garage makeover.. need some advice/help

[jpark]

well, the gawtdamn garage bug has bitten me which made me decide to do some garage makeover for my garage to prepare for the upcoming winter when my car will be stored and what not.. and also to make it look pretty as its an absolute mess right now.

im a complete NOOB when it comes to stuff like this so please bare with me.. ive done some research on the internet but havn't had much precise answers yet.. and thought asking the locals would help

couple questions i would like to ask to anyone who may be knowledgeable in the area..

1.) Epoxy floor:
im planning to epoxy the floor, my brother will be helping me.. should i even attempt it myself if i've never done it before?
i want my floor to turn out something like this...


2.) Lighting:
where could i possibly purchase these type of lights at an affordable price? should i attempt to install this myself as well?


3.) Roof bike hooks
i always wanted to do this, but scared that it might not hold and fall off on top of my car lol.. i know that i have to screw it directly onto the wooden part of the house structure, but i dont know if i can trust myself with this one


4.) Cabinets(?)
i dont want anything nice or fancy.. just need something that looks.. well.. suitable for a GARAGE.. all the ones at ikea ive looked at are quite pricey and too nice for it to be in the garage. i could buy some used ones but im going to try and look for new ones first before going there.. any ideas?


these are my noob questions for now, and thank you

[belaud]

For cabinets, make them yourself, even if you have little to no woodworking knowledge, they will always come out to your desired size and specs. Its pretty simple too.

[godwin]

1. Epoxy floor is easy.. rent a storage unit, clear your garage, vacuum, rent a gas power washer wash the floor and get rid of the oil stains, get some concrete patch compound to cover any cracks, read the instructions and apply when dry. That's something you want to do after you have done your lightning and bike rack.

2. Those lightning are pretty cheap to start off with.. Crappy tire usually have them on sale for $10 each. The trick of those lights is wire routing.. especially if you have existing light sockets... as with bike racks. It would be useful if you map out the orientation of your joists and where they are. A stud finder is like $20 at any hardware store? If your garage has a panel, seperate the floor outlets with the lights.. just in case you overload something you wouldn't be left in the dark.

3. Places like Princess auto carries cabinets that honestly is cheaper than getting your own made. eg http://www.princessauto.com/pal/prod...-Floor-Cabinet check out Lowe's KMS etc. Attach your cabinet to the studs in the wall.

[TjAlmeida]

I opened the Page and saw the first pictures and was like damn, nice garage... Until I saw your questions.

Good luck with your make over!

[jtanner_]

Cool cats epoxy floor meet at jparks house!

[jpark]

^i provide food and dranks
btw, thanks alot godwin, your answer was really helpful hopefully tackle this project next week when im off work

[alex.w *//]

wow that is a nice genesis coupe

[jpark]

Originally Posted by alex.w *//

wow that is a nice genesis coupe

[MindBomber]

1. An epoxy floor is very beginner friendly; it's not difficult, just labour intensive. The quality of the end result will be measured almost entirely in how much attention you give to the prep. Pressure wash extremely well, scrub any oil stains, fill cracks, and I would etch the floor with a muriatic acid solution. It'll take you a couple days at least, because of the drying time required in between all the steps.

2. Those lights are very simple. The ones I've seen do not tie directly into a circuit, they just have a plug. Secure the lights to a joist or rafter you locate using a stud finder, run the plug, done.

3. If you install the hook properly there should be a very slim likelihood that you have any issues. The key will be ensuring you hit the center of the joist/rafter when you pre-drill the holes. If you're a bit paranoid you could put construction adhesive into the hole you drill then screw the hook into place for a bit of added security.

4. It's easy to slap together a shitty set of cabinets with junk wood for cheap yourself, but then you'll have shitty cabinets made of junk wood that are more of an eyesore than a benefit. I would either purchase a set of budget cabinets from PA, CT, etc. or buy a something used someone else made. It's not worth it to DIY, especially if you have limited/no woodworking tools.

And, post pictures of the end result!

[sleepywheel]

For the fluorescent lights, make sure you get the ones that work in the cold for the wintertime, something to do with the ballast inside. I bought the regular ones for my service truck and they were really dim when it was cold. The ones I have now are work well at whatever ambient temp it is.

[SILVERBULL]

Are those epoxy floors oil proof? That is, if I spill engine oil on it will it stain like concrete or can you just wipe them off? Thanks.

[godwin]

You can wipe it off.

Originally Posted by SILVERBULL

Are those epoxy floors oil proof? That is, if I spill engine oil on it will it stain like concrete or can you just wipe them off? Thanks.

[godwin]

All I can say is take your time and read the instructions.

Oh another thing you should think about when putting in lights is trouble shooting lights.. the ones that hangs from the ceiling and retract when not needed, those are pretty useful.

Originally Posted by jpark

^i provide food and dranks
btw, thanks alot godwin, your answer was really helpful hopefully tackle this project next week when im off work

[godwin]

Nearly all of them to do that.. especially when close to 0C. I just leave mine on for a while before I need to work in the garage.

Originally Posted by sleepywheel

For the fluorescent lights, make sure you get the ones that work in the cold for the wintertime, something to do with the ballast inside. I bought the regular ones for my service truck and they were really dim when it was cold. The ones I have now are work well at whatever ambient temp it is.

