Post Recession Shop Rehabilitation Project

[C_F]

Just ran across this thread today. You have done a huge improvement to your shop, well done!
I really like your tall rolling storage cabinet idea. Painting it to perfectly match the wall is a really cool idea, I may have to do one of those myself at some point.

 

[MRavenIX]

Pushed into place. (Did I mention that it's freakin' heavy!)

I definitely have to agree with the others on this point - your sheet cabinet is brilliant, especially with the paint! It really speaks to my OCD... somehow your cabinet makes my life seem more organized. Good work, sir!

 

[NedNorton]

I'm glad that everyone likes the sheet goods cabinet! If anyone gets around to building one, something like it, or any project inspired from this build, please feel free to post it up on this thread. It would be great to see.

I'll quote another one of our members here at GJ, Dennis of Woody's Garage thread. He may have put it best. "I'm glad that I could return a bit of the good karma I've harvested from the forum "

I appreciate everyone reading the thread and commenting.

Thanks for reading and participating,
Chris

 

[dhubbard422]

Yep. I would skip it. If it's in the budget, hire out the drywall. My wife keeps saying, "You can do that, you used to build houses." That statement equals no budget and get to sanding! I'm thinking for the west wall that still needs something, that I may sheet it in 1/2 OSB and install beetle kill pine on the horizontal. It's a pre-sanded product so all I would need to do is shoot the finish. That solution is sounding better and better.
...
Cheers,
Chris

I just saw and read this thread this morning. I really, really appreciate your perspective on drywall! I've decided that there won't be any drywall in my workshop - metal liner for the ceiling and sanded/stained plywood for the walls.

I don't have any self portraits from my recent garage floor project, but I learned that grinding and polishing concrete can be about as dusty as (or maybe even more than) sanding dry wall mud.

I wish I had your woodworking skills - you've built some nice cabinets. But, your Norton is one of my fav motorcycles! A good friend had a new '75 (I think it was a '75) Commando in black/gold and I was lucky to get to ride it a bunch back in the day. That is a bike that I would love to have in my garage. Hmm... I may have to look for one...

Make room in your garage for your wife's car before the snow falls! I know it made a big difference in my wife's attitude to be able to park in the garage when we lived in Ned (Nederland, CO). Ned can get quite a lot of snow.

Great thread. Look forward to seeing more as you "finish" it.
Don

 

[NedNorton]

dhubbard442 - Yep! We do get a lot of snow! I can't believe that someone else on GJ has lived here. (Nederland CO) Get a Norton... I will say it again, get a Norton. I would say it a third time but you get the gist. I have had more fun on that bike than I have had on a motorcycle in a long, long time. She does require attention but, that is part of the charm.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[NedNorton]

Some slow motion progress and a welcome proof of concept…

Time got away from me so I only had a few short hours in the shop. One of the things I am happy to report is that the sheet goods cabinet not only does well storing plywood, etc. but it was really easy to pull material out of and to work from. This is the first time I have gotten to use some of the “improvements” and they not only make life easier but I’m faster not having to hunt or dig out material.

Pulled out from the wall. (yep, still feakin' heavy)

Grabbing a full 4x8x ¾ sheet. No problem. The carpet on the bottom defiantly helps in sliding the material out.

Tool side note- I had a Festool tracksaw while I was a trim carpenter. It was loaned to a buddy when I went off and began working as a GC. Later on, he was using it so much for work he bought it from me and all the rails. The Festool is a fantastic tool but for my purposes, in the shop, this works just as well. It’s an old Dewalt sidewinder on a shop made rail. It is just the trick for crosscutting large sheet goods. (for the precise stuff I have an old Dewalt raial arm for crosscutting and the Unisaw for ripping).

The two boxes and the face frames are ready for primer and paint. I'll paint them up and then do the final assembly.

I still have the doors to build/paint and to hang everything, including the pegboard. It should happen in the next few days. Just for reference, this is how it should all lay out. The grey is the metal pegboard and if you have read the thread (Thanks for making it though ) you will recognize the 7 door cabinet and clamp rack on the right .

As always… Thanks for reading.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[jbrentd]

Nice. Man, i wish I had woodworking skills.

 

[dhubbard422]

dhubbard442 - Yep! We do get a lot of snow! I can't believe that someone else on GJ has lived here. (Nederland CO) Get a Norton...

