Turning Garages Into Living Space
(NAPSA)—Finding inexpensive ways to expand living space is a top priority for many American families. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to find more room in your home without expensive renovations.
For instance, giving your garage a quick makeover can help turn it into an extra playroom, a home office or even a workout room. Or a few tweaks could increase the storage space in your garage, helping you free up living space throughout your house. Whatever your reasons for expanding the garage, a few expert tips could help:
Wall To Wall
If you plan to use the garage for storage, consider covering the walls with a material you can use to hang tools and equipment. Try different types of plywood, slatboard or a specially designed organizing system. If you want to use the garage for a living space, new types of wood paneling can be an inexpensive quick fix. Use it to cover unattractive walls and to give the garage a clean, modern look.
Fabulous Floors
Chances are your garage floor needs some work and a product such as Behr Premium 2-Part Epoxy Garage Floor Coating can do the trick. Available at participating The Home Depot stores, it's a high-performance, water-based coating that helps transform concrete floors by giving them a showroom-quality finish. The premium coating requires no priming and, once mixed, is ready for use by simply rolling the coating on right from the built-in paint tray. The durable finish is easy to clean, has a unique, built-in, nonskid finish and resists scuffing, fading, cracking, peeling and blistering. It comes in two popular premixed colors, Silver Gray and Tan, and can be tinted into 36 custom colors. And for those who still plan to use their garage for the car, the product provides long-lasting protection against motor oil, gasoline, antifreeze, brake fluid, salt, hot tire pickup and other common elements.
There are easy ways to convert your garage floor into a high-performance, showroom-quality floor. Close The Door
If you're keeping your current garage door, use some caulk to seal up any cracks it might have. If you plan to get a new garage door, consider buying one that is insulated. Doing so can help make your garage a year-round room and can also help with heating and cooling bills. If you plan to install the garage door yourself, be sure to measure accurately, so the new door has plenty of space to roll up.
For more information, visit www.behr.com.







