection of a garage floor comes into the choice of what garage floor covering a homeowner will choose. In the decorating of your home, garages are included. Many homeowners prefer to have their garage match the style of the rest of their home, including colors and furnishings. Garage floor coating provides many choices that have not previously been available in colors and inclusions. Inclusions are those items that are put into the coating to keep the floor from being too slick. All of these choices allow a homeowner to be creative in protecting their investment of their homes.

Why Protect your Garage Floor?

All homeowners should protect their garage floors with some type of garage floor covering. Garage floor of bare concrete are open to stairs, chipping damage, vehicle residue damage and general debris damage over time. In selling a home, many factors come into play, not the least is the buyer’s perception of the home. Too often a buyer enters a garage and finds no improvement of a concrete floor, and the floor stained, chipped and otherwise damaged. This does not give a good impression of the care taken of the home. Using a garage floor coating can overcome this in two ways, the garage looks appealing and attractive to the buyer, and by protecting the floor there is not damage to discourage the buyer.

Garage floor coating offers some of the easier and quicker ways of protecting the entire garage floor. Garage floor coating is usually applied to concrete garage floors with paint rollers or brushes, and has some type of inclusion that allows for the floor not to be too slick and cause slippage. This allows for quick application and minimal cost for the benefits it provides.

In addition to protecting your floor from damage, you can also protect yourself from damage. Cleaning a floor protected with garage floor coating is usually quick and requires little effort. When messes, oils and other debris are cleaned from the floor with ease, they will be cleaned more often. Less debris and oils on the floor make it less hazardous to walk on, and avoids falls which result from slipping on debris.

Garage Floor Coverings Protect Your Concrete Floors

By David Karlson

If you are thinking of protecting your garage floor with garage floor coverings then you are making a good decision. These products help protect against harmful substances such as road salt, chemicals and oil and gas. These types of things are exposed to your concrete on a regular basis, so you need something effective and durable.

Garage floor coverings are not just for the do it yourself mechanic. They are for anyone who has a garage. They keep the flooring looking great and you never know when you might sell your home, so it is also a good selling feature. There are all sorts of products on the market to keep it looking nice and clean.

Garage floor coverings can consist of floor tiles that are not quite the same as in house tiles. This specific type of tiles does not need to be glued to the concrete. They are put together end to end and the seams are sealed with a construction adhesive. Another type of floor treatment consists of a large mat that is rolled out over the entire floor or a specific portion of it. Two of the main types of tile include a PVC tile and a rubber tile. PVC interlocks very easily and is stain resistant.

If your desire is to have garage floor coverings that are only for the automobiles tires then there are specific mats available for this. Many people apply an epoxy as a floor treatment but the application is not an easy process, if not done properly, it will require several coats.

For the do it yourselfer that uses their garage as workshop or the person that has a separate workshop, keeping the floor clean from spills is a necessary task to prevent accidents and to prevent the floor from deteriorating rapidly. This is why these coverings as so important.

You can look for garage floor coverings for your workshop or garage in several places. Try your local big box home center or your local mom and pop hardware store to support local businesses. You can also do a search on the internet, as there are many reputable dealers online as well.

A garage is an important part of your home and it must be looked after just like the house. Visit our site to gather all your information on garage floor sealers, garage floor treatments, garage floor coverings and other useful information on protecting your garage floor.

Protecting Your Garage Floor From Stains, Dirt and Mayhem

By Aazdak Alisimo

Take a good look at your garage floors - what do you see? Are you floors coated with dirt, grime, and cracked cement? If so, you need to give some thought to cleaning up and protecting it.

You may be asking yourself why you would even consider fixing up your garage floors ... and the answer is simple. Chances are, you have spent a great deal of time decorating and reshaping the inside of your home, right? Well (want it or not), you also spend quite a few hours inside of your garage - don't you? Aside from parking your car, you probably use tools to create various items within your garage; store things inside of your garage; and you may even invite guests into your home through your garage. Doesn't it make sense to put down a coating to protect it?

Most people associate their garages as some foreign part of the home. Well, they are not. A person looking to buy your home is not going to discount the garage. In fact, a common tip given to home buyers is to pay close attention to the garage floor and driveway. Why? Well, much like the eyes are the paths to the soul, these surfaced tell a pretty accurate story of how the homeowner cared for and maintained the home. While the rest of the house can be spruced up at the last moment, trashed garage floors are much more of a challenge.

