The garage space was originally meant for the mundane but utilitarian purpose of providing a safe shelter for your car. However, nowadays the use of the garage is not limited to just providing a cark parking space. Not just the car but also the various tools and equipments needed for routine maintenance work around the house can be stored in this space. You can keep your gardening instruments, lawnmower, your kids’ sports gear, and your golf accessories and basically all kinds of stuff that you fail to find a place for within your home. The garage can also be used as a workshop too, and you can carry out your construction projects in this place.

To effectively tap the storage potential of the garage you need to chalk out a storage plan for your garage space. Making a room for everything you want to dump in your garage, and yet keep the driveway free to easily take your car in and out of it, can be a daunting task. The best way to set about it is to pre-plan before starting the actual work and take one step at a time.

Shelves or cabinets can be mounted on the wall. Equipments used in sports, like tennis racquets, baseball bats and the like. Another low-cost alternative is to make the purchase of hard-wearing plastic totes and drawers. Lay up the items you use regularly in a way that enables you to reach them easily. A corner cabinet with circular shelves positioned strategically can present enough room for stacking smaller items.

The garage walls can be made into a storage area by installing hooks and peg board type paneling. Large sturdy hooks can be used to hang up bikes.

A well-built tool chest is an effectual means to store your tools and yet keep them handy. Clearly label the storage place of each tool to keep your garage organized for months to come.

Options for garage organization have been worked upon over the past few years and a lot of choices are available. One benefit of garage organization plans is that they constitute storage designed specifically for the garage taking into account all usable nook and cranny of the garage. If you want to stick to using simple bins and cabinets, you may not be able to make the best use of the available space.

Often we are apt to miss obvious spaces. Several websites offer online software to help design a garage organization plan to suit your needs. You can type in the dimensions of your garage and include items that you feel are necessary, and you will be provided with a garage organization plan that enables you to layout the framework for your garage storage. You can even apply for professional help, because organization and storage has turned into a thriving industry and garage organization is a growing sector.

Steel Garage Doors – Seal Out Wind, Rain, and Snow

Steel garage doors are standard on many homes that were built in the 50s and 60′s and then through the 80s but as steel prices began to climb; housing designers, builders and manufactures began to experiment with other materials for garages such as wood, a fiberglass composite and aluminum. However, steel proved to be the best choice for a sturdy garage door that could withstand wind, rain and snow.

Typically, steel doors are manufactured with a high grade steel of 24 or 25 gauge which helps to insure security and durability. Many of the steel garage doors have an aluminum bottom weather-seal retainer system to help keep elements such as rain and snow out of the garage. When looking at steel garage doors, make sure the garage door has a weather-seal and it’s made of a rust-resistant aluminum.

A steel garage door could also come with galvanized steel hinges which are usually durable, reliable – you don’t want your car to be stuck in the garage – and secure. The rollers are also an important part of the garage door operation, they should be quiet and durably, some are made of nylon which provides a smooth action when lifting the door.

Many of the steel doors come in a variety of shapes and styles and are not simply regulated to the traditional ‘blocks’ or squares of older doors. Some have small window shapes; some have large half octagon and half standard square patterns or diamonds resting on their side while other steel garage doors have what could only be described as a barn-door look about them only they lift up from the bottom.

Furthermore, steel doors are now custom painted to match any color home siding and not always banished to the standard white. There are also colors that contrast and compliment a houses colors such as a light blue for a dark blue house or black for a white house with black trim and shutters. Each of these colored steel doors could also have the raised trim painted a darker color or a contrasting color to highlight the doors and bring more ‘life’ to them. It also helps to make the house look more complete, what real estate agents call ‘curb appeal.’

Some, but not all, homeowners like to put windows in their steel doors and those come in a variety of shapes and sizes as well. There are arched windows, squared windows, round or porthole windows and then each of these in smaller sizes. The windows could be tinted or insulated to help keep the elements and prying eyes from looking in.

Steel doors will traditionally be an option on track homes – the homes that are all one style or design in a neighborhood, although they could show up in any neighborhood and in an older or newer home. These doors are both functional and fashionable in many styles and colors.

