Swisstrax designs garage floor for superstar car collector Jay Leno

Like a kid in a candy store, the car enthusiast in Jay Leno's Big Dog Garage is a dream come true for garage floor tile superstar Swisstrax.

Jay Leno's Bugatti Cars on top of Swisstrax Garage Floor Pads

Swisstrax Corporation, manufacturer of earth-friendly, recyclable, plastic garage floor tiles -- Swiss engineered and made in the USA -- was seeing stars this month when they visited Jay Leno's Big Dog Garage in Burbank, California.

The story began when Swisstrax President Randy Nelson read an article and saw photos of Jay Leno's Big Dog Garage in Garage Style Magazine.

Randy Nelson said, “That can’t be -- such a beautiful car collection on that floor."

Bernard Juchli, Big Dog Garage

With assistance from Don Weberg of Garage Style Magazine, Randy proceeded to meet with the people at Leno’s garage. The first person he met was Swiss born Bernard Juchli. Juchli is a mechanical genius and keeps Jay Leno's Big Dog Garage running on all cylinders. He's also one of the country's top amateur formula race-car drivers and brings home trophies from the Vintage Auto Racing Association’s (VARA) annual events. According to the Jay Leno Big Dog Garage website, Team Juchli and Leno is an automotive match made in heaven. Randy, who speaks fluent Swiss-German and French, hit it off with Bernard, and Bernard gave Swisstrax a chance to meet with Leno and demonstrate the easy installation of interlocking modular garage floor car pads in the Big Dog Garage.

Swisstrax Ribtrax Garage Floor Pads installation in progress.

Of all the garage flooring products on the market, including paint and epoxy coatings, Motor Enthusiast Jay Leno, selected Swisstrax modular garage floor tiles to place under his famous car collection. He was looking for a good looking floor solution, a durable, easy to maintain floor, and something easy to install, move, or relocate if desired.

Devin Wiltbank, Swisstrax

When Jay met with Swisstrax President Randy Nelson proof was demonstrated face-to-face by Swisstrax do-it-yourself helpers in Leno's garage. Leno's decision to choose Swisstrax was easy.

From left: Randy Nelson, Jay Leno, Christine Nelson, Jonathan Nelson, Joanna Nelson & Jordan Nelson.

Jay Leno's garage floor pad installation was handled by knowledgeable, helpful Swisstrax Staff. To demonstrate the ease of installation and modular capabilities of the durable, interlocking qualities of Swisstrax floor tiles, Randy Nelson, proud father of three, had his children install some of the interlocking floor tiles as Jay Leno observed. Randy's children ranging in age from 8 to 11 have been demonstrating the ease of Swisstrax installation since they were old enough to assemble plastic Legos. A video clip of the Nelson Children installing Swisstrax snap-together, interlocking floor tiles can be seen at http://www.Swisstrax.com.

Jay Leno asked, "How can a plastic floor tile handle a five or six thousand pound Duensenberg?" Once again, proof was demonstrated by Swisstrax.

Jay was amazed to see how easy it was to install a new garage flooring solution. And, of even greater amazement was Jay's reaction when shown the Swisstrax plastic garage floor tiles withstanding the weight of some of his vehicles weighing over 6,000 pounds. To demonstrate the strength of the Swisstrax plastic garage floor tile, a Swisstrax garage floor pad was assembled and a few of Jay Leno's classic Duesenbergs were rolled on top without any sound coming from the floor -- only 100% Swisstrax quality was seen and not heard! In fact, the modular floor tiles can hold up to 40,000 pounds in rollover weight, and they have up to 5100 pounds in compressive strength.

Swisstrax garage floor tiles are available in many colors, several styles and can be used in a variety of indoor/outdoor flooring applications which include and are not limited to garage floors, dance floors, sport floors, patio floors, trade show floors, aircraft hanger floors, pool/spa floors, plus an endless number of applications for commercial floors and high performance floors. The Swisstrax tile styles are Ribtrax, Sportrax, Diamondtrax, Floortrax, Cointrax and Ribtrax Soft. Each of the modular, durable tile styles are illustrated and explained in detail at the Swisstrax website at http://www.Swisstrax.com.

Jay Leno chose the Ribrax tile style in slate gray and pearl silver colors using a "parking pattern" placing each of his vehicles center squared on the garage floor pad. The open profile of Ribtrax facilitates easy cleaning, is durable, attractive, practical, and virtually care free.

Ribtrax are made of polypropylene copolymer and are chemical and weather resistant. Ribtrax tiles each weigh about 23.5 ounces and are 15.75 inches square. The polypropylene copolymer withstands temperatures ranging from minus -22F to +248 degrees Fahrenheit and has pressure strength of 5,120 pounds per square inch. Plus, the Ribtrax open tile pattern has non-slip surface qualities. All the Swisstrax tiles have a 12-year warranty.

Jay Leno's Big Dog Garage received a complete transformation by Swisstrax. Plus, NBC produced live video of the installation, and Jay Leno’s Swisstrax garage floor endorsement will be airing on JayLenosGarage.com soon.

"The entire team at Big Dog Garage are really great people. Jay is very knowledgeable about his entire collection and Bernard, George, Jim, Per and the others build the cars from the ground up and turn them into what is seen as one of the finest collections in the world,” said Randy Nelson.

