Get Your Garage in Gear For the Hottest Time of Year

(NewsUSA) - Whether used for hosting block parties, garage sales or serving as the main entranceway to the home, the garage is often a hub of activity during the summer months for many families. Now is the time to get your garage in gear.


Check out these tips from The Chamberlain Group, a residential and commercial access solutions manufacturer of LiftMaster garage door openers:

* With the additional traffic running through the garage during this time of year, it's wise to perform a periodic safety inspection of your garage door, especially those equipped with automatic openers.

* Test the opener's safety reverse mechanism monthly by placing a piece of wood or a roll of paper towels in the path of the door. Close the garage door. If it does not automatically reverse and retract back the open position, then the door is creating a safety issue and needs to be adjusted. Log on to LiftMaster.com to find a certified dealer near you and learn what they can do to fix the problem.

* Since storage and organizational needs change between spring and summer, it's a great time to pull out the patio furniture and keep other items you need for the season, such as the lawn mower, grill, and recreational items and toys near the exit to the garage so they are easy to access and use.

* It may seem like you're adding to the mess, but grass clippings are great for keeping dust under control in your garage. Next time you mow your lawn, sprinkle your fresh lawn clippings on the garage floor, then sweep it clean.

* Keep the garage clear of oily and greasy rags as they are easily flammable and can ignite spontaneously. Keep a fire extinguisher in an easily accessible area in the garage as well.

* Protect your garage (and entrance to your home) while you're away on a summer vacation. By installing a LiftMaster Fingerprint Keyless Entry, which recognizes up to 10 unique fingerprints as a way to access your garage, no one can enter or exit your garage while you are gone during vacation -- preventing it from being opened in your absence by a stranger. Also ideal for busy families, the Fingerprint Keyless Entry means no more digging for keys or worrying about kids in the neighborhood knowing the keypad's code.

For more information on these products or to contact a LiftMaster professional, visit www.LiftMaster.com

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Everything You Need to Know About Garage Flooring

When it comes to the garage floor, you need it to be durable and capable of withstanding quite a lot of force. As your car will be going in and out of it frequently, it should be able to withstand the pressure of the car and for that reason usually the floor of the garage is concrete.

Maintaining Your Garage Flooring

Grinding the garage floor - 00:51 min.


Most of the time, the flooring in the garage is concrete because it is simply the best material for the job. It can be easily cleaned and it can last through all weathers. There are some people who use carpet but generally concrete is the material of choice.

Now in order to keep the garage flooring looking clean and tidy, there are various things you need to do. Cleaning it out ready for summer is one of them. Whilst you may not realize it, the garage floor often gets covered in leaves and dirt. Think about it - when you get out of the car you are likely to have some dirt on your shoes. This dirt will be transferred to the floor and it will stay there until it is clean. Leaves can also be carried on your shoes or they can blow inside on a windy day when the garage door is left open. So in order to make it look nice for summer, it is advisable to give it a good clean.

You may also want to repair parts of the flooring too if it is cracked and chipped. If you want to really work hard then you can break the concrete up. When you have done this you can then break the bits of concrete up into really fine pieces of concrete and they can be used on the driveway as gravel. That way you will be updating your driveway as well as your garage.

One handy tip that you can use which many people do not usually consider - is to spread straw over the new garage flooring. This helps to stop weeds growing up through the new flooring you will be placing over it and it will also act as insulation too. Once you have spread the straw over the flooring, you should then make a frame roughly two inches by six inches around the floor which will act as a border that stops the wet concrete from passing over it.

If you are new to construction then it is useful to know that you will need a fifty pound bag of concrete mixed with 3 gallons of water if you want to have enough concrete for the floor. Mix it together in a wheel barrow and ensure that all of the powder does completely mix with the water before you place it onto the floor.

It is a good idea to use a hoe to level out the concrete as you pour it onto the floor. This ensures that you give it an even coverage and it will allow you to cover every part of the floor too. You should leave it to dry completely before anyone or anything is allowed to touch it.

About the Author: Adam Peters enjoys writing about interior design for www.home-decorating-reviews.com .Keep reading about installing hard wood flooring and interior design at his web.

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