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Garage Ideas


elc

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I'm looking for interior garage ideas and would love to see and hear what others have done with their floors, cabinets etc. My goal is to finish the inside of the garages over the next few months. I have one double and a RV garage that are connected. The double garage is 23' deep and the RV has a 15' high door and is about 45' long. 

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Epoxy the floor for sure (expansion cuts should be filled with butyl caulking first).  I did not use drywall - the whole interior is chipboard (well, except for one wall that had to have fire rated drywall (heavy suckers those sheets are!!) .  Chipboard allows me to just hammer in anything, anywhere.  The slotted system walls are a nice idea for tools.  I just used pegboard 'cause I'm cheap.  :)

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Following. 

16 minutes ago, Eagleboy99 said:

Epoxy the floor for sure (expansion cuts should be filled with butyl caulking first).  I did not use drywall - the whole interior is chipboard (well, except for one wall that had to have fire rated drywall (heavy suckers those sheets are!!) .  Chipboard allows me to just hammer in anything, anywhere.  The slotted system walls are a nice idea for tools.  I just used pegboard 'cause I'm cheap.  :)

Any suggestions for floor epoxy? Brands/etc.

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Pricy, but this stuff rocks,  https://www.stonhard.com/

One of the coolest things I've seen someone do is put lighting on the walls of the garage to remove shadows for detailing, very similar to a paint booth. 

Cabinets and such are really personal preference. I've seen some really simple but well done cabinetry in the front of the garage with little else and I've seen cabinets the full run of the perimeter. Really depends on what YOU need. My personal preference though is not to use those hard core looking metal and diamond plate cabinets. Trying too hard there. But I can't comment as my garage is a mess, half is snow ski/water ski/wake board/ cycling gear/tools and the other half is a batting cage for jr.

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Cabinets come from craigslist or your most recent kitchen remodel.

1/4" Plywood installed over the bottom 3rd of the wall to protect the drywall from all the bangs and hacks of life

I don't use any floor coatings because they don't seem to react very well to welding on them

Lots of lights

Outlets every 4-5 feet and in the ceiling

Hard piped compressor lines from one end to the other

 

  • Like 1
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Was in a buddies parents 3200sq’ garage (Amazing).  Window trim really stood out... I asked sheepishly if it was plywood (figured it was probably walnut or something imported) it was good one side ply with a dark stain... looked incedible.  I will be doing the same in my 40’x40’ garage/suite addition this fall.  Just poured first course of ICF today so pretty excited it’s starting to look like something finally!!

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1 minute ago, elc said:

Some good ideas here...Didn't think about compressor lines, Ill def add those and hose reels. To clarify, the entire garage is dry walled and I have a ton of lights installed. Would love to hear some additional finish ideas. If anyone has experience with some additional epoxy or other flooring options, Id like to hear about it.

It would be great to see some pics. This is what I'm working with (this is an old pic and its a mess now).

 

5yXWOWF.jpg

 

Are there doors to the left in this photo?

or what is to the left?

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Just now, Bozboat said:

Are there doors to the left in this photo?

or what is to the left?

Yes, you're looking at the back of the garage... To the left is a double car garage/garage door and behind where Im taking the pic is the large RV garage door. The door in the pic is a smaller pull through garage door that goes to the back yard. 

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If you epoxy the floor, dust it with silica sand as soon as you put the last coat on it. Otherwise get ready for many slips during wet weather and the vehicles dripping on the floor. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Biggest downside to epoxy'ing the floors for me is when pulling into the garage when it's raining out, the water drips on the epoxy and just kind of....stays....takes a day or two for it to evaporate. I also put down flakes to give it better traction but I still slip every now and then. Not sure I'd do it again for my next house.

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Corotech 100% Solids Epoxy is the way to go.  We use it in manufacturing plants and it holds up to fork truck traffic, machinery, etc.  You need to make sure your floor is thoroughly cleaned and free from any oils.

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2 hours ago, SpaceSurfer said:

Biggest downside to epoxy'ing the floors for me is when pulling into the garage when it's raining out, the water drips on the epoxy and just kind of....stays....takes a day or two for it to evaporate. I also put down flakes to give it better traction but I still slip every now and then. Not sure I'd do it again for my next house.

Sounds like the silica sand above is the way to go, no way you slip on that

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I epoxied my floors, but I just have an oversized double and the boat takes one stall.  Can't be compared to your setup really.  

I have done the floors before, and learned my lesson.  This time I had floors ground 1/32 with a diamond grinder.  Epoxy stuck and held perfectly.  

