Keep your Garage Floor its best!

The garage floor is very durable, and yet overtime will require maintenance. Cement is not a ductile

material. So the bending and breaking that you will come across throughout your house will not be a problem in the garage. What you will experience is shrinking and expanding, which will lead to scratches and cracks. Most garage floors are designed to allow room for minor yet inevitable changes. However, there are always other variables that may, in time, lead to cracking and shifting. The good news is that most of this is cosmetic, and easily repaired. Let’s look at a few common repairs that you can expect to make in your garage!

Shifting

If you find yourself walking across the garage and step into a low spot, walk up a slope, or feel a change in leveling, it’s likely you have some depression occurring. This can be a simple fix, depending on the scale of the depression. For small slopes, you can use a self leveling compound, which can be purchased at your local hardware store. Be sure to choose one that is suitable for outdoor use, and follow the instructions carefully. If your floor has a larger slope to it, or you find it to be largely uneven, you may need to talk to a local contractor. Sunken slabs can take time and money to repair. Should you choose to talk to someone about repairing these, it is essential to choose a contractor you trust. Poorly reinforced slabs, as well as underground issues are often the cause of this, making it important to have the job done well. 

Cracking

Most cracking that you’ll find in your garage will be minor, as garage floors usually have contraction joints built in the slab that make room to prevent major cracks. You may choose in this case to fill in the small cracks as you see them. You can use an epoxy based filler, which is applied with a caulking gun, and will expand and contract with the concrete to help prevent further cracking. Before applying the filler, you’ll want to scrape out the crack with either a wire brush or small chisel, depending on the size of the crack. This will clean out dirt and debris that may sit in the way.

Before you start any repair, clean your garage. Sweep up the floor, use a blower if you have large amounts of dirt. Focus on the specific areas that you’ll be repairing. Loose dust can prevent materials from bonding to the concrete, interfering with your repair project. To really polish your floor, after your repairs, you may consider applying a finish over the entire floor. Epoxy is one of our top choices! And as always, talk to a contractor you can trust for anything that is over your head. Getting it done right will be much more efficient in the long run than redoing a poor job! Your home is worth it.

Here Comes the Heat!

The warm weather is upon us, and many of us have started to feel that rush of heat sweep over our towns. Let’s talk about air conditioning. We all use it, and we will all need to maintain it. Keeping your air conditioner in good working condition may not be as difficult as you would think! With a little planning, some attention and care, you can stay cool all summer long!

When do you know it’s time to service your air conditioner? The best answer? Before it’s needed. You can stay one step ahead with the right preparation and regular maintenance. The first aspect of upkeep is keeping it clean. This is essential to maintain, as a single year of dirt and debris can cause clogging. A dirty blower fan filter can also reduce efficiency. All of these take a toll on it and will eventually lead to the break down of your machine. Safety precaution: Make sure before you do any cleaning or maintenance, that your air conditioning is completely disconnected from all power.

The next essential aspect of cleaning is the filters. Air conditioning units come with their own filters and require regular changing. For particularly clean air, you can check on additional filters that are available for your unit. For some filters, you can clean and reuse them. Some must be replaced. Check with your unit’s manufacturer for details. When the weather is hot, you’ll want to change or clean this every month or two, depending on how frequently it is in use. Remember that particularly dusty conditions will also heighten the need for a change. With most air conditioners, you are likely to find the filter in walls, ceilings, furnaces, or in the air conditioner itself. 

Finally, you’ll need to check the coils and coil fins. The coil absorbs heat and is an integral process of the structure. Over the months it will begin to collect dirt, and soil. Keeping the filter clean will enhance the coil’s endurance, however in time it will need to be checked. As it collects dirt, the airflow is reduced, the coil is insulated, and its ability to absorb heat weakens. A good practice for keeping this at its best is to minimize dirt and dust near and around the condenser unit. If the coil is in an outdoor environment, be mindful of foliage, and anything that may obstruct the airflow. The coil fins are one of the last pieces. Because these are delicate pieces, they are easily bent out of shape. This has the potential to block airflow. If your coil fins have been moved, you can purchase a fin comb from a wholesaler to comb them back to working condition.

As always, if there is anything that you are not confident in, it is the best route to check in with a well-trained, professional technician. Some diligence will keep your summer cool and breezy! 

The Backyard Fire Pit

The Backyard Fire Pit 

One of the exciting activities that summer brings is evenings spent outdoors. With dry, warmer nights, the weather is perfect for group gatherings around a fire. We are going to give you a quick design for building your own outdoor, stone fire pit for under $200! In just a few days, you and your friends can be enjoying marshmallows, hotdogs, and sharing laughter!

The Tools

Your fire pit can be constructed from stepping stones, and solid cement blocks. Our fire pit is going to be a square, 3’ x 3.’ For this, we will need nine 12” x 12” concrete stepping stones, which you can find for around a dollar a piece. We will also need sixty-four 4” x 8” x 16” cement blocks, which can be found for less than two dollars a piece. For extra durability and longevity, you can optionally also purchase some mortar mix. 

The Design

Start with a flat, level surface. If you’re in your backyard, this may require clearing some foliage, and moving some dirt around to level it. If you have a back porch, you’re partway there! It’s important to make sure you have a safe, level area away from all fire hazards. This includes a safe distance from your house and other structures. Once you have a safe location, you will need a cleared, 3’ x 3’ space. You should first use your stepping stones as your foundation, laying them in a grid, to make a square. Make sure they are level and sturdy. To build your pit, lay your cement blocks with four layers of four blocks on each side. Stagger them so that the corners will alternate direction. By doing so, the structure will help to hold itself together.

This design is simple and inexpensive. It is also easy to construct. If you wish to make it bigger, you can follow the design with more blocks. For those looking to add mortar to make it a stronger, longer-lasting structure, talk to a representative and your local hardware store for instructions on finding and using the correct mortar mix. 

The June Newsletter is Available!

Our June Newsletter is ready for viewing! Read a copy here!