Porcelain tile in the man cave

Pay2play · Sep 30, 2016

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Pay2play · Sep 30, 2016

I need your help with the garage door now. What are people doing to dress them up? It's standing out in a blah way to me. The wood needs trim and I'm thinking of a more neutral paint color than bright white. Hinges too? Give me your ideas!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Cave Creek Ray · Sep 30, 2016

Looks great!

Hopefully, the doors aren't power coated. You might be able to get by painting them with some house paint like you used already if you key up the white paint first. My paint company out here has an oil based paint specifically for metal or metal primers that sticks pretty well. You could paint the lower sections to match the galvanized by shooting them aluminum. Not sure about the best aluminum paints though.

Yeah... you say no Miata's now!!!

TONE · Sep 30, 2016

If budget isn't an issue I would get rid of the opener and get a liftmaster. Looks so clean with one installed. As for the trim, I would think white paint would tie it in with your garage.

If you want to get nuts you can get all the hinges and rails powdercoated.

machsnell · Sep 30, 2016

I am getting the lift master 8500 on my doors. I believe I have the same overhead door Co type doors you have. I haven't put them up but I just have the hinges drilled in to thin steel of the doors. I was thinking about adding strapping to and tying together all the sections of doors

I don't know on the trim it looked like raw hardiplank from pics on phone. I see now.

Looks great. And good to hear grout is relatively flush. I am getting closer and closer to tile.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

wasfast · Oct 1, 2016

The unpainted boards around the garage door don't qualify as "trim" IMO. I'd paint them the same navy blue/gray as the wall color to make them blend in.

There are pre-painted (not sure if they're powder coated) garage rails. I'm also not a fan of the universal angle that is commonly used for supports. I replaced mine with 1 x 1" steel, painted white to match the ceiling, and lagged them into the trusses w/some blocking. They disappear and have less visual clutter.

You may also want to change the emergency pull rope. Theves can use what is effectively a large slim-jim from the outside, going through the top edge of the door and pulling the rope to gain access. May not be a concern where you live but food for thought.

wasfast · Oct 1, 2016

Some have cringed at the tile cost. It's important to understand there's a sliding scale of cost depending on the exact tile you choose. Most of the porcelain floor tiles you see at the home stores are not "through body" or "through color" tiles. That doesn't mean they're not adequate for a home garage, just that in a severe case of a large object chipping the tile, you could have the core color of the tile showing.

Commercial grade, through body/color tiles are definitely more expensive and the very best. However, many home shops just don't need that level of durability. Completely depends on the use of the garage and the care of the user.

Cave Creek Ray · Oct 1, 2016

The Liftmaster 8500 ROCKS!

I bought two off Amazon for $550 and they are pretty easy to install. One big super-dooper-caveat though: Be careful mounting the opener to the torque tube. Getting the clamp on the opener is easy because its machined steel and at the recommended 14 foot/lb torque, it holds on fine. The problem is the other side that clamps on the torque tube. Some torque tubes crush even at that low torque. Try torquing them to 10 ft/lbs and see if it holds on. Mine wobble slightly as they open and I have a plan to fix that turning some joiners on a lathe.

For guys who don't know what we are talking about, this is opener mounts on your torque tube next to your garage door. This requires you have power available in that area, which most garages do not have. Its definitely worth the hassle of getting power there though. SUPER QUIET operation! And no opener box and rail over your door. I can see a power outlet right near this location on the left side of the door. It would be cake to install a cut-in box above that outlet and run power up for the opener!

They open up your garage and relieve clutter...

I wired both of mine in to one box I ran from an outlet near the floor...

Bad pic but, the lighting module is radio controlled. I put in LEDs despite the warning for "RF interference" but they work great and blind the camera. That leaves another plug for a pull-down extension cord!

Its just such a clean and elegant solution. Plus, the DC motors have a 5-year warranty. Stout designs!

Dakota00 · Oct 1, 2016

^^^ no issues with the LED lights staying on? I'm having this problem intermittently, when using the opener. Have no choice but to switch back to standard bulbs.

Cave Creek Ray · Oct 1, 2016

Now that you mention it, the last week I have noticed one of the lights on when I go out! It also won't switch off until after I walk through the sensors. In a couple minutes, it clicks off. I'll try swapping out the bulbs!

Other than that, the units are awesome!

Pay2play · Oct 2, 2016

Cave Creek Ray said:
Looks great!

Hopefully, the doors aren't power coated. You might be able to get by painting them with some house paint like you used already if you key up the white paint first. My paint company out here has an oil based paint specifically for metal or metal primers that sticks pretty well. You could paint the lower sections to match the galvanized by shooting them aluminum. Not sure about the best aluminum paints though.

Yeah... you say no Miata's now!!!

Well, my daughter and I were in an accident yesterday. A young lady pulled out in front of us while I was driving my truck. Airbags went off and a lot of front end damage. Out of respect, I won't post pics of her car. I hope she will be ok. She was in a 90's Camaro. She is lucky to be alive. No Miatas ever for my little girl. She'll be driving a tank. My truck is most likely totaled. Sorry if this is so somber. But I have a fresh perspective on small vehicles. [emoji15]

Pay2play · Oct 2, 2016

wasfast said:
The unpainted boards around the garage door don't qualify as "trim" IMO. I'd paint them the same navy blue/gray as the wall color to make them blend in.

