According to Ohio Garage Interiors, the garage is quickly becoming the new front door

By Ken McEntee

During her annual holiday rant to Charlie Brown, Lucy Van Pelt makes clear her disdain for getting stupid toys, bicycles and clothes for Christmas. What she really wants, she says, is real estate.

Who doesn’t?

The good news this year is that, as you begin to stow the summer tools and furniture and start to make holiday party plans, you can enhance the value of your own real estate and expand your living and storage space with a single phone call.

“In many homes, the garage is the largest room, yet most people don’t maximize its potential,” observes Chad Gleske, who, along with his dad, Scott, founded, owns and operates Ohio Garage Interiors. “We can help change that.”

Ohio Garage Interiors specializes in garage enhancement solutions including the installation of rugged polymer floor coatings, cabinets and organizational systems that not only organize your garage, but also can open up so much more space that you can actually use it for entertaining—while protecting your vehicles from the nasty Northeast Ohio winters.

Since 2006, Chad and Scott have installed more than 3,000 spectacular garage floors throughout Northern Ohio.

“Whether you have a single-car detached garage or an attached multi-car space the size of the Q, our flooring and organizational systems can help you to reclaim your garage as a useful and valuable storage area, work space or even a large, versatile party room,” Chad promises.

A Grand Entrance
A home’s front entrance may be elaborately decorated, featuring impressive wooden doors with decorative stained glass underscored by a welcome mat bearing the family name–usually with an inappropriately used apostrophe-S at the end. Still, Chad insists, the garage is increasingly the main entryway into today’s home.

“The garage is becoming the new front door,” Chad observes.

“It’s a visitor’s first impression. That’s why more people are beginning to look at their garage from a more aesthetic perspective. Usually being the largest room in the home, the garage is something that people can take pride in.”

Start With the Floor

The first step in restoring a garage, Chad says, usually begins on the floor, where cracks, pits, crumbles and oil stains can create an embarrassing first impression.

“The porous concrete floor in your garage begins to deteriorate the moment it comes into contact with the road salt that your car carries in from the street, Chad says. A tough, attractive polymer floor coating from Ohio Garage Interiors, on the other hand, isn’t affected by salt, water or oil.

“Salt, dirt and grime won’t hurt our floors,” Chad insists. “You can say goodbye to ugly pits and cracks. And clean-up and maintenance are a snap. You simply get the hose and rinse the dirt and salt away.”

Ohio Garage Interiors’ polyaspartic floor coating is a high-quality, stain-resistant, easy-to-maintain surface, he explains.

“It is not an epoxy and stone floor,” he clarifies.

“Our product is a colored vinyl flake that is broadcast into a clear coat. The big difference is that, unlike a stone epoxy product, our coating is not porous, so salty slush, oil and other liquids can’t seep in and settle between the coating and the concrete. When our floors get wet, all you have to do is wipe them down or squeegee them off. That’s why we install this product in a lot of animal hospitals. When dogs have accidents on the floor, it doesn’t penetrate through to the wooded floorboards.”

Floors are available in hundreds of colors and patterns, including imitation stone.

The Concrete Destroyer
Chad shares a recent call he received from a concrete contractor.

“A customer wanted him to tear out a concrete garage floor because it was pitted,” recalls the co-owner of Ohio Garage Interiors. “He didn’t think it was necessary to rip the whole floor out and pour a brand new one—and he was right.”

Ohio Garage Interiors can repair most pitted and cracked floors for about half the cost of pouring a new one, Chad promises.

“Our process not only protects your concrete from the relentless salt damage that is an unfortunate part of Northeastern Ohio winters, but we also can restore floors that already are pitted and chipped. Our product is preventative, restorative and gorgeous,” he says.

Road salt is typically the cause of concrete problems.

“Although it looks solid, concrete is actually porous,” Chad explains.

“When you pull your car into the garage, your tires track in saltwater, which also drips off the bottom of your car. That saltwater percolates down into the concrete, leaving salt deposits that slowly eat your concrete away over time. It might take five to 10 years to visually see it happening, but eventually your garage floor may end up looking like the surface of the moon, with pits and cracks and fine concrete dust that inevitably gets tracked inside your house.”

One of the nice things about Ohio Garage Interiors’ system is that you can install it in a brand-new garage and never have to worry about ruining your concrete, Chad says.

“We apply a non-porous vinyl coating that keeps moisture on top of the surface where it can do no harm—and is a snap to clean and maintain,” he says.

“Our self-leveling compound allows us to not only protect a floor from future damage, but also restore concrete that already is damaged. We can save floors that you think are long gone. As long as the integrity of the concrete is sound, we can usually level out the pits and cracks and leave you with a smooth surface that will look like a newly poured floor.”

Patience Makes Perfect
You’ve probably heard chefs tout the need for patience in anticipating a perfectly prepared five-star meal. The same goes for a garage floor that will stay strong and spectacular for a long time, Chad says.

“Floor coatings are more popular than ever because of their stunning appearance and restorative quality,” Chad says. “Growing demand will always bring opportunists into the market, and they often tout gimmicks—like one-day floors—to take the place of experience and expertise.”