One of the most impressive points about Jay Leno's collection is he drives all the vehicles and 80+ motorcycles. Leno takes pride in his Duesenberg collection and made the Duesenbergs the first choice for Swisstrax garage floor pads. Swisstrax garage floor pads were also installed under Jay's Bugatti collection.

Jim, Big Dog Garage

Additional floor tiles were installed in the workshop around the machines. Ribtrax anti-fatigue floor tile was especially appreciated by the workers around the larger equipment requiring constant standing and surveillance.

A new tile floor covering was also installed around the clean-up area using a combination of Swisstrax non-slip floor tiles and anti-fatigue floor tiles.

Swisstrax modular floor tiles are tested and proven to be the best interlocking, plastic, tile floor covering product on the market. Jay Leno's seal of approval confirms Swisstrax’s strategy to become the household name in modular flooring tile. It's understood Swiss engineering and design equates quality, and manufactured in the USA supports the American economy. The people at Swisstrax do whatever it takes to serve their clients. Swisstrax is customer driven, and they stand behind their product. To receive a free sample of Swisstrax floor tile, call toll free at 1-866-748-7940. When choosing Swisstrax it's a win-win situation from the start with a life-long relationship and a happy ending as the goal.

Randy Nelson & Jay Leno

About Swisstrax.
Swisstrax, Inc. offers a practical and modern alternative to standard concrete and epoxy garage flooring. Randy Nelson, President, directed the development of the revolutionary Swisstrax product line in Switzerland over 19 years ago. Randy brought the product to the USA and located the Swisstrax manufacturing and distribution center in Southern California. Swisstrax distributes their product world wide to flooring resellers with brick & mortar stores and ecommerce online stores. For more information about Swisstrax floor tiles and Swisskits floor pads visit their websites at http://www.swisstrax.com/ and http://www.swisskits.com/.

Swisstrax is proud of being named the official flooring supplier for world renowned and respected enterprises. Partnering sponsorships include the internationally acclaimed and legendary Shelby Automobiles. Swisstrax garage floor pads have been chosen by Mini USA dealerships nationwide as their flooring of choice for showrooms. Hendrick Motorsports, Ferrari, Grand Am, American Le Mans, Mini USA, Ford Motor Company, AVIS, Honda, Shelby Automobiles and most recently, Jay Leno are just some of the clients the Swisstrax team is proud to serve.

Contact Information:
Swisstrax, Inc.
82579 Fleming Way, Unit A
Indio, CA 92201

1-760-347-3330 Phone
1-866-748-7940 Toll Free
1-760-347-3343 Fax

Randy(at)Swisstrax.com
http://www.Swisstrax.com & http://www.Swisskits.com

SwissTrax Blog Network: Garage floor design enthusiasts informed through power blogging

Power blogging to keep customers informed about the durable portable modular interlocking flooring tile industry.

The focus of the SwissTrax Blog Network is global. With customers located around the world, using the Internet to share flooring industry information made perfect sense to the USA-based SwissTrax manufacturing company.

Portable floor tiles are an easy, quick and cost-efficient way to renew your floors, cover damaged floors or enhance the look of your family’s favorite space. The tiles arrive at your door ready to assemble and snap into place. SwissTrax durable floor tiles are easy to maintain and are constructed of high-quality, recyclable plastic. The eco-friendly quality of the SwissTrax brand makes their flooring tiles a modern-day necessity.

Modular floor coverings, known for their durability and strength, are the emphasis of the SwissTrax Blog Network. Although portable floor tiles were dominated by the male garage enthusiast, the modern look of the Swiss designed interlocking floor tile -- available in a variety of colors and styles -- is now widely used in a variety of flooring applications by women and men, alike.

There's no job too large or too small for SwissTrax do-it-yourself flooring tiles. The widely used interlocking floor tile applications include, and are not limited to: Dance Flooring, Gym Flooring, Trade Show Flooring, Commercial Flooring, Patio Flooring, Spa & Pool Flooring, Aircraft Hanger Flooring, Garage Flooring, Classroom Flooring, Kennel Flooring and Hospital Flooring -- to name a few.

The modern-day floor covering has a natural flair for design by adding a refreshing splash of color in a pattern of your choice. SwissTrax transforms a boring or damaged floor to a fresh new look.

We hope you enjoy the SwissTrax Blog Network, visit the blogs often and contact a friendly SwissTrax Associate for a free sample of the world’s highest quality performance floor tile. SwissTrax is online at http://www.SwissTrax.com, http://www.GarageFloorPads.com or by calling 1-866-748-7940.

• http://www.danceflooring.info - Dance Flooring - Dance Floors - Dance Floor. The dance floor surface itself is usually made of an anti fatique covering with a non slip surface. Years ago, dance floors were made primarily of wood. Wood tends to warp and can become slick making it easy to fall when dancing. Over the years, manufacturers have created a variety of alternative dance floor covers. Today, our pick for dance flooring is a modular interlocking floor tile withstanding heavy use and lots of pressure. A temporary dance floor is the best selection if you are designing a dance studio at home or for commercial use. Portable floors make the best choice because they can be moved, cleaned and replaced easily.The Dance Flooring Blog was designed to gather information about dancing, dance floors, dance studio designs, and other dance related data. We hope you visit us often and join in the fun. We hope to see you soon, and by all means, please meet us on the dance floor!

