Elephant Garage

[elefan]

Hi.

Long time lurker here. Thanks for all the hours of entertainment and learning new stuff along the way.
I feel it's my time to start a thread as i finally have my own garage.

It's a 32x22 with just enough space to make a nice 1 car garage with all the essential machinery and tools.


The previous owner, a mason, built it to house people. Then decided to tear down a wall and make a garage of it. Wise choice. And the reason why my wife and i bought this place. The house and garage are just about right in size for us.

This is what the garage looked like when i bought the house

Luckily for me, the previous owner liked to wrench also. So he installed a lift and placed various electrical outlets all over.

He never really did much to keep the place looking good though. The wall he tore down, he did not bother with removing entirely. And the floor was pitted all over. I dont know if he regularly dropped transmissions on the floor, or what made it look like it.

The floor was also very uneven so the first thing i did was to grind it down. I wish i had pics of how dusty it would become, but i was genuinely surprised as to how much dust it generated.

Once the grinding was done, i started to fill the pits with self leveling concrete.

Theres no use in making the floor look good if the foundation was ****. So i added a gravel/concrete mix and sanded them.

Self leveling concrete is not actually self leveling. At least not good enough. So i grinded the floor again to make it somewhat straight.

The floor is not 100 percent level, and it slopes. But if i had to make it perfect, i would need to add 1 inch to the entire floor and then start grinding for weeks without end. Im aware i can rent a floor grinder for that. But this garage wont be a showroom. It's only to be functional and look decent doing so.

Today, i added primer to the floor. Next week i will add the epoxy.

I will update this thread as i progress. There is still lots of work to be done before i can move my tools and equipment in.


Thanks for watching.

 

[jwhcars]

Welcome to GJ. Let the fun begin.

 

[ajohno]

Looking great so far.

 

[CombatNinja]

That place looks dope.

 

[elefan]

YES!

Today i got the time to lay the epoxy. After a light surface grinding of the primered floor, and a good vacuuming, i started mixing the epoxy.

The difference between the primed floor and the epoxy'ied one is striking to say the least.

I was a bit nervous about the color i had chosen, but im extremely satisfied with how it turned out.

It's not too bright, neither is it too dark. Just perfect.

This is with the lights shut off.

Now it just has to sit and dry. In 24 hours i will place a heater in there to help cure the epoxy.

I cant wait to see how it looks once it has dried off. I wont recommend anyone taking upon this task on their own. It's stressing. I had a friend mix it while i poured and painted. If i had to do it alone, i think it would have dried before i could apply the next bucket.

Next up is painting the lower walls black. Or maybe blue. My wife suggested blue and i cant really tell now which color is the best. Blue might look good. And match the 2 post lift.

Have a nice day gentlemen

 

[Bronson]

Welcome to the GJ!
The green is awesome. I really like that, I sometimes get tired of the white walls, ceiling and floor in My shop.
I think black would be a mistake, it would swallow a lot of light.
Subscribed.

 

[elefan]

Welcome to the GJ!
The green is awesome. I really like that, I sometimes get tired of the white walls, ceiling and floor in My shop.
I think black would be a mistake, it would swallow a lot of light.
Subscribed.

Thank you. Good thinking also. Never thought of it swallowing up light. The more i think of it, the better i like blue.

Going with green lower walls i fear a "bathtub" or swimmingpool look so to say.

 

[bonecrrusher]

Dat Green!

 

[elefan]

Today i did some painting of the lower parts of the wall.. Found some cheap leftover paint in good quality, and gave it a try. I think it's an improvement. The color is dark
blue.

Don't mind the uneven floor. It won't be a showroom anyhow. Just a workshop

Have a nice sunday gents.

 

[BUGTHUG]

WOW, love the color. I just started painting my floor about a week ago, and its almost the same color. What brand of paint did you use? I went with Sherwin Williams concrete paint, not the garage stuff they sell. Not sure how mine is going to turn out, I have to put about 3 layers down to get enough smooth coverage. I've used U Coat It on the other garage floor, and it looks closer to the glossy shine that you have.
I think I'm going with red for the other color of the shelves and tables etc. It goes with the gas station theme of things to come. I'll be watching this.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'd suggest coring a few holes and dropping in some cups to practice putting in the winter.

I've never seen a green floor before, looks different. By chance you got a green SO box or a Kawasaki ?

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

When you wrote "paint the lower walls" I thought you meant paint the block. I like that you DIDNT. Personally I'd paint it a dark red because red is opposite the color wheel for green. But the lift being blue might make that not the best choice. Too many colors is as bad as the wrong color.

