my 18 x 21 shop....

[dfmkevin]

So my house has this 18 x 21 shop off of the garage that I have just been using for storage. Last month we bought a riding mower and since it wouldnt fit in the shop it got to liv in the garage which my weekend car didnt like because she was put outside. I decided to clean out the shop to allow for the mower and thought I would turn it into a nice shop to tinker in. I fould this site and have enjoyed the ideas shared here. I hope to make my shop as nice as some of the GJ members have. I want to pull some cabinets off the wall to and paint then decide if I want to put them back up. Once painted i will be using epoxy on the floor, my local paint shop carries Devoe and I will be using that (I manage a little store in town and am a big believer in buying supporting local). I'll post up pics thru the different steps. I would LOVE to hear any opinions you have along the way. Now on to the before pics....

standing in the garage looking into shop

Looking in thru double door entrance

standing at my toolbox

Built in storage that I am considering putting cabinet doors on, THOUGHTS??

thanks in advance for your input
Kevin

 

[navarro1075]

cool toolbox, neat pegboard too!!

 

[dfmkevin]

Thanks, I am wondering what the best way to paint that pegboard would be

 

[Tigwldr]

My shop is about 16x18 I love it being small most of the time. I can heat it easily and I clean it up in about an hour. Big shops are nice to have in certain situations but for everyday tinkering and just goofing off I like my small space.

I would put doors on those shelves like you said.

 

[Granite Guy]

I like it....good potential. I'd put doors on the cubbies....maybe just cabinet grade plywood trimmed out with screen molding, then painted white (four doors full height). Maybe some towel bar handles to dress them up. It would kind of look like lockers, which would be cool.

Can you install the lights on the actual ceiling? It would probably make the place feel a lot bigger

Have fun....post some pics as you make progress

 

[dfmkevin]

Can you install the lights on the actual ceiling? It would probably make the place feel a lot bigger

I hadn't thought about that but I am sure it can be done easy enough, THANKS for that idea

 

[dfmkevin]

after looking at a few garages on here I think this is the paint scheme I want to do...

 

[Jack Olsen]

That's a nice starting point. What about a shed outside for the snowboards, bikes and riding mower? Then I'd put doors on the shelving and hit everything with paint. Maybe some more work surfaces, too?

You can paint pegboard with a roller.

 

[dfmkevin]

Well Jack, the snow baords and boots are leaving (they are a friends), the wifes bike along with mine will most likely hang off the ceiling in the garage. The is the tennant of the finished shop. Good to know about using a roller on the pegboard.

p.s.
And I gotta say I LOVE your garage.

 

[John in OH]

That is a NICE shop area!! Its got tremendous potential as a work room.

Step One ... get the yard care equipment out of the shop and garage!! That is why backyard storage sheds were invented by the Greeks back in 1,242 BC!

Jack is right on ... paint pegboard with a roller. Suggest gloss or semi-gloss to make maintenance and cleanup easier.

Your color scheme is good ... are you, by any chance, an Ohio State Buckeye fan?

Definitely install doors on the cubby hole shelves. That kind of storage area is very useful, especially since it is already built, but I don't like open shelving. No matter how neatly you try to arrange the stuff on the shelves they still look messy. And everything on the shelves gets covered with dust and dirt from your shop projects. Doors, even simple doors with clean lines as suggested by Granite Guy, will really class up the joint.

 

[dfmkevin]

Not a buckeye fan, just looks like a clean color combo. I do have a small shed outside the double doors of the shop that houses the trailer for the mower and my push mower.

 

[slimpickins]

Some painted MDF boards would make good doors for those shelves!

 

[dfmkevin]

so let me ask you guys what would you do with the benchtop....

looks like it is made out of 2X4

 

[ssathre]

my dad made his garage bench the same way. 2x4's stacked on edge make for a really strong bench top. he used all thread to bolt them together. he had a small block v8 sitting on it for a few years and the bench never sagged.

if you can remove the top from the base you might be able to find a shop that could plain that down even. after that throw a nice clear coat on top and you would have a really good looking bench. IMHO.

 

[gbcamp72]

check this link out:
http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodwor...-shop/how-to-flatten-an-uneven-workbench-top/

the link is to an on line article on how to take a bench like you have and quickly flatten and resurface it.

enjoy

 

[dfmkevin]

check this link out:
http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodwor...-shop/how-to-flatten-an-uneven-workbench-top/

the link is to an on line article on how to take a bench like you have and quickly flatten and resurface it.

enjoy

link doesnt want to work.... bummer i would like to read about it

 

[AustinMiniMan]

Link worked fine for me; might just want to try again. If not, Here

 

[AndrewBigA]

i like the built in cabinets. id leave them without doors, i just would organize everything. make it look like a store in there with your products & tools & bottles & cans all straight in a line with the labels facing out =)
you should be able to glance over there for a quick sec & see what you have & where its at!

