Month: July 2022

It’s pretty easy to understand the appeal of a carport. With an additional roof available on your property, you’ll have covered space where you can store things, work on projects, and more. But is a carport worth it?

Nothing comes free. You’ll have to spend money on this project, so the real question is this – does the value that a new carport delivers to your property justify the cost? We’ll dive further into this issue in the article below. If you decide that a carport is worth it for your property, remember to explore our Build & Price tool to see what is possible.

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The Importance of Parking Under a Roof

If you don’t already have a covered parking spot for your vehicle or vehicles, we can make this easy – adding a carport to your property is absolutely going to be worth the cost. There are many benefits associated with parking undercover as opposed to out in the open, including the two points below –

• Avoiding sun damage. Parking under a roof will keep the sun’s powerful rays off of your vehicle while it is parked, and that will help you avoid premature damage to the paint, dash, and more. This is particularly important if you live in a hot and dry place where the sun beats down for most of the year. Even if the primary role your carport plays is just to keep your vehicle out of the sun, that alone could be enough to make it worthwhile to invest in this kind of structure.
• A more comfortable experience. Getting in and out of your vehicle can be quite uncomfortable if you don’t park under a cover. For example, on a hot day, your car will be brutally warm when you first get in, and it takes a while for the air conditioning to really kick in. You can avoid a sweaty start to your drive by getting in a car that has been parked under a roof instead. Likewise, it’s nice to get home on a rainy day and be able to get out of the vehicle without immediately getting soaked.

Plenty of Other Reasons to Buy a Carport

You don’t have to plan to park under this new carport to get your money’s worth for the purchase. As an addition to your property, a carport can deliver value in many other ways, especially if you apply a little creativity to how it can be used. For example, a carport – when designed correctly – can help you create a beautiful outdoor living area. By adding some furniture under the roof and decorating it nicely, you’ll have a wonderful place to spend time with family and friends while being protected from the sun or rain.

Another option is to use your carport as a place to work on projects with some protection from the elements. Enjoy woodworking or other types of DIY projects? What about working on vehicles as a hobby or profession? There are many ways you can use the covered space offered by a carport to make your property more useful without having to construct an entire new building with walls.

Getting What You Want

Perhaps the best way to make sure a carport is worth it to you in the long run is to work with a supplier that makes it easy to customize the structure you receive. If you are forced to pick from just a short list of pre-designed carports, you might not get something that is perfect for you, and it will be harder to justify the purchase as a result. On the other hand, if your partner for this project is serious about customization and makes it easy to add the features you want and skip the ones you don’t, the finished product is going to be something you’ll surely love.

Get Covered with American Steel

So, is a carport worth it? The decision of what value a carport has to add to your property is ultimately yours. We think our durable metal carports provide tremendous value for the money, but take some time to think about how you’ll use the carport and what it will do for you over the long run. When it’s time to get started, remember to explore our Build & Price tool! Thank you for considering American Steel Carports, Inc.!

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When buying gifts for kids, things are pretty easy – kids tend to have an endless list of ideas of things they would like to receive. But gift-giving gets a little trickier for adults. Fortunately, if the birthday or holiday gift is for a car lover, plenty of great options are available. Read on to discover seven of the best gifts for car lovers!

For a more luxurious gift for the car lover in your life, consider letting them customize their own carport! Explore our free Build & Price tool to get started.

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1. Car Cleaning Supplies

If there is one thing that most car lovers have in common, it is a desire to keep their vehicle looking great. No matter what type of cars they are into, getting them to shine beautifully on a summer day is a nearly universal passion. So, consider picking up some car cleaning supplies as a thoughtful and practical gift. Things like microfiber towels, car soap, wax, and more are all helpful to have around.

2. Dash Camera

More and more technology is making its way into our vehicles, and that includes dash cams. A good dash cam is surprisingly affordable and can be paired with the user’s smartphone for a convenient system. Whether it is used to document fun adventures, or for safety and security purposes, this is a gift that most car lovers would be excited to receive.

3. Personalized Keychains

For most people, key chains are something of an afterthought – they just grab a free one from somewhere and put it to use. As a special gift, you could have some quality custom keychains made that will become an additional source of pride for the auto lover. And, as an added benefit, a good custom keychain will be more reliable than a cheap one, so it’s less likely that the keys will go missing somewhere along the way.

