Garage project started!

[23109VC]

your garage will be great when you are done.

I did this project about a year ago. I painted the walls white, epoxied the floor myself with the DIY kit from Lowes, and installed shelves and overhead storage.

Those hyloft (there are other brands too) overhead storage s ystems are great if you have the space above your garage door. even when the garage is rolled up, we have about two-three feet of wasted space above it...those hanging storage systems let you put all the seasonal decorations, and other items you rarely use up there. easier and more accessible than an attic, and up out of the way. kind of a PITA to install...but they are great.

I opted to put the epoxy down and not use the flake stuff. i felt it looked dirty..and I just wanted plain gray..so mine is just painted epoxy gray, no flakes. hose it out, sweep it out - it stays clean looking.

we are in the process of getting garage cabinets to replace the cheapy costco metal racks -t ha will really finish it off.

good luck!!

[lucky_topher]

Originally Posted by 23109VC

your garage will be great when you are done.

I did this project about a year ago. I painted the walls white, epoxied the floor myself with the DIY kit from Lowes, and installed shelves and overhead storage.

Those hyloft (there are other brands too) overhead storage s ystems are great if you have the space above your garage door. even when the garage is rolled up, we have about two-three feet of wasted space above it...those hanging storage systems let you put all the seasonal decorations, and other items you rarely use up there. easier and more accessible than an attic, and up out of the way. kind of a PITA to install...but they are great.

I opted to put the epoxy down and not use the flake stuff. i felt it looked dirty..and I just wanted plain gray..so mine is just painted epoxy gray, no flakes. hose it out, sweep it out - it stays clean looking.

we are in the process of getting garage cabinets to replace the cheapy costco metal racks -t ha will really finish it off.

good luck!!

any tips on the floor? did you do the acid etch before hand?

[profpenguin]

Hi,

Nice garages. I just bought a place that finally has one. One thing seems to be missing that mine has, tricycles, wagons and other outside kid toys :ah:

Regarding enclosing the hot water tank, don't make the mistake of not being able to remove the tank when it needs to be replaced.

Also, regarding floor paint. a solid colour might be better when it comes to finding that small part that you just dropped. My garage still has the concrete finish, but the lab where I work has a speckled floor, and if you drop something, its good as lost forever. Just something to consider.

[FTD]

Originally Posted by lucky_topher

any tips on the floor? did you do the acid etch before hand?

Here's my experience:
First degrease the floor. I used dish soap. It worked just fine. Scrub, scrub, scrub and scrub to make sure it is really cleaned. Then I mopped it with clear water, several times, to be absolutely sure all degreaser is completely removed. This took several days. Caution: I initially used a hose in the garage. Dumb idea because water went under the baseboards and into the basement, damaging a very valuable rug. You probably don't want water running under baseboards, even on a slab. Let it COMPLETELY dry, then etch with acid. The acid etch was less work than getting all the degreaser up. I used a 2 gallon pump sprayer and wore a face mask and thick rubber gloves. You let this dry for until it powders, then use clear water to get it completely mopped up. Let the floor COMPLETELY dry, then you are ready to paint/epoxy. So I think it took me a week from start to finish, including letting the paint cure.
As a DIY rating 1 - 5, its a 1.

[gaseavey]

I have often wondered how the epoxy painted floor would be.
Is it to slippery?

A picture of my garage below.

[FTD]

These pics are inspiring and motivating!

[mts]

Originally Posted by gaseavey

I have often wondered how the epoxy painted floor would be.
Is it to slippery?

A picture of my garage below.

Yes, just pure epoxied ones are very slippery, especially when wet. The color flakes help a bit. In addition, the Quickcrete kit I got hand a sandy grit that could be applied to the final coat which I added. It helps a TON and I could imagine walking on the floor when wet without it. I wash my cars in the garage so the flakes and grit were a must for me. I did both my garages with the epoxy and couldn't be more pleased. The picture below is the workshop garage.

[mts]

another shot of mine after it's been "lived in" a while.

[gaseavey]

mts;

Thanks for the input.

By the way you have a fantastic garage, maybe some day.

Picture of mine testing for winter storage.

[nola911]

Here is my black epoxy floor and lowes cabinets. I obviously was not trying to photograph the garage when I took the picture though.

[lucky_topher]

nice black floor... did you do that yourself or have it installed?

I personally like the open garage concept.

[nola911]

Originally Posted by lucky_topher

nice black floor... did you do that yourself or have it installed?

I did it myself with the kit they sell at lowes. It took some coaxing and promising that I wouldnt return the product just to have them tint it black. Apparently, it isn't a color offered in the kit and they have to guess how much tint to put in.

[wanna986]

Originally Posted by maxferran

I did it myself with the kit they sell at lowes. It took some coaxing and promising that I wouldnt return the product just to have them tint it black. Apparently, it isn't a color offered in the kit and they have to guess how much tint to put in.

Were they worried the tint would affect durability? I'd think it's just a tint....