Everything's looking good!

 

[elefan]

WOW, love the color. I just started painting my floor about a week ago, and its almost the same color. What brand of paint did you use? I went with Sherwin Williams concrete paint, not the garage stuff they sell. Not sure how mine is going to turn out, I have to put about 3 layers down to get enough smooth coverage. I've used U Coat It on the other garage floor, and it looks closer to the glossy shine that you have.
I think I'm going with red for the other color of the shelves and tables etc. It goes with the gas station theme of things to come. I'll be watching this.

Actually, i dont know the brand.. Had it delivered by a friend who sells all sorts of paint through his shop. It's a bit pricey but i was told it was what the proffesionals use.

I'd love to do a gas station theme like you and might try it later. But for now, with a baby only about a month away, i just want it to be functional before i get even less time on my hand Then later i can purchase nice vintage gas station stuff to decorate

I love your color. I think more people should choose green

 

[elefan]

I'd suggest coring a few holes and dropping in some cups to practice putting in the winter.

I've never seen a green floor before, looks different. By chance you got a green SO box or a Kawasaki ?

I wish i were only have very little snap on tools though. And none of them are green

 

[elefan]

When you wrote "paint the lower walls" I thought you meant paint the block. I like that you DIDNT. Personally I'd paint it a dark red because red is opposite the color wheel for green. But the lift being blue might make that not the best choice. Too many colors is as bad as the wrong color.

Everything's looking good!

Thank you.
I thought about painting them black. But the wife suggested blue. And someone in here made a valid point about black swallowing up too much light. So i went with dark blue.

 

[BUGTHUG]

I hope its easier to clean then the almost white floor I have in the other garage. I also have battleship grey on the house garage, its more glossy, it cleans up nice and its easy to sweep.

 

[cactiki]

Wow, I love the green! It looks like a pond with algae, but I love it.
Why the name, " elephant garage?"

 

[dubber]

Cool space you have there.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I wish i were only have very little snap on tools though. And none of them are green

Well, if you get an inkling for some green Snap On stuff, I believe there is an entire thread on them in the General Tool section.

The doors for your garage, is one an overhead and the other a double swinging door ?

 

[elefan]

Wow, I love the green! It looks like a pond with algae, but I love it.
Why the name, " elephant garage?"

Because i have always been crazy about elephants and by coincidence, the first thing i placed in the garage was a small wooden elephant which was the only thing i had in the car at that time. And since i had to come up with a name, i chose to name it after my favourite animal.

I could have called it the morgue, as there was a morgue on the property prior to the house and garage being built. But the morgue sounds kindda creepy.

 

[elefan]

Well, if you get an inkling for some green Snap On stuff, I believe there is an entire thread on them in the General Tool section.

The doors for your garage, is one an overhead and the other a double swinging door ?

They're both overhead. The previous owner disconnected one of them though. And when it begins to get warmer i will tear them both down and place a single big port in the middle.. First i will have to learn how to do masonry though

 

[Jo Diesel]

I like the green and am also glad you did not paint over the brick. That off white/yellow of the brick looks good with the green

 

[elefan]

Hi gents.

Finally had some time to make a little progress on the garage.

I wanted to close off a window so i could hang my tool boards on the wall unobstructed by a window. It will look so much better once it is done.

First, i had to remove a hell of a lot of bricks that were in the way so i could gain access to the window from both inside and outside.

Then i proceeded to take out the window. 4 screws, 2 nails and alot of silicone bonding later, i had it out and outside. It was heavier than expected. As i now only have 1 window that open and close, i will switch it out with one of the ones that doesn't open and close.

Then i removed the partial windowsill the previous owner cut in half to accomodate his workbench. And the outer windowsill as well. Pretty easy really. Drill out 1 brick, and use a chisel for the rest.. 10 minute job perhaps. Went so fast i almost forgot to take pictures

I had alot of doubts about what to use to close off the window. But after a few talks with my mason friend I decided to go with aerated concrete blocks for the inner wall, as it is very easy and isolate very good.

Here you can see the semi-finished result. I still need to remove the leftover glue, and sand them down.

Now i only need to decide what to do with the outer wall. Either i do it right, and drill out every-other brick in the wall opening. Once that is done, i can lay identical bricks. This is a rather expensive and time consuming job. But will look better from the outside.

The other option is to use aerated concrete blocks again, and give them a finish that will make them blend in with the rest of the brick wall.

