Starting garage remodel

[shaladdin]

Hi all, after lurking for some time, I feel I'm finally ready to begin a major (to me) remodel of my garage. Right now, I have a pretty standard issue 17.5ft x 19.5ft x 10ft (L/W/H) concrete floor, drywall finished garage. My plan is to paint the walls and ceiling black (or near it), tile the floor, add a lift, add some better overhead lighting, and install some much needed cabinetry. I also have a reach goal to knock out the back wall that's shared with my office and replace it with a glass pane to open up the space.

I've modeled the whole project and decided on vendors for all the parts. I'm not too worried about my ability to do it all, but I am a little anxious about my ability to do it right, particularly painting, lighting, and knocking the back wall. I was originally planning to roll on all the paint, but it seems a combination of spray + back rolling is more appropriate. I've never sprayed a wall before and I'm worried about creating a blotchy look against the dark color. I've never actually painted anything more complicated than a bathroom and I'm curious if there's even a chance I'll do a good job being so new at it?

On the lighting, based off the tech specs, the lights should pull ~1050W at 120V. My understanding is that your typical wall plug is capable of 1.8kW so there shouldn't be any worry there. Am I over simplifying it?

As for the back wall, I have floor plans for all wiring, HVAC, and stud locations; I also don't plan to relocate any support beams, but given I'm not a contractor, I'm guessing the right call would be to outsource anything structurally related? I feel confident in the ability to install the glass panes, but less so about relocating studs. Any thoughts?

Finally, hoping to get any knee jerk reactions on the vendors I chose for the new hardware:
Lift: The Lift Superstore
Cabinets: New Age Bold 3.0
Tiles: Swisstrax
Paint and Epoxy: Behr
Lights: brandless (China-sourced) Amazon kit. I have a sample order to test.

I'll try to update this thread along the way in case this appears in some future search. Some renders below for fun. Also, if you have any ideas on other quality-of-life improvements "while I'm at it", I'd love to hear about them. For example, I think I'll install some ceiling-mounted retractable extension cords along the way...

Thanks for reading!

 

[kbuhagiar]

I will only say this; think twice about painting your walls and ceiling black (or any other dark color).

If you plan on doing any sort of detail work in your garage, you want the walls to be as reflective as possible (i.e. white or a very light color). Black walls are cool but not kind to light. And if your eyesight isn't failing yet...it will someday, and you'll be yearning for as much light as possible.

Otherwise, good luck!

 

[Mike65]

I agree with kbuhaglar I would not paint the interior any dark color. When we built our 24' x 25'x 10' metal garage we had it insulated with spray foam & then I painted it the brightest whit I could find, then installed 3 overhead & 2 ion each side wall LED lights. With all the lights on & the white paint it makes it very bright in the garage, even during the day. BTW what lift are you getting?

 

[shaladdin]

Thanks for the replies and good point. I'll start exploring some alternative colors. I was hoping to avoid white to lessen the visibility of scuffs and stains, but maybe black is too extreme.

@Mike65, I'm going with The Liftsuperstore's Quatro Stacker Wide Track (8klbs). It's the only solution that's wide enough for the green car and has low enough columns to not need garage door modification.

 

[landlord30]

I painted the first 4 feet up from the ground a dark gray to hide the rubs, scuffs etc. The rest of the walls and ceiling are white.

 

[rdoty]

Based on what other people here have done I went with dark grey on lower walls, a red/burgundy vinyl stripe for separation, light grey for upper walls and white for ceiling.



This picture was before everything went back into the workshop. Now you have trouble seeing the walls. And the floor...

 

[bdbecker]

Regarding the black paint... it's your space and your vision... if you want black walls and a black ceiling, go for it. Yes, you'll want a little more lighting to make up for the darker color, but it can absolutely be done (and will end up looking pretty cool).

When I was finishing out my ceiling, not only did I paint it black, I also used recessed lighting. If I would have asked for thoughts on those two ideas ahead of time here on GJ, I'd have a few dozen people telling me how bad of an idea it was. In the end, it turned out better than I imagined. I was really worried that it'd make the space feel smaller. If anything, it actually feels more open because the ceiling kind of fades away behind the lights, almost like standing under the stars at night.

Do some research an planning on how much light is appropriate for what you intend to do in your space. I think this was probably the biggest factor in making sure my shop doesn't feel like a dark cave.

I just used a roller to apply my paint. With a little practice, you can get a nice consistent finish. Even if the can says 'one coat', plan on doing two. You'll go through a lot of paint on the first coat, and it will take a lot of time. The second coat will require less paint and will go much more quickly.

As far as framing in the windows is concerned, it's actually not as difficult as you would imagine. There are a lot of resources and videos online on how to properly frame a wall for a new window, as well as how to temporarily support the structure while making your modifications. I wanted to add some windows above my workbench and was intimidated by the process, but it ended up going very smoothly.

Here's a pic of my window framing in process. The small hole was from the old window. You can catch a glimpse of the black ceiling in these photos as well...

Here it is all finished up with my bench back in place.

One thing to remember, you've got a great resource on this forum. Don't be afraid to ask questions, we're always happy to help each other out.

 

[kbuhagiar]

Based on what other people here have done I went with dark grey on lower walls, a red/burgundy vinyl stripe for separation, light grey for upper walls and white for ceiling.

That color combination looks real classy. Good compromise of style and substance. Nice choice.

