New to Forum - Intro and Pics

[fehrc]

Hello all. I'm new to the forum and am looking forward to discovering more things I can do to my garage. I've been working on mine now for about a year (from excavation to pour the pad to where it's at today). I am doing everything myself so it's taking more time then normal.

I've attached some pics and listed below are some of the things I appreciate about my garage...

- FRP panelling around entire perimiter of garage - caulked top and bottom. This ensure no problems with water when washing the garage, etc.

- Soft water (from water softener) for spot free washing.

- Custom cabinets with matching FRP panelling. Complete with towel rack to hang rags, built in towel dispenser and built in type set drawers (2) for storage of all kinds of hardware - great for all that extra hardware you accumulate from mods!

- Custom counter top - used one piece of belting from a industrial belting company. This is the best counter top I've ever had. You can abuse it and it won't get damaged and you can throw stuff on it (tools, chrome parts, etc) and they won't get scrathed.

- Proper lighting and power. I have a separate panel with 8 circuits for both 110 and 220 power. Also have lots of outlets (6 duplex above bench and 2 duplex on each side of wall and 2 duplex on ceiling). For lighting I have 2 dual 8' flourescents above bench, 2 dual 8' flourescents along side walls and 1 dual 8' along center of garage.

- Security system from ADT including door sensors, heat sensor and window break.

- Wired for telephone, high speed internet, cable/satellite TV, and speakers connections.

- Ran gas into garage for heater and also wired in thermostat.

- Attic hatch with attic area boarded off for extra storage. This is very handy. All I wish I would have done is put a light up there.

- Last, but not least, vinyl composite tile flooring. This was the icing on the cake as it truly finished off the garage.

Things left to do...at least what I can think of for now...

- Install TV mount and hook up TV

- Install and hook up gas heater

- Move out the bar fridge (don't have much need for it now with it being winter)

- Add some more custom shelving to match the black and white theme

- Misc painting around overhead doors

As mentioned earlier, I've done everything myself except for pour the concrete pad, install the shingles, soffit, facia and eaves, and install the tile floor. Absultely everything else was done myself, inside and out.

BTW, that's my pride and joy - my very heavily modified 2003 V-Rod - under the cover.

 

[Luckydevil]

Welcome.

Nice garage and bikes!

 

[Runum]

Welcome. NICE garage.

 

[REFLEXX]

Very nice!


Isn't that floor slippery when HD motor oil drips on it?



REFLEXX

 

[Chris]

Very nice garage...and bikes...I liked the box with the screws

 

[ChucksCrib]

I dig the use of the two Califonia Job Cases

 

[bje31]

Nice

Nice Garage...what floor tile did you use ?
Nice V-Rod...if the bike ever develops a leak, use any Yamaha clothing for cleaning rags.

 

[autoist]

Little things interest me...I like the drawer for the miscellaneous fasteners!

 

[fehrc]

Very nice!


Isn't that floor slippery when HD motor oil drips on it?



REFLEXX

You've had a HD before, haven't you.

 

[fehrc]

Thanks for all the compliments, I appreciate it.

Those type-set drawers are a great find and are extremely handy. I would definitely recommend them if you can find them.

The flooring is vinyl composite tile. I've only had it in for about 5 months but so far it's holding up fairly well. I've washed it a couple of times and it looks okay, however to get that original sheen back it needs another waxing.

 

[joecaver]

Wow that looks very very nice. The black trim looks awesome and I love the screw drawer.

 

[fehrc]

Thanks, all the black casing around the window and doors are hand made from poplar - no MDF in this garage

 

[thammel]

One comment on the soft water for spot-free washing. I have a softener (I use potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride) and do NOT get spot free washing. In fact, there's more of a residue left than with hard water, so I'm planning on running a non-softened line to my outside spigots. Comments?

Tom

 

[fehrc]

Hmm...I use potassium chloride salt as well (Sifto) and don't get the residue you talk about. Are you able to adjust your water softener? This might help. I know that when I bought my house it didn't have a water softener so I can compare with and without. Without a softener I had all kinds of hard water spots - mind you, we have very hard water with lots of iron where I am.

 

[MXtras]

NIce stuff, for sure!

Scott

 

[fehrc]

I dig the use of the two Califonia Job Cases

You mean these?

I too like them - I use one for storage of oil, cleaners, etc and the other to store all my bike gear. They are very handy...just wish they were black

 

[erok01]

Looks like that cabinet is the perfect canidate for a custom paint job! I got a freebe white fridge I'm going to try that appliance paint you buy at HD.

Nice garage, I love the theme!

 

[gerry]

NICE! Do you ever do any work in there? Much too pretty to spoil with stuff like oil and welding

 

[fehrc]

Looks like that cabinet is the perfect canidate for a custom paint job! I got a freebe white fridge I'm going to try that appliance paint you buy at HD.

Nice garage, I love the theme!

Good point, I should call my painter I use for my bikes. I don't know why I never thought of that!

 

[fehrc]

NICE! Do you ever do any work in there? Much too pretty to spoil with stuff like oil and welding

No major work. It's more a place for me to work on my bikes or clean them. Most of my work on my bikes is on my V-Rod and the work is primarily cosmetic mods with a few mechanical as well.

Trust me though, it still gets dirty. It's a full time job keeping it clean

 

[wythors]

Very nice garage Craig! I love the attention to detail.