Chad and Scott say they stand by the two-day process they have utilized in the garages of more than 3,000 satisfied customers.

“Rushing the job might help a contractor increase volume, but cutting corners doesn’t help the customer,” Chad reasons. “We don’t see the point of rushing a process that will protect your garage floor for decades, and nobody has ever complained that we take too long.”

The Ohio Garage Interiors floor coating is installed in three steps:

First, the concrete is prepped using a diamond-tooling machine that etches it to a white color. That, Chad says, helps to create a tight bond for the epoxy base coat that is applied next. Once that coat is applied, it cures overnight, which ensures that it will properly bond to the concrete below. The next day, a topcoat of aliphatic polyurea is added.

“Our top coat is four times more durable than epoxy,” Chad says. “You won’t have to reseal the floor for another 12 to 15 years and our epoxy is UV stable, so it will never turn yellow. That’s why we’re able to back our floors with a 10-year warranty.”

A Superior Cabinet
With a brilliant floor in place, installation of cabinets and organizational systems are a clever way to keep the garage pristine and orderly.

Uniquely, Ohio Garage Interiors doesn’t install stock cabinets that “almost” fit your garage. The fit is precise.

That’s because every garage system is custom designed—then custom made at Ohio Garage Interiors’ shop.

“A few years ago, we made a major investment in a high-end CNC (Computer Numeric Control) machine and expanded our production facility so we can make our own cabinets in-house,” Chad says.

“That means you’ll have a perfect fit every time. Previously, we installed high-end stock cabinets that were rugged and beautiful, but we realized that we were a little limited in what we could customize. We can now feature more colors, designs and unique styles, perfectly measured and built to exactly fit your space.”

Using CAD software, they can show customers 3D images of exactly how their enhanced garage will look before the installation begins.

Ohio Garage Interiors’ cabinets, available in 10 colors, are crafted from a thermo-fused laminate so they won’t peel or discolor. They are mounted directly to the studs in the wall so they are secure and solid. And, Chad emphasizes, they are situated six inches off the ground to inhibit water and pests.

Unlike cabinets you might find in a home improvement store, Ohio Garage Interiors’ cabinets are extra wide—up to 48 inches—to more conveniently store tools, toys and yard amenities, and are constructed from a tough, thermally-fused laminate, Chad says.

“They have a high-end decorative appearance,” he says. “We are also introducing a new stainless steel wrapped outside door. It’s so nice to pull the car in and see nothing but stylish, clean cabinets. Our cabinets are attractive enough to be in the house, but designed for the storage demands of a garage. That’s why the ladies love them as much as the guys do.”

Ohio Garage Interiors can enhance the cabinets with handy and convenient wall hangers and other storage solutions that keep tools, yard equipment and gardening supplies organized and easy to access.

A Multi-Purpose Room
The first question that may come to mind when rolling up to Leigh and Heather Guilkey’s Medina home, is why they park their cars in their family room. As it turns out, the large, clean-as-a-whistle “room,” adorned with framed travel posters and other artwork, a refrigerator and a set of wicker furniture to relax on, is the Guilkey’s three-car garage.

“I call it our multi-purpose room,” Leigh reveals. “It’s nice to hang out in here. We can sit in here with the doors up and watch the kids play in the driveway, or just lounge around. It’s like a covered patio. We can pull the cars out and it’s a perfect party room.”

The transformation from garage to multi-purpose room was done mostly by Ohio Garage Interiors.

An admitted stickler for cleanliness and organization, Leigh says an upgraded garage was on his wish list from the time he and Heather bought their home six years ago.

“The concrete garage floor at our last home was chipping and it drove me crazy,” he recalls. “We met Ohio Garage Interiors at a home and garden show. We did some research, then had them come out to create a plan for the garage.”

They started by installing the floor. Unlike the porous stone and epoxy coating used by some companies, Ohio Garage Interiors’ polyaspartic coating is a high-quality, non-porous, stain-resistant, easy-to-maintain surface, Chad explains.

“The floor made a big difference,” Leigh says. “There are no tire marks and no stains. It is low maintenance. We just hose it off and mop.”

With the new floor in place, Leigh and Heather painted the walls, then had Ohio Garage Interiors come back to install custom-made cabinets that keep tools, toys and other items organized and hidden from view.

“The Guilkeys have a spectacular garage,” Chad says. “But we do more than luxury garages. No matter what sized garage you have, we can replace your cracked and chipped floor and/or recover a lot of cluttered space with cabinet and organizational systems.”

Reliable Craftsmen
Ohio Garage Interiors, Chad insists, is a true family business.

“Dad and I are hands-on in every installation to make certain that the finished product is always the way we would want it done in our own homes,” he assures.

“All of our installers are employees—not sub-contractors. It’s a matter of wanting knowledgeable, experienced people to ensure a top quality of work.”

In preparation for a holiday season of parties and entertainment, it’s simple to get your garage restoration started. Scott and Chad offer a no-cost, on-site consultation. Or, they will invite you to their model garage to see their floor coatings and cabinetry in a real-life setting. You can simply call 330-835-8111 or 440-520-9370 to make your appointment. You can get more information at OhioGarageInteriors.com.