My Garage

[G W]

@Scottmichaelj wanted to see my garage. I wanted to share here in case anyone else has an interest.

 

The highlights are the overhead storage,the 100 Amp circuit panel and the 40 Amp outlets at the workbench..

 

Gary

 

 

[larryllix]

That is the sign of a sick mind Gary.

 

A litte more mess could save your reputation, here.

 

Get those receptacle covers on before the tape measure comes out! Done that one!

[G W]

Thank you, Larry.

 

It's all finished except for the sink and cabinet doors. I'll finish it this summer with the basement buildout.

 

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[stusviews]

It's all finished except for the sink and cabinet doors. I'll finish it this summer with the basement buildout.

 

What about the easy chair.

 

Honey, I'm gonna work in the garage for a while

[Scottmichaelj]

@Scottmichaelj wanted to see my garage. I wanted to share here in case anyone else has an interest.

 

The highlights are the overhead storage,the 100 Amp circuit panel and the 40 Amp outlets at the workbench..

 

Gary

Looks great Gary. Now epoxy that floor!

[G W]

What about the easy chair.

 

Honey, I'm gonna work in the garage for a while

It's coming. A lot more to do.

 

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[G W]

Looks great Gary. Now epoxy that floor!

Yes, that too. Hard coat, white epoxy. Just like on a hanger floor.

 

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[Scottmichaelj]

Yes, that too. Hard coat, white epoxy. Just like on a hanger floor.

 

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I had a light tan expoy floor in my CA homes garage and after some time it got tire marks on it and couldn't get them off. So FWIW when you have it done make sure IF that happens its covered under warranty. Mine wasn't I did the kick plate under the cabinet and stem walls too. I'm a bit OCD.

 

[G W]

That looks good, Scott. I like your yacht.

 

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[Scottmichaelj]

That looks good, Scott. I like your yacht.

 

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My new garage is a clean slate. Its been at the bottom of my priority list but now as I finish the higher priority stuff its getting closer "To Do".

 

I did have the garage taped and textured along with my workshop/server room. The supervisor for the builder gave me a bunch of scrap base and trim so once I do epoxy floors I will install base and window trim to finish it.

[larryllix]

We get frost. Many try to coat concrete floors only to regret it later when grey concrete with some grease stains (no offense, John Revolta) would look nicer.

[kohai]

After seeing these pictures, I see that I'm not taking my garage serious enough.  

[G W]

We get frost. Many try to coat concrete floors only to regret it later when grey concrete with some grease stains (no offense, John Revolta) would look nicer.

Putting a coating on concrete requires a lot of prep work. In Colorado where the temperature range can be 150° F one must do a lot.

 

The surface needs to be cleaned and acid etched. Then a very thick and super hard epoxy applied in at least two coats. If you use the correct materials it will last 20 years and will not stain.

 

Most home owners won't spend the money though. A good way to do this is to get a company that does hanger floors and ask the to do it after they finish a job. They always have material left over for a small job.

 

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[larryllix]

Putting a coating on concrete requires a lot of prep work. In Colorado where the temperature range can be 150° F one must do a lot.

The surface needs to be cleaned and acid etched. Then a very thick and super hard epoxy applied in at least two coats. If you use the correct materials it will last 20 years and will not stain.

Most home owners won't spend the money though. A good way to do this is to get a company that does hanger floors and ask the to do it after they finish a job. They always have material left over for a small job.

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It's not stains that are a problem and surface preparation doesn't do anything for frost.

 

The problem is any coating on horizontal concrete will all ow moisture to seep through it slowly but cannot expell through it fast enough when it freezes. This results in multiple pitting wherever hot and cold cycles are experienced.

 

I have learned the hard way myself and seen many hundreds of garage floors and driveways as examples of really bad pitting from this.

 

A guy down the street from me just never learned after having his stamped and coloured concrete driveway ripped up and redone. Each time he sealed it with more coats to prevent it, until it was yellow the last time. It just pitted worse.

 

The guy next door did his garage floor with the latest high tech expoxy floor surfacing. Same thing along the edges where the cold and moisture hits under the garage door seal. The company came back a few times and attempted to patch his floor concrete until they gave him his money back and walked away.

 

You can't seal concrete surfaces with anything where there is frost and moisture in the air. Concrete has to breathe bidirectionally where there are alternating cold and hot cycles.

 

Salt, to melt snow, accelerates this problem even more, by causing the ice to melt and then freeze again. Once frozen it needs to stay frozen.