Why do so many people assume that having a nice, clean garage precludes doing any work in it? Once it's clean and organized, keeping it that way is pretty simple: Just put everything back when you're done, sweep and wipe everything down.

 

[fehrc]

Thanks wythors. You're right, preventive maintenance (regular cleaning) is much easier!

 

[snorvet]

awesome!

 

[PaPaPie]

Nice job, it looks like you have thought this project out very well. The FRP is an excellent idea. Taking a year to do all that work is not that bad, assuming you have a regular job. I like the bikes, does the SH112 license plate mean anything ?

 

[The Hot Rod Grille]

Very nice indeed!


Jim
The Hot Rod Grille Garage

 

[fehrc]

Nice job, it looks like you have thought this project out very well. The FRP is an excellent idea. Taking a year to do all that work is not that bad, assuming you have a regular job. I like the bikes, does the SH112 license plate mean anything ?

Nope, it doesn't mean anything...but the KROMD plate on the V-Rod of course means Chromed.

A year just seems like a long time when you spend every evening and weekend doing the work...because yes, I do have a regular job, unfortunately.

Thanks for all the feedback and compliments guys, I appreciate it!

 

[86swb]

Very nice garage. I see you have a water hose in there. With the tiles on the floor I would think you could not hose off the floor. Or can you? Would the tiles come loose with water? I would like to put tiles like that in the garage I will be building someday but not sure about getting water on the tiles? I have a buddy who just painted on black and white tiles. He takes the hose and washes the floor off and has a drain in floor. What type of scooters (sp) are those?

 

[fehrc]

Very nice garage. I see you have a water hose in there. With the tiles on the floor I would think you could not hose off the floor. Or can you? Would the tiles come loose with water? I would like to put tiles like that in the garage I will be building someday but not sure about getting water on the tiles? I have a buddy who just painted on black and white tiles. He takes the hose and washes the floor off and has a drain in floor. What type of scooters (sp) are those?

Thanks! I was told there would be no problems with using water on these tiles. However, on this subject, these tiles are not supposed to hold up well to the elements...meaning, be careful how far out you extend your tile under your overhead doors. The cold will eventually cause the tile to lift. Water on it's own, in the garage, is no problem. I also went to the effort though of ensuring no water would get between the wall and the tile by caulking everything.

The scooter is a Yamaha Vino 125, the Kawi is a Nomad and the HD is a V-Rod.

 

[nvrlift]

Having been through many coutnertops that I have not been 100% staisfied with (stainless, formica, wood, etc.) - I'd love to know more about your countertop. Is that just a rubber belt that is like 24" wide? that is what it looks like, and that is an interesting surface idea for durability, but also for the "softness" it would also provide as you mentioned for chrome, etc.

Overall, great garage, and congrats on doing all the work yourself. I am in the middle of my major overhaul now, and it does take time when you have a full time job during the days! But feels good to know what you have completed. Looks great.

 

[86swb]

Really nice garage you have there. What type of wax are you using? The black trim goes great with the tiles. Nice job.

 

[fehrc]

Having been through many coutnertops that I have not been 100% staisfied with (stainless, formica, wood, etc.) - I'd love to know more about your countertop. Is that just a rubber belt that is like 24" wide? that is what it looks like, and that is an interesting surface idea for durability, but also for the "softness" it would also provide as you mentioned for chrome, etc.

Overall, great garage, and congrats on doing all the work yourself. I am in the middle of my major overhaul now, and it does take time when you have a full time job during the days! But feels good to know what you have completed. Looks great.

Sorry for the late reply.

I must say I am 100% satisfied with this countertop. I am not sure what kind of belting it is, however I do know that the underside is rubber and the top side is more of a belting material. I went to an industrial belting company here in Calgary (BC Belting) and told them I wanted a large piece of belting and this is what they had available for left-overs. The piece they gave me was 5 ft wide and about 50 ft long. I still have a lot of it left and therefore use it to cover the top of my metal cabinets, etc. It really is durable (stain resistant, tough, etc) but yet it is great for protecting stuff you put on it from scratches, etc.

Thanks for the comments as well. BTW, if you're interested in the exact type of belting it is I can contact BC Belting to get some more info on it. Just let me know.

 

[fehrc]

Really nice garage you have there. What type of wax are you using? The black trim goes great with the tiles. Nice job.

Thanks!

All the products I used I got from Chemfax (http://www.chemfaxproducts.com/about.asp)

Here's what I used:
Stripper - Quick Strip
Neutralizer - Power Solv
Sealer - Proteck All
Wax - Triumph

I did all the finishing myself and as a result I sure learned a lot about what works and doesn't work in terms of finishing methods. They recommended I use a silky mop to apply the sealer and wax, however I found this was absolutely useless! It left all kinds of "water spots" on the floor. So, after having to rent a power polisher to buff out the spots I ended up using a wet sponge to apply the sealer and wax and then a dry sponge to go over it immediately afterwards to pick up the excess. It was a bit of a tidious exercise however the results were excellent!

If you have any other questions just let me know.

 

[muddy]

I'll just add to the list of those nodding in approval......very nice attention to detail. I also agree that a nice, clean shop is not a deterrent from getting work done but a way to allow for effective working.........
Granted my last shop wasn't quite that detailed, it was pretty nice and lots of race cars got built in there. At times it didn't look too clean but if you don't let it get too far out of hand it's not hard to bring it back to a level you can be proud of........ nice garage........ Keith