• http://www.doityourselfflooring.info/ - Do It Yourself Flooring. When we decided to start a blog for the Do It Yourself Flooring remodeler, we began gathering information from the world's top suppliers and resources for weekend projects. Today, we are ready to assemble our research and make a handy, quick reference source for all the Do-It-Yourselfers throughout the world. If you have suggestions for our blog, or if you'd like information not contained here, please post a comment or send us an email. We look forward to providing you the highest-quality, trusted flooring for all your needs backed by warranty. Plus, giving you all the information you need to lay a new floor. A durable, easy-to-maintain, modular tiled floor you'll be very proud of for many years to come.

• http://www.garagefloor.mobi/ - Garage Floor Blog. Are you a garage enthusiast? Do you know someone who loves to spend time in the garage? What can you do to improve the look of your garage without spending a fortune? Garage Floors are probably one of the easiest and quickest remedies to a garage's appearance. Transforming the look and feel of your garage is easy when you have the right information and resources. The Garage Floor Blog is a reference and resource for information from the world's garage floor experts. We'll do the research for you, post it here for you to read and give you direct links to other resources on the Internet to assist you with all your garage flooring needs. Park your car in a room with everlasting style and design. Garage interiors. Garage Floors. A place for the entire family. Garage Floor Blog will provide a resource for the garage enthusiast. We'll post it. You'll read it here.

• http://www.garagefloors.mobi/ - Garage Floor Blog Network. A series of blogs dedicated to your garage redesign. A garage floor comes in many different shapes, sizes and are used for many different purposes. This blog compiles a variety of garages, the designs appropriate for each and suggestions for durable garage floor surfaces. A garage floor covering needs to be durable, strong, attractive and cost-effecient. The garage area in a home is used for many recreational and lifestyle purposes. The retail garage introduces an altogether new set of uses. And, then there's the NASCAR garage. Well, we all know our heart beats a little faster when we think of NASCAR. What's so sexy about a garage? We'll show you ways to make your garage as sexy as NASCAR, AVIS, HONDA and many more of the big guys' garages! Take a ride with us! We'll help you visualize a do-it-yourself garage floor project by providing information, garage floor photos and many other tips of the garage floor trade!

• http://www.garagefloors-tiles.com/ - Garage Floor Tiles. Welcome to Garage Floor Tiles Blog. This blog is dedicated to research and development by providing its readers information about the world's highest quality modular floor tiles. There's no project too small or too large for the do-it-yourself remodeler if the information needed is available in one handy location. If your floor's surface needs a new, updated look, and your goal is durability, practicality and design, then you've come to the right place. The Garage Floor Tiles Blog will supply an endless amount of information for you to make the right decision when selecting a modular floor surface.

• http://www.garage-floors.us/ – Garage Floors Online Resource. Remember the day when the garage was nothing but a shack with a dirt floor? Well, those days are long gone. Today's garage is an extension of living space. It's a place to meet with your friends or spend the afternoon doing crafts or chores. Most of us think about the garage as a place to keep our most valued possessions, our cars. But, in today's modern lifestyles, we utilize the garage space for more than just a parked car. The entire family uses today's garage. So, why not make it an extension of your living space by creating a dream room for the entire family to adore. Garage Floors is a blog dedicated to providing information for the home owner about the latest and the greatest in flooring for a variety of home remodeling needs. We are strong believers of modular floor tiles made durable. Did you know a modular floor is a temporary fixture? Whether you own or rent your home, it means you can assemble and lay the floor until you are ready to either leave it or take it with you when you move. And, the maintenance on the "new" garage floor tiles is very easy using a leaf blower or hose and water.

• http://www.modulargaragefloor.info/ - Modular Garage Floor. Modular Garage Floor Blog will introduce its readers to the world of portable flooring. As the industry leader and manufacturer, SwissTrax, has gained popularity among some of the Nation's largest garage floor customers like HONDA, NASCAR and AVIS. This blog will take you on a journey, and give you an inside look at the many uses of modular floor tiles. We'll post photos, press releases and articles to give you as much information as possible to help you create a portable flooring solution for your upcoming garage floor project. We invite you to enjoy the ride, join the blog and share your comments.

• http://www.patiofloors.info/ - Patio Floors. A blog dedicated to beautifying your porch or deck floor. There are many options today to make the exterior rooms of your home as beautiful and useful as the interior rooms. When we think of our patio, many images come to mind. There are exterior floors for a number of different retreat or patio areas as there are variety of lifestyles. This blog will become a resource for your patio design needs, cover ideas for your patio flooring and provide information for patio enhancements. When we think of our backyard porch, we think of Patio Floors - Patio Decks - Terrace Floors - Sun Porch Floors - Sun Room Floors - Spa Floors - Tanning Room Floors - Pool Deck - Swimming Pool Decking - Swim Area Flooring - Front Porch Deck - Porch Deck - Back Porch Floors - Interlocking Modular Floor Tiles - Interior & Exterior Modular Floor Tiles - Interlocking Floor Tiles - Greenhouse Floors.

• http://www.tradeshowfloors.info - Trade Show Floors. The Trade Show Floors Blog is here to show you an easy way to make your booth at an upcoming trade show look great. We will post pictures, instructions and ways to make your display stand out from your competition's. We know the job of setting up a booth can be time consuming when you do not have the proper materials. Our suggestions will save you time and money. Plus, in the long run you will be pleased with the results. A durable trade show floor easy to maintain and a snap to assemble is our goal. Please join our blog. The information here is for the Trade Show junky who's always looking for an easy solution to traveling show needs. To become an author on this blog, please contact us. We'd like to hear your trade show stories.

