"Displacement" Garage

[Scotty72SS]

I hope to one day be able to call it the "Big Block Garge" but Displacement seemed more fitting for its current condition. I've just finished 6 month remodel of the house that took just under 5 yrs, so I thought it was time for a new project. I also recently aquired the '72SS which is an absolute blast and I figured it was time to give her a decent home.

I've grown up working with my Dad on everything you can imagine, so I know just enough about everything to be dangerous. In most crowds I would consider myself above average in the handy dept. but I can tell that on this forum I will have to do my best to maintain a C-.

On to the garage... It is a detached two car that was never finished out on the inside. I have done very little to it except for the beer fridge and a make shift work Bench.



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As you can see from the pic, it is a total mess. I got it cleaned up tonight and have just finished all the wiring. I had to add two 230V breakers and 3 110's. I will be adding a third 220V down the road for a welder, but it will be run along the outside in conduit.

I also ran out and bought one of the Ingersoll Rand 60 gal SS5 compressors, because I have always wanted one and if I didn't do it now I never would. So I have spent the last week running the piping to have 6 drops in the garage, most would say that was too many, but you will all understand and possibly question why not ten?

Dont worry it is just temp wired and plumbed until the rock is up.


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I have gotten so many ideas from this forum, that my plans change daily. No one can laugh, but here is my attempt at drawing it to scale... If you can't tell, this is done in Paintbrush. Not real high tech, but I didn't have a scanner to inport my paper drawing that I did.



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I have to have the 3 Cabinets on the left that I really want to be 2 ft deep X 4ft wide X 7 ft tall. This will allow me to put all the MANY tools I have (I happen to work for a tool company) as well as all my electrical, plumbing etc. etc. I had planned on making them out of 3/4 oak ply, but the more I think I am worried that the doors would be too heavy and I want to use a hidden hinge. Anyone made cabinets this size? Plans?

On the opposite side, inspired by Mr. Jack Olsen, I am thinking instead of having one fixed 15ft bench down that wall, making 3 five footers on rollers, so I can move them around the garage for different projects. Make them where they will lock together in different ways to make a 5x5.5ft table, 5x8ft, etc. I would have to do them out of metal in order to make them sturdy enough for that I think. These are still early in the planning stage, so any input would be appreciated.

I am going to continue to cruise the forum for ideas tonight, but I have taken the rest of the week off and my goal is to finish running the air lines this week, buy an 18K BTU A/C and cut an opening and start up with the drywall. I would really like to be taping and floating by the weekend....

I will keep updating and taking pictures!

 

[Red Leader]

Lookin' good

Take lots of pictures and keep us updated on your progress!

-Dave

 

[NUTTSGT]

Welcome to GJ. It looks like a garage that has been worked out of through and through. Congrats on finally getting to start working on it.

Nice looking Chevelle by the way.

 

[Scotty72SS]

Thanks Guys.

Red-

While cleaning out the garage this weekend, I found this old Craftsman Circular saw. The box is awesome, but the plastic handle part of the saw is melted from 50+ Texas summers. Do you know anything about it? I think it would fit better in your garage than mine.




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[Falcon67]

Nice - good plans. Bench - When I get to that point, I will have a couple of fixed benches for serious use and abuse and a mobile about 2x5 that ideally would have a steel top for welding and misc work. On the cabinets - not sure if you are fixed on building them, but Sams carries these which is close to your requirements:

https://www.sevilleclassics.com/products.php?pid=88

I have one of their mobile work benches and it's a nice piece. I will likely use some of their wall mount 12"x24"cabinets in various places because they are a good buy at $69.98 a pop @ Sams. Just something to consider.

>(I happen to work for a tool company)
Suddenly everyone's best bud that you've never met.

 

[Scotty72SS]

Nice - good plans. Bench - When I get to that point, I will have a couple of fixed benches for serious use and abuse and a mobile about 2x5 that ideally would have a steel top for welding and misc work. On the cabinets - not sure if you are fixed on building them, but Sams carries these which is close to your requirements:

https://www.sevilleclassics.com/products.php?pid=88

I have one of their mobile work benches and it's a nice piece. I will likely use some of their wall mount 12"x24"cabinets in various places because they are a good buy at $69.98 a pop @ Sams. Just something to consider.