There are pre-painted (not sure if they're powder coated) garage rails. I'm also not a fan of the universal angle that is commonly used for supports. I replaced mine with 1 x 1" steel, painted white to match the ceiling, and lagged them into the trusses w/some blocking. They disappear and have less visual clutter.

You may also want to change the emergency pull rope. Theves can use what is effectively a large slim-jim from the outside, going through the top edge of the door and pulling the rope to gain access. May not be a concern where you live but food for thought.

The door frames that are unpainted were 2x's laminated with ply in between. They are rough and need some 1x to make it look better. I like the idea of painting that "trim" with the wall color though. Thanks

Pay2play · Oct 2, 2016

machsnell said:
I am getting the lift master 8500 on my doors. I believe I have the same overhead door Co type doors you have. I haven't put them up but I just have the hinges drilled in to thin steel of the doors. I was thinking about adding strapping to and tying together all the sections of doors

I don't know on the trim it looked like raw hardiplank from pics on phone. I see now.

Looks great. And good to hear grout is relatively flush. I am getting closer and closer to tile.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

The 8500 looks like a great door opener option. I'll give that some consideration to clean things up.

Cave Creek Ray · Oct 2, 2016

An inescapable truth in life: mass times velocity.

Good to hear you are both OK. Trucks are replaceable. You both are not.

That will be a good lesson for her. You can doing everything right on the road and then someone else does something stupid.

Before my daughter got her license, she was out with the pastor's daughter who was 16. She called us 10 minutes after leaving the driveway asking her mom to come pick her up. They had been involved in an accident. A lady made a left turn and hit them head-on. Sodium azide burns on her face were the only injuries. The driver was pinned in the car when the dash collapsed on her legs. They cut her away and except for a minor crack in her lower leg, she too was fine. Great lesson for both. It sure coulda been a lot worse.

My daughter has been driving for over 16 years now with no accidents.

Ray

Pay2play · Oct 3, 2016

Cave Creek Ray said:
An inescapable truth in life: mass times velocity.

Good to hear you are both OK. Trucks are replaceable. You both are not.

That will be a good lesson for her. You can doing everything right on the road and then someone else does something stupid.

Before my daughter got her license, she was out with the pastor's daughter who was 16. She called us 10 minutes after leaving the driveway asking her mom to come pick her up. They had been involved in an accident. A lady made a left turn and hit them head-on. Sodium azide burns on her face were the only injuries. The driver was pinned in the car when the dash collapsed on her legs. They cut her away and except for a minor crack in her lower leg, she too was fine. Great lesson for both. It sure coulda been a lot worse.

My daughter has been driving for over 16 years now with no accidents.

Ray

No doubt. Now looking for the next truck. Didn't plan to spend so much this year. Puts a damper on my hopes to have cabinets and counter tops built. Floor was grouted today. It's officially done. I'll post pics when I have things moved back into place.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Pay2play · Oct 4, 2016

Here are pics of the finished floor. I hope it encourages others to follow with tile. I'm confident with the durability and you can't beat the good looks with an infinite variety of choices.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

wasfast · Oct 5, 2016

Awesome!

Cave Creek Ray · Oct 5, 2016

Absolutely awesome.

You'll be proud of that garage for the rest of your life.

Congratulations -and thanks for sharing.

Ray

TTA579 · Oct 6, 2016

It looks amazing.

Oceandweller · Oct 6, 2016

Thank you for your posts and love the way it turned out, it looks tan and yet blue depending on the view. I was originally leaning towards a white epoxy but after looking at a 600+ price tag I am now thinking of trying to take my time and find some porcelain on sale. I priced the job today doing it myself at 2,200 for 2.50$ SF and its not bad. HD sells some feaux old wood epoxy tiles that look like the old stuff you'd see in older garages at 2.50SF. I really think porcelain is the way to go over epoxy, because its so easy if you have repairs just get a box of extra tiles vs setting epoxy etc and then there is no worry. I mean there are tiled structures that have been around thousands of years...

Angelfire · Oct 6, 2016

Oceandweller said:
Thank you for your posts and love the way it turned out, it looks tan and yet blue depending on the view. I was originally leaning towards a white epoxy but after looking at a 600+ price tag I am now thinking of trying to take my time and find some porcelain on sale. I priced the job today doing it myself at 2,200 for 2.50$ SF and its not bad. HD sells some feaux old wood epoxy tiles that look like the old stuff you'd see in older garages at 2.50SF. I really think porcelain is the way to go over epoxy, because its so easy if you have repairs just get a box of extra tiles vs setting epoxy etc and then there is no worry. I mean there are tiled structures that have been around thousands of years...

Lowes and HD often have "clearance" sales on their porcelain particularly when the new colors are enroute. I would think you can do a lot better than $2.50/sf if you are patient. Another place to keep an eye on is builddirect.com. They have some top quality tile and if patient, can get a killer deal. I found the tile I wanted from them and waited several months until one day, bam, it showed up on clearance. This was $3+ tile and with shipping I got it for around $1.20. Of course I wasn't in a hurry for it as I hadn't finished building my garage but I went ahead and grabbed it. PEI 5, Good wet CoF, Through Body, Rectified.....didn't have to think twice!
Cheers.

-Brent- · Oct 6, 2016

They did a great job on the tile. It looks like a place people will enjoy hanging out.

I haven't put my 8500 up, yet but pulling down my overhead mounted opener made a big difference in the way the space looks.

Pay2play · Oct 6, 2016

Night pics. First wash inside for the mustang. It was really dirty from sitting out for two weeks plus. Another pic of the new to me truck replacement.