sashik3
Active member
Been wanting to share this for a while — finally wrapped up a wall-mounted car wash and detailing station in my garage and couldn't be happier with how it turned out.
The short version: I used IKEA NOGSTA stainless steel cover panels — the kitchen ones — mounted on 2" marine-grade standoff brackets to create a floating wall system. On those panels I mounted a wall-hung pressure washer, a folding wall-mount air compressor, a garage vac, retractable hose reel, and a full detailing supply station. Everything lives on the wall, off the floor, and in one organized spot.
The IKEA hack angle — those NOGSTA panels are designed for kitchen SEKTION cabinets but the stainless finish and 30" depth made them perfect for this. They float about 2" off the wall on standoffs, which gives room to route wires and hoses behind the panel and also means you're not drilling lag bolts all over the wall surface. If I ever want to change something, I rearrange on the panel instead of patching a wall full of holes.
A few things I'd do differently, or that took more planning than I expected:
1. Backing boards are not optional. Before closing up the walls I bolted horizontal 2x10s into the framing exactly where the heavy gear would hang. The pressure washer and compressor bolt through the panel, through a PVC spacer in the standoff gap, and into those boards — not just hanging off the bracket hardware. The panels themselves aren't rated for serious weight on their own.
2. Run plumbing and electrical before closing the wall. I put in a dedicated 30-amp circuit and a frost-free water outlet (Aquor House Hydrant — genuinely great product, recesses into the wall, no exterior hump). GFCI outlets live up high in weatherproof enclosures so splash can't reach them.
3. Lay everything out on the floor first. I left the IKEA factory film on all the panels and arranged the full setup on the floor before drilling a single hole. Saved me a lot of repositioning headaches.
Gear rundown:
- Giraffe Grandfalls 3700 PSI pressure washer (wall-mount, 100 ft hose)
- Chicago Pneumatic WALL-AIR folding compressor
- Red garage vac (flat profile, quiet, genuinely love it)
- Giraffe 150 ft retractable hose reel at the far end of the bay
- Griot's Garage bottle holders, Husky shelf, Milwaukee PACKOUT baskets — all matched in red against the stainless steel
The bay itself is built with exterior siding and trim on the interior walls because water lives there. Winter salt rinses happen inside the bay — that's exactly what the floor drain and sloped concrete are for. In warmer weather I pull the car outside and the 100 ft pressure washer hose and 150 ft retractable hose reach easily.
End result looks more like a commercial detailing shop than I expected. The stainless and red accessories against white walls just works.
Happy to answer questions on the framing, the plumbing side, or the IKEA panel mounting setup. Anyone else running a dedicated wash bay inside their garage?
The short version: I used IKEA NOGSTA stainless steel cover panels — the kitchen ones — mounted on 2" marine-grade standoff brackets to create a floating wall system. On those panels I mounted a wall-hung pressure washer, a folding wall-mount air compressor, a garage vac, retractable hose reel, and a full detailing supply station. Everything lives on the wall, off the floor, and in one organized spot.
The IKEA hack angle — those NOGSTA panels are designed for kitchen SEKTION cabinets but the stainless finish and 30" depth made them perfect for this. They float about 2" off the wall on standoffs, which gives room to route wires and hoses behind the panel and also means you're not drilling lag bolts all over the wall surface. If I ever want to change something, I rearrange on the panel instead of patching a wall full of holes.
A few things I'd do differently, or that took more planning than I expected:
1. Backing boards are not optional. Before closing up the walls I bolted horizontal 2x10s into the framing exactly where the heavy gear would hang. The pressure washer and compressor bolt through the panel, through a PVC spacer in the standoff gap, and into those boards — not just hanging off the bracket hardware. The panels themselves aren't rated for serious weight on their own.
2. Run plumbing and electrical before closing the wall. I put in a dedicated 30-amp circuit and a frost-free water outlet (Aquor House Hydrant — genuinely great product, recesses into the wall, no exterior hump). GFCI outlets live up high in weatherproof enclosures so splash can't reach them.
3. Lay everything out on the floor first. I left the IKEA factory film on all the panels and arranged the full setup on the floor before drilling a single hole. Saved me a lot of repositioning headaches.
Gear rundown:
- Giraffe Grandfalls 3700 PSI pressure washer (wall-mount, 100 ft hose)
- Chicago Pneumatic WALL-AIR folding compressor
- Red garage vac (flat profile, quiet, genuinely love it)
- Giraffe 150 ft retractable hose reel at the far end of the bay
- Griot's Garage bottle holders, Husky shelf, Milwaukee PACKOUT baskets — all matched in red against the stainless steel
The bay itself is built with exterior siding and trim on the interior walls because water lives there. Winter salt rinses happen inside the bay — that's exactly what the floor drain and sloped concrete are for. In warmer weather I pull the car outside and the 100 ft pressure washer hose and 150 ft retractable hose reach easily.
End result looks more like a commercial detailing shop than I expected. The stainless and red accessories against white walls just works.
Happy to answer questions on the framing, the plumbing side, or the IKEA panel mounting setup. Anyone else running a dedicated wash bay inside their garage?