>(I happen to work for a tool company)
Suddenly everyone's best bud that you've never met.

Its like your reading my mind....

On one of my many breaks today, I was going over in my mind how the work bench would look. First I couldn't stand the built in I had prior, the stuff on the shelves under got dirty, it was a pain to clean behind it etc. So I decided that instead of have a 15' solid bench I would do 3 - 5' benches on HD casters. I want them to be solid when in place, so what I plan on doing is Epoxy in an internally threaded rod to the floor so when they are in place you could tighten a wiged bolt through a leg plate and make it bolted to the floor. With a quick twist, you could roll them outside for welding and could even set some internally threaded 316 ss inserts in the driveway to bolt them solid out there. When the bolt is taken out, the ITR is flush with the concrete and not very visible.

For the tables themselves, I am thinking about going with 1" square tubing. One of my customers sells it to me by the pound, so it is very cheap. I need one to be three sided, so it would slide around my table saw and generator. and the other two I would somehow like to have drawers in them. Maybe just one, because the drawers are going to either be expensive or VERY time consuming.

Thanks for the link to the Seville Product, they have some really good looking stuff, I am going to try and run by Sams tomorrow and check it out.

Thanks for the input, keep it coming!
ds

 

[Scotty72SS]

Sooo, I took Wednesday-Friday off to get a jump start on this garage build out. Tuesday night, I was going out to shut off some lights, and as I trotted across the floor (in flip-flops) I kicked the business end of a 1" spade bit that was chucked up in my 18V Hilti drill. Needless to say it wasn't pretty. I haven't found a Blood, Sweat, & Tears forum yet so I will hold on to the pics for now. The point of the spade didn't quite make it all the way through my foot from the top, but it was close. I'm stitched up now and had my shots, but I am moving pretty slowly.

So very slowly I climbed up and down the ladder all day today in order to finish up running the air lines. There is now nowhere in the garage I can stand and not touch two air outlets.

I did an 8" riser before every drop to help reduce water/ trash getting to my tools...


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Now that I am finished with all the slow going stuff, I hope to get insulation early tomorrow and get to hanging rock.

I will update tomorrow!

 

[phy6]

Nice garage, and nice work on the drops. You'll want to protect your investment in your air compressor and put some vibration isolation pads under the feet. Otherwise the vibration in the motor will lead to a crack in the tank, near the top welds. I got mine off ebay for about $20 by searching for vibration isolator pad, and they come in sets of 4 for things like HVAC and other machinery.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-x-4-INDUS...ltDomain_0&hash=item3f03b6d7ed#ht_2255wt_1152

I drilled holes for the feet, but I just dropped regular bolts down the holes to keep the compressor in place--the bolts aren't holding it to the floor. My pads came with holes in the centers.

Luckily I had my tank replaced under warranty (Husky-> Campbell Hausfield) but it took some finagling. Labor to do it turned out to be like $150.

 

[Falcon67]

I want them to be solid when in place, so what I plan on doing is Epoxy in an internally threaded rod to the floor so when they are in place you could tighten a wiged bolt through a leg plate and make it bolted to the floor. With a quick twist, you could roll them outside for welding and could even set some internally threaded 316 ss inserts in the driveway to bolt them solid out there. When the bolt is taken out, the ITR is flush with the concrete and not very visible.

Totally trick - like it. I plan to make my mobile out of 1 1/2" tube with a heavy top, so large locking casters ought to hold it well enough. The plan is to go dig through the scrap yards for a more-or-less 2'x4' or something chunk of some thickness metal and build around that. The "box of chocolates" build plan. I'm still laying in 14' of corner bench, because I like long fixed benches. You're plan sounds like a good fit for your space. For drawers, I am looking at either the $99 Seville tool box or the $189 rolling cart. More likely the cart - I'll steal the wheels for the mobile bench and fix the main body of the cart under the bench. The 34.5" height includes the casters, so the body should be in the 28~30" range, which would fit easy under a 37~40" bench top. Of course the DIY guy inside says go stock up on 1x lumber, 1/2 ply and self-close drawer slides at Lowes. I do own a table saw, and that would be an excuse to build a debris can trap for the vac...see how this stuff just keeps going!!!? Love it.