• http://www.flooringtiles.me/ – Flooring Tiles. The Flooring Tiles Blog will illustrate through photos and written content the wide variety of uses for an interlocking floor tile. Floor tiles can be used for many purposes, here's a few: Garage Floors, Dance Floors, Gym Floors, Kennel Floors, Firehouse Floors, Aircraft Hanger Floors, Motorcycle Mats, Classroom floors, Patio Floors, Spa Floors, Trade Show Floors, Exhibit Booth Floors, Dog House Floors, and many more! We look forward to gathering information for our readers. If you ever have any questions, please contact us. Thank you for participating on the Floor Tiles Blog.

• http://www.garageflooring.mobi/ - Garage Flooring. Garage Flooring blog is more than what you'll expect. Today's do-it-yourself flooring project demands usability in a variety of rooms, not just the garage. We're going to show you the variety of uses for simple yet elegant garage floor tiles. It used to be garage floors took all the mess and abuse of dripping oils and grease. Today's garages are more like a showroom or display room, and the space is used for a variety of family functions. Using a durable, lasting material for your upcoming garage floor project is the key to designing a successful floor the entire family will enjoy. The Garage Flooring Blog was created as one handy resource for all your garage and other modular flooring needs. Although some prefer concrete or epoxy finishes, we'll show you why an interlocking portable floor is the best decision you can make for your home flooring project. We may not all have an airplane to park, and nonetheless, a modular floor tile design creates a perfect aircraft hanger floor. Consider using interlocking garage floor tiles for an office space. Durable floor tile coverings illustrate the beauty of floor tiles in a professional setting. There's no limit to the uses of a durable garage floor tile. Commercial and retail stores apply a simple and colorful floor tile pattern using a modular tile. The tile is easy to clean and has a twelve year warranty. Colored tiles add bright light to a small or dark room. Portable floor tiles add versatility and ease of moving. When you are ready to grow your business to a larger space, the tiles can be removed and taken with you to your new location. Garage Flooring tiles are a versatile solution to your flooring project. Please join our blog. This blog is for you!

• http://www.garagetiles.mobi/ - Garage Tiles Online. The pictures you see on this blog are just the beginning of what you can expect to see on Garage Tiles Online. We'll find the best examples of Garage Floors using the highest-quality Garage Tiles and post the information here for you! We understand the job you face installing your own new garage floor covering, and our expertise and resources will help guide you from start to finish. We recommend one of four garage tiles for your project: DiamondTrax, RibTrax, FloorTrax or SporTrax. There are 14 colors available in Artcic White, Chocolate Brown, Citrus Yellow, Island Blue, Ivory, Jet Black, Midnight Blue, Mocha Java, Pearl Silver, Racing Red, Slate Grey, Terra Cotta, Tropical Orange, and Turf Green. We'll post more details about the tiles styles and colors in future posts. Please save this link and visit us often. Any floor can be transformed from a cracked, dull and stained concrete or epoxy surface to a beautiful, clean, easy-to-install non-slip tiled surface as shown on Garage Tiles Online. The interlocking tiles are a snap to install. The entire job for an average garage takes less than half a day's time. Keeping the garage tiles clean is simple using soap and water. The garage tiles shown above are durable and come with a twelve year warranty.

• http://www.performanceflooring.info/ – Performance Flooring = Performance Floors. Welcome to the high performance flooring blog. This is a place you can find the latest information about the best durable floor coverings available in the world. We will gather research and information and post it here for you. When it comes to selecting a durable floor covering or a portable floor mat, your choices are easily narrowed down to the best your money can buy. Don't get fooled by cheap imitations, when selecting a performance floor cover, get opinions and sound advice from the experts. Swiss designed interlocking floor tiles have been proven over and over again to be the highest quality performance flooring. Manufactured in the USA, and made of the highest quality durable plastic, a durable floor tile system can withstand 40,000-pounds of rollover weight, and up to 5,000-pounds per square inch compressive force. Now, that's what we call Performance Flooring! If you are planning a floor design project, updating an old floor, or just want more information about performance floors, contact the experts for help and assistance.

• http://www.garagefloorpad.com/ - Garage Floor Pad. There are a number of online resources for garage floor products. Most of the resources depend upon the experts to provide their customers the best advice, service and product. This blog will highlight many of the online resources for Garage Floor Pads. We'll gather archive articles, talk to the experts, provide photos, and show you the best selections available for Garage Floor Pads online.

• http://www.garagefloordesign.com/ - Garage Floor Design. This blog is all about the Garage Floor Design. Our major resource of information is SwissTrax. We will gather information and photos and post the details here for you. Should you have any questions, please contact us. The garage has become more than just a place to park a car. In many homes, the garage area has become an extension of the living quarters. As you can see in the photo above, the Garage Floor Design completes the space and makes it a clean area for many projects and tasks. Join us in examining many ways to transform your garage into a successful interior design project.