I doubled down on traction aid.  Not splippery at all.  Any water on the floor is squeegeed out easily.  

Insulated and drywalled, big cool white led fixtures.  Nothing crazy special but the bright white paint I did the walls with bounces the light all over.  The epoxy floor was clear coated and it reflects a ton of light.  Makes working on the boat and cars so nice, tons of light.  

 

I love the epoxy and would do it again.  I've had big spills on the floor.  Various oils, atf, coolant, etc.  All comes up with a mop and some tsp for the slippery stuff.   

 

Other recommendations...I only know what I want and am going to do this next year.  Tons of outlet series on dedicated 20amp runs.  I already have 220 service, but consider it if you don't.  Spray lower 3ft of wall with waterproofing spray and cove base the drywall to floor gap.  Retractable extension cord on ceiling.  

I have perimeter shelving (180 degrees of my garage) at 80 inches high.  I put clear storage boxes to store stuff and have a small ladder to access it.  In a 450 sq ft garage space is at a premium for me.

Edited by Pra4sno
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10 hours ago, Pra4sno said:

I epoxied my floors, but I just have an oversized double and the boat takes one stall.  Can't be compared to your setup really.  

I have done the floors before, and learned my lesson.  This time I had floors ground 1/32 with a diamond grinder.  Epoxy stuck and held perfectly.  

I doubled down on traction aid.  Not splippery at all.  Any water on the floor is squeegeed out easily.  

Insulated and drywalled, big cool white led fixtures.  Nothing crazy special but the bright white paint I did the walls with bounces the light all over.  The epoxy floor was clear coated and it reflects a ton of light.  Makes working on the boat and cars so nice, tons of light.  

 

I love the epoxy and would do it again.  I've had big spills on the floor.  Various oils, atf, coolant, etc.  All comes up with a mop and some tsp for the slippery stuff.   

 

Other recommendations...I only know what I want and am going to do this next year.  Tons of outlet series on dedicated 20amp runs.  I already have 220 service, but consider it if you don't.  Spray lower 3ft of wall with waterproofing spray and cove base the drywall to floor gap.  Retractable extension cord on ceiling.  

I have perimeter shelving (180 degrees of my garage) at 80 inches high.  I put clear storage boxes to store stuff and have a small ladder to access it.  In a 450 sq ft garage space is at a premium for me.

Appreciate the advice. Which epoxy floor solution did you use? did you rent a grinder or have someone do it?

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12 hours ago, Pra4sno said:

I epoxied my floors, but I just have an oversized double and the boat takes one stall.  Can't be compared to your setup really.  

I have done the floors before, and learned my lesson.  This time I had floors ground 1/32 with a diamond grinder.  Epoxy stuck and held perfectly.  

I doubled down on traction aid.  Not splippery at all.  Any water on the floor is squeegeed out easily.  

Insulated and drywalled, big cool white led fixtures.  Nothing crazy special but the bright white paint I did the walls with bounces the light all over.  The epoxy floor was clear coated and it reflects a ton of light.  Makes working on the boat and cars so nice, tons of light.  

 

I love the epoxy and would do it again.  I've had big spills on the floor.  Various oils, atf, coolant, etc.  All comes up with a mop and some tsp for the slippery stuff.   

 

Other recommendations...I only know what I want and am going to do this next year.  Tons of outlet series on dedicated 20amp runs.  I already have 220 service, but consider it if you don't.  Spray lower 3ft of wall with waterproofing spray and cove base the drywall to floor gap.  Retractable extension cord on ceiling.  

I have perimeter shelving (180 degrees of my garage) at 80 inches high.  I put clear storage boxes to store stuff and have a small ladder to access it.  In a 450 sq ft garage space is at a premium for me.

What epoxy did you use? My shop is around 1300 sq ft.   PO did a cheap home depot epoxy which is peeling like crazy.  I would really like to clean up the floor but dont want to waste my time with DIY that wont last.

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I literally used Rust-Oleum kit from home Depot, with a spin.  Have done it three times now.  The first time I did my prep like they said on the box.  Hot tire pickup happened, it flaked and looked bad.  

 

Second time I took a buddy's advice.  He owns a pro epoxy business, charges about $4 a sq ft just for materials and about $1.5. Sq ft labor.  Way more than I wanted to spend.  He said good results with rustoleums kits COULD be achieved but extra work was involved, so I did everything he said.  2nd garage was still perfect 3 years later and handled a lot of abuse so I did my new house the same way.  

It was time intensive, but so worth it.  

