Garage Renovation Anarchy...

[sail69]

So, my wonderful Better Half and son have schemed up a great birthday present.   Renovating our two-car garage.  I was making plans to do it, but with their help it will be more fun and a better result.

The finished two car garage will just need emptying, cleaning, the ceiling and walls repainted and the floor prepped and painted.  General reorganization and shelves installed when re-assembled.

I know its not rocket-science and I have my ideas but would love to hear experiences of those who have done same.  What worked?  What did not work?   Recommended floor paints?  Storage/shelving ideas?  Any shoulda-coulda-wouldas out there?

Fun project and I want to take full advantage of the opportunity.  Thanks in advance.

 

[hasher]

I took my upper cabinets out of my kitchen.  I replaced them with some beautiful walnut shelves.  I installed the cabinets on the back wall of the garage.  A row of jars on a shelf below contained all those screws and nails that one accumulates.  My work bench was an old door sitting on some saw horses.  Bikes and yard implements were hanging from the wall.  There was still room to keep my motorcycle dry.

 

[Glenn McCarthy]

One wall in our garage leaves just enough room to open the car door and get out. I installed these the entire length of that wall holding all of my non-electric handle yard tools.

 

[Bugsy]

Add a zillion electrical outlets.  Insulate, drywall and paint.  Add lots of fluorescent lights to the ceiling.   All this makes a huge difference and costs peanuts.  And its the garage, so the painting and drywall don't have to be perfect.  

 

[bmiller]

Don't paint the floor. You just create one more thing to maintain. No floor paint in the world will last very long with regular use.

 

[The Q]

Insulation if you're going to use it as a workshop (remember the back of the doors), LED lights , flourescents can cause flicker on moving machinery . A quality RCD Device on lots of sockets (you call it something different in the USA).

If you're going to make a lot of mess ,  cupboards rather than shelves or everything will get covered in Sawdust / sanded paint and varnish etc.

Ventilation, if you're not going to have the door open in the winter I've fitted and extractor fan,

If you are going to heat the area you work, in consider removeable partitions down the middle, only heat half the garage...

 

[sail69]

Add a zillion electrical outlets.  Insulate, drywall and paint.  Add lots of fluorescent lights to the ceiling.   All this makes a huge difference and costs peanuts.  And its the garage, so the painting and drywall don't have to be perfect.  

Thanks.  But already drywalled, but will add outlets and expand lighting.   

 

[warbird]

Add a zillion electrical outlets.  Insulate, drywall and paint.  Add lots of fluorescent lights to the ceiling.   All this makes a huge difference and costs peanuts.  And its the garage, so the painting and drywall don't have to be perfect.  

LEDs are cheap enough today. I have 8 4foot strips in my 3 car garage.

 

[sail69]

Don't paint the floor. You just create one more thing to maintain. No floor paint in the world will last very long with regular use.

Hmmm.  I thought the garage floor paints were formulated to withstand the usage.   More research...

 

[warbird]

I use totes or milk crates on furniture dollies under a heavy duty 36 inch shelf unit for random storage. 

 

[warbird]

lf you have the room, a laundry / slop sink  is nice to have. Cabinets are box store unfinished basic units. 

 

[Bsquared]

I just put a winch in mine so I don't have to bust a gut pushing my boat trailer up an inclined driveway.  Should have done it 20 years ago ;-(

 

[warbird]

I just put a winch in mine so I don't have to bust a gut pushing my boat trailer up an inclined driveway.  Should have done it 20 years ago ;-(

Friend has a winch on his trailer for the same reason

 

[Grande Mastere Dreade]

beer fridge...   mini-split air conditioner    if the floor is nasty, do an epoxy paint, if you can afford it , have a pro do it (those that complain just don't do it correctly)  get floor pads for standing on around the workbench...  

i have a wall of 4 drawer lateral filing cabinets to store all the wife's junk in..

and these

 

[VWAP]

Put a kitchen , laundry, bath in the garage 

then 

Move the wife and kid into the garage. keep the house to yourself. 

oh

and change the locks

but

put an electronic lock on so the wife can come in and clean 

 

[Rum Runner]

I use the ceiling joists to store my dingy in the winter as well as bikes all year round. If you don't need the space for vehicles, make sure you use it for something. 

 

[Grrr...]

So, my wonderful Better Half and son have schemed up a great birthday present.   Renovating our two-car garage.  I was making plans to do it, but with their help it will be more fun and a better result.

The finished two car garage will just need emptying, cleaning, the ceiling and walls repainted and the floor prepped and painted.  General reorganization and shelves installed when re-assembled.

I know its not rocket-science and I have my ideas but would love to hear experiences of those who have done same.  What worked?  What did not work?   Recommended floor paints?  Storage/shelving ideas?  Any shoulda-coulda-wouldas out there?

Fun project and I want to take full advantage of the opportunity.  Thanks in advance.

I will never understand painting the floor of a garage unless you're selling the house.  With the amount of spray-painting, brightwork, and glasswork I do in mine painting the floor would be a wasted excercise.  Just dragging the picnice table in and out that I'm currently refinishing would destroy the floor.

 

[Grrr...]

I use the ceiling joists to store my dingy in the winter as well as bikes all year round. If you don't need the space for vehicles, make sure you use it for something. 

Bikes fit between the joists quite well with the ceiling rope/pulley systems.  So do optimists... luggage carriers.... lasers.....

Consider both an extension cord reel in the middle along with a air compressor hose run up the wall to the middle.  Then you can hook up your little compressor and have it easily accessible anywhere in the garage with a flip of a switch.

 

[bmiller]

View attachment 375076 lf you have the room, a laundry / slop sink  is nice to have. Cabinets are box store unfinished basic units. 

In any manner you can make it happen. Best thing I put in the shop, besides the heater.