• http://www.modularflooring.info/ - Modular Flooring. The popularity of a modular floor began in the garage. Today, modular floors are used throughout the world wherever a flooring solution is needed. The uses are endless -- from the floor in your dog's house to the floor in your spa or sun room. With endless applications and the variety of patterns and colors available the modular flooring job is made easy. A modular or portable floor is exactly what you get when you use a high quality interlocking floor tile for your do-it-yourself flooring project. This means when you leave the location, you can easily take the modular tiles with you and use them again. Our blog will show you a variety of tile styles, the colors available, application examples and photos of finished rooms. Keep in mind, a modular floor can be used for Garage Floors, Dance Floors, Gym Floors, Kennel Floors, Firehouse Floors, Aircraft Hanger Floors, Motorcycle Mats, Classroom floors, Patio Floors, Spa Floors, Trade Show Floors, Exhibit Booth Floors, Dog House Floors, and many more! We will provide resources for you to create a beautiful, durable modular floor surface backed by a 12 Year Warranty.

Swisstrax, Inc., Gets You in on the Ground Floor of Innovative Garage Flooring Designs

Diamondtrax Flooring Tiles by Swisstrax, Inc. provides a non-slip, affordable, easy to clean flooring solution for your cracked, chipped and stained concrete flooring areas. Perfect for garages, patios, decks, exhibits, displays, showrooms and even aircraft hangars our flooring is the right solution for your flooring needs, new colors, new styles and a new website. Come to the newly designed website and design your custom floor online.

Swisstrax, Inc. offers a practical and modern alternative to standard concrete and epoxy garage flooring. Randy Nelson, President, is pleased to announce the newest developments for the company. First, it has revamped its website, making it more user-friendly, informative and streamlined. The website address is still the same, www.swisstrax.com. We look forward to comments on how we can continue to make the internet service better. Also, this fall, we are moving to a 9200 square foot warehouse. This will enable Swisstrax to offer a faster shipping turnaround time for our customers and partners, by keeping our best selling products like Diamondtrax Interlocking floor tiles constantly in stock.


Garage Floor with Diamondtrax Flooring
Diamondtrax flooring tiles, one of the top sellers for residential and commercial applications, provide a non-slip, affordable, easy to clean flooring surface that is resistant to chemicals, gas, oil and other common automotive liquids. Unlike concrete or epoxy, Diamondtrax tiles do not chip or crack nor do they require noxious floor stripping chemicals or time consuming concrete patching. The Diamondtrax tiles have a compressive strength of 5120 psi, which means it is more than able to stand up to whatever vehicles, motorcycles, or equipment placed on it. Swisstrax Inc. stands behind it's product with a 12 year warranty and the corporate headquarters is staffed with professional, knowledgeable people who are quick to answer any questions. The simple snap together design of these interlocking tiles make the entire installation quick and uncomplicated enough for the do-it-yourselfer, but there are distributors in most major metropolitan areas to assist with installation. The 14 colors offered in the Diamondtrax product line allow consumers to be creative with personalized floor designs, whether matching an automobiles paint scheme or creating a custom design that shows off favorite team colors. For those who are passionate about cars and want to travel with a custom vehicle, this flooring is 100% portable.

For additional information, please contact Randy Nelson, President of Swisstrax, Inc. toll-free at 866-748-7940 or visit us online at www.swisstrax.com and request a sample of Diamondtrax flooring.

National Garage Sale Day: Turning wasted space into wanted space

National Garage Sale Day: Turning wasted space into wanted space
Photo Courtesy of SwissTrax.com

Written by Patricia Gay
from Acorn Online

In front of a film crew, a master builder walks around a showcase garage extolling the virtues of stamped steel cabinets. He spies a hook affixed high on a wall, grabs it with both hands, lifts himself up, and swings back and forth to demonstrate the hook’s strength.

The scene is not unlike something from an episode of “Tool Time,” the fictional show-within-a-show from the old series Home Improvement. But this scene is not fictional.

The garage is real and located on Timber Mill Lane in Weston, at the home of Hy and Susan Pomerance. The master builder doing the swinging is Karl Champley, a home improvement expert and host of the shows Wasted Spaces and DIY to the Rescue on the DIY (Do It Yourself) cable network.

Mr. Champley and crew set up shop at the Pomerance garage around 4 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 1, and generated a series of live broadcasts that aired on TV and radio throughout the morning and early afternoon.

The subject of the broadcasts, each 10 to 15 minutes in length, was how to turn garage sale profits into garage improvements, in honor of National Garage Sale Day which is Saturday, Aug. 9.

With the Pomerance garage serving as a backdrop for the broadcasts, viewers and listeners from New York, Los Angeles, and across the country were offered tips from Mr. Champley on how to organize a successful garage sale and use the proceeds to fix up their garages.

Sleek garage
The Pomerances’ garage measures 20 feet by 20 feet and contains 400 square feet. “Really, it is just a standard two-car garage,” Mr. Pomerance said while watching Mr. Champley in action.

But the garage’s look and design is anything but standard. From floor to ceiling, the space has a sleek appearance, with silver floor tiles and matching silver lockers and cabinets. There is even a matching silver refrigerator, called a “Chillerator,” in the space.

To achieve this look, the Pomerances gave their existing garage, which was a plain and open space, a facelift and makeover. “This was the last room in the house that we renovated, and it was well worth it,” Mr. Pomerance said.

The Pomerance family moved to Weston two years ago from San Diego. A former sports psychologist, Mr. Pomerance is the global head of talent management at UBS investment bank. His wife, Susan, runs a jewelry and Judaica business called Yofi.

With two growing sons, Aaron, 13, and Ilan, 10, the Pomerances faced a dilemma. They loved their home, but needed more space.