>One of my customers sells it to me by the pound
You so **** LOL. In 24' joints, it's not so bad retail though.

My 3.5HP/60 Gallon compressor sat on 4" square pieces of "stall padding" that I got from Tractor Supply. I bought a whole pad to stabilize a washing machine in our old pier & beam house. I cut some chunks off and set them under the compressor legs. The floor was painted smooth epoxy in that shop. The compressor was in that corner for two years and never moved. And, not bolted down - just a safety chain to the wall in case it walked or tipped. Tractor Supply also supplied the 3/4" hydraulic hose for a flex connection from the compressor to the distribution system. cheap - like $15 for a 3' hose rated at 1.21 gigaPSI.

EDIT - since you got to bleed out some, you'll like this. I'm policing the ground Wednesday night before the rain to find roofing nails and other stuff. Didn't want anyone to get one in their foot, especially me since I march around the place like it was the walls of Jerico. No good deed goes unpunished - stepped on a Mesquite branch and took a big thorn right in the arch. Came through the shoe like a surgical needle. Ouch, dammit.

 

[dittle fart around]

Sooo, I took Wednesday-Friday off to get a jump start on this garage build out. Tuesday night, I was going out to shut off some lights, and as I trotted across the floor (in flip-flops) I kicked the business end of a 1" spade bit that was chucked up in my 18V Hilti drill. Needless to say it wasn't pretty. I haven't found a Blood, Sweat, & Tears forum yet so I will hold on to the pics for now. The point of the spade didn't quite make it all the way through my foot from the top, but it was close. I'm stitched up now and had my shots, but I am moving pretty slowly.

Here's a injury thread, remember pictures are appreciated
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108668

Don't forget an oiler and water trap for the compressor.
You might consider sliding doors on your cabinets to save some room in the garage. Somewhere here there's a thread about using pallet racks with barn door track and sliding doors. Just a thought.
If you have any extra money send it my way.
Otherwise it looks great

 

[Scotty72SS]

So today, I managed to get all the insulation done except for where I am going to be cutting a hole for the window unit. I was very apprehensive about doing this, but I just don't want to spend $1K on a mini split, and I am getting a great deal on a Friedrich 18K and I hear they are excelent units. I just can't imagine what it will be like actually being able to work in there in the summer without having heat stroke.
I went ahead, and brought the garage up to code as far as permiter anchoring. I put a 1/2" Kwik bolt every 4ft around the perimeter. I also foamed the exterior gap and then insulated with R13.

In some places those sill plates were harder than the concrete...


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I'm pretty sure he's the only one that understands it sometimes...


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I'm headed to pick up the new Friedrich AC first thing in the morning. I am hoping to get the froming done, get it installed and get some rock hung tomorrow.

I went today and looked at the Seville cabinets. That is some good loking stuff, and for the money, it would be hard to beat. I was pretty dead set on building my own, but I could shave 3 months off this build in one visit to Sams. God only knows how many injuries that could be, at this rate...

Thanks for the link to the isolation pads, I actually had the same Idea as you Falcon, and had already picked up 2x2 sq of the pad from Tractor Supply when I was getting the hydraulic hose.

My one question for the day:
Does anyone see why you could not put casters on the bottom of the Seville workbench?

 

[Scotty72SS]

Ok.... Its been a while since I have updated this, as I have been pretty busy buying sh!t thanks to the "Hot Deals" index... Its actually pretty sad, I was more excited on BF than my wife was. Anyway, here is an update on what has gotten done.

Up with the Drywall... This was a long night, and my buddy Drew still hasn't been back to visit.










