Four generations of the Grams Family have welcomed visitors to the Volo Auto Museum. The expansive tourist attraction draws enthusiasts from across the country to walk down row-after-row of classic, antique, one-of-a-kind and souped-up vehicles of every make, model, and era.
Millions of footsteps annually mark the floors of the museum that sprawls across several acres just west of Highway 12 in Volo. Since many of the vehicles in the collection are for sale, they are continually being driven in, around and out of the showrooms.
Over the years, the floors take quite a beating. A dowdy or worn floor creates a distraction that stands in stark contrast to the beauty of the Grams family car collection. Partner and third generation family member Brian Grams started investigating options for upgrading the floors. Originally, the plan was to do a small-scale project, in effect a trial before a much larger upgrade.
Grams reached out to a nearby Wauconda business – American Garage Floor Systems (AGS) – run by family patriarch Tim Meade. For several years now AGS has been the go-to contractor for flooring updates; typically, the company upgrades garages and basement floors for family homes, but has tackled more complex commercial properties from airplane hangars to even the private club at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates.
Jon Pierce managed the project from start-to-finish for AGS. The trial project was a kitchen floor at the Grams Central Station restaurant. AGS removed tiling, made any needed repairs and leveled the concrete base floor before applying a polyaspartic coating that is 4-times stronger than epoxy with no-fade colors that can be walked on a day after installation.
Grams liked the result and committed to re-doing all the auto showrooms, as well as the Party Barn, a space with private rooms in a refurbished barn. For the showrooms, it was a coordinated effort with the museum staff moving all vehicles out for the demolition and rebuilding of floors. When one showroom was completed, the cars moved back in and it was on to the next showroom. In all, more than 35,000 square feet of new flooring was installed by American Garage Floor Systems.
The floors have a color scheme that delineates between display areas and visitor walking lanes. It’s now a durable, easy-to-maintain look that freshens up the showrooms while enhancing the experience for visitors.
Learn more about American Garage Floor Systems at AGSChicago.com.
About Volo Auto Museum
There’s far more than cars at the Volo Auto Museum. Visitors discover thousands of mechanical marvels from the first motorcycle to a self-playing orchestra. The 33 awe-inspiring exhibits include Jurassic Gardens with life-like animatronic dinosaurs that takes visitors back 65 million years. Repeat visitors always find something new to like. Learn more at VoloCars.com.
