professional installation team Archives

Baseboards in the Garage, Did You Know?

October 22, 2013 by Rick Scully

In this informative article we will cover garage baseboards:

The function of garage baseboards.
Materials baseboards come in.
Baseboard installation facts you will want to consider.
Our garage renovation services.
FAQ on baseboard costs and needs.

Are you considering a garage makeover? How about an idea that both serves an important function and provides an aesthetic touch?

Garage baseboards are the ideal solution to protect your walls and floor and they help pull together the look of your interior garage design.

Want To Know More About Our Garage Flooring Products?

What Are Garage Baseboards?

A baseboard runs along the base of an interior wall. It covers the joint between the lowest part of a wall and the floor. You may encounter different terms for this wall covering; everything from skirting board, floor molding, or even a mopboard. In most cases, the baseboard is constructed of wood or a type of vinyl board.

A garage baseboard is no different. In your garage, you will find the baseboard (if there is one installed) at the bottom end of the walls at the floor level. Typically, a baseboard is from 4” to 6” in height and designed to hide the joint as well as protect walls from damage.

What Is The Function Of A Baseboard?

The main function of baseboards is to protect drywall against water damage. The baseboard in your garage is no different. It’s most important function is that of protection and if installed properly, it protects the interior of your garage from all types of foreign invasion.

To understand why this is important, consider how your garage is built. You have a vertical wall sitting on top of a concrete floor. The joint (seam) between the wall and the floor is typically 1/16” to 1/8”. If left unsealed, this joint can become a liability.

For example, no matter how small, insects will consider an unsealed floor joint to be an open invitation to come on in. Also, depending on the exterior structure of your home, an unsealed floor joint could become a source of water getting inside.

Garage Baseboards For Aesthetics

Your garage is just as important as any other space in your house, so why not make it beautiful. Since the typical garage for a new home does not have baseboards installed, a garage renovation project is a perfect time to look at how baseboards will enhance your garage.

Frequently Asked Questions About Baseboards And More

What Materials Do Garage Baseboards Come In?

There are a few options to think about when you plan for your new baseboard. Not surprisingly, the first choice you have is material. Do you want to install a wooden baseboard or are you interested in a different material? For example, some enthusiasts will install punched aluminum (often referred to as diamond plate). Others choose to install a wooden baseboard, but request a specific paint color or finish.

The look you want to create is entirely up to you!

Types of Baseboard or Trim used in Garage:

PVC Trim – PVC is a form of plastic that’s used in a hundred different ways, including for plumbing pipes. PVC is a great choice for a garage baseboard because it can last forever. The PVC (polyvinyl chloride) trim is also referred to as cellular PVC. It’s PVC all the way through. Don’t confuse it with high-density rigid polyurethane or PVC-coated products. The trim comes in various thicknesses and widths, but it’s most often sold in common sizes similar to other wood trim products.

Diamond Plate Trim – Diamond plate trim is made of steel, stainless steel, or aluminum. Diamond plates are sometimes referred to as tread plate or checker plate but are always made from a metal stock with a regular pattern of diamonds or lines on one side with the other side being featureless. The diamond texture is great for industrial settings because of its non-skid properties. If you have a lot of foot traffic in your garage this could be the ideal material for your space. Its high polished aluminum look also makes it aesthetically pleasing.

More Baseboard or Trim for Garage

Wall Base Molding: You will typically find wall base molding in places like hospitals, stores, and offices. Also known as cove base, it is often made of rubber or vinyl. While wall base molding is generally found in commercial settings, it can still be a great option for your home garage. It serves as a great protective barrier to the outdoor element that can damage or ruin your garage.

Wood: Wood baseboards are the most popular and should be chosen based on the location of your baseboard. Some woods are better suited for different locations based on moisture content. When choosing a wood baseboard you should know that hardwoods stand up better to dents and scratches, and if you want them painted a specific color you will need to purchase a more expensive wood.

Wood Coated: Polyaspartic coating is when the wood baseboard is coated in the same material as the floor. It is similar to the appearance of granite and just as tough while also providing ample grip to make it skid-free.

No matter what type of baseboard material you decide on, our team at Garage Tailors Garage has the experience and knowledge to help you make the best choice for your garage renovation.

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Factors to Consider

There are a few factors you will want to keep in mind.

Slope Effect

You will notice that your floor has a slight slope. This slope is required by the building codes used when your home is built. The slope angles toward the exterior of your garage for proper drainage.

However, a sloping floor means we need to consider the floor slope when applying a new baseboard.

Floor Covering

One option you want to keep in mind is continuing the floor covering up to the baseboard. The polyaspartic coating we use here at Garage Tailors Garage can be applied directly to your new baseboard.

With this option, you are left with a seamless finish from your garage floor up to the top of the baseboard.