I have a baby boy on the way, so between jobs family and restoring both house and garage i havent really made my mind up yet. But im leaning to aerated concrete again as i now have experience with them and know what to do. That way i will only take me a few hours, and then i can start on the workbench and toolboards instead.

Have a nice evening good folks.

 

[BUGTHUG]

Looks like a lot of work, but nice. Early congratulations for your new addition

 

[elefan]

Looks like a lot of work, but nice. Early congratulations for your new addition

Thank you. Carl is only 4 weeks out if things go as planned, which they never do Very excited to meet him and have him join the family. It does put a bit of time restrain on me in the garage as the wifey expects of me to help as much as possible once he arrives. Babies are hard work

 

[Kevin54]

I like that floor. But then again, I tend to go with things a little different also. In a way it reminds me of Sunbimmers garage with his indoor Texaco station. With all of that brick, you could really make it look like a station inside, and maybe go with a Sinclair theme.

 

[Kent A]

Nice workshop.

 

[taumac]

Love the garage and that floor came out awesome. I would never thought of it but the green floor with the brick walls looks great together.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I've been trying to put my finger on what this place looks like. The shine on that floor makes it loook deep then it hit me.

It looks like an indoor bath house or indoor pool area, something might see on TV from over in Europe. The column of the lift plays into it too as the reflection appears to disappear down into the water.

It's like something you see on the History Channel, "Cities of the Underworld."

 

[Whitey1]

It reminds me of an industrial look like a boiler room in an old school or something. I like it but would paint the lift and foundation something other than blue.

 

[elefan]

I've been trying to put my finger on what this place looks like. The shine on that floor makes it loook deep then it hit me.

It looks like an indoor bath house or indoor pool area, something might see on TV from over in Europe. The column of the lift plays into it too as the reflection appears to disappear down into the water.

It's like something you see on the History Channel, "Cities of the Underworld."

The bright shine disappears as usage increase. I could have epoxied the foundation also but it would have made look even more like a bathtub.

 

[elefan]

Made a great deal today on some high quality ball bearing tool cabinets.. Brand unknown but judging from my experience they're as good or better then Lista's.. They're in really good condition. And extremely heavy. Had to remove all drawers to be able to lift them up and down from my trailer.

Have a look

drawers

i will use them to make a workbench with.

Speaking of workbenches, what thickness is adequate for a workbench top?
I can either cough up big time and get a 1 1/2 inch wooden top plate with the required length. Or settle with a 1 inch plate for about 3/5th of the price. I also have the option to join 2 cheap 1 1/2inch plates to get the required lenght, but i dont know if that will be good. Joining 2 plates that is.

Any advice?

Have a nice sunday.

 

[elefan]

No advice for a woodworking newbie?

 

[NUTTSGT]

I used 3/4" PT plywood doubled for my benchtop. If you going to be doing woodworking, I'd rather have a wood top rather than steel.

 

[86turbodsl]

Two layers of 3/4" plywood with your topping of choice, or try to find a bowling alley replacing lanes. I like to keep it at least 1.5 to 2 inches thick on mine, otherwise they deflect a bit with heavy stuff on them.

 

[vegar]

Great garage. The color of the fllor reminds me of engine roms on board big ships. Many of them are in that color

 

[51rider]

Great looking garage- you need a Kawasaki to set it off perfectly

For your workbench top try looking for solid core doors or even trawl the classifieds for someone doing a kitchen remodel-you might score a solid wood work top for very little money. I just scored a 71/2ft length of 1&3/4 thick solid oak work top for $50
You can always get some stainless steel plate cut to size to cover a portion of the worktop over if using the garage for both woodwork and mechanical jobs.

Great score on the cabinets- going to have to award you a "you ****" on that one

 

[vegar]

I have a oak top from IKEA in my kitchen. Its solid and 35 mm thick

 

[elefan]

Thanks for the many replies and tips..

I think i will visits ikea soon then. And look out for solid core doors in the meantime.

The workbench will be used for whatever need to be fixed

 

[BUGTHUG]

I guess it depends on what you might spend the most time working on. It always seems easy to make a working top out of that kind of metal cabinets. You could put them back to back like a island and have a work table out and away from the wall? Or just a regular counter top type. If you plan on doing some serious work, like pounding with big hammers, or lots of cutting of wood or metal, you might not want to use those cabinets because they will fill up with dust, dirt, and chips or debris of somekind. Then all the tools inside will be dirty.
I think I would have a table separate from this and go with a kitchen type of top. JM.02