Garage Tips & Ideas
Sealing a Garage Floor
The floor of your garage is exposed to intense corrosion and deterioration due to road salt, oils and other auto fluids. Sealing your garage floor reduces dust and makes cleaning and sweeping easier. A clear acrylic concrete sealer protects the concrete from damage and stains. Also the same sealers can be used on concrete walks and driveways or as a primer under acrylic or polyurethane floor paints. You should take care when and where you apply a sealer because they cannot be applied over paint or other coatings.
In order to do the sealing yourself you need several materials and tools: protective clothing, neoprene rubber gloves, goggles, a stiff brush and a bucket, a paintbrush, a cartridge-style respirator with organic-vapor and small-particle filters, paint roller with extension handle and tray, medium nap roller cover, a concrete degreaser and of course some concrete sealer. Usually ½ gallon of sealer is used for approximately 100 square feet.
Before sealing you have to clean the floor because it has to be free of dirt, grease and oil. To do this you should use a stiff scrub brush to apply the cleaner and concrete degreaser according to the instructions. Allow the solution to lay on the floor for 15 to 20 minutes more for stubborn stains after scrubbing. After his you should rinse thoroughly with clear water. You may need several applications.
Many concrete sealers contain hazardous chemicals that may be harmful to skin and eyes and the vapors are not safe to breathe but the vast majority are acrylic. The best way to avoid damages to your skin, eyes and lungs is to wear the protective equipment made of neoprene rubber gloves, goggles and a respirator with both organic-vapor and solid-particle filter cartridges. During the process of sealing the floor you should continuously ventilate the garage by opening all doors and windows and also using a fan would be a great idea.
After cleaning and drying the concrete, the sealer has to be applied. The sealer should be tested in an inconspicuous area before applying. Some uneven density in the concrete may result in light/dark appearance that may be objectionable. By using the medium-nap paint roller with extension handle is the easiest way to apply the sealer. Start in a rear corner continuing to work your way out of the garage. Before doing anything else you should allow the sealer to dry as indicated on the sealer bottle, usually for a few hours.
For a driveway the procedure is essentially the same but it would be quicker to use a garden sprayer to apply the sealer to a large driveway. You should act with caution not to over spray on other material due to the high risk of staining.
Remodeling Ideas For Your Garage
What is the easiest way to add more space to your house? Of course the answer is to remodel your garage. A very cost-effective way to gain more space for your house is to remodel your garage. You can greatly expand your home’s living space especially if you no longer use your garage to park your car using your driveway instead. Remodeling your garage can help you become more organized and stop storing everything in your garage. This is why you have a basement.
Your garage offers a perfect environment to house your workshop, studio or home office. Many people also find that their garage can also be used for a gym or for another living room designed for special activities. However, remodeling your garage does not necessarily mean that you have to sacrifice your storage space or your parking area. Garages today have become multifunctional, allowing cars, general storage, a workshop and even a home office all in the same place.
Because many garages are attached to the home they can benefit from the same comfort as a home: phone wires, heating and cooling and plumbing. All you need is a little imagination, a fixed budget and a plan.
If you think that by remodeling you might be losing too much storage space, you can always build a small storage space behind your garage to house sporting equipment, tools and other items.
Moreover, when remodeling your garage you should consider an addition above the garage. Adding a room for work space and even for living, for one of your kids(they usually love this) above the existing garage can give you additional space and also increase the value of your home without major changes to the floor plan.
If you feel the need to remodel your garage but you don’t know exactly what you want or need, you should consider the following ideas.
You can transform your garage into a laundry room if you have your laundry room in the basement. By building a laundry in your garage you will eliminate the need to go up and down the stairs.
A music studio can be a great choice for your garage remodeling plans if you or your kids have some tendencies in this direction. The garage is the place where many “garage bands” got their start. To avoid your neighbors’ complaints consider soundproofing your garage walls.
Another idea for your garage can be to transform it into a gym. If you have your equipment and you don not have enough place to use it indoors you can always move it into the garage and have plenty of place for your daily exercises and training. Also here you will not be bothered by anyone.
Garage Rubber Flooring
If you are considering remodeling you garage you might consider choosing a rubber flooring for your garage. This is an inexpensive option for general purpose flooring: most common uses include parking vehicles on the rubber flooring, converting the garage space into a play area or into a workout room.
Parking your car on a recycled rubber matting is the least common use for this product because of two major inconveniences: recycled rubber tire products have very little resistance to petroleum products so an oil leak could seriously damage the floor; the melting point of this type of flooring is relatively low, in extreme circumstances the heat from the tires can be sufficient to melt the tires into the mat.