Slope or Square?

One more choice you have with your new baseboard is how you want the baseboard to look along the floor. In other words, do you want the baseboard to follow the slope of the floor exactly?

Or, would you prefer it to keep it square and level so that your eye doesn’t notice the natural slope of a garage floor?

Baseboard Height

Some people choose to have their baseboard extended further up the interior wall to meet the slatwall. While others choose to install punched aluminum wainscoting which reaches waist height. The advantage of a custom height, especially with the choice of diamond plate is that your interior walls are much better protected from interior damage from errant tools or toys.

Can You Wash Your Car Inside The Garage?

Yes! If you enjoy washing your vehicles inside the garage, a waist-high punched aluminum wainscoting will protect drywall from getting wet.

Contact Us Today And Get Beautiful Floor Boards In Your Garage.

Our Services – Who We Are

At Garage Tailors Garage, we transform garages from a neglected space in the house to one of the most useful and used spaces in your home. We take the time to truly understand what each homeowner needs for their garage to function properly. We know that every garage is unique, and so is each garage owner.

Whether a sports enthusiast, an avid gardener, an exotic car enthusiast or someone who simply wants to get the junk out and the car into the garage, we can organize and transform the garage into a fully functional room in your home.

We are personally involved with each project from start to finish, guaranteeing a professional job done to his exacting standards, on time and budget.

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Extreme Garage Makeover – Check out this great example which is similar to our work and how we can turn your garage into a beautiful and functional space!

FAQ:

What type of baseboard is waterproof?

PVC, Diamond Plate, and wall base molding are all waterproof. The only type that is not waterproof is wood.

Does my garage really need a baseboard?

Yes! Your garage is most susceptible to the elements. Things like insects and water can easily seep in and do damage to your walls and other items stored in your garage. Baseboards are the best way to protect your space.

How much do baseboards cost?

The cost of baseboards will generally vary depending on the material you choose and the size of your space. You will also need to take into consideration installation and any treatment that will need to be done to your baseboard material. Contact us at Garage Tailors Garage and we can help answer any cost questions.

Garage Flooring, The Rest of the Story

August 27, 2013 by Rick Scully

With our most recent post, the crucial steps to properly preparing the floor for the application of a new finish was thoroughly discussed. Now that the existing garage floor has been properly prepared, the actual finishing process can begin. At this point, it is time to get into high gear and ensure best practices are followed to install the best floor finish possible.

Before we begin, here is a quick note about your choices of materials and why professional garage designers Garage Tailors Garage recommends using polyaspartic coatings. As you probably know, there are two other popularly recommended materials for garage floors: paints and epoxy based coatings. The challenge with both of these choices is twofold. For one thing, both paint and epoxy only coat the top most layer of your concrete. Whether you open the pores or not, paints and epoxy based materials essentially sit on the top of your floor. Alternatively, water soluble materials such as polyaspartic coatings actually penetrate deep down into the concrete pores. Of course, now you can see yet another reason that opening the pores in the preparation phase is such a crucial step.

A second issue with paints or epoxy materials is that they are not so forgiving when your concrete floor moves. You see, whether its apparent or not, your garage floor is subject to thermal expansion and contraction. The term thermal expansion and contraction means how your concrete actually swells up and expands in the heat. In cool weather, the opposite effect occurs; your concrete floor actually shrinks or contracts. Oftentimes, it is these expansion and contraction cycles that tend to lead to cracking and peeling from painted or epoxy coated floors. Alternatively, polyaspartic coatings are significantly more forgiving. Polyaspartic coatings tend to move with your floor instead of breaking apart.

Now it’s time to get back to work. At this point, the professional installation team applies the first application of your new polyaspartic coating. One thing to note here is that polyaspartic coatings actually dry extremely fast. Don’t be surprised if you see the installation teams pick up the pace a bit to complete the next steps before the drying process completes. They know they have to be deliberate and focused as they work to apply the first coating. Once this first coat is applied, the installation team brings out the color flakes you have chosen. Remember, you have an incredible array of colors to choose from, we’ll help you with a choice that matches your garage and home exterior. Just make sure you’ll be happy with your choice for a while. You will see the installation team applying the color flakes as the base coat is curing. Applying the color flakes at this stage allows the flakes to become firmly and permanently embedded. At first, it will look like your floor is covered with these color flakes. That’s okay, though, it’s all part of a professional installation.

Next up, the floor needs to be cleaned up. You will see the installation team fetching their brooms and scrapers. Once the polyaspartic coating with the color flakes has dried, the team works to clean up any loose flakes. First, you see the team take a broom to sweep up any excess. Next the team carefully goes over your floor to scrape off any rough edges going both ways, that is up and own. Now, your floor is vacuumed to remove any remaining flakes or other debris on the floor so that your floor is ready for the remaining steps in this process.