Cheers,
Chris

Chris, It has been a while... we moved away from Ned 20 years ago! Even though we had lived in Boulder for several years we were surprised by how much snow we got in Ned! The first year we lived there we watched fireworks over Barker reservoir, on the 4th of July, from inside the car while it was lightly snow flurrying... and it had been a beautiful day, t-shirt weather, just hours before. In our last year there we had 5' of snow the first week of May! It was gone in a week... but, that much snow, that late in the year was just crazy.

Every now and then (like earlier today ) I look for property near there... we'd love to have a cabin in Colorado. Maybe in a few years as I get closer to retiring. Anyway, a vintage Norton would be sweet for a ride up to Estes on Peak-to-Peak! But my 20 year old R100GSPD would also be a great general purpose bike for that area.

Don

PS. I like the shop made rail... I have a few sheets of 4 x 8 ply to rip. Something similar is in my future!

 

[NedNorton]

Don,
Both my wife and I were in Boulder for a while in the 90's before moving up the hill. Ned has changed a bunch in the last 20 years. We have sidewalks!

The 100gspd is one of my all-time favorites! I had a non-PD blue and white for a short time just out of school. To this day I still regret selling her. Anyway... If you guys find yourselves up here please let us know and we will take a ride with you. If you give me enough notice I may be able to convince my better half that we need another boxer just to ride with you.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[NedNorton]

Cabinets are painted and face frames installed. Due to a lack of shop space I will need to get them mounted to free up floor and sawhorse space for the doors.

I think I’m done for the day. The paint is still a bit on the soft side so I’ll wait to mount them until tomorrow after work. One of the many perks of living in Colorado is the beer selection. I think now that the shop work is done it is time for one.

Have a good weekend everybody and thanks for reading.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[920kip]

A very enjoyable read. I am trying to do the one wall at a time thing also. I will be making some upper cabinets with the Kreg system of joinery. Do you think they would be a strong enough cabinet for general storage. French cleats on the back. Are your face frames made from plywood?
Thanks for posting your progress
Kip

 

[NedNorton]

Kip,
Thanks for reading the thread. I appreciate it.

To your questions...
The Kreg system is great for face frames, both building and attaching. I have also used it in the past when I needed hidden fasteners and i am sure that for general storage it will do fine in plywood. It will not be OK in MDF. That being said, if you are going to paint the cabinet work I would suggest building the box using good old gold screws that can be puttied over and a dado for the 1/4" back inset for the french cleat.
Like this...

Then attach the face frame with pocket screws putting the holes inside where they are only seen when the cabinet is open or on top if the cabinet is to be mounted close to the ceiling.

Plywood vs solid wood for face frames.. I have done both. My preference is solid wood because it holds screws much better. Clear pine is cheap and makes great face frames. On some very budget builds, plywood was the only option. Try to find plywood with many thin layers. It will hold hinge screws better.

I hope that I answered your questions. Please let me know if you have any others. I'm happy to help if I can. Good luck!

Cheers,
Chris

 

[dhubbard422]

Don,
Both my wife and I were in Boulder for a while in the 90's before moving up the hill. Ned has changed a bunch in the last 20 years. We have sidewalks!

The 100gspd is one of my all-time favorites! I had a non-PD blue and white for a short time just out of school. To this day I still regret selling her. Anyway... If you guys find yourselves up here please let us know and we will take a ride with you. If you give me enough notice I may be able to convince my better half that we need another boxer just to ride with you.

Cheers,
Chris

Hey Chris,

We drove up to Colorado the week before Memorial Day to see friends and The Decemberists at Red Rocks; we got rained on at Red Rocks, i.e. we had an extended intermission, but the concert was as fabulous as the venue! We also stopped in Ned for a coffee and noted lots of changes! But it still looked like Ned!

I really like my GSPD, but I've been thinking that I'd like something older... and with a lower seat. Your old Blue & White GS would probably fit me better as the PD is a little big and tall. I've also been thinking that I'd like a new project - to create clone of an R80GS or an even older ISDT BMW... Anyway, regardless of what bike I might have, if we get up that way on a bike we'll drop you a note as it'd be great to share a ride on peak-to-peak with y'all!

Don

PS. It looks like you are going to have a great cabinet wall!

