Nealey Auto Service's New Location in Edgewater, MD - Work in Progress!

[Aahj]

Thanks for the complements guys! We are stoked to get going and start making some money from this new location. Living the Dream!

A little progress today. Control joints installed on the new slab:



But I'm also looking to get some suggestions on what to do for repairing this ceiling?:





It's drywall and has a bunch of holes from old lighting systems and damage from a previous roof leak. I'd like to hear from you all what might be a good/cheapish solution to make it look good.

Thanks in advance!

Electrician comes back tomorrow to finish his services. And equipment was just purchased yesterday as well. YIKES!!

AJ

 

[tab2]

Patch the drywall and paint is probably cheapest. White corrugated metal would give you a clean, commerical look and when it gets dirty you can use soap and water to clean.

Too bad you can't use the TRANSMISSIONS letters to spell out your Nealy's name.

 

[onemanarmy]

awesome renovation, and looking forward to the finished pics

Still operating the old shop while this one is under construction? Why the big move? I can't believe the sell has to come out of pocket that much for all that work. Must have really needed to sell.

 

[Bob Heine]

I would re-attach any loose drywall, patch the holes and spray a textured finish over it. You can buy a texture gun at Harbor Freight for less than $30 or Home Depot for around $60. It's a cheap way to hides a multitude of mistakes and messes in the drywall.

 

[vonhef]

Following your progress with interest!

 

[ilovevocs]

I wouldn't patch a thing and paint it black with an airless and some dryfall. The flat black on a ceiling that high will mask the deficiencies.

Awesome build by the way.

 

[TheGunCollector]

I would re-attach any loose drywall, patch the holes and spray a textured finish over it. You can buy a texture gun at Harbor Freight for less than $30 or Home Depot for around $60. It's a cheap way to hides a multitude of mistakes and messes in the drywall.

Texture surely hides the most atrocious work, but it'll collect massive amounts of filth in a working shop and will never be able to be cleaned.

I suggest either the metal panels, or Extrutech panels.

 

[nh_yota]

Patch and paint the existing ceiling. You can always replace it/cover it at a later time.

 

[Aahj]

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

I like the dry fall idea. Seems ideal for our application and I'll just take my time patching up what's there.

My question is color. I want it as bright as possible and feel like I want to go with a white ceiling. I'm afraid the black ceiling will kill some of the light in the shop but it definitely would help hide the dirt/dust over time. Thoughts?

Thanks again guys, more pictures to come soon! Electrician came today but nothing exciting to photograph. I want to work on the ceiling this weekend and paint the ceiling/walls ASAP. Then hang lights!

AJ

 

[Aahj]

awesome renovation, and looking forward to the finished pics

Still operating the old shop while this one is under construction? Why the big move? I can't believe the sell has to come out of pocket that much for all that work. Must have really needed to sell.

Yup, still working out of our little one bay garage currently. We can't wait to get out! So cramped! Currently working out of less than 600 square feet. This is a much needed upgrade for our business and very excited to say the least.

AJ

 

[thammel]

As a fellow Marylander, I find this really exciting. Are you going to put some sort of storage loft back up? How thick did you do the floors for lift support? I'm surprised I didn't see any rebar or even mesh in the floor. And are the walls and ceiling insulated? What kind of HVAC will you have? I could ask a thousand questions!!

Looks great!
Tom

 

[Aahj]

As a fellow Marylander, I find this really exciting. Are you going to put some sort of storage loft back up? How thick did you do the floors for lift support? I'm surprised I didn't see any rebar or even mesh in the floor. And are the walls and ceiling insulated? What kind of HVAC will you have? I could ask a thousand questions!!

Looks great!
Tom

Yea, down the road, we plan on building a freaking sweet customer lounge with a second floor for offices/tech locker rooms/etc. The bottom floor would have a Starbucks type feel and layout for the customers. We'd also like it large enough so we could host parties and do some neat art exhibits for local artists. We have some neat ideas that we're throwing around. Definitely "new school" when it comes to auto repair.