=)

 

[ZRX61]

so let me ask you guys what would you do with the benchtop....

I'd go at it with a DA sander starting with #80 grit & finishing with #220

 

[dfmkevin]

started cleaning her out yesterday, still have more to do today. Gotta make a dump run tomorrow...

took down the cabinet, may put it back after paint. Seems to just be drywall mud over wood, hmm.... what to do with it? the wooden box in the tou middle of the wall open to reveal a fan

benchcleared off

and theres a thin metal piece on the short bench, how can I clean it up??

 

[Tigwldr]

Wire brush on a 4inch grinder, sand blast if its beat up and has alot of mill scale on it. Otherwise I use WD-40 and rags on most of mine. Soke it down let it sit a few minutes then wipe it off.

 

[dfmkevin]

Ok here's a question, this wall has particle board with drywall mud over it. Is there any problem with me just putting Sheetrock over what's already there?

 

[dfmkevin]

started working on the ceiling. The nails were coming out of the old trim boards so I decided to remove them and replace them with 1/4" MDF.

And I dont even drink, no idea why it came out crooked...

 

[slimpickins]

check this link out:
http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodwor...-shop/how-to-flatten-an-uneven-workbench-top/

the link is to an on line article on how to take a bench like you have and quickly flatten and resurface it.

enjoy

The link worked for me too. If you still can't get it, I've attached the article in PDF format (had to do two parts to get under the file size for the forum). I hope this isn't against forum policy. It contains all the info for the source of the article....? Excellent find on that article gbcamp72! That's a perfect solution to save a real nice work bench. After truing it and making sure its solid horizontally, if there are any gaps, a bit of wood filler would barely be noticeable.

 

[dfmkevin]

I was able to read the article using a computer instead of the iPad. I will attempt to do something like that with it.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

so let me ask you guys what would you do with the benchtop....

looks like it is made out of 2X4

Sand with 60 grit orbital sander to bare wood, re-stain with 3-4 coats. Use medium or darker stain.

 

[wuck]

so let me ask you guys what would you do with the benchtop...looks like it is made out of 2X4

Love that benchtop, I would try to save it. If you don't want/need to go the full flat router method outlined above, I suspect some good quality time with a belt sander would work pretty good if you're careful - being soft 2x4's it'll gouge easily. Investigate the plugs on the front surface, there might be some nuts/allthread buried in there you could tighten up and close the gaps.

The steel surface might be good for small welding/brazing jobs, maybe add some steel sides and back to contain the sparks/spatter.

Pat

 

[dfmkevin]

Was a good weekend, got a lot accomplished. Here's the progress.......

 

[Mike14k]

This is looking great..... having a bench below the window gives great light.

 

[dfmkevin]

I am really NOT a fan of sanding, just saying!

 

[Tigwldr]

I am really NOT a fan of sanding, just saying!

Me either, When I remodeled my house I did one room at a time. I told myself from the first room "Im paying someone to do the sheetrock in the next room" 10 rooms and 2 years later I did it all and hated every minute of it.

 

[HDP]

Ahhh, a fellow rotorhead (RX8). Great progress.

 

[dfmkevin]

Is it bad to just say "it's a shop, it doesn't need to be perfect!" I hope it'll look decent when it's painted

 

[dittle fart around]

One word fix: grinder. Put a twisted cup brush on it and go to town.

 

[Steves32]

Oh wow! I love the ultra rare artwork rotater complete w/ conveyor belt so art can be changed weekly.

 

[dfmkevin]

so today's project was to sheetrock the lower pars under the work benches. While doing so I decided to do a little extra work. What do you think???

 

[51rider]

May be I'm the only one, but I'd leave the bench as is. Those marks & stains all tell a story-may be not of something you've done but it's the garage history.
It adds real world charm IMHO.

Just my.02!

 

[dfmkevin]

May be I'm the only one, but I'd leave the bench as is. Those marks & stains all tell a story-may be not of something you've done but it's the garage history.
It adds real world charm IMHO.

Just my.02!

I have decided to leave it the way it sits. It actually looks cool. Thanks for your .02

 

[dfmkevin]

Can you install the lights on the actual ceiling? It would probably make the place feel a lot bigger

Have fun....post some pics as you make progress

WOW, what a change this suggestion made. Even my wife commented when she came out to look how much bigger it appeared to be.....

I also ran i wire for a plug in the ceiling to plug in my drop light and 3-plug drop extension

and while I am posting pics, i quessed on the placement of the new switch/plug combo under the fan and only later did I worry about what it might look like once painted with lines on the wall. This was a relief.....

 

[Hemin8r]

Looking Good.