[G W]

I don't know Larry. We get frost in Colorado and what I described works

 

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[mwester]

I dunno...  those garages just look, well, TOO CLEAN for me.    If I had one of those, I wouldn't park any of my cars in them until AFTER they got thoroughly washed and dried in the driveway.  And as for actually working on a car in there?     Yikes, I'd be terrified of dropping a greasy rag on those pristine floors, or even touching the wall with my greasy shop clothes!

 

My garage has all sorts of crap in it, and exactly the right number of oil stains, paint stains, and other splotches and blotches on it so that I can actually work in it.  

[apostolakisl]

My latest project for my garage workshop was to install a 4 ton AC unit.

 

I bought a commercial building a few years back and replaced the 20 year-old AC units.  So I had the old units which still worked.  My workshop is a partially attached (breazeway) 25x25 foot space.  This is Texas and the summers are hot (105 is not unusual).  So it was impossible to work in there.  

 

4-tons is of course way over-sized for 25x25.  But that actually is the point.  I can flip it on and in 5 minutes it is cold, and becuase I placed the vents in my usual workspots, it is actually comfortable within 15 seconds.  With the way over-sized unit it becomes nearly instantly usable space.  So far the hottest it has been is 93, but I am confident that 100 will be similar.  The electricity consumption is maybe 75 cents per hour if running non-stop, which of course it doesn't.  

 

The unit also has heat which is nice since we can get pretty cold, though usually not so much.

 

Next project is to install another one of them on my covered patio for instant comfort out there too.  Not sure how to do that though since there is no attic to run the ducts.  

 

EDIT:  And hats off to the incredible level of order and cleanliness.  Hope you have a central dust system for that table saw.  I don't, but I don't pretend to be that clean and am OK with taking my air compressor or leaf blower and cleaning the place, ala Bill Murray Cady Shack style.

[Scottmichaelj]

So if you think that is nuts! Off my garage is my workshop/server room/and wine cellar for my extra wines. It was unfinished like the garage so I had it fixed up.

 

Heres what I did:

-Taped and Textured and painted the walls

-Installed commercial quality carpet with upgraded super comfy pad

-Wall to wall to ceiling custom cabinets with soft close drawers and doors (moved all my tools into drawers)

-Workbench for projects

-6 Recessed Can Lights (Dimmable and on Insteon)

-Matching base from inside the house installed

-Frosted privacy french doors installed and trimmed out

-Distributed audio speakers installed in the ceiling

-Installed two AV racks to store all my homes equipment, IE Elk, Router, Network Switch, Home Theater Gear, Distributed Audio, etc...(too much stuff to list)

-Installed a Daikin Split System HVAC & Thermostat (AC & Heat) to keep the AV equipment cool

-Framed and hung a Connie Kreski 1968 Ms January Centerfold puzzle that came from my grandfathers garage who passed away to remember him by.

 

Still to do:

-Install a large safe

-LED strip lights above the countertop for task lighting

-Replace the wine rack with another actual large wine fridge

 

I think that should complete the room. Of course all of this stuff is protected by the security system and cameras. I thought about a TV and may still add one but I don't usually spend time in there. I am not a mechanic nor do woodworking. My chop saws get stored in main garage which is still very much a Work in Progress. I taped textured and painted the main garage, then put in can lighting and a attic ladder but thats about it for now. Like I said before low priority.

 

*Sorry for the poor quality photos but had to downsize them so I could upload them and one was a panoramic.

[larryllix]

You guys need more Insteon projects!

 

That was one thing I decided when I built this house. No wood machining wood be done in a any room, any where attached to the house. Wood dust is nasty and migratory.

 

Even with a 2 hp dust collector system the dust is nasty and causes bad lung problems. Of course the mitre saw is very hard to suck up with the tiny collection ports they come with.

 

One logical problem is now I need two tool boxes and two sets of tools as my shop is an out building and I hate doing the hike at nights for a screwdriver.

[chrishick]

Well, I guess I'll show off my garage too since everybody else is. I went the cheap route and did $200 worth of Rust-Oleum epoxy floor coating. It has been down for almost a year and I love the stuff. Tire marks come right off with a little soapy water and a brush. I was worried that it might peel/flake or have a problem with hot tire pick-up, but so far it still looks as good as the day I put it down. It probably would have cost $3,000-4,000 to have it done professionally, so I'm pretty happy with the results for $200.

 

***edit to add a few more details.***

 

I removed the support post in the middle of the garage and added a 6" x 12" x 24' steel tube beam to carry the load. Best thing I ever did.

