Hi from Virginia - Need some Wall / Ceiling Advice

[diy_newbie]

Hi! I'm a DIY newbie, though I've done a little bit of everything (except plumbing) over the years. My latest project idea is also my biggest yet: I want to "finish" my garage. The only problem is, it doesn't seem as straightforward as I was hoping, and I would really appreciate advice, suggestions, and even tips from y'all!

Here's my garage info:

• It's an attached, 2-car garage.
• The bottom portion of each wall is cinder blocks (4 high), the top portion is standard wood framing.
• The framed part of the garage walls that are "attached to the house" have drywall already hung -- came that way from the builder. The rest of the walls (i.e., the parts that aren't attached to the house) are exposed framing.
• The wall that has the garage door has excess wood and large exposed bolts, which would make installing drywall an interesting challenge
• Most of the ceiling has drywall installed, but there is one storage area, about 1/4th of the ceiling, that doesn't

I use my garage as a gym, for bikes, and general storage; we don't park our car in there, though there's space to if we moved things around a little.

My goal is to finish the walls (and ceiling), to make them smooth and paint them. Then, I'll do nice storage cabinets and shelves and whatnot.

My plan is to run electrical (I need more wall outlets, and to put in some lighting), insulate the currently open framing, and hang the drywall.

The drywall part is where the problem comes in. Rather, where I need advice. I'm familiar with drywall and hanging it doesn't bother me in the slightest -- it's the walls in my garage that are causing the hesitation.

Since the bottom part of the wall is cinder blocks, I'm not sure what to do. I thought that I would just drywall the wood framed portion -- which, on the unfinished part of the walls is recessed about 3/4in from the edge of the cinder blocks, perfect for drywall. Then, I would smooth and paint the cinder blocks. However, the portion of the walls that already has drywall actually has it coming down and slightly overlapping the cinder block.

And then, where the drywalled part of the wall meets the unfinished part, the drywall is perfectly flush with the framing... which means any drywall I hang will have a thick and visible edge. I think that this was done on purpose by the builder, it looks like they pressed it in because there's a crease/crack in the drywall, so I might just be able to take that part out and hang new and be done with it.

A similar issue is on the ceiling where the existing drywall is flush with the framing on the unfinished part. This one, I'm not really sure what to do about. My first (scary) thought was to add new drywall to the entire ceiling, but I'm pretty sure that's the wrong way to go =P

I've attached some not amazing photos to help add clarity, but if you think more could help, please request.

So, yeah. I know that's a lot (or maybe it's only a lot for me?), but any advice for any portion of this would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

p.s. I haven't cleaned out the garage yet, so it's still full of junk (and workout equipment). Once I have a solid working plan, that's when I'll get a move on things!

 

[nadogail]

A double thickness of drywall is often used as a fire barrier.
The transition from the block wall to drywall can be accommodated with metal channel, they are bent from sheet metal.
A “High Build” paint can fill the pores in the block wall of.
French Cleats will be your best friend when hanging cabinets.
Your project will take longer and cost more than you planned.
Don’t be afraid to ask a contractor for a proposal and estimate, you may decide to have someone else do the work and you get to watch and learn.

 

[diy_newbie]

Thank you for your reply! I guess I should have mentioned that I'm really not too worried about the cost or timeframe right now -- I'm really excited to try to "get my hands dirty" and see what I can do with this space. In the current phase of "figuring out what I would actually need to do", if it does actually look like it will cost way too much to DIY, then yeah, I might either simply not do the project, or hire someone. Time, on the other hand, doesn't bother me at all.

If I understand your suggestions though, you're saying:

• For the current unfinished part of the wall, insulate and drywall (which will bring it even with the block wall), and then do a second layer of drywall top of that?

This would make the drywall extend out beyond the block wall which, unless the "metal channel" you mentioned is meant to give it a more aesthetic look?

As for the block wall, I started moving some boxes around and noticed there's a few patches of efflorescence on it, so I'll have to remove that and then figure out how to prevent it. I did a little basic Googling (which is how I figured out the name of it ), so it looks like I would have to apply a sealant before any type of paint.