One of the most important part of a pearl necklace is probably the clasps. Aside from keeping the necklace fastened and secure, it also complements the overall appearance of the pearl necklace. As we all know, pearls should be regularly restrung in order to make sure that it’s durable and to secure the pearls. You could also change your clasps everytime you restrung your pearls. Here are the different types of clasps available in the market today. Knowing the different types of clasps could help you decide what to use.

The first type of clasp is the spring ring clasp. A spring ring clasp looks like an open circular ring that opens when you push down the tab found outside the ring. Alternately, the circular ring closes once you release the tab. This type of clasp is the most readily available in the market. It’s the most common clasp of all. Another type of clasp is the lobster claw. This one is oblong-shaped and flat. Like the spring ring, it opens when you push the tab on its side and closes when you release it. The next type is the fishhook. It comes in two parts. The main part is elongated shaped with two pointed sides. The second part on the other hand is the flat metal hook. Another type is the plunger. It resembles the fishhook but it has a “V” shaped metal tongue. Next is the ball clasp. This one is like a modified plunger. The only difference is that it’s spherical in shape. And last but not that least, we have to double strand side clasp. This is also another variation of the plunger. What sets it apart is you could mix the clasps together to make a long necklace. Ain’t that cool?

Those were the different types of clasps. So if you’re planning to restrung your pearls, take time to think and choose what clasp you want to use. Besides, those pearls need something pretty to lock them up.

Genie, Chamberlain, Sears, Wayne-Dalton, Linear, and Universal (SkyLink) make some of the best garage door openers on the market. The following product reviews should be useful for those in the market for a garage door opener.

The Genie® Company is one of the most well-known and trusted companies in the US. Founded in 1923 under the name of the Alliance Manufacturing company, Genie manufactures consumer, industrial as well as military products. The Genie® brand of garage door openers are very popular for their high power remote-controlled garage door opening systems.

Genie produces a wide range of garage door openers and the most popular brands from Genie are: the Excelerator, the Screw Drive and the Chain Glide. Other brands include the Alliance, the Blue Max, the Crusader, Python, Pro-Max, Lift-a-door, OverHead Door, Norelco, Code-Dodger and Intellicode.

Genie uses state-of-the-art technology in its garage door openers. The Intellicode® remote access security system changes the security code to one of billions of combinations each time the transmitter is used, thus making it one of the safest systems in the world. Its Sate-T-Beam(TM) infrared beam system can sense the presence of objects in the door’s path and can thus prevent damage to equipment. Genie garage door openers can be installed on both single as well as double doors. They use ½ horsepower and can work on doors that are up to 8 feet high. Genie garage door openers open twice as fast as other garage door openers but close at normal speeds. They are very quiet, have a bright, wide-angle lighting and powerful motor design and can work in any weather conditions. Such advanced technologies make the Genie brand of garage door openers most popular in the world.

Chamberlain GmbH based in Saarwellingen, Germany is a principal supplier of residential garage door openers, commercial and residential gate operators, and remote controls in the world. The company has offices in France, England, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovak Republic and Singapore. Chamberlain products are available almost across the whole world.

Chamberlain offers garage door openers in commercial as well as residential varieties. Chamberlain®, Whisper Drive® and Power Drive® Garage Door Openers are the most popular brands from Chamberlain.

LiftMaster® is the most popular brand from Chamberlain. This range also includes the Liftmaster garage door opener remotes, replacement parts, mini transmitters, keychain remotes and other accessories. LiftMaster garage door openers are available in different drive and horsepower modes and are combined with a wide range of accessories and options. The LiftMaster range contains: the Estate Series, the Premium series and the Contractor series. These are available in the belt drive; screw drive as well as in chain drive models.

Chamberlain’s Power Drive® and Whisper Drive® belong to the residential garage door opener category in the do-it-yourself range. The Elite(TM) range contains premier residential and commercial gate operators and access control systems. The Sentex® range is for secure residential and commercial garages.

Sears Holdings Corporation, parent of Kmart and Sears, Roebuck and Co., is the third largest broad line retailer in the US. Sears Holdings is a leading supplier of tools, lawn and garden, home electronics, and automotive repair and maintenance. It supplies the Craftsman range of garage door openers.

