Garages

Protecting Your Toys All Winter Long

14 December 2021
Andrew Hofstetter
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Categories: ATV's and Motorcycles, Blog, Garages, Grand Mat, Winter

This winter, you need to protect your toys, equipment, and your garage floor from the brutalities of winter.

Your garage, after all, is a busy place. Cars and trucks pulling in and out. Snow blowers, sleds, ATV’s, storage, tools, and projects all needing a place. Depending on how warm you keep your garage, salt-packed chunks of ice may fall to the floor and melt across your concrete and spread to your toys, equipment, and belongings. 

It doesn’t take long before the muck of the outdoors — and of winter — finds itself all over your garage. You’ll quickly find yourself with dirt, salt, and sand caked to the bottom of your feet when walking in your garage. In all of the filth of winter, you need to protect your floor and your equipment from winter wear and tear. 

GrandMat – Protecting Your Toys…and Your Floor

Motorcycle Winter Storage

If you’ve winterized your motorcycle, there’s a strong possibility that it is sitting in your garage, to the side and out of the way. However, you still want to protect it. The melting salt-packed snow that falls from your vehicle is going to drain, leak, pour, and pile. Salt is corrosive and letting it get onto the wheels of your motorcycle is a recipe for disaster. The GrandMat’s surrounding lip keeps the corrosion away. 

Snowblower Storage 

The amount of filth, junk, and dirt that end up in your snowblower isn’t immediately evident when you use your snowblower. The snow may look pure and white, but it doesn’t take long to discover that the dirt and sand hidden in that blanket of white is a filthy mess on your garage floor and corroding your concrete. The Grand Mat keeps all that melting mess contained and off your floor. 

Snowmobile and ATV Storage

Your garage floor is the ultimate victim of wear, tear, and winter. From leaking fluids from cars, trucks, ATVs, and all sorts of equipment to the filth and grime that comes in from the outdoors, salt and dirt are corrosive to concrete. By using a GrandMat, you’re protecting the floor to your garage, extending the life of your concrete and keeping dirt and grime contained. 

In the winter, the snow, salt, filth, and muck that stick to your vehicles end up being an issue for both your garage floor and and the toys and equipment that you use throughout the year.

GrandMat is the best solution to protect them both. 

Protecting Your Concrete and Making It Last

27 July 2021
Andrew Hofstetter
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Categories: Blog, Garages

Newsflash: There’s no such thing as concrete that won’t crack. Concrete is expensive and it looks fantastic when freshly poured. It has a clean look and a nice finish. Some garage enthusiasts would even say that there is nothing as beautiful as a freshly-poured concrete floor. 

Unfortunately, concrete cracks. Inevitably. This is especially true in places like Minnesota and it’s why the Grand Mat exists. 

The only way to get the most life out of your concrete and to truly keep it in the most optimal condition would be to take proactive steps in maintaining your garage’s concrete. 

Keep It Clean

For anywhere from 3 to 7 months out of the year in places like Minnesota, our vehicles become caked with salt that is used to melt ice on the roads. This salt comes home on our cars, melts in our garages, and then damages our floors. If you want to keep your concrete looking good for a longer amount of time, you should plan to regularly clean it. A vinegar and dish soap combination can help remove the build up of salt. But remember, the longer you leave that salt on the concrete, the more it is eating away at your concrete. 

Crack It Yourself

Yes. You read that correctly. If you know that your concrete will crack eventually, you’re better off cutting what’s called contraction joints into your concrete. This will allow you to control where the cracks go and will keep a random, splintered, serpentine crack from spreading across your garage floor. Talk to a concrete expert about where and how to install contraction joints in your garage. 

Protect It

By keeping the filth and grime off the floor, you’re extending the life of your concrete and helping to ensure a longer duration of time before you need to do significant crack repair or total concrete overhaul. By using an epoxy that can be liberally applied to a concrete floor or by using a Grand Mat, you can know that the money you’ve put into your garage floor will be well-spent. 