[fliptuner]

+1 on the retractable trouble light. I also use a retractable airline.

When you do the floor, I suggest you go a few inches up the wall too.

Paint the walls. Semi-gloss white walls make the room seem a bit bigger and brighter. Also, helps when you have to wipe dirty paw prints off.

For cabinetry you can always check on CL for someone demoing a kitchen. I would only use the uppers though. Metal base/workbench would be best w/ a very solid top for taking things apart and don't forget the vice.

Once the floor is done, before you start moving stuff in, think about wiring for speakers.

[percevil]

Jpark I also caught the garage Reno bug about a month back.

Epoxy floors- what I've found is what you want to spend. If you want the ultimate garage floor, you have to employ a professional to lay it down and do the whole job for you. Reason being, is that the epoxy is industrial strength stuff and isn't very user friendly for noobs like you and I. Also the professionals are actually certified to work with this stuff. 2 part high solids is your ticket for the ultimate finish and durability, pricey as hell,but so nice you'll park you car on the street and move your bedroom in there, bank on say $1500 and up.

You can find the high solids at general paint for $160 a gallon. Not cheap at all if you consider that 1 gallon of the stuff covers roughly 100 sq ft.$160 was the cheapest I've found, I went to other paint specific stores and got quoted anywhere from $200-$300 per gallon. Don't go to Homo Depot looking for this stuff. Went to 2 of them and got "Huh??" both times.
If you want to do it on a reasonable budget, go to Home depot in the states and get the Rustoleum kit which has enough epoxy to cover approximately an average 2 car garage and is $100 US. The kits they sell in our Canadian Home Depots are basically half the kit in a separate box and go for $75- $99 per kit.

The Rustolem and similar kits consist of a 2 part epoxy but have a low solid content. They also dont include the all important clear epoxy top coat that the professionals do. This means its more prone to hot tire lift , flaking from age,impact and chemicals and you need to reapply the coating every couple of years or so.

The high solids professional stuff stays on the concrete for life and is pretty much bullet proof to whatever you leave on it. If you decide to do it yourself, which ever epoxy you buy, best advice I can give to you is spend a lot of time and attention to prep. Without that no epoxy will stay on the concrete.

Cabinets- I'm not good at wood work, so I looked around the usual places and found a Black and Decker cabinet bench, standing storage cabinet and wall unit for around $500. I went to Home Depot, the pricing was similar for the same set, but I didn't want my garage to look like a bathroom .

Lighting- I did some research and most people go with double lamp 4ft fluorescents. Get ones that have electronic ballasts and you don't have worry about them not turning on in the winter.

As far as wiring them up, quite simple, always turn off the power via the fusebox on the receptacles your working on and if you can match a black wire to another black wire and then the white wire etc your good.

Hope this helps, cuz that's some of what I learned while doing my own batcave.....

[Manic!]

You can also go with garage floor tiles instead of epoxy and Costco sells a garage mat.

Costco - VersaRoll 6.5 ft. x 20 ft. PVC Garage Flooring

Costco - Motofloor® Modular Garage Flooring

Costco - Rhino Linings® Do-it-yourself Epoxy Floor-coating Kit

[SILVERBULL]

Thanks for the links Manic!

I think the optimal solution are the VersaRolls or something similar because they are affordable and easy to install-you just roll it out lol. Also you can readjust or get new ones when you want to.

OT: I just noticed that the garage with the Genesis has carpet surrounding his car LOL.

[freakshow]

I had my epoxy floor professionally done. I understand that you can DIY, but after asking around, it seems like a noob like me wouldn't really be able to prep the floor as much as it deserves. Giving it a proper wash, treatment, fixing, acid bath, diamond grinding, etc seemed to be too much work. I also didn't want it to peel in a few years and have to redo it.

I spent a bit more to get it professionally done, but it looks great, comes with a warranty, etc.

[fliptuner]

Just wondering how much a pro job costs, garage size and how long they took?

[MindBomber]

I'm probably over thinking here, but there's a nearly inevitable likelihood that condensation will build up under the roll out vinyl laid directly onto concrete; especially in our wet climate. Condensation build up will foster mold growth under the vinyl, and possibly act as a catalyst for the concrete degrading and cracking. I wouldn't use it in my home, unless there was a thermal break (insulation) underneath the concrete.

Just my 0.02 cents.

[UnName]

put in a half height 2 post hoist

[ree666]

tip: if epoxying garage floor, don't paint yourself into a corner =P

[spoon.ek9]

Originally Posted by freakshow

I had my epoxy floor professionally done. I understand that you can DIY, but after asking around, it seems like a noob like me wouldn't really be able to prep the floor as much as it deserves. Giving it a proper wash, treatment, fixing, acid bath, diamond grinding, etc seemed to be too much work. I also didn't want it to peel in a few years and have to redo it.

I spent a bit more to get it professionally done, but it looks great, comes with a warranty, etc.

final cost?

Originally Posted by rl89rl89

tip: if epoxying garage floor, don't paint yourself into a corner =P

LOL

[Mkhun]

i believe there must be lots of experts on this forum,

but most of stuffs you wish-listed can be done with little help and DIY.

No need to pay big bills to someone to do it for you.

I've also attempted to do the exact same thing on my parents' garage long ago.

and i moved out

Details based on my experience has been pm'd !

give me a ring whenever you need some help !