Crippled by indeciveness

[molzambique]

Just moved into a new build earlier this year and I've been eager to wrap up my "honey-do" list so that I can get busy in the garage. I'm not a mechanic, but I dream of a workbench, tool chest, storage/shelving and everything being nice and organized. But I haven't really started doing anything because the more research I do, the more indecisive I get. I would like a finished garage floor and I think that doing it now will be easiest before I start filling it with all of my stuff, but I am a little cost sensitive on the heels of the home purchase.

So to summarize - 440sqft attached garage (currently unheated which may be of importance as I live in the Edmonton, AB area and we experience all of the seasons to the fullest), unsealed floor, cost effective (DIY) solution to give it a finished look and protect the floor from minor spills and medium-duty use. What's the best bang for my buck?

 

[mechanix311]

I'm really impressed with the durability and look of porcelain and ceramic tile when installed right. That's the route I'm going when the time comes. You can find nice looking tile for 99 cents a square foot and if you can install yourself it's a no brainer.

 

[ddawg16]

Let me add to your problem....

Wait on the floor.

Nothing is going to upset you more than to do a nice floor...and then mess it up as you do the rest of the garage.

If you do your storage right, nothing much if anything is touching the ground. So, when you get ready, it's easy.

Non of my built in cabinets touch the floor. The all hang on the walls.

After 6 years I have yet to do my floor....it's low on the list.

 

[sean Buick 76]

Hi there! I am just up the road there neighbor!!!

First off congrats on the new home!!!

The new code says that all new attached garages here must be insulated and drywalled so you lucked out there! Mine was built a year before they changed the code so I had to insulate mine myself.

For the heater, we did a lot of research and "Air Central" was highly recommended so we went with them... They installed a Rezner natural gas heater and it works great... The install was really clean and they even have a fair payment plan option which is perfect as we got the air conditioner setup for the house as well. I can not say enough good things about the heater setup!

For the floor do something QUICK! Before the floor gets dirty you want to seal it up or add epoxy, or whatever you decide....

My garage floor was already stained in a few places from the previous owners so epoxy was going to be too much hassle and risk trying to prep to ensure a good adhesion.... So we went with a clear sealer from Canadian Tire, it was about $70 I think and it worked perfectly... No more dust when I sweep the floor, and oil spills do not soak in, so easy clean up.

For the layout, first let us know the dimensions of the garage and the length and width of the vehicles you plan to park in there... In my case with 25x25 feet I made sure I did not encroach much on either side wall so that I did not take away from the vehicle door space. I did use folding tables against the sides, but they go up out of the way when not in use.... The end wall of the garage is likely where you will have room for work benches and cabinets, at least that is what worked best in mine....

If you need a hand feel free to send me a Private Message, and I can offer my help! Sean

 

[molzambique]

22'x20'. The ceiling is 14' at the tallest point. There are only two power outlets, one on each side of the steps into the house. Drywall and taped is nice and I just put a coat of primer/sealer on the drywall and debating the finish coat, but I'll probably roll that on this weekend. I'll probably only be parking my wife's car fulltime and probably upgrading to a small SUV with a little on the way. I drive an F-150 so I'm just fitting it in on really cold nights or else there's no room for anyone to move.

Thanks for the reference on the heater - I would love to hear the reasons for a forced air vs radiant, but I'll check out the other sections on the forum for that. I like the idea of the easy sealer from Canadian Tire, does it darken the floor at all (or can you tint it) and is it thick and smooth enough that you need an anti-slip product mixed in?

 

[sean Buick 76]

22'x20'. The ceiling is 14' at the tallest point. There are only two power outlets, one on each side of the steps into the house. Drywall and taped is nice and I just put a coat of primer/sealer on the drywall and debating the finish coat, but I'll probably roll that on this weekend. I'll probably only be parking my wife's car fulltime and probably upgrading to a small SUV with a little on the way. I drive an F-150 so I'm just fitting it in on really cold nights or else there's no room for anyone to move.

Thanks for the reference on the heater - I would love to hear the reasons for a forced air vs radiant, but I'll check out the other sections on the forum for that. I like the idea of the easy sealer from Canadian Tire, does it darken the floor at all (or can you tint it) and is it thick and smooth enough that you need an anti-slip product mixed in?

Congrats on the upcoming baby!!! Our first was born yesterday...

Ours only had two plugs as well, and the lighting was poor... We added 3 20 amp breakers to the panel in the basement and ran the power up to the garage for more lighting and plugs. I would add electrical before i painted.

The floor sealer just slightly darkens it up but barely... No its not slippery when wet at all... I can take a picture of the container if you want.
No this stuff cant be tinted but there are tons of options for sealers... I avoided any color because scratches and marks would show a lot more than on a clear. I roll engines around etc... In my opinion either use a clear sealer or go all out with an epoxy.

 

[molzambique]

Congrats on the upcoming baby!!! Our first was born yesterday...

Ours only had two plugs as well, and the lighting was poor... We added 3 20 amp breakers to the panel in the basement and ran the power up to the garage for more lighting and plugs. I would add electrical before i painted.

The floor sealer just slightly darkens it up but barely... No its not slippery when wet at all... I can take a picture of the container if you want.
No this stuff cant be tinted but there are tons of options for sealers... I avoided any color because scratches and marks would show a lot more than on a clear. I roll engines around etc... In my opinion either use a clear sealer or go all out with an epoxy.