If it’s time for you to invest in protecting your concrete floor in your garage, talk to us at Grand Mat. We have the premium but rugged protection that your garage floor needs. 

Giving Your Garage a Gadget Makeover

6 July 2021
Andrew Hofstetter
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Categories: Blog, Garages, Grand Mat

At Grand Mat, we believe that every person needs a good garage and that every garage needs a good owner. There’s nothing worse than a garage that’s so overrun with clutter and storage overflow that you can’t use it for what it’s intended for. This is part of the reason that we created the Grand Mat: So that people could get rugged, premium protection for their garage floor. It saves concrete from the muck and filth of 4 seasons of hard use. 

Part of making your garage all that it can be (besides the Grand Mat, of course), is a handful of unnecessary gadgets and conveniences that are worth considering. Some of them may make you the envy of your neighbors. Others may simply cause them to shake their head in disbelief. 

Below is our list of “Don’t Needs but Must Haves” 

The RoboMow

This is a bit of a mix between an invention by Rick Moranis’ kid from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and the Roomba. This little addition to your inventory of unnecessary add-ons give you more time in your garage. Which takes us to our next suggested purchase. 

The ShamWow

This isn’t an infomercial. And we’re not promising you anything extra if you call within the next 10 minutes. But until you’ve tried one of these, you can’t truly appreciate how much they’ll change your life. So it’s not fair to call this a list of unnecessary items. Because the ShamWow is necessary. 

Garage Door Decals

This is by far our worst suggestion…but not without a bit of redemption. Consider the ridiculousness of having a garage door that looks like it’s your boarding a horse or storing a dump truck. If you’re not going to buy this for yourself, consider installing it at night on your neighbor’s garage door. 

At Grand Mat, we’re all about making your garage all that it can be. If you’re in the market for rugged, premium protection for your garage floor, let us know. We’ll set you up with the most versatile, longest-lasting, and effective garage floor protection solution on the market. 

Grand Mat – The New Homeowner’s Necessity

6 July 2021
Andrew Hofstetter
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Categories: ATV's and Motorcycles, Blog, Garages

The Grand Mat is the answer you’re looking for to protect your concrete. Whether you’ve just built a home or just bought one, the concrete on your garage floor is prone to — is destined to — crack. It takes the brunt of 12-month-a-year abuse, with salt in the winter, dirt and grime in the summer, fluid leaks, and filth. 

The only way you can get the most out of your garage floor’s life is to keep it clean by stopping corrosive materials from settling on your floor. The only way to do that for the long haul is by purchasing a Grand Mat. 

Rugged Garage Floor Protection

The Grand Mat is durable. It’s strong and can withstand traffic and corrosive materials. The EDPM Rubber material from which it is made can withstand extreme heat and cold temperatures as well as high levels of stress. 

Effective Garage Door Protection 

The Grand Mat also contains the crud and mess that comes from your vehicles, ATV’s snowmobiles, and equipment. The 2.5-inch lip that surrounds the mat allows you to keep materials from spilling onto your concrete, and yet the mat is light and versatile enough to be easily removed from the garage and cleaned. 

Premium Garage Door Protection 

The Grand Mat is long-lasting. Unlike other garage protection solutions available on the market, you’re not buying a temporary solution for your garage when you buy a Grand Mat. It’s durability has been tested and allows you to make an investment that will last to protect your garage floor. 

Before another winter comes, connect with us at Grand Mat. We can custom size your mat or you can buy one of our standard models so that you can be sure that your new garage is protected from 12-month-a-year abuse. 

Better Ways to Organize Your Garage

2 June 2021
Andrew Hofstetter
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Categories: Blog, Garages, Grand Mat

The easiest way to keep your garage space clean and organized is to make sure you’re setting yourself up for success. 

Rather than cleaning as you go and making it a continual effort to keep up with the messes that take over your garage, consider setting yourself up with a system for organizing your space. The right effort and equipment that will make your hard work last. 