Craftsman supplies power tools, storage chests and cabinets, bench power tools, mechanics tools, power tool accessories, general hand tools, compressor tools, carpentry tools and home security and garage door openers and accessories. The Craftsman range of garage door openers consist of simple ½ hp garage door opener, ¾ hp garage door opener in chain drive models. Other products include the universal remote control conversion kit with 1 remote, the 10ft chain drive extension kit, the 10ft extension kit for garage door opener, the 8ft extension kit for garage door opener, the 8ft rail extension kit, the Remote control, 3-function security, keyless entry pad, plug-in light control for garage door opener, the wireless garage door monitor and the extension kit (screw drive).

Wayne Dalton, established in 1954, is the producer and supplier of the safest residential and commercial garage doors and garage door openers in the US. Wayne Dalton supplies two kinds of garage door openers: wall mount and ceiling mount. The wall mount openers, an exclusive product from Wayne Dalton, can be mounted on the wall beside the door. This helps to eliminate the chains, belts, screw drive and tract that usually clutter the garage ceiling. This model also helps to eliminate noise and vibration to a large extent.

The Linear Corporate is a major producer of security systems like garage door and garage door openers. Linear produces garage door openers accessories like the Linear Act 21 key chain transmitter, Linear DR3A Linear Moore-O-Matic gate or garage opener receiver, Linear DT2A gate or garage door opener replacement transmitter, Linear DTC Moore-O-Matic Delta 3 Remote (same as DTD or DT) gate or garage door opener replacement transmitter, Linear DTKP wireless keypad, Linear MDR Megacode System single channel receiver, Linear MDT-1 and MDT-2 Megacode gate or garage door openers, Linear MDTK wireless keypad model, Linear MT-1B channel visor block coded transmitter, Linear MT-2B channel visor block coded transmitter etc.

Linear also makes the Stanley range of garage door opener parts and accessories like Vemco, Quiet Glide, LightMaker, Home Innovative, Whistler, Popular Mechanics, SecureCode.

Garage Door Openers have been saving Americans from back injuries for over 35 years, yet there has been few new modifications or major innovations in these garage door openers. Sure there have been nice new features such as the garage door clicker so you do not have to get out of your car. And lights have been added as well; even timers, which turn off the lights if not in use for a certain number of minutes.

Believe it or not some people have voice activated garage door openers instead of you having to place your little finger over the button when you walk from your house to the garage. Pretty funny and perhaps for the person who has every thing. Yet we need more features for our garage door openers. I know what you are saying;

“Oh for Pete’s sake that is silly” or “That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.”

Well I submit to you that I have a plan that will revolutionize garage door openers forever. How so you ask?

Well I propose that when you go into the garage and say “OPEN!” that the garage door senses the outside air and says;

“Are you sure, it is negative 12 degrees out there with wind chill, don’t you want to wait until you get into the car and start it first?”

Then you can say; “Why yes Genie, thank you for warning me!”

“By your command!”

Once the car is started the garage door opener senses this additional noise or shock sound waves from the car door closing and then it will open for you. So, the future will be pretty cool. Next the ceiling will open and you can vertically take off in your flying car and go to your next destination. Consider this in 2006.

Although a garage is primarily built or made to house vehicles, garages in many homes today have also been used to keep different items in an orderly fashion with the help of garage shelving. If not for the introduction of this into many homes, these garages would have been in a state that is less desirable.

Garage shelving is the process often used to ensure objects left in the garage are not kept just anywhere, but in a storage item. The objects often found here are sporting gear like your lawn tennis rackets, base ball bat, helmet, et al., and even tool boxes. These objects are then properly arranged for easy retrieval..

Carrying out this task of cleaning up your garage can be intimidating, but don’t be discouraged as by the time you are through, you will be very glad that you did it. Once this task is concluded, your garage will now be a place you will be ever willing to show to your friends and neighbors.

There are quite a number of materials which you can use to undertake garage shelving. However, aluminum and steel are the more commonly used metallic materials for making such cabinets. Steel is often preferred because of its strength. You can, however, choose to use a wooden garage cabinet as this is often cheaper, especially if you build one yourself. The advantage you will enjoy if you build one yourself assuming you have the skill is that you will make one which will definitely meet your specification in every sense of the word.