The floors are 5" thick and they used this new synthetic fiber mesh mix in the concrete. It's a newer technology that they are using instead of wire mesh or rebar. Pretty cool stuff.

Block walls installed all around but the ceiling is insulated with only about 3 inches of what looks like saw dust. I'd like to blow in a thicker layer before this winter.

I'd like to install a ductless HVAC unit for the office area. The shop still has a furnace that works but we'd also like to invest in a Clean Burn waste oil heater also before winter.

There are lots of things we'd like to do, but first things first, we need to focus on the shop floor so we can start making money, then work on the other items over time.

Thanks for the questions, complements and interest! Keep 'em coming!

AJ

 

[Hostyle]

Great shop with a lot of potential! For inspiration for your Starbucks-ish customer lounge, look-up the Bikeshed in London. A great place with the kind of vibe I believe you are looking for.

With regards to the ceiling, I'd go for the black. You can add white ceramic tiling to the walls to help spread the light that's lost with the ceiling. Not only will the black hide any imperfactions, but also all the pipework and cabling. Coupled with decent lighting and white tiles will make it a warm and inviting place and tie in nicely with Starbucks like theme.

 

[miker88]

Congrats on the building it is looking really good. I actually work in Towson so I am excited to watch this come together.

 

[Vette60]

Very nice - what a great build and good luck with your shop. It's amazing the amount of work that has been done and I am sure that you are glad that all the nasty old tanks are on the way out.

I'm up your way every now and then...my sister lives in Severna Park.

R.

 

[Aahj]

Thanks again guys. My parents actually live in Severna Park so not far at all.

I'm liking the black dry fall, thanks again for the suggestion. I don't know if I explained this in the photos before, but there is an old school hoist on a rail system up on the ceiling. I'm definitely not taking it down, but want to preserve it. I'm thinking black dry fall ceiling and maybe painting the rail white? Or maybe a caution color look of black with yellow stripes? Then painting the old hoist motor as well maybe like a cool red color? Still throwing ideas around.

Thanks for the Bikeshed info! I checked it out and it definitely looks sweet! Great inspiration there.

My goal this weekend is to frame up the bathroom and I really want to tackle this ceiling with paint.

More photos to come soon. Keep the suggestions and comments coming.

Thanks again and talk soon,
AJ

 

[Aahj]

So I picked up some white paint for the walls and talked with the rep about the dry fall paint. I wanted to add some texture to it as well to hide the imperfections.

I've also seen some commercial buildings that use what looks like a spray foam insulation but isn't that thick. I found some info on this called K-13. I'm considering it as an option:

 

[WhiffySpark]

If I wasn't busy with landscaping I would help you. If you need landscaping or anything else done let me know.

I work wed-sat down the street then landscaping sun- Tuesday. 90 hour weeks are fun lol. I worked for a 4 location chain before this. But was hard to find somewhere to work 4 days

 

[rickhigginshtbr]

subscribed! waste oil heat is the way to go!

 

[Aahj]

Lots of great progress, the floor looks awesome! How thick did you pour it?

Sorry I missed this! It was 30 yards worth of concrete and based on the dimensions, that makes it at least 4.5"-5" thick.

 

[Blackhawks63]

Love this, but have to strongly disagree on ceiling. Rip that ugly mess down right now while the garage is opened up. Then add some insulation and white steal panels. That current ceiling looks like a mold infested mouse have. Ceiling panels don't cost that much.

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[Bib Overalls]

Agree that waste oil is a good way to heat if you have access to the waste oil. What ever you do don't bury the tank?

White metal ceiling really reflects the light. Don't rule it out.

 

[tab2]

K-13 is VERY expensive

 

[PurdueSD]

This place is awesome! Congrats!

 

[Aahj]

Thanks again guys!