Yeah, a pic of the container would be great. Thanks for all of the feedback and congratulations on the newborn - your quick responses are even more impressive knowing that you're probably a brand new zombie dad.

 

[EdT]

You first need to decide what you will use the space for. If it's just to park your cars and you want it to look cute, that's one direction. If you want to take up serious welding, that's another direction. Part of your indecisiveness is probably that you don't have a vision of what you will do in the garage. Therefore, it's hard to decide what you need. Personally, I work in my shop spaces and there's lots of hot stuff and metal and grinding and such and any "decorative" floor covering will just get ruined. My floors are bare concrete. I don't feel a thing when a tablespoon of hot slag hits the floor. On the topic of epoxy coatings that many seem to like. We did a work area at work with epoxy and it was OK until they used the space for crating up some show equipment. A handful of sawdust on an epoxy floor turned it into a skating rink. Really slippery and hazardous. With all due respect to Jack Olsen, I'd be surprised if porcelain tile doesn't have the same problem. I was in a shop the other day where part of the floor was tile from a previous existence as a showroom and it had sawdust on it and it was really slippery. So, figure out what you want to do in the space and then proceed to what you need to do to the space so you can. Spending a stupid amount of money on the floor of the shop is not going to make you any better at what ever it is that you want to do.

 

[sean Buick 76]

No problem! When is yours due?

This is the stuff i used... Buying more to re-coat next year... Rain beads off instead of soaking in! I used it on the driveway as well...

 

[molzambique]

You first need to decide what you will use the space for. If it's just to park your cars and you want it to look cute, that's one direction. If you want to take up serious welding, that's another direction. Part of your indecisiveness is probably that you don't have a vision of what you will do in the garage. Therefore, it's hard to decide what you need. Personally, I work in my shop spaces and there's lots of hot stuff and metal and grinding and such and any "decorative" floor covering will just get ruined. My floors are bare concrete. I don't feel a thing when a tablespoon of hot slag hits the floor. On the topic of epoxy coatings that many seem to like. We did a work area at work with epoxy and it was OK until they used the space for crating up some show equipment. A handful of sawdust on an epoxy floor turned it into a skating rink. Really slippery and hazardous. With all due respect to Jack Olsen, I'd be surprised if porcelain tile doesn't have the same problem. I was in a shop the other day where part of the floor was tile from a previous existence as a showroom and it had sawdust on it and it was really slippery. So, figure out what you want to do in the space and then proceed to what you need to do to the space so you can. Spending a stupid amount of money on the floor of the shop is not going to make you any better at what ever it is that you want to do.

That's pretty badass advice. I like it. "Cute" wasn't exactly what I was going for, but I do like the practical approach of sealing the floor, painting the walls and then "using" the garage. Pitter, patter let's get at'er...

 

[molzambique]

And thanks for the pic Sean.

Baby is due near the end of March.

 

[sean Buick 76]

And thanks for the pic Sean.

Baby is due near the end of March.

Awesome!!! When we found out we were pregnant i went flat out to get stuff done before he came...

 

[bczygan]

If you start filling the space with stuff right now, then it will be harder later to finish the garage itself.

So it's your choice.

If it was me, I would start using it right away.

It will take some time to acquire all the things you want, so work on finishing the garage as you start acquiring things.

Plus, we need photos!

 

[mhoss44]

Grit for a gallon of epoxy is about 7 dollars. Finishing and painting the walls in mine now, I should be painting the floor later this week. Will have grit in it. I see mention of slippery......I don't want the grandkids I will have over the next few years slipping on it. Hopefully, the grit will provide some traction. I have already hung lots of tools, on pegboard, and will be building shelves and a permanent workbench after the walls and floor are painted. Yeah, I know I need pics. I think I will start a new thread tomorrow morning.


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[OJ Bartley]

Lots of good advice so far, especially this:

Awesome!!! When we found out we were pregnant i went flat out to get stuff done before he came...

My projects all went on hiatus until he was over 1 year old, it was just too hard to pull myself away from him! Congrats, by the way!

Also getting started before you have a chance to clutter it up is key. Less junk to move is a BIG advantage when working.

I was all over the place when thinking about what to do in my garage, and I almost pulled the trigger on epoxy, until I did more reading on porcelain. I decided to go that way and just got started this weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out! (link in my sig)

 

[Paul1956]

Just moved into a new build earlier this year and I've been eager to wrap up my "honey-do" list so that I can get busy in the garage. I'm not a mechanic, but I dream of a workbench, tool chest, storage/shelving and everything being nice and organized. But I haven't really started doing anything because the more research I do, the more indecisive I get. I would like a finished garage floor and I think that doing it now will be easiest before I start filling it with all of my stuff, but I am a little cost sensitive on the heels of the home purchase.

So to summarize - 440sqft attached garage (currently unheated which may be of importance as I live in the Edmonton, AB area and we experience all of the seasons to the fullest), unsealed floor, cost effective (DIY) solution to give it a finished look and protect the floor from minor spills and medium-duty use. What's the best bang for my buck?

I have been considering what to do with the garage floor
for at least a year now... all I can say is do not be in a rush
and proceed with the other areas of your garage while still
considering the floor.