Materials that you can use for your family wooden garage shelve are: 3/4″ plywood to make strong shelves for the less expensive option and pine wood or fir to construct more expensive solid boards. Whichever option you choose, making strong boards which can withstand heavy loads should be your priority, as low load capacity can be a problem in the future as you increase items stored in each shelve.

Ensure you draw up a plan for your wooden garage cabinet and every other thing that is necessary to make your garage what it ought to be as this is wise. Your plan should include; depth of each shelve, space between each shelve and the amount of space this shelve will take so it does not encroach into the space allocated for your vehicle(s).

Finally, make sure you don’t forget to take preventive measures against insect attack where this can be a threat to you doing this type of garage shelving.

When designing a new home or garage it is very important take the time to consider what garage door sizes will work best. It is important not to assume that you will only need a standard size door. Once you have made the decision it is more or less irrevocable. In addition you also should consider increasing the size of your garage and that includes the height of the garage walls as well. It really is hard to beat an oversize garage.

Even if you presently own only a single medium size car you should seriously consider spending the extra money to make your garage larger and that includes the garage doors. Standard garage door sizes include 8′x7′ and 8′x16′ sizes. These sizes will accommodate a medium size care comfortably but not a large SUV or ordinary pickup truck. In many cases an 8 foot high just will not give a pickup enough clearance vertical clearance and many times the trucks mirrors will not make through the 7 foot width.

If you work with your builder and architect you will find that it will not cost that much more to increase the garage wall height. Doing so will give you a lot more options in terms of the capability. A garage with 10 high side walls will easily accommodate a 9 foot garage door. So why do you need a 9 foot garage door? If you own a pickup truck you will sooner or later have it loaded with a high load and that load will easily make it into the garage and out of the weather. If you load up the roof rack of your SUV with a luggage box in most cases it will not clear a standard 7 foot high garage door.

When it comes to garage door sizes width is also a critical consideration. If you own a boat or utility trailer you will find that they are frequently close to 9 foot wide. This means your toys are going to be sitting out in the weather because they are too wide to fit through the standard 7 foot wide door. Even a person who handles a vehicle and trailer well will appreciate the extra width of a 10 or 12 foot wide door when back up the load into the garage. The extra width may also keep people from banging your truck mirrors.

In many cases people will opt for the standard 16 foot double garage doors. These doors do give you the width you need to back in your pontoon boat and other wide loads. Again having a 9 or 10 foot high door will allow you to back it in without taking down the bimini or hard top.

Designing and building a home with an oversize garage is a good investment in the value of your home. Even if you never use the garage to its full potential it will appeal to a larger market when it comes time to sell your home. Using large garage door sizes will allow the next owner to store all his or her toys in the garage. This is especially true if your oversize garage is enclosed with the best garage doors as well. In terms of garage doors pricing spending a small additional amount of money to oversize your garage may increase the value of your property substantially.

Garage Floor Paint and Important Things You Need to Know About It

You like your garage, but the thing you don’t like about it is that it is always dirty and you are having a hard time cleaning it every time you work on your vehicle. Well let me tell you that you can solve these 2 problems with only a thing. That thing is named garage floor paint.

There are a lot of types of paint, so you should be careful which one you pick before buying it. Some types are good, while others are bad. For example, oil based isn’t too good, because it can peel of quite easily. In my opinion, the best paint you can pick is epoxy. It is harder to install, but at least you know that you won’t have any more problems for a long time, if you apply it properly.

First of all if you have old, peeled off paint on your garage floor, then you should completely remove it. If you leave it there it will interfere with the new paint. After you do that you should check the concrete for cracks or uneven spots and repair them. If repairing is needed then you should wait a few of days until the concrete has healed, to apply the paint. After the concrete has healed you can apply the new paint. Before you apply it you should clean the concrete one more time, because if there is any dust that’s not very good for the paint.