Active in sports, the boys were accruing all kinds of equipment, including bikes, skis, baseball bats, and football gear. Their bedrooms couldn’t handle it all.

Not wanting to move, the Pomerances decided to create more usable space by renovating their garage.

“It’s like creating extra square footage to the house,” Mr. Pomerance said.

He got an idea of what he wanted to do by visiting a Sears store in Danbury. There he came across a system of modular cabinets and shelves designed specifically for garages, manufactured by Gladiator GarageWorks by Whirlpool.

Mr. Pomerance then contacted Potomac Garage Solutions to help design and install the system in his garage.

After the garage was emptied, the company laid new floor tiles and installed six locker-size cabinets, six wall boxes, shelves, baskets, hooks, and a heavy-duty Chillerator that can withstand extreme temperatures in an unheated garage.

After a fresh coat of red paint in areas not covered by the new system, the space took on a new existence.

Karl Champley is hooked. —Patricia Gay photo
Bikes, scooters, mops, and bats all hang neatly on the walls, while the new silver cabinets store Mr. Pomerance’s tools, cleaning supplies and painting equipment. The Chillerator holds a supply of cold beverages.

“Our garage has transformed into a fantastic space for the whole family,” Mr. Pomerance said.

The family recently had a pool party for Ilan’s birthday and used the garage as a locker room. “We had 30 boys use the space to change, and it worked out great,” Mr. Pomerance said.

Champley’s spots
The finished makeover was such a success that a representative from Gladiator asked the Pomerances if they could broadcast Mr. Champley’s spots from their garage. Happy with the results, the Pomerances agreed.

The garage makeover was right up Mr. Champley’s alley. As the host of Wasted Spaces, he helps homeowners transform unusable basements and garages into areas that provide practical storage and living space. In an episode airing this week on DIY, he helps a couple build a storage shed and cabinets in a small garage space.

A seasoned television personality, Mr. Champley had no problem handling the fast pace of Friday’s live broadcasts. One minute he was on TV in New York, the next he was fielding calls from a radio show in Phoenix.

Each spot moves quickly. With the garage as a backdrop, Mr. Champley, in his native Australian accent, discussed clutter with a television host, while Mr. Pomerance watched on a television outside under a tent.

“Clear the clutter in your garage and you’ll find more square footage in your home,” Mr. Champley said. “If there are items you haven’t used in 12 months, they should be cleared out. Give them to someone who’ll use them.”

He advised viewers to hold a garage sale, especially in light of National Garage Sale Day. “It’s a great way to clean your house and make some money, and it’s something the whole family can do together,” he said.

Anything not sold at the garage sale can be donated to charity, he said, and he mentioned that Habitat for Humanity will come to the home for items that don’t sell in the garage sale. “They come in a truck, pick everything up, and it works out fine for everyone,” he said.

Mr. Champley then advised viewers to reinvest their garage sale money back into their garages. He pointed to the cabinets and floor in the Pomerances’ garage to show how a plain garage space can be transformed.

“Now you can feel proud of your garage,” Mr. Champley said.

After several broadcasts in a row, Mr. Champley took a short break and munched on some fresh fruit. Originally from Australia, he and his wife, Diane Matthews, moved to Los Angeles in 2001. Their little son Kai is well known to TV viewers as Baby Bob, the chipmunk-cheeked, smart-talking baby on the Quiznos Sub commercials.

But just as Mr. Champley started to relax, he was called back to the garage as the next set of broadcasts was about to begin. A talk show host in Miami tells him how nice the Pomerances’ garage looks, and once again, it’s show time.

Swisstrax Interlocking Floor Tiles: Never Has Flooring Induced So Much Garage Envy

A whole new level of garage gear obsession. [click on image]

from Gear Patrol

If you are anything like me, then your garage serves as a multifunctional part of your home. It’s a place to park your vehicles, store your tools, hide your toys, and, just maybe, hide yourself. If your garage is anything like my garage, then its floor looks like absolute crap. Enter Swisstrax.

Originally hailing from Switzerland but now manufactured in California, Swisstrax represents Gear Patrol’s new favorite innovation from the neutral nation, coming out of nowhere to unseat Ricola cough drops and holey cheese. Swisstrax offers six different styles of tile, some of which are available in fourteen different colors. Even better, their website features a floor designer whereby you can layout a custom floor and easily order all the pieces you’ll need. Here’s a tip: the square tiles lend themselves perfectly to oversized renderings of your favorite 8-bit game characters (think Mario, the size of a Mazda).

Their various designs suit garages, workout rooms, airplane hangars, and more. Each tile features a hefty complement of snap locks to secure it to its brethren, and a four point injection molding process that allows a Swisstrax floor to withstand up to 40,000 pounds of roll-over compression. Even if you could overwhelm this floor system with the sheer bulk of your man-toys, you’d be backed by a 12 year warranty. My favorite feature is simply a function of the tiles interlocking design. Unlike other floor coatings and coverings, the tiles are inherently portable and reusable. Consider me impressed.

The best way to test garage flooring, get a Ferrari F430. [Courtesy: Swisstrax]

Gear Patrol Hands-On: GP procured Swisstrax floor tiling for hands-on testing. We pinched, pulled, stomped, and even bit the Swisstrax with all of our combined might. Nary a scratch was made. Conclusion: this is one tough tile.