Pressure wash, then wash with concrete degreaser.  Soak garage floor with water and look for any spots it doesn't soak in immediately.  Mark, hit with actual diamond cup grinder and take off 1/16th.  Then rent a diamond brush machine and brush the rest of the floor.  Use the acid etch from the kit.  Then pressure wash twice.  Let dry several days.  Then take 2x2 pieces of plastic and tape them to the floor with masking tape, and leave for a day.  If floor isn't perfectly dry under it, remove and wait another few days.  Removing oils and exposing a pourous surface is paramount.  If your concrete has been sealed previously...just hire someone.  

 

Apply epoxy coat and put chips down.  Let dry for a day and then put Rust-Oleum clear coat on top of it.  Put on thick and with lots of silica powder, let cure and set up for twice what the box says.  We didn't park on it with hot tires for about a month.  Would come off the highway and park in the driveway for 30 min and then move into garage.  

 

His quote, even discounted for me as a friend was around $2200k for my 440 sq ft garage.  He would not let me prep it to save money, as he says profession results only come from professional prep work - he's definitely right.  

 I did my garage for about $550 and around 10 hours of actual work.  

(1) two car epoxy kit 

(2) clear coat kits 

(2) extra packets of silica traction aid

(2) extra 3/8" nap 4" rollers 

(2) cheap throw away brushes 

(1) Ridgid diamond grinder cup wheel 

(4) hour rental home Depot diamond brush machine.  

(1) respirator.  Make sure to have both an NIOSH Organic vapor filter and p95 over filters for particulate.  That worked for me to protect against cleaning agents, concrete dust, and epoxy fumes.  I wore safety glasses and for applying epoxy I wore nitrile gloves.  

 

I drag tool boxes across it, turn my tires back and forth on it, left the boat parked on it for months in the same spot, spill auto fluids on it, etc.  It's holding up awesome, and my buddy said that it likely will for a very long time as I put in the time to prep it.  I would highly recommend having a friend help with the application.  One person to edge the garage out while the other rolls.  

 

Do it wrong the first time and it could be expensive to strip and redo, but put the time in on prep and it works great and saves a lot of money.  Keep cars off it for a week so it cures hard.  

 

There are some pro level products that he recommended, but I don't remember exactly which ones.  Problem was they were 5gal pails and did 750+ sq ft.  That epoxy, once opened, has a working life cycle of like 72 hours even if you seal the pail, so it would have been a big waste and the stuff wasn't cheap.  He had no issues with the Rust-Oleum kits from HD "for what they are" so long as extra prep is done.  Most people do what they say on the box, which just isn't enough. 

Edited by Pra4sno
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I have done two garages in my two previous homes and used the Rustoleum Commerical Floor Product (not Home Depot); it's basically solvent based NOT water based.  And is much better.  I did a prep similar to the what @Pra4sno did above minus any grinding but I did spend over a week prepping and checking the floor.  Even after etching with the kit, I still didn't feel like the floor was ready so I got Muriatic Acid and etched the entire floor again.  Like others have said, it's all in the prep it has to be 100% clean with no moisture and no dust.  If you spend more time prepping the better the results.  I can say that the Rustoleum Clear coat is not UV stable, any part exposed outside the garage will yellow in the sun.  On my new house I have been back and forth about using epoxy again or going with the new cyano silicate (or whatever they call it).  After a lot of research, I think I will be going with a 100% solids based epoxy with a clear coat that is UV stable (for the little lip that protrudes past my garage door).

With the proper prep though the Rustoleum Commercial epoxy is good.  I dropped tools, spills, dragged all sorts of stuff across it, hot tires etc... always stayed 100% and cleaned up perfectly with a quick mop.

Check out GarageJournal.com all the info you could ever need.  Happy reading. 

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I used a silicate syloxicane...(??) On my floor and concrete aprons all together 11,000 sf. I used almost a 55gal drum, have about 5-10gal left over. I got it free from work, left over from a big bridge deck reseal job. This stuff works well for water and salt, moderate for oil. I have been wiping up oil as it spills, working well so far. Had 5000sf of trowelled concrete, and 6000sf of broom finish. Any other option would have been too pricey

 

 

Edited by carguy79ta
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There is so many options for garage floor here are a few ideas starting with DYI coatings-  

-Water Based concrete stain / then WB UV stable clear coat. 

-Porch & Floor Enamel, 2 coat application  

-WB epoxy solid colour (HD garage guard etc) 2 coats. 

-pre prime epoxy primer 1 coat, high solids polyamide epoxy 2 coats, urethane or siloxane uv stable top coat 1-2 coats 

 

 

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