Not much to report, spent the weekend cleaning up the ceiling and patching holes. I do appreciate everyone's input on what to do with the ceiling. I still feel strongly about the black dry fall. Keep in mind, we are going to have 18 15,000 lumen LED light fixtures to illuminate this shop. They will also be dropped down from the ceiling and the black will hide the imperfections. I don't think we'll take much of a hit with visibility. It also makes sense financially at this time instead of redoing the entire ceiling. Hope to have the entire shop painted by this weekend. I'll keep you all updated as usual.

Thanks again and have a great week!



AJ

 

[Bib Overalls]

Concrete looks good.

 

[tab2]

Black will look good. Don't sweat the light, you will be fine. Black does show dust so we usually suggest a dark grey. The color used by Harley Davidson's architect's is below. This is on the shop and showroom. About an 18' deck though. I can send you some pictures if you want.

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/coachmanscape

 

[Aahj]

Black will look good. Don't sweat the light, you will be fine. Black does show dust so we usually suggest a dark grey. The color used by Harley Davidson's architect's is below. This is on the shop and showroom. About an 18' deck though. I can send you some pictures if you want.

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/coachmanscape

Good call on the dark grey! If you could send photos of the shop that'd be great!

Thanks,
AJ

 

[ryanp77]

what a transition so far, looks great. Keep the dream alive

 

[Aahj]

It's been quiet for a bit. Here are some more updated photos:

Finally started painting the ceiling with the dry fall paint. Ended up going with Sherwin-Williams Web Gray. Very happy with the results!





The dryfall paint reacted very strangely with the existing paint on the HVAC ducting. Ended having to scrape it all off and start over:







I love how it sprays and there is virtually no overspray and relatively easy to clean up. Just sweep up the floor and it's good to go.

Bottom gray will be sprayed this week as well as two stripes will be hand painted. Hope to also have bathroom framed out this week.

Air compressor arrives today and lifts are scheduled for next week.

All for now, more updates to come! Have a great week!

AJ

 

[nh_yota]

Wow that looks great! Did you use flat dry fall paint? I see a little bit of sheen from the reflected light.

 

[HCNDM]

It's been quiet for a bit. Here are some more updated photos:

Finally started painting the ceiling with the dry fall paint. Ended up going with Sherwin-Williams Web Gray. Very happy with the results!





The dryfall paint reacted very strangely with the existing paint on the HVAC ducting. Ended having to scrape it all off and start over:







I love how it sprays and there is virtually no overspray and relatively easy to clean up. Just sweep up the floor and it's good to go.

Bottom gray will be sprayed this week as well as two stripes will be hand painted. Hope to also have bathroom framed out this week.

Air compressor arrives today and lifts are scheduled for next week.

All for now, more updates to come! Have a great week!

AJ

AJ that looks great. Really adds a vintage 50's feel to the shop imo!


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[tab2]

Good call a darker color. We just painted a ceiling this color. The owner is having us re-do it darker on their dime.

Give us more updates!

 

[Aahj]

We went with Sherwin Williams Web Gray for the ceiling and the bottom 40" of the wall. We used the DTM acrylic paint in semi gloss for the bottom part. I sprayed it tonight but not enough light for any good photos.

But in other news, this bad boy was dropped off today:

 

[Aahj]

Got some of the bottom paint and stripes done today. The photos are pretty bad as we have no working lights and my wife and I are working on the new building after regular business hours. Again, lights get installed Thursday, can't freaking wait!





And the outdoor lights are now working:



More updates to come! Thanks!

 

[Hostyle]

Looking great so far! With such big white walls, I would be tempted to paint the shop sign up on the back wall.

 

[Aahj]

Looking great so far! With such big white walls, I would be tempted to paint the shop sign up on the back wall.

That has definitely been a thought!

 

[Hostyle]

Go for it!

 

[NUTTSGT]

Wow, great place. It kinda reminds me what I have gone through on the Garage Refurb, but on a much grander scale.

What are your plans for security, any thoughts yet ? I hope you already changed the locks too. Any past tennant or their past employees know of all the weaknesses the place has.

 

[Aahj]

Let there be light!