Garage Remodel Finally Finished

[Catalpa Worm]

First off, thanks to everyone who runs this site, posts here, and shares their ideas.

You all cost me more money than I could have dreamed of, but in the end it was well worth it.

I don't have many 'before pics'. Never thought to take any, because it was just a crappy space, who woulda cared? I do have some during, but thats only because my family would take them to show me how tired and miserable I looked.

This project took me 6 months. I took a break around Christmas, but other than that just about every weekend and 3 or 4 hours after work during the week was spent in the garage. Now normally, if I was wrenching on a bike or a car I would be okay with it. But all that was involved here for me, it got out of hand. One thing led to another. "Well, if your going to do that, you might as well do this" sort of thing. All of you know what I mean.

Initially, all I wanted was a slip proof floor, some cabinets, and MAYBE a lift.

Once I started getting ideas, I just kept going. And going and going...

In the end, I wanted my garage to be just like another room in the house. Clean, comfortable, and usable. After all, who hasn't wished they could pull their bike in their living room? I know I always have. Just like sitting on the couch watching TV fondling that new firearm purchase. I would love to be able to look at a nice bike or a car while watching Fast & Loud or Justified.

I have a separate room in the basement for work stuff. It has a bench, vice, grinder, drill press, etc. Sure it may be a pain to have to go back and forth if I need to do something, but who needs sparks flying around new cars and bikes anyway?

On to the finished product!

 

[dubber]

Lets see those pics!

 

[Kevin54]

First off....Welcome to Garage Journal!!!!

Secondly.....no bragging allowed about the finished garage without the pics to back it up. Like they say....PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN!!!!!

 

[Catalpa Worm]

I am a Refrigeration Man by trade, so I had to learn a lot of new skills and buy a lot of new tools to pull this off. I became a carpenter, tile setter, and garage door installer. And a painter. And a drywall guy. Drywall *****. Tile setting is hard tedious work. Especially for a perfectionist. Don't be a perfectionist when it comes to laying tile. You'll learn new curse words and throw stuff.

 

[dubber]

Wow, great pics. You can stay ahhaha. You have done a great job on a very clean garage.

 

[Catalpa Worm]

I made the decision to do Porcelain Tile over epoxy after reading about potential problems with epoxy systems and whatnot, plus epoxy didn't really go with my "in the house" theme. Should've done epoxy. I have 125 hours minimum in the floor alone, 500 sqft. I could've went to work and paid somebody and came out way ahead. I had one small crack in the concrete. I 'V' notched it, then went over it with Redguard. Then I did the control cuts in Redguard. Then I said, what the hell, and painted the whole floor with it. one things for sure that stuff is one hell of a good primer, because thin set wipes off of the bare concrete way easier that it does Redguard. I have no moisture issues, My intention on using it was for a primer and crack isolation membrane.

For thinset I went way overboard and used Customs Flex Bond, the $29 a bag stuff. Probably didn't need to, but f--- it. I mean hell, What do I know about thin set? Nothing. Then. I do now though. Only got on average about 40Sqft per bag, thats with back buttering 100% every tile.

Should've done 12x12 instead of this 12X24, but I got a deal that could not be passed up on this stuff. Its extremely durable, aggressive, high dollar, outdoor "active" tile. A friend of mine got the GC job to do the showroom remodel at an Infiniti dealership, and this was the "overage". if you know what I mean. Normally $8 a sqft, I paid about 25% of that. It is Graniti Fiandri Olympia Active. I used the Schluter threshold to end it, like Dakota and SlickGT recommended. Looks and works sweet. On my stem wall, I used that rubber cove base that you roll and stick/staple on. It was just too uneven to be able to anything but that with it.

I went with an 1/8 grout line, in a color to match the walls. The tile is rough on a mop, but hey I wanted a slip resistant floor, right?

 

[dubber]

I'm probably wrong but your garage door rails seem very short in the second pic of your post #4. Does your door open all the way?

 

[Catalpa Worm]

I went with the Kobalt cabinets early on, so I just stuck with them. Be sure if you buy them, to get the Made In USA versions, because the Chinese ones don't match them, and the quality is seriously lacking. I installed blocking in the wall so I could mount them directly to the wall, nothing touches the floor in the garage.

Im big on hidden wires and cleanliness of installation. I installed electric behind them for the lights, all of which are on timers. So I never walk into a dark space. Ambiance if you will.

In the far right bottom cabinet I have my car wash station. Hot/Cold hydrant and point-of-use water softener system, so I always have a soapy bucket and no water spots.

That is a commercial kitchen sink in the corner with side splashes, Kutol soap, and a Merfin towel dispenser, complete with first aid kit.

 

[1clean4runner]

Wow - this is fantastic! The attention to detail is top notch!

 

[Catalpa Worm]

Again, in keeping with the theme of no wires or floor space invasion, i intalled this beverage cooler and recessed 'Garage Vac' by Intervac. It has a 40 ft hose, a floor attachment, and ***** pretty good. It also has bags and a filter, which I like.