4. Tire Inflator

A tire inflator is another one of the best gifts for car lovers. It’s important to keep tires at the right pressure to optimize the driving experience. That can be a pain if you need to stop by the gas station each time a boost of air is needed – so giving the fit of a cordless tire inflator is a nice idea. This will make it easy for your recipient to top up their tires anytime they are running a bit low, which will help with both gas mileage and the overall driving experience.

5. Branded Gear

Another interesting idea is to look for branded gear that matches up with the vehicle your recipient is so proud to own. It’s pretty easy to find things like shirts and various accessories from all of the major brands, so you can simply search around the web for a bit and find plenty of great options. Of course, you’ll want to be sure the individual in question isn’t planning on changing car brands anytime soon before you opt for this gift idea.

6. A Tool Kit

This is a gift idea specifically for the kind of car enthusiast who likes to get under the hood and do work with their own two hands. That doesn’t include every type of car lover, so you’ll need a bit of inside info before you decide to go in this direction. Also, it would be helpful to have some knowledge of what kinds of tools the individual already owns, so you can avoid duplicating supplies that are already in their garage.

7. Buy an Experience

Perhaps the most exciting gift idea on this list, you could look for a driving outing at a local track as a gift that won’t soon be forgotten. Some of these kinds of experiences have participants drive their own cars, while others will provide high-end, exciting sports cars for the day on the track. Either way, this is something that the special person in your life might not spend money on for themselves, so it would be a memorable gift that brings plenty of smiles.

Build a Gift with American Steel Carports

With the help of this list of the best gifts for car lovers, we hope you can quickly settle on something that will put a smile on the face of your loved one. Or, if you’re ready to start building the perfect gift for the car lover in your life, explore our free Build & Price tool today!

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Waxing your RV is a great way to show pride of ownership and bring out a shine that you can’t achieve any other way. Not only will a coat of wax cause your RV to look great, but it can also provide a protective layer that might allow you to go longer between washes. With that said, it’s important to use the right wax for the job and to use it properly. Read on to discover the best RV wax for full body paint and how to use it.

For those who are serious about keeping their RVs in great condition, another big step in the right direction is adding an RV carport from American Steel Carports, Inc. Parking your RV under cover will go a long way toward protecting its condition, and durable metal carports are more affordable than you might think. Explore our free Build & Price tool to get started.

Picking the Right Wax

Choosing the proper wax for your RV comes down to knowing what is covering the exterior of your rig. Is it painted from top to bottom? If so, you can use any kind of wax that is meant for regular automobiles since cars and trucks are typically painted. When this is the case, the wax used for your typical car work just as well on your RV.

Keep in mind though that most RVs are not painted. Instead, they feature a fiberglass exterior with a gel coat. If that is the case for your RV, look at products that are specifically designed for use on recreational vehicles. There are plenty on the market, but here are some tips to help you find the right one:

• Save time with an all-in-one. If you want to get some of the benefits of waxing but don’t have a lot of time to invest, consider a product that combines the wash and wax features you need. This way, you wash your RV as you would regularly, and the product leaves a nice, shiny wax finish without any additional steps. Is this going to produce the kind of finish you would get from doing a layer of wax by hand separately? No, but it will still leave your RV looking great and ready for the road.
• Apply as a spray. Some waxes used on RVs are designed to be applied with the use of a sprayer, while others are better applied by hand. The choice is yours, of course, but consider this factor while you are shopping and pick a product that lines up with how you would like to do the job.
• Look at quantity when ordering. If you do your shopping for RV wax online–as many people do–look at how much you are getting for your purchase. A large RV can require quite a bit of wax to cover it entirely, so you might need to order more than one container to get the job done.

Understanding the Process

The process of waxing your RV starts with getting the rig as clean as possible. This is the most important step of all. Starting with an extremely clean surface gives your wax job a much better chance of looking great in the end. Not only do you need to get the exterior of the RV completely clean, but you also need to make sure it is totally dry before moving on to the waxing stage.

It’s best to only wax small areas of the RV, one section at a time, as you go through the process. Most waxes call for you to apply some to the surface, let it sit just briefly, and then wipe it away. If you wax the whole RV before you come back through to wipe it off, too much time will have passed, and the outcome might not be what you had in mind. But if you get into the habit of waxing your RV after each wash, you’ll have a rig that looks great throughout the year.

Protect Your RV with American Steel Carports

We hope you’ve found this article on how to choose the best RV wax helpful!

While you are thinking about the various ways you can protect your rig, remember to check out the options for RV carports available at American Steel Carports, Inc. With easy customization, a range of features, and competitive pricing, your satisfaction is guaranteed. Explore our free Build & Price tool today!