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A project we are designing and furnishing in Colorado. The homeowner of this five year old home was not pleased with his floor coating, so it has been replaced with this beautiful porcelain tile. The entire interior of this space will be transformed from a contemporary interior into an antique barn with hand plastered and antiqued walls, wood beams and Mahogany carriage doors that will resemble castle doors.

It is hard to predict what home design trends are going to remain timeless and stay in fashion or which ones are short-term trends will go down in history as mistakes. Design trends come and go and what may be fashionable and trendy today might very well be out of fashion tomorrow.

In the 1950s & 1960’s, Victorian fixtures, such as claw-foot tubs, were ripped out in favor of bright colors, vinyl and modern, sleek lines that was popular during the Atomic Age. Now those Victorian fixtures are now high demand and command high prices. The reason is because that era of design is timeless and transcends generations.

And remember when Avocado colored tile, vanities, toilets and baths were all the rage? In the 1980’s those fixtures and colors were eschewed as outdated symbols of an ugly, bygone era.

Diamond plate is a current example of a design that is presently ‘trendy’ and whose form is being used just about everywhere. But what happens if diamond plate suddenly becomes outdated and no longer fashionable?

What May Be ‘Trendy’ Today, Could Quickly Go Out of Vogue Tomorrow

The best choice is to select an elegant, timeless design over something that is ‘current’ or ‘trendy’. “You know that you’ve achieved a great design if whatever decisions you make will look great 40 or 50 years later. That’s my guiding principle”, advises VAULT Founder Chad Haas, when thinking about design decisions for your garage and home.

We received a before and after photo of a porcelain floor installation. The customer is extremely satisfied which means we’re happy too.

“Everything arrived last week and is now installed. The floor and cabinets look fantastic. Thanks for everything and thanks for following up. I will be sure to recommend your products to my friends.”

Where else but VAULT will you see a ‘United Motors’ porcelain enamel neon sign with articulating wheels. This giant sign will be crated on Monday and then ship to our client in New Jersey.

One of the things we love doing for clients here at VAULT is creating custom one-of-a-kind-furnishings for their home, like this reverse glass Porsche mirror, which is about 75% finished. Your the first to see this.

We are thinking a Ferrari mirror would be equally as beautiful wouldn’t you think?

Custom light fixtures and porcelain tile from Italy furnished by VAULT for this home featured on HGTV’s special “TOP TEN GARAGES IN AMERICA” where VAULT was honored to be chosen in four of the ten garages featured. Thanks HGTV!

What do you think of the ‘Before’ and ‘After’ of VAULT founder Chad Haas’ personal workshop? It sure looks and feels like a Craftsman style garage now doesn’t it?

One common question that is often asked is “what available garage floor treatments provide the best and longest return on an investment”.  After years of researching available floor treatments, experimenting with them and living with them for several years, we believe the two best options that give the best long-term use and return-on-investment (ROI) are: 

• Polished Concrete; and
• Porcelain (not ceramic) Floor Tiles. 

Most popular floor treatments for garages, such as floor coatings, provide only a short-term solution and typically have a limited life expectancy of 5-15 years.  Both porcelain tile and polished/stained concrete are a permanent solution and can last for decades.  In essence, they will outlive their owner.   

Polished concrete and porcelain tiles are becoming increasing popular due to their toughness, strength and ease of maintenance and, for these reasons, offer the greatest long-term return on an investment compared to other flooring treatments.  Lets cover the advantages and disadvantages of both floor treatments. 

POLISHED CONCRETE

 Polished concrete has long been a good alternative to marble, granite, tile, linoleum, or coated concrete for use in retail stores, warehouses, office facilities, and just recently has become popular with homeowners, who are captivated by the stunning, high-luster floors, which can be stained to replicate the look of polished stone. 

The process of polishing concrete floors is quite simple, similar to sanding wood.  Heavy-duty polishing machines equipped with diamond-impregnated disks (similar to sandpaper) gradually grind down and polish the concrete surface to the desired degree of shine and smoothness.  

You can learn more about polished concrete by visiting the Concrete Network website: 

http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/polishing/polishing_basics.htm

BENEFITS OF POLISHED CONCRETE 

• Long-term life (life expectancy of a polished concrete floor can range from 25+ years of useful life).  As a result, it has a very good long-term return-on-investment.
• Unlimited color selection as a result of staining options.
• Ease of maintenance. 

