That garage makeover you had planned for the spring or summer never happened.
Time got away from you or life just got in the way. Now the cold weather has arrived and you’re thinking it’ll be months before your plans to make upgrades to your garage can move forward.
Surely the colder temperatures make a late fall or winter garage makeover unfeasible, right? Not at all.
Garage makeovers can be done year-round
Regardless of what kind of climate you live in, a garage makeover can be done any time of the year – even in the fall and winter.
Inclement weather and frigid temperatures don’t pose an obstacle when it comes to transforming your cluttered, visually unappealing garage into an organized, beautiful space.
And, in fact, there are even some benefits in not waiting until the spring and summer to get a garage makeover.
Here’s why it makes perfect sense to get a fall or winter garage makeover.
The practicality of a fall or winter garage makeover
Getting an autumn or winter garage makeover might just end up being more convenient for you.
The most popular times of year for home improvement projects are the spring and summer. Contractors are at their busiest, which means there’s a real practicality in taking advantage of the slower fall and winter seasons for your makeover.
Getting a home renovation project rolling when the weather is warmest can take several weeks, if not months. Contractors only have so much time, which can make wait times discouraging.
The slower contractor season should mean your garage remodel can actually get done faster, with shorter waiting times or delays.
And because their schedule and availability is more flexible, contractors may be able to better accommodate your schedule.
Keep in mind that lead times for the products used in your makeover (meaning the amount of time it can take for ordered items to arrive) will also impact the timetable for your project.
Use a more versatile garage floor coating
Any successful garage makeover starts from the floor up.
Some types of garage floor coatings can’t be applied when the temperature is too low or too high. Hot or cold temperatures don’t restrict polyaspartic garage floor coatings from being applied, however.
A minimum temperature of 50-55° F (10-13° C) is required to apply an epoxy garage floor coating. For urethane floor coatings, temperatures need to be a minimum of 40° F (4° C).
Clearly, that can be quite restrictive in terms of what times of the year these coatings can be used on garage floors located in colder climates.
On the other hand, a polyaspartic garage floor coating like Floortex™ provides a lot more versatility in terms of when it can be used.
That’s because Floortex™ garage floor coatings can be applied in temperatures as low as -40° F (-40° C) or as high as 104° F (40° C).
Depending on the temperature, our professional floor coating application specialists just need to make adjustments to the variable Floortex™ mixture. Floor curing times may also be affected by unseasonably hot or cold temperature conditions.
Protect your garage floor from the toll winter takes
A harsh, snowy winter can be rough on a garage floor. All that snow, ice, slush, and rain leaves your floor a mess.
Without a waterproof seal to keep all of that winter moisture tracked in by your vehicles from infiltrating your concrete floor through its cracks (which a coating prevents), floor damage can occur.
Fluctuating temperatures causes the water in those cracks and below your floor surface to freeze and thaw repeatedly. When coupled with the concrete’s natural expansion and retraction process, a lot of stress can be put on the floor. This can make existing cracks larger and create new ones.
Road salt run-off that recrystallizes beneath your floor surface only exacerbates the problem. And about that road salt…
While you appreciate de-icing salt when it’s keeping you safe on the roads, it’s a different story when it’s left your garage floor with unsightly white stains. Dried road salt also acts as an abrasive on your garage floor.
One of the benefits of a Floortex™ floor coating is the superior protection it provides. With its UV stable topcoat and strong resistance to salt and other household chemicals, the coating assures that your floor surface maintains its impressive glossy finish for years to come.
Here are a few other benefits of polyaspartic floor coatings:
- they have excellent abrasion and impact resistance
- the textured surface provides better traction than other types of floor coatings
- maintenance is easy (a squeegee cleans up winter messes quickly)
- an application can be completed in as little as a day
- you can pick a floor coating color that complements your garage’s décor
Messy winters take a toll on garage floors. A polyaspartic floor coating provides superior garage floor protection.
Garage parking was made for the wintertime
One of your bigger incentives to get a garage makeover might be that it will allow you to park your vehicles inside during the winter.
Nobody enjoys dealing with frozen door locks, scraping ice from a windshield, or clearing several inches of snow off your vehicle (especially early in the morning!).
It’s also nice to have a roof over your head to avoid bad weather when entering or exiting your vehicles. Parking in your garage has other benefits beyond weather-related concerns, too.
Your expensive four-wheeled investments will be much more secure when parked inside. Their bodies will also be protected from other exterior elements such as:
- acidic bird droppings
- tree sap
- sun damage
- exposure to airborne elements like dust, dirt, and pollen
But to make space for indoor parking, first you’ll need to get your garage organized.
An organized garage is a functional garage
So what are the best ways to organize your garage and keep it tidy with less effort?
The keys are to do some decluttering and to use the right types of storage systems with your winter garage makeover.
Most garage clutter sits on the floor. Outfit your garage with some effective storage systems to eliminate this problem and it’ll be a breeze to keep the space tidy.
Your two biggest allies in the battle against floor clutter are your garage’s underused wall and overhead space.
A slatwall storage system provides versatile wall storage space for all of your snow shovels, yard tools, and winter sports equipment.
For bulky seasonal items that aren’t needed for several months, heavy-duty overhead storage racks create the perfect out-of-the-way storage space.
And that bulky stack of all-season or summer tires that’s currently sitting on your garage floor until they’re needed in spring? Reclaim that valuable floor space by getting them up onto some wall-mounted tire racks.
Here are several more ideas to get your garage better organized and more functional during the autumn and winter:
- free up a garage parking space by storing your seasonal car on a car lift
- keep firewood dry and easily accessible with a firewood rack
- add a garage heater so you can use the space for hobbies when the temperature drops
- use garage cabinetry to give you more storage options
Your garage will be spring-ready
According to a Chamberlain Group study, 55% of homeowners use the garage as the primary exit and entry point for their house.
In essence, a home’s garage access door has become “the new front door”.
Even with this heavy regular garage usage, we use the space even more in the spring and summer. Yard work is occurring regularly and we’re more likely to spend time tinkering in the garage.
The warmer weather is also more conducive to enjoying outdoor leisure activities, which often involves using things stored in the garage.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have your garage spring-ready when you use the space most?
A fall or winter garage makeover ensures your yard tools, bikes, golf equipment, and other sports equipment are well-organized and easy-to-find when you need them most.
A heavy-duty tire rack keeps spare sets of tires easily accessible and keeps them off your garage floor.
If your garage is lacking adequate energy efficient features, an autumn or winter garage makeover is the perfect opportunity to make improvements in this area.
Attached garages without insulation or other energy efficient features have a big impact on your home’s overall energy efficiency, especially during the coldest months of the year.
Lower your hydro bill and carbon footprint with these garage energy efficiency ideas when the weather is coldest:
- upgrading your wall and ceiling insulation (or adding some if there is none)
- switching to modern LED garage lighting
- using garage doors with insulation
- sealing up gaps and cracks with weatherstripping, caulking, and door sweeps
- upgrading to more energy efficient garage windows and access doors
Even when the weather warms up, a garage with excellent energy efficiency helps to keep hot air out and the cold air generated by your air conditioner in.
Don’t wait until spring to do your garage makeover
Don’t let inclement weather and colder temperatures be an obstacle to transforming your garage into an organized, aesthetically pleasing extension of your living space.
Instead of waiting until the spring or summer, it makes a lot of sense to move forward with your garage makeover now.
Simply schedule your free design consultation with us to get your autumn or winter garage makeover project started.
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