New 3 car garage owner...first steps?

[vrinner]

So we have been in our new place for a week. Moved up from a 2 car garage to a place with a 3 car garage and 1/2 acre of mostly usable land. The short term plans are to make the 3 car as cool and usable as possible.

I race cars as well as do a lot of my own work on them, so the garage must have some usable space. Although I say I like to collect cars, I've had to sell a few due to limited space, but hopefully going forward that wont be a problem anymore. I also do stained glass work so some large work areas are necessary.

I have started out with some very minor things like moving pre-existing cabinets to the side of the garage, basic lighting and electircal as well as deck the attic area so we can store junk up there. The next steps are undecided but I'm thinking of the following.

Adding some New Age Pro cabinets and work bench to the back wall.
Drywall the remaining walls that need it.
Paint
Flooring ???
Cool lighting
What else????????

 

[Onewolf]

What are the garage dimensions?

 

[Moose02]

lay it all out on paper before you do it make sure of clearance for things, where will compressor, lift, any tools that need to be mounted, do it twice and then install it all
also check electric dont be afraid to run a lot of emt and put electric everywhere and what about 220 lines

any slop sink and water lines

all will be a lot easier before anything hits the garage floor

for lighting check out the led's at costco about 36 bucks apiece you won't believe how bright they are

 

[Moose02]

and who is that mooning us at the back side door

 

[Cyberbear]

It seems that if you are still planning on using the 3-car for vehicle parking along with all your other purposes, you will be playing musical work space chairs, always needing to relocate things in order to work on the project of the day. Been there, done that.
Perhaps an entirely new building is in your future considering the amount of available land you have to work with. If this is possible, don't wait too long as the years can pass rapidly before you get around to adding more usable space for the race cars, leaded glass studio, etc., plus it will cost less now than later.

 

[Trey T]

Flooring would be my first and top priority. Epoxy from Sherwin (commercial type) would be my recommendation, nothing less.

 

[bunger]

If you are thinking that you have plenty of space for all the things on your list, you are wrong. I can say that from first hand experience.

 

[workhurts]

move...

 

[arthur6569]

Raise that roof! You need a four post lift, it makes it easier to work on your cars and turns parking for 1 car into parking for 2..

 

[JonnyMac]

Sort out the floor first and foremost. Ive got epoxy which I love but racedeck is something id consider if I was to start over..

 

[vrinner]

First off...I can't move I just got here! This is a great move up from my previous 2 car garage house (although I had lots of parking space).

Mooning you is my buddy Steve.

The dimensions are 30 wide by 22 deep.
Not enough height to put in a lift.

It certainly does need more electrical. Just putting in some new lighting required us to rob existing circuits (the panel is already full).

I put the air compressor in the front right corner of the garage, furthest away from the living area. Plan to run some hard lines around the garage for easy access to air.

I'm lucky enough to have a wife that appreciates my hobbies and is willing to let me build the large garage/workshop when the time is right. But now isn't the time so I'll have to make due with the 3 car for now.

From reading the forum here there are a lot of choices for flooring. A couple of you mention that as the first thing to do. Is that because it is easiest to do as the first thing? Is epoxy less than Race Deck? Pro's/Con's?

Also...what is emt?

 

[JonnyMac]

Doing the floor first means you get a good base down and never have to worry about it again.
Racedeck is probably the more expensive option but its modular and can be taken with you if you ever move. And the pattern options are awesome!

 

[Trey T]

Doing the floor first means you get a good base down and never have to worry about it again.
Racedeck is probably the more expensive option but its modular and can be taken with you if you ever move. And the pattern options are awesome!

Yup!!

Epoxy vs Racedeck ... if the OP diy it, then epoxy is cheaper but getting someone to install epoxy can be expensive if not more than racedeck. I did some math before I installed my epoxy and I was considering racedeck as an option too.

I've been working on more car repairs that I've been in the last 6 months and I just love the epoxy floor, it's continuous and impervious, and easy to clean. In a professional environment where cleanliness is concerned, I don't think they would use impervious material like tile (plastic or ceramic) bc they have joints/grouts that traps dirt.

 

[Joeys79]

I'll take over for Justin here for a minute and mention Rust Bullet. It's an alternative to epoxy. I particularly liked it because it's one part - no mixing A and B. I tried out a sample on a piece of floor tile and it has a nice gray shiny finish, cleans up like epoxy. You can also do flakes and anti slip with it if you want. Stinks to high heaven though, you'll pass out without a respirator.

I just got my order to do a 28 x 34 in basic gray. Do your research because there's the different floors for different requirements and different tastes. This one worked for me. I agree on doing it early, because the more you move in, the more you have to move out. Oh, and what ever you use, floor prep - floor prep - floor prep.

 

[bcradio]

For God's sake.. you are a computer programmer, stop calling yourself an engineer!

Ha ha, I like this!

 

[autonaut]

Raise that roof! You need a four post lift, it makes it easier to work on your cars and turns parking for 1 car into parking for 2..

4 post lift would be very foolish.

A 2 post would be better. Far better. The 4 post lift is only better than a 2 post in very few ways. Like one or 2 i can think of.

 

[4AudiQ]

EMT - Electrical Metallic Tubing - conduit.

 

[vrinner]

In general...how long does epoxy take to dry and how difficult is it to apply? I hear you on prep-prep-prep but is there anything super complicated about putting it down?

 

[Trey T]

From my experience, at 4-6hrs, I can walk on it but if I try to poke it with my fingernail, it will make an imprint.

Cure time is a week. This is one of the reason why I stress to ppl before they move in - take care of the floor first. If you don't do it now, you'll never do it.

If storing your equipment outdoor is a concern, your next best thing is to go with plastic tiles (i.e. swisstrax, racedeck, etc...)

 

[vrinner]

I spent the entire day in the garage today. Mostly working on getting the very long 2X4 joists (mostly 22') a little added strength to support some light weight storage. Then taking 15+ years of **** from our old house and trying to find a place for it all or simply throw it away.

Nice thing is that I was able to find and use some of my Dad's old tools today. Here are some pics. I also have his 1950's Craftsman radial arm saw with a bunch of accessories and original manual.

I'm thinking the flooring on this project will have to wait/not get done. I really need to concentrate on functional items, such as cabinets, workbenches and storage. I'll save my money on flooring for the new garage that will hopefully get built someday.

 

[vrinner]

Update...got my cabinets in today.

 

[JonnyMac]

Looking good...
Time to get going on the floor... take a look at the flooring section of the forum. It totally transforms a garage.

 

[brownbadger]

Where did you get the cabinets? Who makes them? I like the look.

 

[vrinner]

Where did you get the cabinets? Who makes them? I like the look.

Pacific Panel Products in Irwindale, CA
Their truck said Pacific Garage Systems
Website pacificpanel.com

They are very nice. I was thinking metal cabinets but really like the cherry wood look. Now I need to paint the garage, put in the drop ceiling and I'm thinking of doing the floor.

 

[vrinner]

Oh...also...I told my wife the cutout was for a refrigerator but it does make a nice spot to put the engine hoist!