I installed NRP panel wainscot 4' high all around for water and impact protection.

I ran grey rubber base at bottom and silicone to floor. I can hose out the garage without fear of water damage.

I installed some commercial LED strip lighting left over from another project. They sure do light things up, it was a dark cave before the remodel.

[Scottmichaelj]

Well, I guess I'll show off my garage too since everybody else is. I went the cheap route and did $200 worth of Rust-Oleum epoxy floor coating. It has been down for almost a year and I love the stuff. Tire marks come right off with a little soapy water and a brush. I was worried that it might peel/flake or have a problem with hot tire pick-up, but so far it still looks as good as the day I put it down. It probably would have cost $3,000-4,000 to have it done professionally, so I'm pretty happy with the results for $200.

 

***edit to add a few more details.***

 

I removed the support post in the middle of the garage and added a 6" x 12" x 24' steel tube beam to carry the load. Best thing I ever did.

I installed NRP panel wainscot 4' high all around for water and impact protection.

I ran grey rubber base at bottom and silicone to floor. I can hose out the garage without fear of water damage.

I installed some commercial LED strip lighting left over from another project. They sure do light things up, it was a dark cave before the remodel.

Wow nice work! I can see how getting rid of that support beam was a huge impact too. You actually gave me a good idea, I may do the large rubber base in my garage instead of matching the MDF base I have inside. Not that I ever do but if I wanted to I could hose it out. The lighting was a big improvement too, much brighter but in a "clean" way.

 

We should make this thread a "Show us your garage thread" - Anyone else? Post your pix here of your garage setups.

[Scottmichaelj]

So circling back to revive this thread, this week my polyaspartic garage floor coating got started being installed. So heres some pix.

 

 

So before being grined down on the left and after on the right.

 

 

This is with the vapor barrier down/dried.

 

 

The "Oxford Grey" basecoat being applied.

 

 

Heres the color flakes casted and waiting to dry on top of the basecoat.

 

 

Another view.

 

Now tomorrow they will apply two top coats. I have to wait 24 hours for that to cure and then can use the garage again. Ill post more pix later.

 

I plan on installing some 4" rubber baseboard, repainting the garage, trimming out the windows, as well as finishing my Brultech energy monitoring installation. Possibly adding an exhaust fan too. So still lots to do before I can say I am finished.

 

Edit: Here is the sample of what the color looks like finished.

 

[Scottmichaelj]

So right above my garage is an attic space. I been meaning to insulate it and then put down a wood floor after I installed one of those pull down ladders to get access to it.

 

http://www.wernerco.com/us/en/attic-ladders/products-overview/ah-series-microsite

 

 

I trimmed it out and painted it white.

 

I forgot to get pix before and during the attic insulation and floor but here is the finished project. I added a three new roof vents and on one side of the house eaves knocked out the wood blocks and added screening.

 

Later I may add passthrough vent from the garage to the attic space then have a exhaust fan, but first I will see how this works out. There is nothing above the attic space so a fan maybe a waste and better installed in my actual attic area. I added some of the CAO wireless tags now in the attic and garage to monitor and log temperature.

 

 

 

 

Now that its done I can store all my empty boxes and whatever else up there without worrying about falling through or hurting my self balancing on the trusses!

[larryllix]

So right above my garage is an attic space. I been meaning to insulate it and then put down a wood floor after I installed one of those pull down ladders to get access to it.

 

http://www.wernerco.com/us/en/attic-ladders/products-overview/ah-series-microsite

 

 

 

I trimmed it out and painted it white.

 

I forgot to get pix before and during the attic insulation and floor but here is the finished project. I added a three new roof vents and on one side of the house eaves knocked out the wood blocks and added screening.

 

Later I may add passthrough vent from the garage to the attic space then have a exhaust fan, but first I will see how this works out. There is nothing above the attic space so a fan maybe a waste and better installed in my actual attic area. I added some of the CAO wireless tags now in the attic and garage to monitor and log temperature.

 

 

 

<photos snipped>

 

Now that its done I can store all my empty boxes and whatever else up there without worrying about falling through or hurting my self balancing on the trusses!

Nice.

Those ladders are nice as portable ones tend to slip away when you are on them.

 

I had to put a latch on my hatch as the wind would blow it right out of the frame, into the attic when the GD opened.

[G W]

Dear Scott.

 

I hate you.

 

With much love.

 

Best regards,

Gary Funk