I installed a High Lift garage door, with a Liftmaster 8500 Jackshaft opener. I copied Thundermounts design for the top supports. All sensor wiring in the wall, nothing visible except for the plug. I have an 11'6" ceiling, and I wanted the door to get as close to that support beam as possible. I ordered my lift this week, and I wanted no interference while a car is all the way up on it. That was tough. A normal garage door, no problem. But a high lift conversion, not for the faint of heart. LOTS of cursing on this project. Door opener took no time at all.

I went with a Clopay Intellicore insulated door, as I heated and air conditioned the garage as well. I insulated all the walls and left side of the ceiling as well, it wasn't done previously. I installed a 1.5 ton mini split system. When it was 0* out this winter, I could maintain 60* in the garage. The insulation was the plus factor here.

Below the evaporator on the wall, you can see where I installed a 240v outlet for a welder, as well as a dedicated 20A 115v outlet also. I plan on buying Hobarts MVP, multi voltage welder and learn how to weld. Above the evaporator is a separate 240v plug for my lift.

I added 16 can lights, and 12 115v outlets, along with the 2 above mentioned 240v plugs. 4 of the plugs are dedicated to individual 20a breakers. I installed a separate 200A panel specifically for the garage. The house already has 2 150A panels. My electric co loves me.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Awesome result and great attention to detail.

 

[MonoxieChild]

Looks great! Very clean and tidy. Everything mine is not.

 

[Catalpa Worm]

For my Air setup, I installed a compressor in a room in the basement, and hard piped through the wall using ACR. I installed a vibration eliminator, a water separator, and regulators at the compressor and at the reel. I then sound proofed the room using Roxul insulation. You can't hear it in the house or in the garage. Air is just always there. Silently and continually. I installed a control switch, its hidden in one of the cabinets.

I also installed a 53" Plasma for the games, as well as an xbox 360 so I can play Forza while sitting in the challenger. Ha.

For sound, I installed 6 ceiling speakers, an amplifier with bluetooth adapter. So when you go in there, your phone connects to the bluetooth, listen to pandora, sirius, iTunes, whatever. If you get a text or call it rings through the speakers, so I don't have to worry about checking for missed calls constantly.

Six months of work just to be able to essentially wash a car properly.

 

[Catalpa Worm]

Some during shots. The 4 year old said he wouldn't move until I came in, and my wife helping with grouting.

If I would have know the extent of this project going in, I would never have attempted it. I chose not to add up numbers as I went along, but if I had to guess, Id say my initial $5K budget was blown long ago.

In the end: worth it though.

Lift should be in by next weekend. Hopefully

 

[Djstorm100]

Is the tile impact resistant? I would love to do this to mine but using jack and dropping things I worry about cracking the tile

 

[Catalpa Worm]

Everyone says it is. I've not taken a sledge to it like that way-too-good-looking nut Jack, but I have dropped a regular hammer and drill on it. Look at it this way: theres not a showroom in this country at a dealership that doesn't have tile, and lots of service bays do too. sounds just like concrete when i tap on it. Bottom line is this: if the floor under the tile doesn't move, it shouldn't crack. Proper installation is key I feel.

 

[Dakota00]

All that hard work really paid off!! Excellent job man!! Love the attention to detail.
BTW, you got my seal of approval on the floor

I noticed your garage floor has a steep slope, like mine. What type of lift are you putting in?

 

[Sunbimmer]

Perfect garage great attention to detail and absolutely love the floor.

Welcome to the GJ.

 

[Catalpa Worm]

All that hard work really paid off!! Excellent job man!! Love the attention to detail.
BTW, you got my seal of approval on the floor

I noticed your garage floor has a steep slope, like mine. What type of lift are you putting in?

I went with the Weaver lift, W-9F. It offered the most features for the money, and their customer service has a great reputation. I wanted black, and the only one I could find that was black was the Titan Elite. The weaver just seems to have better features. 3HP motor instead of 2, standard door guards, truck frame adapters standard, plus supersymetric arms, so you can lift FWD cars, RWD cars, and trucks. Also, it has a single side lock release. All minor features, but important.

I plan on drilling through the tile with a diamond hole saw, then using my rotary drill for the rest. I was pleased to find that I had a little over 5" of concrete.

I will see if I can get a good level with the provided shims, if not I'll have some full size base plates made at a local steel shop.

After reading your thread, oh, 40 times, its a pleasure to answer a question for YOU.

 

[rixtrix1]

I am a Refrigeration Man by trade, so I had to learn a lot of new skills and buy a lot of new tools to pull this off. I became a carpenter, tile setter, and garage door installer. And a painter. And a drywall guy. Drywall *****. Tile setting is hard tedious work. Especially for a perfectionist. Don't be a perfectionist when it comes to laying tile. You'll learn new curse words and throw stuff.

Hhaaaa. I know how you feel about tile, but the end is worth it!

 

[Catalpa Worm]

Finally got the lift in. Now I feel the garage is complete.

I chose the Derek Weaver over Titan, Direct Lift, and some other cheaper brands because it had the most features for the money. Customer service was excellent and personal, delivery was prompt, so in the end I am satisfied with it.

 

[TRWTOW]

that's one clean garage looks awesome

 

[bry@n]

Looks great. Congrats on a sweet garage. I really like the tile.