Now that you are done preparing the concrete, you can finally apply the paint. If you want it to last a long time you should install two coatings of paint. The first one will work as a primer and the second one will be the finish. After you applied the first coating you should wait at least 4 hours until you apply the second coating. When you are done painting you should know that it takes some time, until the paint completely dries. That means you shouldn’t go into your garage for one day or two. Your car should also stay outside for about 5 days, that’s when you can be 100% sure that the paint has dried, and the weight of the car won’t ruin it.

So if you want a better place to work in, then garage floor paint is the solution. You can also pick other types of paints if epoxy is too complicated for you. However the other types of paint have some disadvantages, you should check if they are good for you or not, before buying them.

Are you using your garage for little more than parking your car? You’re missing out on the perfect place for storing everything from sporting equipment to Christmas decorations. If you’re thinking that there’s no space for garage storage then maybe you need some shelving to increase your storage space. Here are some tips to buying storing shelves for your garage.

Shelving can be found at any home improvement or hardware store. There are two basic types of shelving which includes prefabricated shelves and ones that can be made in your garage. The prefabricated shelving is usually self enclosed where as shelving kits are designed for mounting on your garage wall.

Shelving kits for building your own shelving is usually a 3/4 inch length of plywood, brackets and strips to attach the brackets. The piece of plywood varies depending on the length you need. They usually come in standard sizes or you can have them cut (or cut them yourself) to fit your needs. While you generally won’t care about the aesthetics, you can buy them pre-laminated so spills are easier to clean up. The strips for attaching the brackets have several slots so the shelving can be easily adjusted once mounted. If you’re not affixing the strips to a stud then you’ll need appropriate anchors as well.

Make sure you heed the weight requirements of all equipment. Brackets and anchors will clearly state their recommended maximum weight range. It’s always better to err on the side of safety and get equipment that can hold more than less. You never know what you’ll be storing on the shelves in the future.

The depth of your shelving depends on what your needs are but the standard is between 19 and 25 inches. A good idea is to set out everything you want to place on the shelves and then determine what you need. If you’re still unsure then just stick to the standard sizes.

There is also floor or ceiling mounted shelving which can also be a huge space saver. 2×4′s are attached to the flooring or ceiling in an “L” shape and then the shelving is attaches to the 2×4′s.

Prefabricated shelving comes in a variety of styles and materials. If you’ll be storing lightweight items such as boxes of Christmas decorations, then plastic shelving will do the trick. They come in various sizes and they’re stackable so you can buy as many shelves and supports as you need. There is also metal shelving for your heavier items. They are great for durability but usually can’t be altered or added to so customization may not be an option. Prefabricated metal shelving should be adjustable so it can accommodate items of different heights.

Now that you have a rundown of shelving you’re ready to use your garage for more than just a car.

You probably recycle. You bring a reusable bag to the supermarket every week. Perhaps you walk or bicycle to locations within a few miles of your house. You have no doubt switched out your light bulbs for compact fluorescent and always turn off a light when you leave a room. In short you are living as green as you think you can. Well, perhaps not. Consider replacing your old garage door with a new one built out of recycle materials that will greatly reduce your energy consumption and save you money.

Today’s garage doors are insulated which protects you home not only in the bitter cold months of the winter but also in the sweltering days of summer. Your house will retain more of its heat and more of its A/C, which you will see in decreased energy bills year round. This insulation not only keeps in the heat in the winter and out in the summer it also dampens sounds, which makes you able to use your car park as another room in your house. At any time you can feel comfortable going out to tinker at your workbench without disturbing the neighbors or them disturbing you.

Your garage door is the largest door in your house, hopefully, and as such is your best opportunity to purchase something built from sustainable materials using sustainable construction. Doors now can be made from materials like insulated steel and recycled wood composites that are not only more durable but also better insulated than wood or aluminum. Also the stains that were once used on wooden doors were terrible for the environment, but new doors are built with new paints and finishes that are baked on or powder coated which create not only a more durable finish but also reduce run-off into local water. These doors also run on far more efficient openers that further reduce the energy cost you incur using them.

Because of the increased durability of sustainably built garage doors they last far longer than the alternatives. Because of this they can last up to twenty or thirty years before they need to be replaced. Selecting a garage door that is environmentally friendly not only makes your house greener but it can save you a fair amount of “green” in the long run as well.