 

[NedNorton]

Don,
If you decide to do the r80gs clone let me know. I need another project like I need another hole in my head but, I would be into working on one here while you do one in TX.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[NedNorton]

It’s been hectic at work so it’s taken me a week’s worth of short sessions late at night to get the rest of the doors done and the cabinets/ metal pegboard hung.

Even the sun shines on a dog’s *** some days! In this instance, I’m the dog and the sun is shining!

The mounting holes for the pegboarg line up with the studs. HA!

First two panels hung.

French cleat up, boxes hung and loaded.

Doors are painted and up. The horizontal pegboard panels also came in today and they went in easy too.

Done! (Not totally but, I'm out of full 4x8 sheets so I'll call this part of the project done)

This weekend my wife and I have a busy schedule (so I am told ) I’m not too hopeful that much will get finished. There may be some time to work on the last pile and get things sorted and put away. Maybe.

Although there is a lot more come, and a very long road ahead, I feel I need to say, “Thank you”. I appreciate everyone reading along and commenting. It has been a great motivational help in getting the shop back up to a functioning space. I can see a glimmer of what the final product will be, and it will be so much more than I could have put together without all the other build threads on GJ.

Thanks for helping me make this…

Into this…

Next on the list is the wall that I had to repair from the water leak. I will be shifting gears from cabinets to carpentry!


As always, thanks for reading.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[PugetDude]

Great transformation!
You did some really nice work.

 

[Scav]

Are you putting any hardware on the cabinets or leave them clean like that?

 

[sd171]

You've done a great job with this project! I like your approach with cabinets and pegboard. It is similar to the approach I took, but you're a much better woodworker than I am. I used Kreg jig/plywood/IKEA door construction that was well suited to a novice, but I like your construction better and it has unlimited flexibility in dimensions.

You asked about Race Deck FreeFlow tiles. I just installed those in my garage and love them. I assume Nederland has similar winter temperatures but more snow than where I live in South Dakota, and I think FreeFlow would be a great solution underneath cars in your climate. I assume your cars won't be parked inside your workshop? I don't think FreeFlow would be very good there even if you have dust collection because you'd be vacuuming the floor frequently.

The other thing about FreeFlow I would question in your location is the dirt roads. Do your tires pick up a lot of sharp rocks? If so, and especially if you're steering inside your garage instead of driving straight in and straight out, then the FreeFlow tiles might get damaged over time. You might ask Race Deck to send you some sample tiles in the colors you're interested in so you can lay them on your garage floor for a few weeks to see how they stand up.

Rick (55cadillacking) and dubber are the experts on FreeFlow:

http://www.ricksaudidouble.com/flooring.html

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=147886

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=259041

 

[C_F]

Great transformation!
You did some really nice work.

^^What he said!!^^

 

[dhubbard422]

Fabulous progress! That corner looks great and the cabinet wall, is super. You've done a great job in a short time. Looking forward to seeing which wall you tackle next!

 

[NedNorton]

Scav – I’m leaning towards no hardware. It will make them easier to wipe down once the dust gets too thick. Seriously, the fewer extra surfaces the better.

SD171 – Your build is terrific! Nice work on all of it. Don’t sell yourself short… You have done great work.
I think I’m leaning to Rust Bullet and reserving the ReceDeck for the garage.

Don (dhubbard422) – Thanks! Here is the next wall/corner. I have some additional electric to run and a little cleaning to do. In addition, when I tore down the drywall all the screws stayed behind and will need to be taken out, one at a time.

Wish me luck folks! If all goes as planned I’m going to sheet the wall with ½ osb and then finish it with beetle kill pine on the horizontal. I think I have had enough drywall to last a long, long time.

Oh ya, I still have to trim and paint the doors.

Stay tuned and as always, thanks for reading.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[dhubbard422]

Chris,

Wow. That wall filled with windows and covered with Beetle Kill Pine should be gorgeous! The blue tones in Beetle Kill Pine are very nice.

It looks like you have more nice equipment there hiding under plastic... you will be "armed and dangerous" for all sorts of projects! Maybe including more motorcycle restoration goodness? I see wheels that look like they could hold some interesting potential! I'll certainly let you know if I start a project to clone an R80GS or maybe a R75/5 ISDT style bike.