LIMITATIONS OF POLISHED CONCRETE 

• They can become very slippery when wet and as such, should be considered for ‘showroom’ garages, not ‘working’ or ‘day-in/day-out’ garages.
• The initial cost.
• Repairs can be unsightly.
• Considering the investment in equipment and the skill required, polishing your own concrete floor is not a project that can be done by a do-it-yourselfer. A professional concrete polishing contractor to do the work.  You can find a qualified professional concrete polishing contractor where you live by searching here.

PORCELAIN TILE 

The advantages of porcelain tile far outweigh other concrete floor treatments.  Because porcelain is a dense and impervious product, it is stain resistant, wear resistant and does not discolor or fade.  Once mortared to concrete, porcelain tiles are very durable (superior in strength to granite) and one of the best wear resistant flooring material, making it an excellent choice for high-traffic uses.  This is the reason why you will see miles of porcelain tiles used in just about every mall in America.  Porcelain tiles are unaffected by chemicals and will not show no visible signs of chemical attack, all of which make it idea for use in a garage where it will come into contact with automobile fluids such as oil, brake fluid and anti-freeze among other chemicals. 

Porcelain has a very long life expectancy and are manufactured to last a lifetime of use.  It is this durability that makes porcelain tiles one of the best returns on investment that a homeowner can make. 

Whereas many flooring options show their age from wear and tear, porcelain look beautiful when installed and the tiles actually seem to accentuate in their beauty as they age, taking on a beautiful patina.  If you have ever visited Europe, you will note tile being liberally used in many buildings as exterior cladding and outside in cafes and it looks just as beautiful, if not more so, from the day it was installed. 

Visit the Assembly Line at the Ferrari Factory in Maranello, Italy and you will see Porcelain Tiles on the Factory Floor.

BENEFITS OF PORCELAIN TILE 

Here are some of the material advantages of porcelain tiles over traditional ceramic tile and quarried materials: 

• Long-Term Lifespan – The life expectancy of porcelain tile can provide 50-100 years of useful life.  As a result, it has the best long-term return-on-investment of any garage floor surface treatment.
• Stain Resistance –Unlike ceramic tile and natural stone which can stain, porcelain solid-through tiles are stain-proof.
• Strength – Porcelain tiles have a breaking strength 2X or 3X times greater than granite and 7X to 8X greater than marble providing one of the hardest, most durable surfaces for a garage floor.
• Abrasion Resistance – Porcelain has a 3X higher resistance to deep abrasions compared to quarried surfaces.
• Moisture Resistance – Porcelain has an exceptionally low absorption rate of less than 0.01%-0.04% classifying them as “impervious”. Their dense, impervious nature makes them ideally suited for high-moisture environments.
• Frost Resistance – Tiles are frost proof and able to withstand freeze/thaw conditions.
• Chemical Resistance – Porcelain tiles are unaffected by chemicals and will show no visible signs of chemical attack.
• Color Resistance to Light – Porcelain tiles are unaffected by UV and will not change in their brightness or color.
• Environmental Impact – The production process of porcelain tile has a very low environmental impact and, unlike quarried materials, which have a high wastage rate (approximately 66% of quarry volume is waste by-product) and major environmental repercussions. 

LIMITATIONS OF PORCELAIN TILE 

• The initial cost to install porcelain tile can exceed the cost of other surface treatments.
• Porcelain tiles have a limited number of colors and size options compared to other floor surface options.
• Although easy to maintain, porcelain tiles may need to be periodically cleaned with a floor cleaning machine containing a nylo-grit brush head to scrub and professional clean the floor, just as is done in malls, retail stores and restaurants where porcelain tiles are used.

WHAT KIND OF PORCELAIN TILE IS APPROPRIATE?

One last thing worth noting.  Porcelain tile is not the same as cermic tile (the difference between the two in a future article, but ceramic tile is not appropriate for use in this kind of application).  Also, not all porcelain is made in the same way and there are two criteria that should be considered when searching for an appropriate porcelain tile that will perform in the garage: 

• Specify Only Commercially Rated Tile – Tile that is rated for use in ‘Residential’ applications is different than ‘Commercial’ rated tile.  Although residential-rated tile may be appropriate for use in a bathroom or kitchen, where it will not come into contact with automobile fluids, it is not appropriate for the garage.  Specify only tile that rated for “Commercial Use”. 
• Avoid Glazed Tiles/Select A Solid Throughout Product – Source only porcelain tiles that have the same composition throughout the tile and are NOT manufactured with a surface glazing.  Glazings are used to add color to bare tile, so if the top surface of a glaze tile is damaged, scratched or chipped in such a surface would reveal a different body color, which can stain, and warrant replacement.  A “Solid-Through” tile is similar to glass in that its composition is the same throughout, so damage to the tile, such as due to a scratch is not a noticeable. 
• Warranty – Find a tile that is warranted against staining.  The garage is a harsh environment and you will want to source a tile that is able to handle the highest levels of stress, traffic wear and the most persistent stains.

