Racedeck, Swisstrax, G-Floor...and epoxies

The floor is the first thing to address when doing your garage. There are many flooring solutions, so do your homework. Epoxy paints work well if you invest time in the prep. Allow a week to prep, paint, and time to cure before parking on it. Interlocking tile products from Racedeck and Swisstrax, the industry leaders, are a solution that is quick and has endless creative patterns. The floor pictured is Racedeck. A simple pattern that was installed in a few hours. Another product, G-Floor, is a vinyl mat that rolls out covering the floor just where you park or wall-to-wall. It's pre-cut in various sizes. I recommend the thickest of the G-Floor products.

If your floor is reletively new and has no stains, give the epoxy products a look. For older floors or floors with cracks and stains, look at the interlocking tile or mat products. Do your homework. There is plenty of information available online.

Die-cast collections

Are you a die-cast car collector? Most of us have a few replicas of our favorite race cars or dream cars. Some of us have hundreds. Whatever your interests are there is likely a replica being produced by someone. There are several manufacturers who rate very high with collectors including AutoART and GMP. Both of these companies have race cars, sports cars, muscle cars, and classic cars. Looking for a classic BMW, AutoART probably has it. Looking for a vintage '32 Ford Hot Rod, GMP probably has it. If your interests lean toward commercial vehicles, then you probably are aware of First Gear die-casts. Do you want to add a classic tow truck or stake bed truck to your collection? Check out First Gear. But don't think you're limited to replica vehicles. There are die-cast clocks, motors, and all the accessories to create your own diorama garage or drag race. If you've limited yourself to Hot Wheels, you should check out some of these companies. The quality will blow you away!

Personalize it!

If you're a car guy or girl you have a need to collect mementos from your car adventures. Literature from a car dealer, ticket stubs from the races, posters from a show...things that

remind you of your passion for all things automotive. The garage is your space where this collection resides. There are no rules. It doesn't require a designer to match colors and styles. If you like it, then it stays. Once you get started you might be surprised how your collection grows. Besides the stuff you accumulated over the years, you may find yourself now looking at things while out and about and wondering where they will fit in your garage. Ebay might become a good place to find items from the past such as signs, banners, clocks, thermometers, and even car parts that would look great hung on a wall. I recently saw a picture of a garage where the owner had a collection of Ford flathead parts on his wall. So be adventurous and personalize your garage. If it reflects your interests, then it works. If it documents your life, it has meaning. And if it makes you smile, life has been good.