Don

 

[NedNorton]

The last 2 weeks, work has been busy. Good for the company bottom line, bad for the shop progress. Oh well... It's hard to complain. Gotta make hay while the sun is shining!

I have managed to get a few things done after the 12-hour workdays. All the additional electric is run on the west wall for the new layout. I have nicknamed that wall, “The Wall of Shame”. It’s taking forever to get done. I "should" have it sheeted by the end of this week. Trim the week after.

Dust… I always said that I needed to get an air filter for the shop and that during the rebuild it would be a priority. I had settled on either the JDS or the Jet. Both turn about 800-1000 cfm. This weekend I was on Amazon and I noticed that they had 2 Rikon 400 cfm units that had been returned and were selling for under $140 each. I’ll see if 2 small units work as well as 1 lager one. These things are just a squirrel fan and 2 stage filter. Nothing fancy. I bought both for less than the cost of 1 of the others. Two day Prime shipping and these showed up.

I ran some more electrical and got them both hung. Another plus, they came with all the mounting hardware so I can return the stuff I picked-up at Home Depot. You have to love that!

I’m happy with them so far. They’re quiet and should cut down on the small dust settling on everything. One remote works both. I still need to dress the cord runs but will take care of that in the next few days.

With the tools all moved away from "The Wall of Shame" I’m thinking that I may **** it up and order up some Rust Bullet. I think it makes sense to coat the floor before I have to move everthing back. Big question is, grey or white? I'm taking recommendations...

Hopefully the next few weeks will be less hectic and more time can be spent getting the shop back together!

As always, thanks for reading.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[Cris B]

Fabulous build. I think this shot sums it up for me:

Classic, timeless color scheme.
Attention to detail and vision for execution.
Work to do on the wall of shame.

I'll be following for future updates...

 

[nine4gmc]

Just read the whole thread, GREAT JOB! Love the sheet goods and cut off racks, it appeals to my OCD as well. As for the floor, I think by looking at your pics that I would go with a light gray to match the lower wall and a base trim to match the stripe. Keep the white up top where it will stay much cleaner.

 

[1/2 Cup]

You have done well, looking fantastic.

 

[NedNorton]

Let there be light! (This one falls squarely into the one fixture at a time category)

Having good light in the shop has never been an issue, except by the 8’ door. The ceiling in the shop is 9’ so the clearance isn’t there when you open it for a florescent fixture. If I was working in the shop at night that section was noticeably darker. It wasn’t much of an issue with the old layout since I was mostly storing sheet-goods etc there but in the new layout the motorcycle lift is going centered on the door so more light is a must. I need to see clearly all the things I'm messing up.

Before...

I was at Home Depot returning a few things and picked this up.

Super thin 4’ LED panel.

It clears!

Just barely…

Stepping out of the darkness and into the light! Isn’t technology great?
(Still need to calk around it)

All the little side projects (air cleaners, LED light, etc) have been a good distraction but I need to put some more time to the Wall of Shame. My wife and I are camping this weekend so it will have to wait until we get back. She is out of town a few days next week for work. It has been my experience that this is prime shop time so I'm hopeful.

Have a great holiday weekend folks (US based readers)!

Thanks for reading.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[NedNorton]

I hope everyone had a good weekend. Camping on Friday and Saturday nights in the moutnains was great. It was good to get away even if the weather didn’t cooperate. The wife and I have a rule during these trips, no phones. We need to do it more often.

Back to reality and the Wall of Shame…. I apologize for showing you guys the additional projects not shop related. It is just this, somehow there is a feeling of accountability and I don't want you to think I'm slacking off.

Monday I was running the last of the electrical on the WOS (Wall of Shame) and my wife says, “I want to harvest the wild raspberries in the back next year for us but we need to keep the dogs off them”. (This was after brunch around noon)

Home Depot run and a bit of work later, my wife and “her” project. Sorry the pictures are dark, the sun had gone down behind the divide just as we finished.

The two ladies of the house checking my work…

I did manage to pick-up this while down the hill getting supplies for the garden box.

Just a little over 300 sq feet of beetle kill!

Today after work I finished moving everything away from the WOS and scraping off the overspray from the ridged foam installation.

Some additional backing installed and even got a sheet or two hung!