With all the drywall up I called in the "professionals" because I knew the gloss white paint I was putting on the walls would really highlight my terrible tap/floating job. This cost $450, but in the long run saved me 3 weeks and probably $200 (after 3 weeks of screwing it up, they would have charged me at least $600 to fix it.)

 

[Red Leader]

Thanks Guys.

Red-

While cleaning out the garage this weekend, I found this old Craftsman Circular saw. The box is awesome, but the plastic handle part of the saw is melted from 50+ Texas summers. Do you know anything about it? I think it would fit better in your garage than mine.




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Whoa! How'd I miss that one!!!

That is a beautiful saw! It is so nice when they come with the original case like that.

That was considered the top of the line hand/circular saw from Craftsman back in the early 1950s.

About the handle - just about every one I've seen has had the handle either cracked, melted, warped, or completely missing. I'm betting that Craftsman didn't think too much about anyone using the saw 50+ years later. It actually made me chuckle...when I was looking through some of the old 50s catalogs of the C-man power tools, I saw the phrase 'guaranteed 1 year!' and even though I know that these tools were built to last, I thought it was a little chintzy to advertise like that

Now...if the poor old boy just needs a new home...well I'd be more than happy to help out Just let me know what you were thinking...and thank you for thinking of me

-Dave

 

[Scotty72SS]

I am going to go ahead and bring this thread up to speed.

My drywall guys got it all taped floated and textured in 4 days. I'm not sure how they make any money doing this at that rate, but they did an OK job, and was well worth the $450.

Also, I forgot to mention I went ahead ane tore out the old garage door and reframed it for a new insulated one.




Drew still won't return my phone calls, so I talked my brother into helping with paint.






So now we have A/C, a new door and three coats of Behr Ultra Pure white. Next up is Lighting.

 

[Scotty72SS]

Let there be light...

After doing some research, I decided to go with the Lithonia T8- 8ft (4x4') fisxtures. Metalux were a little cheaper, but I read alot of bad reviews saying they arrived DOA or died within a year. Next I poled the lighting forum on if I should go with 4 8ft fixtures, or 6. Well, you all share the same "if a little is good alot is better" theory so 6 it was... I will say if you are doing this in YOUR garage and don't plan on painting or tanning in it, 4-8ft fixtures is plenty for 500 sq ft. I may actually put half the lights on a separate switch so I don't have to wear my sunglasses inside.


Hanging two 8ft lights in a "straight" line by myself was kind of a challenge. I ended up using Quick grips and held them in place by the wire to align them.

If you have never used these Kwik-togs before, they are amazing. Drill the hole, push it through, and then zip the plastic alignment thingymajig into place and break off the plastic legs. Each one will hold 50lbs of direct tension, and over 100 lbs shear. Plus, I like them bc they won't wear out the drywall.










One of my older neighbors wondered up the other night when I had the door open and said, " I thought it was the end... I thought this was THE LIGHT"
Mission accomplished.

 

[gregburt]

Scotty,

what is this "hot Dealz" index you speak of? BTW, nice job on the garage! I once welded in flip flops on the garage floor and got a bad sunburn on the tops of my feet....

 

[jeffmoss26]

Looks great! Keep up the good work!

 

[Nighttrain]

Really nice transformation!

 

[Scotty72SS]

Scotty,

what is this "hot Dealz" index you speak of? BTW, nice job on the garage! I once welded in flip flops on the garage floor and got a bad sunburn on the tops of my feet....

Greg,

I hesitate to even show you this, as it has cost me in the neighborhood of $500 since Thanksgiving. Now granted I would have spent well over $1000 on the same stuff had I not known about it. So here you go....
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29661

 

[Scotty72SS]

After getting everything painted, I went ahead and hooked up the air compressor so I could use it for the rest of the renovation. I knew I was going to have to unhook it several times for flooring so I just put a 50 amp plug on it. The only reason I used a 50 amp is that all the 30 amp plugs are the flat grey color, and it looked terrible to me. I know, kinda stupid but I wanted it to be black. I will be putting the compressor on rubber isolators as soon as I get the flooring in. I also purchased a Ingersol seperator and oiler from Northern Tool $99. I think I may need to move it, because with the riser drops I installed I don't know if the oil is getting to the drops or getting caught in the line. Either way, I highly reccomend the oiler, its awesome.