If planning to remodel for your garage and you also have changing the flooring in mind, it is important to know the primary function that you need your floor to fulfill. If you are going to convert your garage into a dog-house, the rubber flooring would provide insulation against extreme temperatures of the cement as well as an extra cushioning. Also you must consider the ease of maintenance for this type of flooring. For a home theater, a rubber flooring is desired to reduce the noise transmission.
Gadgets For Your Garage
If you spend a lot of your time at home in your garage or if you want a clean and organized garage you need a few gadgets. Garage gadgets come in many forms and for different purposes.
For example a stop light for parking may come in handy for someone who has a problem with depth perception or for someone who comes home late from work and is very tired. If you have such problems, you need this tool. It is easy to install and use and it helps you to park the car in the same spot every time when the motion sensors are triggered.
If you need space on the walls next to the door, you can mount a garage door opener on the ceiling above the door to eliminate chains.
Bike storage is ideal in a garage for “hanging” your bike on a wall so you have easy access to it with the advantage of having more clear space in the garage.
If you have a lot more items in your garage than you really have Room for or the walls are full of shelves and cabinets, you definitely need additional storage devices like an overhead storage system mounted directly on the ceiling.
Garage Storage Shelves
A garage is the perfect home for all sorts of items and activities from storing sporting equipment to tools and machines; and it’s original purpose for car parking to activities like a home-office, a gym or a workshop. If your garage is only used for storage rather than other activities it really needs some shelves for organization.
Usually garage shelves can be found in two main forms: site-built and prefabricated. Site-built shelves are usually less expensive and allow you to adapt the sizes to the space available. You can find everything that you need at the local home center, lumber yard, discount store or hardware store.
One of the basics of the garage shelves is made of a simple piece of ¾” plywood or a length of 1x or 2x lumber on a set of heavy-duty shelf brackets. This is mounted by attaching the brackets to the studs directly using long screws then by attaching the shelf to the brackets. To strengthen the shelf you can add a brace at each stud.
Another type of shelves are the floor-supported ones. One method is to run vertical 2×4s every 50 inches and resting them on the floor and attaching them to the rafters or ceiling joists at the top. In addition, the 2×4s are run horizontally on edge between the uprights then a particleboard is used to create the shelve. The most commonly used dimensions are 19-25 inches for depth and the spacing between 2×4s is usually on 25 inches but of course, these sizes can be changed to accommodate the size of the items that you are storing.
For storing small items you should take into consideration the space between the studs. By attaching a series of 1×2 strips horizontally to the inside edges of two adjacent studs approximately 6 inches apart, cutting some 1×4 and 1×6 pieces of lumber and fitting them between studs and slipping them on top of the 1×2s you can create some small adjustable shelves. These are great for jars, cans and bottles and also for other small and light items. The small shelves are great for organizing and storing screws and nails.
The best choice when building prefabricated garage shelves is Steel shelving. Plastic shelving may be enough for storing light Weight items but in time you may need something more resistant for storing heavier items. One disadvantage of the steel shelving is that they cannot be cut to size so they have standard widths, depths and heights so you have to choose something that fits within your available space.
Adjustability is another important consideration in prefabricated shelving. Prefabricated shelves should be adjustable to at least two different locations within the shelving framework and also the pins for adjusting should be heavy duty and should have something in place for preventing them from working loose or becoming accidentally dislodged.
Another thing to be taken into consideration when opting for prefabricated shelves, especially those designed for heavy loads, is that they may require a wall attachment or other support against tipping.
5 Tips To A Clean Garage Workshop
You park your car in the driveway and you still have to work on your projects in the back yard. If you don’t use your garage for its designed purpose, why not turn it into a tidy workshop? Here are five steps to turn your garage in a perfect small home workshop:
1) Create your own workbench from an old door,s ome sawhorses or scrap wood.
2) Mount a pegboard on the wall to store your tools. It would be a great idea to mount it above your workbench. Strategically place pegs according to the type of tools you will be placing on the board. After hanging your tools, trace around them with a marker so you will know where each one goes.
3) Use old jars for holding nails, nuts, bolts and screws.
4) Make a storage box for the rags because they tend to accumulate in the working area.
5) Use a small tackle box for transporting items such as screws and nails as you move around the shop.
DISCLAIMER: This information is provided “as is”. The author disclaims any loss or liability, either directly or indirectly as a consequence of applying the information presented herein, or in regard to the use and application of said information. No guarantee is given, either expressed or implied, in regard to the merchantability, accuracy, or acceptability of the information.