Swisstrax Announces Sponsorship of Valerie Thompson, 2X NHRA World Land Speed Holder; and our New Company - Swisskits Floor Pads

Swisstrax is a proud supplier and sponsor of Valerie Thompson Racing. Randy Nelson, owner and president of Swisstrax maker of Interlocking Floor Tiles, met Valerie in 2007 at the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas. Valerie has selected Swisstrax as her official NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle race team flooring. The Two-Time Bonneville land speed record holder made her long anticipated debut at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals NHRA POWERade Drag Racing national event on August 28 to September 1. She displayed her new Pro Stock Motorcycle on the modular event flooring during the 5-day event, which is televised on ESPN2. Swisstrax is the manufacturer and sole distributor of their interlocking floor tiles to North America and also sells its product to companies in Central and South America, Australia, Korea, Japan and Europe.

Indio, CA (eMediaWorld) September 17, 2008 -- For the past year, Swisstrax has been a proud sponsor of Valerie Thompson Racing. Randy Nelson, owner and president of Swisstrax, met Valerie in 2007 at the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas. Valerie has selected Swisstrax as her official NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle race team flooring. The Two-Time Bonneville land speed record holder made her long anticipated debut at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals NHRA POWERade Drag Racing national event on August 28 to September 1. She displayed her new Pro Stock Motorcycle on the modular event flooring during the 5-day event, which is televised on ESPN2. Swisstrax is the manufacturer and sole distributor of their interlocking floor tiles to North America and also sells its product to companies in Central and South America, Australia, Korea, Japan and Europe.


Swisstrax proudly sponsors Valerie Thompson
Valerie's response to her relationship with Swisstrax:
I wanted to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for your support in 2007. Swisstrax is in my opinion, the best floor of its kind on the market today. I am grateful to be part of your team.

Your commitment has made possible this year's phenomenal team success, including a Special Recognition Award. Valerie Thompson Racing Team was awarded the 2007 "Best Appearing Team." We believe this award is your success as well.

It was important to me to have a great hospitality area where fans would feel welcomed at all times. The Swisstrax flooring gave the team a fresh new and exciting colorful pit area to hang out in. I cannot wait to get my logo placed into the flooring.

Thanks again for taking my race team to the next level of racing…I look forward to working with you in the future. Let's keep the competition behind us and race one tile at a time!

Valerie Thompson/Team Owner
Valerie Thompson Racing

Swisstrax also announces a new company division, Swisskits.com, ready-to-go kits of complete floor pads and floor mats for use as garage floor pads; car display floor pads; patios floor pads; as well as for commercial floor pads and event and tradeshow booth flooring pads. There are many more uses to these flooring kits, which are made of the same durable modular floor tiles sold by Swisstrax for wall-to-wall applications.

The web-based company will open up its new website, www.swisskits.com in the fall of this year. Not only are there many designs and colors of pre-designed kits to choose from; you can also customize your own floor pad for size, design and tile color.

Swisskits.com will offer different "Kit of the Month" specials and as with Swisstrax, will offer a $50 referral bonus to customers who have purchased a floor pad and refer a new customer who also purchases a 400+ square foot flooring pad.

Ideal Floor Plans For Garage Floor Design

By Arturo Ronzon


Many homeowners who live in mild weather areas are habituated with parking their cars on the streets or the driveway itself. They do not feel the need of building garages. If they do have garages in their property, they end up using these as repositories for their scrap items. However, in case they want to turn a new leaf and decide to become organized, they might as well look into garage floor plans and construct garages that serve multiple purposes apart from storage. It is always a better option to totally re-build a decrepit garage than to try to fix the existing one.

A number of garage floor plans are available in the market. Some provide the option of turning the garage into a workshop or an extra living space. The walls and other hitherto unutilized storage space can be used for storing various tools and implements. One can install some weight-training and other exercise equipment and use it as a home-gym. This will enable the pursuance of a healthy lifestyle from the comfort of the home itself. The concrete floor can be refurbished with rubber floorings or epoxy coatings to make the floor feel easier on the feet. The amount of dirt that tracks into the house will also be reduced. Factors like insulation can also be taken into account by building double walls into the garage floor plan and pack these with thermal materials. This will keep the interiors of the garage warm and cosy.

The floor plan should be based on the purpose for which the garage is to be used – whether it is just sheltering the car, or to erect a workshop. The size of the garage also needs to be considered. The cost of building will depend on the size and the finish. Garage floor plans can be designed with some help from the different software that are available in the market, like the Plan3D. Various architects and manufacturers offer their floor plans on online websites. Garage floor plans that are drawn up by experts can convert the thus far overlooked garage area into a pleasant addition to the house.

Hot new plan in the works for Lyons Plain firehouse

An artist’s rendering of the proposed Lyons Plain Firehouse
shows new garage bays facing away from the street.

Written by Patricia Gay
from Acorn Online

Members of the Weston Volunteer Fire Department are often called on to save buildings from being destroyed.

But there is one building in town they would like to see come down — their own firehouse on Lyons Plain Road. “The building is in really poor shape,” said Weston Fire Chief John Pokorny.

With cracks in the floors and walls, leaks, poor heating and ventilation systems, a separating chimney, and decaying cinder block walls to contend with, the department is proposing to tear the existing firehouse down and put a new one up in its place.