As for the floors.... I had made up my mind that I wanted VCT floors, because they are cheap, durable, easy to replace when damaged and easy to install. Soooo I ran out this weekend and rented this beast.

I used it for a while... It used me for a while... and in the end I still have a ****** floor that VCT would probably never stick to and even if it did, it would be uneven. To add insult to injury, I found that the solid color VCT is $3.48 a sq ft vs. .60 for the stuff with the white flecks in it!
Soooo today I called RaceDeck and ordered 10 tiles to lay out, walk on, try to break, and decide if it is going to be worth my first born. I have a feeling it is. I spoke with Ashley over there, and so far they have had top notch service. We will see...

 

[Scotty72SS]

Well, I have had 10 of the Racedeck tiles for a few weeks now trying to decide if they are going to work. I snapped them together and have been walking on them, spilling stuff on them and trying to damage them. I will say this, if you are going with a snap together floor, this stuff will be hard to beat. Their customer service is A+, and the floor is very well constructed.
I have two concerns. I did a spill test with brake fluid. It had no effect on the tile, but in ten seconds almost all of the fluid had ran between the tiles and onto the floor. If you had a floor drain this would be fine, but after one of my projects I would have to pull up a large portion of the floor and clean under it. The second issue is the sound it makes when walking on it. My garage has very little in it right now, and when you walk across it in boots, you can barely talk over the clicking sound it makes. I know I could add a sound barrier, but then back to issue #1... This may not bother some people.

Racedeck is still on the table, but I am going to try to get some other ideas as well. I have been looking at some roll out floors, and would ideally like to find some sort of heavy rubber tile that I could get in different colors.

Please let me know if you have any ideas or have something similiar to what I am looking for.

Merry Christmas!

 

[wilb1976]

Great job so far, cant wait to see the rest.

 

[Scotty72SS]

Its been a while so I thought I would hop on and update what I have accomplished since the Holidays.

I spent over a month trying to decide on floors. I decided on a (.99 sqft)3/4" x 3 1/4utility Oak over a 3/4" ply subfoor. I am not going to poly it, I will stain it and finish it with some sort of tung oil or BLO. This way I won't have to worry about scratches or leaks etc. If it gets banged up it will just add character.

After talking to several old school flooring guys they assured me the following process would stay down for years..
I started with 2 layers of 30 lb felt overlapped 4" at the seams and then laid the second layer down the middle of the first seam. I also sealed the seams with duct tape. You can also see the cabinets I built in this pic. 8'x8' with 2x4 ft slide out shelves.



Next I came back with 3/4" non treated plywood and fastened it to the concrete with a 2" DX pin every sqft. I may go back and do 6" on center around the perimeter. The plywood is now VERY solid, with no hollow sound or clack when you walk on it.


This went really quickly and with the help of a buddy it was finished in a couple of hours.


I moved all the wood in and stacked it up to acclimate for the next week or two.



I really like the look of the utility oak. It is factory seconds that are usually short and have a ton of knots, worm holes, broken tonges, etc. I will come back after laying it and fill all the voids, cracks, etc. with a colored epoxy before staining. I have seen it done with blue/green epoxy and it looks awesome. I will probably just stick with black.


For all the materials for the subfloor and the utility oak, it will cost me right around $1000 for 500 sqft. Not bad considering most other options start at $2.50 sqft.

 

[Scotty72SS]

A quick update, I got the wood floors down in the garage, and I am really happy with how they turned out. I was about to start sanding and staining them when my house got flooded... The city sewer backed up into our house, so I have the whole house torn apart and in the process of rebuilding. I will try to get some pictures of the floor up this week.

 

[shopboy13]

Sorry to hear about that Great thread and garage. Keep us updated

 

[andyaus]

Sorry to hear about that Great thread and garage. Keep us updated

+1 for me too

 

[themiller]

*really* want to see the floor.

