Some things in our daily lives get little respect and appreciation.
We often take for granted daily blessings when we get used to them: Electricity, a hot shower, air in our vehicle’s tires when it’s time to drive, nice weather, wifi hot spots, safe roads, mail delivery, open grocery stores, good health.
Until something breaks down in some way, life just floats happily along without one-more-thing to add to the list of things to accomplish each day.
Your garage is one of them. Your driveway is another. They put up with a lot, given the ever-changing weather extremes in the Twin Cities. “Garage”, as he prefers to be called, for the most part is not revered like the other rooms in the house. Just like Laundry or Bathroom, he only gets attention when needed for a short time, yet he is typically not decorated, painted and heated like indoor rooms. Bedroom gets lots of time, attention and decorating, given its responsibilities, yet falls short of being able to manage a crowd, like Garage can.
It’s summer, you know, which means home entertaining.
Yet, WHO gets turned to when Deck and Patio can’t manage to have the Grad Party? Huh? Who is where Kitchen overflows when it’s pouring rain?
Yeah, it’s Garage who saves the day!
Throughout this wetter-than-ever June, Garage is the go-to guy! Garage understands that Kitchen still earns #1 room status – she works hard every single day and deserves it – you know, all kinds of friends and family overcrowd her when visiting, her floor gets spilled on, the dog eats crumbs there – it’s a big job.
Yet, when it comes to Graduation Open Houses, WHO will be the keeper of “the Shrine”? Tables and poster boards full of picture histories, honors and special events that the “graduate-of-honor” has on display for the Open Houses in their honor often are set up in Garage.
We’ve mentioned the “Garage Phenomenon” before in our blog posts for reasons other than uses from man caves to impromptu dance halls. Garage performs even a more crucial function.
Not only in this rainy summer season, but throughout the year – where is the most heart-warming, relieving place you are thrilled to drive your vehicle to when the weather is awful?
Home. Into Garage. Out the elements. No need for boots, umbrella, heavy jacket. Garage is safe, welcoming, useful. It is also abused and lonely.
Not only is Garage typically left undecorated except for an event, he is sometimes an oversized “closet” where things are kept on shelves. He also can have a machine or two parked inside because there is nowhere else to store “it”, and has tools hanging from the walls and bikes from the ceiling. He often puts up with the garbage and recycling bins. He is sometimes not insulated…and even if he is, becomes the coldest room in Home for the winter months.
Garage’s floor lives for a solid half of year with white, dried street salt that came in with the slushy slop that fell off the heavy vehicles bought in from driving through multiple snowfalls of the winter season.
What a brave, stoic room Garage is. Really.
Unless it isn’t anymore.
Over the years of saving the day for many an event, thus ranking #2 overall for rooms, Garage has been known to become bit arrogant – not a welcomed trait for the “Minnesota Nice” culture. There have been stories of more than one Old Garage that have been in competition with the Grand Canyon when they heard it was one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Yes, the great canyon is also known for its gorges, craters and massive cracks – not unlike Old Garage.
Over time, with Garage’s porous concrete floors absorbing years of dirt, salt and water, it has taken on cracks and craters of its own – to the point of being unsafe and unsightly. For the record, “unsightly” is where Old Garage loses the competition with the Grand Canyon.
Unlike Driveway, which has the advantage of outdoor elements that can wash away some salt and debris, Garage has to put up with it until its pavement getting continually corroded until it can be cleaned or fixed by you.
If you know it’s time for Old Garage to get the respect he deserves after ALL you put him through, and the above “fixed by you” video horrifies you, check out the procedure, care and maintenance plan that we at Richfield Concrete can do to make your garage floor replacement easy. Ok, you’ll have to clean him out, but you have to clean up for the parties anyway.
When Garage is feeling new again, then salt will have a lesser effect on his floor in the future and you can use it where it does more good – for margaritas and corn-on-the-cob.
