Garage Re-Furbishment!

[CameronStewart]

Hello Folks,

Basically just moved into a new place and it has a lovely garage.........which I would love to re-furb and make it clean and tidy.

Problem is I have no real idea of where to begin.

Have photos of the garage in an album.

Untitled

• CameronStewart
• 16 Oct 2014
• 1

Untitled

• CameronStewart
• 16 Oct 2014
• 1

Untitled

• CameronStewart
• 16 Oct 2014
• 1

Feel free to give me some ideas.

Cheers,

Cameron

 

[kbdiy]

Blimey, it even has a pit! Just clear out all the crap - that would do it for me!

 

[BertyUK]

I assume you want to use it as an actual garage for actually working on cars and stuff. if so...

strip it, clean it, paint walls, put down some good floor paint, install some cabinets/worktop - done.

optional: get a comfy chair, a fridge, some beer and a subscription to playboy

 

[kbdiy]

and a subscription to playboy

No need for that in the age of t'internet

 

[CameronStewart]

Cheers for the reply lads. Does anyone know what the pit is for? Must of been an old coach time in its day. Yea would love to use it for tinkering with motors etc so looking to tidy it up and have it well organised and clean.

 

[BertyUK]

The pit is for working on the underside of your car like they have in commercial garages. Whoever lived there before you did you a hugefavour by putting one in. Does it have drainage at the bottom of it? Sometimes it'll just have a sump.

it also looks like you have really high ceilings which is also very useful.

Most people would kill for a garage like that.

 

[CameronStewart]

Cheers for the reply! I don't think there is drainage, water seems to collect a little bit at the bottom of it. In your vision, would should I do with the garage? It does have very high ceilings on it and a railing with a huge hook on it.

 

[Steve]

You need to turn it the right way up first. It appears to have fallen over. . .

 

[CameronStewart]

Haha I have turned it up the right way now.

But must admit I need advice on a few things.

What kind of flooring should I use?

Should I put some cladding on the walls, I do plan on using the garage a lot.

Should I try and convert the ceiling or tidy it up?

All of the land seems to run down to the garage so a little bit of water does get under the door, how would I go about solving that issue?

Cheers

 

[BertyUK]

what you do to it will depend on a) your intended use and b) your budget.

If you want to go all out then here's what i'd do:

I would gut and clean the entire room. remove all dirt/grime/grit.

Remove any loose debris from the walls. Clean and make good any cracks/holes. Skim with plaster to give a smooth, clean finish. Then paint with a water resistant (easy to clean) paint.

Get the floor done with a self leveling epoxy flooring ie, http://www.resinfloorcoatingsuk.com/acatalog/single-garage-floor-coating-kit.html
It will make the whole room look much nicer, stop oil from seeping into the concrete and be easy to clean.

Clean the pit and paint with industrial floor paint all over (walls and floor).

You can use standard kitchen cabinets to line the back wall. If you have room, install a sink with hot/cold water.

The additional height is useful for storage. If you use air tools on your car, you could mount a compressor high up out of the way for example.

If you need more ideas, let me know.

 

[CameronStewart]

Thanks for the reply. That's some great ideas you have there.

My dream would be to lower the ceiling and have an upstairs and downstairs but I am guessing that would be very difficult?

In terms of the garage I love the clean mechanical look, using plastic tiled flooring, nice clean ceiling.

Place to do a bit of DIY and a place to keep my golf clubs etc.

 

[ziden]

As stated above - the finish will depend on what you intend to do in there ultimately, or how clinical it needs to look for you.

However, plastering the walls would need a guy/fem who "can do", assuming you aren't a plasterer. A much cheaper alternative for a d-i-y person (because you don't have to pay someone bags of cash) is to use a plastering or a rendering mix and apply it to the walls giving it a 'bagged finish' i.e. you take something like an old hessian sack or cloth and wipe the rendering with it as it sets, like you were dusting/polishing it.

Now, its not as refined as a true plasterers finish, but it will even out the surface and, for a garage, may be adequate for purpose, and you can do it cheap yourself.

The choice, of course, is yours.

 

[robby71]

I wish my garage had a pit and a high roof.

What i did with mine
1. painted all walls with brilliant white masonary paint
2. painted floor with grey epoxy paint
3. fitted batons to roof braces and attached kingspan insulation
4. fitted batons to walls and attached moisture resistant floorboards
5. painted wall boards brilliant white
6. laid plastic interlocking floor tiles
7. work area comprises of Stanley caninets on floor, metal wall cabinet, rubber mat as worktop

If i did this again i wouldn't bother with parts 1 or 2 as it was a waste of time (paint lifts off floor and bare concrete walls are cold in winter

From this



to this

 

[WalksWithTurkeys]

The pit is for working on the underside of your car like they have in commercial garages. Whoever lived there before you did you a hugefavour by putting one in. Does it have drainage at the bottom of it? Sometimes it'll just have a sump.

it also looks like you have really high ceilings which is also very useful.

Most people would kill for a garage like that.

Thanks for the tip. I would love a garage like that, so I'll go out and kill something or someone. Does it matter what or who?

I must admit that really is the bees knees, I have considered doing my own car, but without a pit, or a hoist, there is a limit to what can be done.

In my garage I put up some shelves. You can get brackets cheap at Screwfix, avoid B&Q etc. And there are nails hammered in to the wooden frame at the top, so that I can hang my tools out od the way, such as saws and spades. Ikea do some nice powder coated self supporting shelves too, cheap and easy to assemble.