 

[Scotty72SS]

First off, I wanted to apologize for the almost year long hiatus I took from the boards... Life kinda happen. We got the house repaired and put back together after the flood, and my wife got pregnant soon there after. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure its mine. She is due on Thanksgiving day, so while we were sitting around waiting on the little man I thought I would update the board. I have made a little progress, but not what would be expected after 10 months.

After getting the floor down, I began one of my favorite pastimes... Sanding.


Actually, before sanding I used system 3 to epoxy all the large cracks and knotts that is found in this #3 wood.


I started with 60 and went up to 100 using a rented drum sander.


It was a long day of sanding, but in one day I was able to get the garage emptied, sanded and ready for finish.


More to come!
ds

 

[coljar]

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm just glad to see the beer fridge is still there. Nice garage!!

 

[Scotty72SS]

Before I lose credibility with everyone on here, I wanted to clarify something... This is not a show garage. I'm not putting a couch and TV in it, I am going to park a car on it and work in it. The wood floors are going to get scratched, beat up, **** spilled on them, etc. This will just add character to the already old looking beat up floors. I chose oak because it is very hard and in my tool drop/ throw down test, it performed as well as the plastic click floors. I chose it because it has a very old school look and it will cost about the same or less in the long run. Sure it takes more time and there will be some upkeep, but what else am I going to do?

With all this in mind, I spent a lot of time researching the finish. I knew I couldnt use a morder poly or any modern finish because it only sits on the surface and penetrates very little. First time I slide the floor jack across it, it would have to be totally refinished. I found a commercial product called Waterlox, that was promising, but it was very expensive. After talking to several old school woodworkers I settled on a 3:1 boiled linseed oil finish. This is how it was done in the old days before "the world went and got itself in a big damn hurry". Points if you know what movie thats from...
It dries very slowly, and the more coats the better. The main reason I selected it is how easy it is to touch up if damaged. Light sanding and recoat.. It blends in where you cant even tell you restained it. I will post the scratch test later.

In a 5 gallon bucket I mixed 3 gallons of BLO and 1 gallon of Turpintine. I also added a quart of red oach stain for color.


After mixing it thouroghly, I used a drill, begin applying it in the back corner in 3-4ft paths using a stain applicator on a 5 ft handle.


I would let it sit for 15-20 minutes before going back and wiping off any access.


The first thing I noticed about this was how easy it went down. There was no overlap line when you went to the next row, and even if you spilled some and didnt get to go over it for a few minutes it didnt leave any spots. It is VERY EASY TO PUT DOWN. The only part that ***** is crawling around on your hands and knees wiping it up. Also, I couldnt move out the large box or fridge, so i just moved them around, and rolled them back over the BLO I applied after drying for 15-20 minutes. It didnt affect the finish.



I applied three coats over three days allowing it to completely dry between coats. By the third one, you are wiping up more than is sinking in and you know you are done.





Although time consuming, the application process was far easier than any modern products I have used. If you wanted, you could even wax it and buff it to a shine, but that would be a little dangerous in my situation.

NOW THE WARNING! If you are crazy enough to attempt this, wear gloves and a respirator. The fumes from the turpentine are very strong until it dries. Also, dispose of your rags in a bucket of water. They will combust if piled up. I had a pile sitting there an hour or so, and they were smoking when I went to clean up!

Thanks for checking it out!
ds

 

[Scotty72SS]

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm just glad to see the beer fridge is still there. Nice garage!!

HA! Trust me, that beer fridge has been a necessity here lately!
ds

 

[KSB]

Very cool finish on the floor, very interesting.... I will be looking forward to your updates...

 

[klean63]

"the world went and got itself in a big damn hurry". Points if you know what movie thats from...