Invest in Storage

Good storage is a must for your garage. Consider making the investment in good shelving systems. Heavy duty shelving can be costly, but the investment will save you headaches in the long run. Whether you buy a kit or make them yourself out of lumber, shelving is a life saver for your garage space. 

Beyond shelves, also consider simplifying your tool storage, upgrading your tool boxes, and getting bikes and other awkwardly shaped or oversized items off the floor. 

Invest in Equipment

Having items like a pressure washer, extra lighting, and heating can make a huge difference for you as you get ahead of the mess in your garage. Once-a-year, it’s worth a mass cleaning of your garage, where everything is moved out and the floors are pressure washed. Insulated walls and a reasonable heating unit also help you stay ahead of your garage all year long. 

Invest in Protection 

Whether you have an industrial-sized garage or a single-car stall from the 1950’s, it’s worth protecting your garage. This is why people seal their concrete floors. It’s also why the Grand Mat exists. The more people use their garage, the more they expose it to the elements. Whether it’s the snow and salt from the winter, mud and grime from the spring, or the oil and fluids from your old truck and ATVs, it’s worth spending the money and effort to protect your garage from top to bottom.

The more work you do on the front end, the more likely you are to maintain a relatively clean garage all year through. So get started with the right equipment and reach out to us! We’ll get your garage space fitted for a Grand Mat that will provide the rugged, premium protection you’ve been looking for. 

Gift Ideas for Dad –

22 April 2021
Andrew Hofstetter
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Categories: ATV's and Motorcycles, Blog, Garages

For the Dad Who Hoses Off His Driveway

Fathers Day is coming quickly. While that may seem like it’s still a long distance out, we feel it’s our responsibility to stop you from the last minute Amazon gift card purchase or the on-the-way-to-Dad’s-house stop at Bass Pro Shops or the carwash to buy a gift certificate. 

Have you ever pulled into your dad’s driveway to find him sweeping out his clean garage? Have you stopped over while he’s midway through hosing down his driveway to get the dirt, leaves, and dust off of his pavement. Have you ever watched him raking a section of his lawn that — by everyone’s standards aside from your Dad’s — doesn’t need to be raked. 

If any of this describes your dad, we’ve solved the Father’s Day gift idea conundrum. 

Introducing the Grand Mat – The gift your dad is about to realize he can’t live without. 

The Grand Mat provides all the protection that his garage floor needs. It keeps oil spills and winter salt from mucking up his concrete. It keeps dirt and grime from staining his floor. It contains the crud and keeps equipment and cars clean. With a Grand Mat, the garage stays as meticulous as he wants it to be. 

At Grand Mat, the work we’re doing is protecting garage floors. But in a much more meaningful sense, we’re making Fathers Day dreams come true.

Spring Cleaning Your Garage

23 March 2021
Andrew Hofstetter
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Categories: Garages, Grand Mat

It’s springtime! We made it through another winter and, even though we’ll probably still see a snowflake or two (especially here in Minnesota where Grand Mat is located), there’s not denying spring’s arrival. The days are getting longer. The sun is feeling warmer.

With the coming of spring also comes the need to clean your garage. Somehow through the course of winter, your garage became more and more cluttered, the dirt and grime from snow-covered, salt-covered cars left a film over everything. You threw things in there, knowing you’d have to clean it up when things were a bit warmer.

Here are some checklist items for you as you get your garage ready for the warm weather that’s headed your way. 

De-Winterize

Take everything out of your garage and get all the sand, grit, dirt, and grime out of your garage and off the floor.

Toss

You know that thing you didn’t throw away last year in spring because you thought you might need it? It’s time to toss it. Maybe it’s the bin with no lid or the hose roller. Maybe it’s the shovel with the broken handle that you thought you’d fix. Whatever it is, toss it. 

Do an Inventory

Take a minute to do an inventory of your garage contents. What do you need more of? What are you running low on? How are you on grass seed, gasoline, Gojo, and garbage bags? As you get things organized, make a list for your next Home Depot run. The more you get ahead of it, the better off you’ll be. 

And of course, don’t forget a Grand Mat.