Curtis Gunn, president of the department, said he would like to break ground for a new firehouse in March 2009. But first there are two obstacles the department has to overcome — funding, and land use approvals. The Lyons Plain firehouse serves homes in Weston east of the Saugatuck River. The town has a second firehouse in the center of town on Norfield Road

The Norfield firehouse is owned by the town of Weston. But the Lyons Plain firehouse is the fire department’s responsibility because the department is the property owner. According to attorney George Guidera, who represents the fire department, the Lyons Plain Road property was deeded to the fire department for the express purpose of constructing and operating a firehouse. In the event the property ceases to be operated as a firehouse, title would revert to the heirs of the previous owner. “As long as there is a firehouse on the property, it belongs to the fire department. There’s been a firehouse there for 61 years and there will be a firehouse there for 61 more years,” Mr. Guidera said.

While the town of Weston provides equipment and trucks to Lyons Plain, and some benefits to its firefighters, it does not pay for the maintenance and repair of the Lyons Plain firehouse building. Those costs are borne by the department. The town also does not pay salaries to the firefighters, as they are an all volunteer service.

Cost
The estimated cost for a new firehouse on Lyons Plain Road is approximately $1.8 million, according to Mr. Gunn. The fire department has $900,000, half the total cost, available for the project. “The department knew this expense was coming and has been putting money aside for it for several years,” said Mr. Pokorny. The department’s funding sources have come from donations as well as the proceeds from the sale of property the department used to own on Dillon Pass, he said.

But the department still needs $900,000 more for the project so it is asking the town to help. Mr. Gunn and other members of the department have asked the selectmen to consider allocating $300,000 for the next three years so they can make their goal.

First Selectman Woody Bliss said he supports the project. “I agree, the firehouse needs to be redone. It needs to be done right,” he said.

The fire department’s plan needs to be presented to the selectmen as well as the Board of Finance before funding can be authorized, Mr. Bliss said.

Urgent need
Chief Pokorny said there is an urgent need to replace the Lyons Plain firehouse before it falls apart or sinks into the ground. The building dates back to the 1940s and has had several renovations done to it over the years.

“What’s now the existing garage is made of cinder blocks and they are in bad shape and starting to crumble in places. I’m not sure if the building will last two or five years. It’s becoming unusable,” he said.

Inside, the main floor of the building’s meeting room has a long, deep crack that runs down the center. Outside, the chimney is separating from the building. The department first considered making repairs to the building, but when the costs were added up, it was just about the same to build a new structure, Chief Pokorny said.

If the building is not replaced and is forced to shut down because of structural problems, a portion of the town would be left without emergency services close at hand. “The response from Norfield to that side of town is pretty long,” said Chief Pokorny.

Mr. Gunn agreed. “Fire trucks would be dispatched from the Norfield firehouse, meaning a longer response time to get to Lyons Plain, especially with Cartbridge Road out of service,” he said.

Mr. Gunn recalled several emergencies in which the Lyons Plain firehouse was the first to respond, including the rescue of a family by boat when a storm flooded the Saugatuck River, and a fire at a home on High Noon Road that was contained to the garage and did not spread to the house. “We saved that home,” Mr. Gunn said.

Same footprint
While the new plan calls for considerable changes to be made to build a structure that is compliant with building and safety codes, one thing would remain the same. “The new firehouse would have the exact same footprint as the existing one,” said Mr. Gunn.

That means the firehouse, which is only several feet from Lyons Plain road, would not move any closer, nor would it expand in the back or sides. The new firehouse would however, go upwards a bit. “The existing firehouse is 3,200 square feet. That includes the garage bays and everything,” said Fire Captain Larry Roberts. He said the existing garage bay for the fire trucks takes up about 2,000 square feet.

The proposed building would measure approximately 6,000 square feet. “The new firehouse will have two stories and will include garage bays for three vehicles. The bays will take up about 2,800 square feet of garage space,” Mr. Roberts said.

The height of the building will be taller than a residential structure because the fire trucks are nearly 10 feet tall. “In order to get a truck parked, the first floor needs to be about 13 feet tall just for the vehicles. It’s a necessity to have a taller structure because we can’t make the trucks any shorter,” Mr. Roberts said.

Another change with the garage bays should result in a major improvement with safety. The bays currently face Lyons Plain Road and are only several feet from the street. This means the fire trucks have to back into the bays by pulling onto Lyons Plain Road.

With the new design, the bays will face the side of the building which opens onto a parking lot. This will allow more room for the trucks to maneuver, without going onto the street. “It is a much safer design,” Mr. Gunn said.

Adding a bay
The design also calls for adding one more garage bay, raising the number from two to three. “This will allow room for an ambulance if needed at the firehouse. The present bays are tight, and one of our trucks barely fits into it,” Mr. Gunn said.

On the second floor of the new building, there would be space created above the garage for a training room that would be used for the department’s meetings and social events. On the ground level there would be room for an office and bathroom as well as the garage bays.

In the basement there would be space for a gym and workroom. The building would also have an elevator to make it handicapped accessible. The new building would also get an exterior facelift and would be re-modeled so it resembles a country barn, fitting in with the rural character of the neighborhood. The existing building is gray and non-descript.

Mr. Gunn said he understands the department’s plan needs to be approved by various town boards and he hopes the public will come to those meetings so they can learn more about the project. “The volunteer fire department saves the town a lot of money. It is one of the best bargains the town has. I hope the town will support this project because time is of the essence for this building,” Mr. Gunn said.