Irrespective of resale issues, you should endeavour to keep your flooring in good shape for another basic reason. Garage floors are typically tough, but even they can eventually fall apart. This is particularly true since a garage tends to be the area where heavy stuff is moved about, dropped and so on. Penetration of liquids, particularly water, into the foundation can lead to a host of problems such as rebar rusting, cracking and so on. All are a pain to deal with and very expensive to repair.

At the end of the day, it is important to remember your garage is part of your home and should be cared for just like other rooms and areas. Using a protective coating that is tough can go a long way to doing just that.

Garage Floor pictures

If you ever wondered how to transform your old cracked concrete garage floor, here's a short slideshow of images to spark a few creative ideas. Transform your garage into a totally new space with interlocking modular floor tiles.

The job is easy.

The job is fast.

The floor is durable and comes with a twelve year warranty.

Click here for more details.

In The News!

American Garage Floor Launches New Tested Garage Tile Solutions
for Buyers of Garage Flooring

from eMediaWire

American Garage Floor is pleased to present SwissTrax Garage Flooring tiles for sale on their website. American Garage Floor, a leader in distribution of tested garage flooring has launched another garage flooring product that will offer homeowners the diversity they need for alternative garage floor styling. The addition of three new designs will increase the customer’s choice in unique style, as well as offer a much wider variety of colors.

Three New Styles, and Fourteen Unique Colors

The addition of the SwissTrax line of garage flooring gives the customer the opportunity to purchase the exact kind of garage flooring they need. Below is a brief description of the new product lines:

1. DiamondTrax Tile Garage Flooring - A popular product for garage floors and workshops where an attractive, non-slip, solid surface is desired.

2. RibTrax Tile Garage Flooring - Ideal for garages, workshops, exercise or playrooms, as well as patios, terraces, or around pools. The open profile facilitates easy cleaning.

3. SporTrax Tile Garage Flooring - Provides an excellent play or work surface with a small open pattern to eliminate worries about dirt and water interference.

More Information about the SwissTrax Line.

Swisstrax interlocking flooring tiles are the ultimate solution for cracked, chipped or stained concrete floors. Creating attractive and comfortable environment for your cars, workshop or other concrete areas could not be easier. The modular floors are a very cost effective alternative to epoxy coatings-lasting longer, easy to install, and can be taken with you if you move (try that with epoxy coatings!).

Questions & Answers - Garage Flooring

Transforming a cracked or old garage floor into a durable beautiful finished surface is a snap with interlocking garage floor tiles. That's the commitment you get with the twelve year warranty provided by the world's best garage floor tiles. If you have a question about installing a new garage floor, please ask. The toll-free number is 1-866-748-7940. We found this handy Q&A and want to share it on our blog:

from Excell Garage Interiors

Q: My garage floor has uneven spots and cracks. Will Swisstrax still work?
A: Yes. Swisstrax is actually the perfect solution for a floor that has cracks, chips, or uneven spots. Swisstrax tiles will conform to most surface blemishes.

Q: Does Swisstrax have any kind of warranty?
A: Yes, Swisstrax has a 12 year manufacturers warranty. Try getting that with paint or epoxy!

Q: Do I have to lift Swisstrax up to clean underneath them?
A: No. Swisstrax tiles do not have to be moved. The best way to clean underneath the tiles is to run a shop vac over the areas with heavy traffic every couple of months. You may also hose the garage out. Swisstrax tiles have channels on the backside that allow water to drain out.

Q: How do I clean the surface of the tiles?
A: Simply sweep or mop your new floor as needed. For scuffs or spills use any house hold cleaner.

Q: How does Swisstrax compare in price to other flooring options?
A: Swisstrax tiles are about middle of the road when it comes to price. While pain is the least expensive way to go, it is also the least durable. Epoxy is much more durable than paint, but it is also much more expensive. Average epoxy jobs can run $5 - $7 a square foot. Swisstrax tiles are under $5 a square foot, are much more durable than paint or epoxy, and come with a 12 year warranty.

Q: Can you put the tiles around poles, shelves, cabinets, or other obstacles that can't be moved?
A: Yes, Swisstrax tiles can be cut to fit around almost any object.

Q: Can I install my new Swisstrax flooring system myself, or do I need a professional?
A: Anyone can install a Swisstrax floor! The snap together tiles make the job easy. All that's needed for installation is a cutting tool. The best household tool is a jigsaw.