Now you are in the home stretch, where a specialized sealant is applied as the last stage in your floor refinishing project. This sealant is carefully and methodically rolled onto all sections of your garage floor. You will be pleased to learn this sealant serves as a final lockdown for your new floor finish. Think of it as a protective shield. At this point in your floor refinishing project, a specialized sealant is applied as a top coating. This sealant is “rolled” on to your floor and serves as a final lockdown for your new floor finish. It serves as a protective shield. The sealant includes an Ultraviolet (UV) ray inhibitor which protects the floor from fading in the bright summer sun. This sealant is allowed to thoroughly dry. You will see the installation team conduct a final walk through to make sure the new floor finish is complete and ready for your enjoyment.

Now that the project is complete here is a little bit more about your new floor finish. The polyaspartic floor is good for the lifetime of your garage floor. Unlike some of the other garage floor refinish options that must be redone every 3 to 5 years, you can count on your new polyaspartic floor finish for the lifetime of your garage floor.

Garage Flooring, The Untold Story

August 13, 2013 by Rick Scully

Nowadays many homeowners who want to refinish their garage floors start with online searches or queries with the neighborhood big-box store. Oftentimes, these inspired homeowners walk out with a do-it-yourself recipe that is sadly lacking a few key ingredients. Much like leaving out a key ingredient such as yeast when you want to bake a loaf of bread, it’s the missing ingredients that can make or break the success of your garage floor refinishing project.

The Facts about Proper Garage Floor Refinishing

You have undoubtedly heard the wisdom from the old days about how it’s all about the preparation. That is especially true with your garage floor. The initial preparation steps are essential to properly finishing your garage floor.

First of all, before any real action starts, the garage floor must be tested for moisture content. Some of those D-I-Y recipes often fail to mention how important is to determine how much water there is in your concrete floor. The professional installation team here at Garage Tailors Garage begins each and every floor refinishing project by conducting a moisture test at various sample points around your floor. You see, without the appropriate strategies to prevent water seeping up into your new floor finish, any existing moisture may well propagate through the concrete and lead to pop ups, peeling or even cracking. Knowing how much moisture is already there tells the installation team how best to proceed when your new floor coating is applied.

Now that the moisture content has been checked and recorded, the real preparation work begins. This phase of the project is referred to by the professionals as “opening up the pores”. For now, here’s what you need to know about this process. You might have seen or heard some recommendations to use muriatic acid to clean or open up the pores in your concrete floor. This is a lousy idea for a couple of reasons. As you know, muriatic acid is a hazard. You do not want to be using this chemical in an enclosed space, or certainly, not without the proper breathing attire, hand and eye protection, that sort of thing. But more importantly, muriatic acid does not actually perform well on older concrete to clean or open up the pores. Muriatic acid reacts with existing organics in or on your floor to bind them or lock them into the cement. Organics are substances such as oils, greases, plant matterand so on. When organic compounds are bound in place, instead of being chemically removed, it does not allow concrete pores from being opened up for a long lasting floor application.

Professional garage floor preparation is best accomplished by an abrasive grinding process which removes the top 1/16 of an inch from the top of your floor. Understand this grinding process is not even possible without the proper equipment. The commercial grinder used by professionals is equipped with a large circular carbide blade which removes the uppermost layer of the existing floor. Additionally, these industrial grinders are equipped with a continuously running vacuum which captures any resulting concrete dust. You will see the installation team wheel this monster tool into your garage and then carefully grind the entire floor.

The newly exposed concrete is now ready for the next phase of the project. At this point, the installation team does an exceedingly careful inspection of your garage floor. They look for and carefully identify and mark any cracks, voids, pitting, etc. These areas are then carefully repaired one by one with hydraulic cement, a common concrete material found at the big box stores. This patching material is a fast-curing concrete repair material. This repair material is allowed to dry, which takes less than an hour.

At this point, your preparation steps are just about complete. The installation team carefully sweeps up any loose material, smoothes out any rough repair material and ensures the entire surface is ready for the next step. After removing all the loose material, the team works on the moisture barrier. In this case, the moisture barrier is a solution that is carefully and methodically applied to the entire surface of your floor. This highly specialized sealant material penetrates through the freshly opened pores of the concrete to bind the sealant and create that essential water barrier that prevents floor coatings from lifting. Once it is dry, this sealant protects your floor and your new floor covering from moisture intrusion.

Does all of the above sound like a lot? Well, for a homeowner or a weekend D-I-Y ‘er, it might be, but for the professional installation team here at Garage Tailors Garage, it’s all in a day’s work.

Next: Once the floor is prepared, how is the new floor coating applied?

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