I know it doesn’t look like much but this wall has been unfinished for over 5 years so any progress is just that, progress! Now, just as at the start...This is defiantly one wall at a time, slowly but surely, with an emphasis on slowly, getting things done. I’m looking forward to installing the beetle kill. The picture really doesn’t do the color justice. Plus, it isn't drywall!

Just a side question... Has everyone else noticed that 1/2 OSB is now heavier than it was say 15 years ago? Maybe it's just me!

As always, thanks for reading.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[vonhef]

I really like your organization, you have done well with the space available!

 

[dhubbard422]

The blue in that Beetle Kill Pine looks very nice. That wall should look great!

 

[bww_mnm]

Any more details on your raspberry "enclosure" design? My wife would like a raised garden and I'm curious if starting w something like yours could be the do the trick.

 

[NedNorton]

Vonhef- Thanks. By the time all the tools are in place things will be tight. When I built the space it only needed to handle woodworking but since the scope of work has expanded every square foot counts. I have a few more cabinets and storage solutions to build. Should be fun.

Don – The color is great. I picked through a bunch of boards to find these. All the sheeting is up as of yesterday and if time permits, I’ll start getting the boards on the wall.

Bmw_mnm – The enclose/raised bed is easy. The corners and top rail are 2x4 redwood with the standard corrugated roofing from HD. Total size is 4x8. We buried them 6” in to keep the sides from bowing out. I’ll take a few more pictures of the construction today and send them in a PM. They work great for raised beds. I used the same design for a friend’s community garden and they are holding up well. All 18 of them.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[jay8s]

Well this read has been inspirational. We moved a little over a year ago, and I am just now finishing up enough indoor projects to start the garage. I like your one wall at a time approach. While not needing the garage for shop purposes, having everything away and cars in it would be a much welcome change. I like your use of the walls. I will be stealing some ideas from you.

Well done!

Jay8s

 

[RAYJAY]

off topic but ..how do you like the Bosch 20 stud finder

 

[NedNorton]

Jay8S- Thanks! It has been a big motivator updating the thread and I’m glad folks are following along and enjoying the read. One wall at a time has worked out really well in this case. You just have to adjust your expectations on how much will get done and in what timeframe it will get finished. That has been one of the tough things for me during this rebuild. For some reason when rebuilding motorcycles I have all the patience in the world, but when it comes to carpentry that all fades into the background and I start holding myself to timelines I could have made only back when I was swinging a hammer full-time. This has been a good exercise in patience and it's paying off. I'm really happy with the result so far.

RAYJAY- The Bosch is OK. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s great. It does read correctly most of the time but I can’t say that it does any better than my less expensive finders. I would purchase it again if that helps.

Quick update…

The WOS… Only a little less shameful!!!

It feels so good to have the wall sheeted and ready to trim out.

I am chomping at the bit to get the beetle kill up.

As always, thanks for reading.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[Boosted1]

Little by little makes a lot over time

 

[NedNorton]

Work on the Wall of Shame continues...

I took on a new client at work so the shop progress has slowed down to an even more glacial pace. Just knowing that the WOS is sheeted and waiting for the beetle kill install was killing me so I figured I would go into the shop after work and see how much I could get done.

Well… It went faster than I had expected. (First time I can say that on this project. Everything else has taken 2x as long. )

Not too bad for a few hours work.

I like it!

There is still about half of the wall left to do plus the metal trim. (It runs vertically between the windows to cover the joints) I’m not sure when I will be able to get to it but if I thought having the material ready was a motivator, seeing it half done is even more of one.

There still is some more drywall on the ceiling to fix and one spot on the opposite wall by the 8’ door that will need some attention. More drywall…

It's slowly coming together, one wall, one fixture and one cabinet at a time.

As always, thanks for reading.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[mefast]

I just read through your whole build. It is wonderful and it seems like you have a great attention to detail. Seeing your painted walls might be just what I need to get some hours in after work to start painting mine.

Looking forward to seeing your beetle kill all wrapped up, but it looks very impressive so far. I know the feeling of being able to cover up the foam.

 

[Scav]

Having the wall of shame trimmed in beetle kill act as an accent wall will upgrade the look of your whole garage. It looks great!

 

[Vette60]

Hey Chris.

Read through the whole thread. Really like what you have done in your shop. The beetle kill pine looks really great!

Looking forward to more updates.

Randy