Floor looks great and for bonus points.......... Shawshank Redemption

 

[creativecars]

I really like the looks of this floor and would like to put something like this in my wood working area. My concern is, how will it hold up with parking a car on it after it has been out in the rain or snow?
Congrads on the new future member.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

An oak floor in a working garage; who'da thunk it?! Looks damn fine to me and at $2.00 psf, it sounds like a great choice. Did you use the traditional method of fastening the boards to the subfloor? What are you going to use to finish the edge at the garage door threshold? Personally, I'd go ahead and give it a couple coats of a good commercial wax product for that extra bit of protection to span tiny gaps, close any open grain, and provide easily renewable surface protection. I would think a wax would give you a little more time to clean up spills before they left a stain.

Great job on the transformation!

Good luck to you and your wife on the pending delivery; hope you have a happy, healthy baby.

 

[Scotty72SS]

I really like the looks of this floor and would like to put something like this in my wood working area. My concern is, how will it hold up with parking a car on it after it has been out in the rain or snow?
Congrads on the new future member.

Thanks! I guess I'm official now?

As for the durability, it probably wouldnt be a viable option in a colder climate where there is ice and snow. I have had the Chevelle parked on it since January, and the little water that gets on it from the rain hasn't seemed to cause any issues. Now, I do run a dehumidifier, and keep the humidity around 45-50% all the time. If I have a big spill I will run a fan all night and the dehumidifier.
ds

 

[Scotty72SS]

An oak floor in a working garage; who'da thunk it?! Looks damn fine to me and at $2.00 psf, it sounds like a great choice. Did you use the traditional method of fastening the boards to the subfloor? What are you going to use to finish the edge at the garage door threshold? Personally, I'd go ahead and give it a couple coats of a good commercial wax product for that extra bit of protection to span tiny gaps, close any open grain, and provide easily renewable surface protection. I would think a wax would give you a little more time to clean up spills before they left a stain.

Great job on the transformation!

Good luck to you and your wife on the pending delivery; hope you have a happy, healthy baby.

For the floor attachment, yes I used a traditional floor stapler. The edge of the garage was a little complicated, and required some cement work which is never fun. Along the entire 17' I ran a piece of 1 1/2" aluminum angle. I folded the tar paper up against the ends of the boards and seated the aluminum right up against it. I attached it with a DX gun to the concrete and then poured a ramp right up to the top using quickrete fiber reinforced concrete so it wouldnt crack. I also dowled it into the driveway.
You can see the tar paper and aluminum in the pic.


While the cement was still somewhat wet, I closed the garage door on it several times to beat out a little path and assure a solid fit across the bottom. It worked out great!


What type of wax do you think I could put over it, and do you think it will have to be stripped if I make a quick repair and completely redone?
Thanks!
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[Omphaloskeptic]

Caveat! I'm not an expert on flooring.

Having said that, I tried to find some information that re-enforces my belief that waxing an oiled floor adds significant protection and reduces the need to re-coat with oil (which is recommended on an annual basis!). I did some googling and found this -

http://www.svarosbroliai.lt/en/prem.../special-treatment-works/floor-waxing-oiling/

I'm sure there are better sources out there but I'll leave it to you if this article isn't encouragement enough.

As to the brand of commercial wood floor wax to recommend, I really don't have any experience to make one. I've used Johnson's Paste Wax (normal retail can) and it's great for what I used it for. It would probably be too much of a hassle for you to do an entire garage floor with this product; I wouldn't want to bust my **** doing an area that large. I would probably opt for a liquid wax for ease of application; ZEP makes a line of floor care products which might be the ticket. I've used some of their other chemical line and have had good results. Sorry I can't be of more help, but I think waxing will really keep the grit, grime, and grease from being so bad that you find yourself on your knees cleaning up the marks every week. There's a world of difference between 'Patina' and 'Pile-o-****'! LOL

 

[Playwme]

That's awesome. I was thinking of doing something along those same lines. How often do you see a nice wooden floor in a garage? I reckon it would give a nice warm atmosphere and be a bit more pleasant to lie on in those colder winter months.

Surely there's a hard wearing wax that gets used in high traffic areas like gymnasiums and basketball courts that would really seal it nicely?

 

[BRIANBB]

This floor looks great. Dont let the termites that are right outside the door find it.
See you at Nifftee Fiftee's