You can learn more about porcelain floor tiles and purchase them by visiting VAULT’s website at:

http://www.vaultgarage.com/garage-flooring/porcelain-garage-tiles.html

Porcelain Garage Tiles are sold by retailer VAULT (www.vaultgarage.com)

Incorporating a ‘Knee-Space’ into a Design.  The most common mistake frequently made by amateur designers of garage cabinet layouts is incorporating a ‘knee-space’ or ‘open-space’ into a design where they will sit down to work, use a computer or watch television.

Although visually a ‘knee-space’ may appear to be a good solution in which to incorporate a work area where you can sit down to work, most homeowners find that they do not utilize this space as they had originally intended, for these reasons:

1.  Uncomfortable To Sit This Way – Most clients find the height of the cabinets (likely to be 35-36” above the floor) to be un-naturally high in order to work or rest ones arms comfortably while sitting.

To determine if a knee-space will be comfortable for you, compare how you use the countertops in your kitchen, not to the desk in your office, which is
set much lower in height.  If you find it comfortable to slide a chair underneath your kitchen countertop while you are in the kitchen, peeling
vegetables for examples, then having a countertop height this high may work.  If however, it feels uncomfortable having the rest your arms so
high on the countertop, then you probably will not use this space as you had originally intended.

2.  Prioritize How You Will Use The Space – If the vast majority of time spent in the garage will be standing over the work surface, not sitting with your knees underneath the countertop (most homeowners spend 99% of their time standing over a work-surface, not sitting), then a ‘knee-space’ should not be a priority in your design.

3.  Open Spaces Tend to Gather Clutter – Designs where there are ‘open spaces’ often end up getting cluttered with boxes, equipment or a shop vac, out in plain view; whereas these same items could be stored out of view inside a cabinet.  Leaving a void does not maximize storage space, so if your budget can afford cabinetry in this area, maximize your storage space and incorporate as many cabinets as you can into your design.

4.  Continuity of Design & Balance –Incorporating an ‘open-space’ into a design is seen as un-sightly because it  breaks up the continuity and balance of a full bank of cabinetry.

The same layout shown above, but without an ‘knee-space’. The countertop will be used in the same manner, but has a cleaner, better organized appearance.

Envision a ‘knee-space’ incorporated into your kitchen cabinetry.  If you are comfortable with having a void in the base cabinetry of their kitchen
cabinets, then incorporating one in your garage cabinet design will probably work just fine for you.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a deadly, colorless, odorless, poisonous gas that is produced by the incomplete burning of various fuels, including coal, wood, charcoal, oil, kerosene, propane, and natural gas. Products and equipment powered by internal combustion engines such as portable generators, cars, lawn mowers, and power washers also produce CO. In the home, some common sources of CO include open flames, space heaters, water heaters, blocked chimneys or running a car inside a garage.

On average, about 170 people die each year in the US from carbon monoxide poisoning produced by non-automotive consumer products, typically from malfunctioning fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces, ranges, water heaters and room heaters; engine-powered equipment such as portable generators; fireplaces; and charcoal that is burned in homes and other enclosed areas. The susceptibility of CO poisoning is increased during power outages if these appliances or devices are not able to operate correctly or are not used correctly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that several thousand people go to hospital emergency rooms every year to be treated for CO poisoning.

Because many garages contain fuel-burning appliances that provide hot water or heat the home, dwellings with attached garages should be outfitted with CO detecting devices to warn the owner before potentially life-threatening levels of CO are reached.

These devices, which retail for $15–$150USD and are widely available, can either be battery-operated or AC powered (with or without a battery backup). Battery lifetimes have been increasing as the technology has developed and certain battery powered devices now advertise a battery lifetime of over 6 years. Install a CO alarm that meets the requirements of the current UL 2034 safety standard. You can shop for a CO detector here.