 

[CraigStu]

I am a pretty firm believer in near white walls and ceiling. I say near because I was once in a garage w/ pure white. And I felt like I needed sun glasses. So mine are always a super light grey both walls and ceiling because I am too lazy to bother w/ a finely done color change at ceiling wall junction. Also question variations from gloss to flat. Flat shows less imperfections but gloss is easier to wipe off a stain. Personally I go w/ flat because it is easier to do a touchup to later. I wouldn't be concerned about your ability to do the paint. It will work out fine and worse case you buy an extra gallon or two for a redo of a wall. OTOH, it would be worth a walk through a couple of building supply stores to look at wall coverings. I recently walled off a corner in the basement for lockable storage. W/ the cost of paint in mind I found some 1/8inch thick paneling that worked out color wise. Used the little plastic strips at the joints and just stuck it to the wall w/ appropriate adhesive. I am pretty sure it took less time to put up the 4 sheets than priming and painting would have. On the back wall knock out, do you know what it is supporting? bdbecker's pics are of pretty standard construction. As a reference, I have a load bearing wall full length of the house in my basement. Where it differs is, 2x6 vs 2x4 studs. Double 2x6s under each end of the headers, and a maximum opening width of 6 ft. in the three openings in the 39 feet.

 

[shaladdin]

Thanks again for the replies. I've decided to go with a chalk board matte black rather than a jet gloss black. The lights came in and they are insanely bright, bordering on too bright, so I'm not worried about lighting at this point.

Happy to hear that knocking down the wall to replace with a window pane isn't the craziest thing in the world. First up is cleaning out the garage of all the post-covid clutter. I'll be sure to have some more questions once the wall is opened up and I find my first curve ball...

 

[shaladdin]

Quick update/question:

So, my garage walls match the interior of my home with that standard flat (eggshell?) white and orange peel texture. As mentioned earlier, I'm planning to go with an eggshell chalkboard black on the walls and ceiling but would like to do away with the orange peel and get a smooth surface instead. I've been reading up on how this is done and sounds like a sanding, skim coating, then sanding is needed. Does that sound right? If so, am I crazy for thinking this I can do this, and to the ceiling as well?

I know this might seem excessive, but given the time I spend in the garage, I'm more invested in it looking good than even my living room... And when the Mrs. asks what the hell I'm doing, I need someone else to blame for saying it was a good idea.

 

[rd65]

Matte black will show scuff/rub marks, go with satin.

 

[shaladdin]

Matte black will show scuff/rub marks, go with satin.

I hear you, My thought behind going a more semi-matte (eggshell) finish was to hide the orange peel, but if I can smooth out the wall then I'd certainly want to go satin for the reasons you described.

 

[racecougar]

Are we talking about a textured finish here, or just orange peel from a roller or gun application?

 

[shaladdin]

Are we talking about a textured finish here, or just orange peel from a roller or gun application?

I think roller or gun application? Looks like this:

 

[racecougar]

That looks like a heavy nap roller was used. Yes, it can be sanded, but it's a time-consuming, labor-intensive project.

 

[J-Man22]

My advice on the lift (and cabinets) is measure, measure, measure. I'm assuming you live in Ontario, and likely the GTA, if you are looking at purchasing from the Lift Superstore, and they certainly aren't generous with the size of garages they build. My garage is 6" larger than yours in all dimensions. I measured, created a layout that was to scale, and taped out where the columns would go so I could have an accurate picture of how much space the lift would take up. I purchased the Atlas EXT-L, which is wider like the one you are looking at, as well as longer. These lifts have quite a presence in a smaller garage. I have a single 16' wide door, and I am left with about 8' of space to pull a vehicle in between the side of the door and the columns. Also keep in mind that the power unit sticks out, and if you have another vehicle parked in there as you show in your rendering there won't be much space to walk between. You likely already realize this, but you won't be able to access the cabinets with a vehicle parked there. And another thing to consider is that if you back an SUV in like you show, with a car on the lift the platform of the lift likely won't be higher than the top of the SUV doors so you will be limited with how wide you can open the door before it hits the platform (and it's not much). If you will just be parking a vehicle in there occasionally in the winter it may not be a big deal for you, if you or the Mrs are parking in there daily it may become a pain. If you are looking for other lift options check out the Atlas lifts. They have a warehouse in Vaughan, but if I remember correctly if you buy directly from them you don't get any extras like the drip trays and caster kit. I purchased mine from a distributor and it came with drip trays, wheel chocks, caster kit, and jack tray included, and I believe it was cheaper than buying from Atlas directly even with all the extras. I purchased mine from a place in Omemee call Clarke's Southern Truck Parts, you can find them online. I picked mine up and set it up myself, but they do deal with a company that can deliver and set them up. The Atlas lifts are not ALI certified if that is something that is important to you, but their sister company Direct Lift does sell ALI certified lifts, but I don't think they have an extra wide lift. If you will always have a vehicle stored on the lift this is a moot point, but if there will be times when you have no vehicle on the lift for an extended period it is nice having an extra tall lift that you can raise above your head height, that way you can walk under the lift and get in a vehicle under the lift without hitting your head.

On the garage door, again measure, measure, measure. For my lift I could have installed it with the standard garage door tracks that came with the house as there was no interference with the columns, but with the lift in the air the garage door would have hit the vehicle as it went through it's travel (I have a lowered classic truck and the door would have hit the tailgate). Don't just measure with the door completely open, with a sectional garage door the middle of the sections cut through the arc while they open and close, if that makes any sense. I believe what I did was figure out how high the back of the truck would be when up on the lift, and attached a couple pieces of wood together to that height, held it where the back of the truck would be and ran the door through a couple cycles. It hit the wood with the standard garage door, so I went for the high lift. With a Mercedes AMG GT or a Corvette you may be fine, but again just be sure before you move forward. I had to get high lift tracks installed (tracks, springs, and drums but kept the same door), and I installed a wall mount garage door opener. Aside from needing the high lift door to install the lift, it's actually really great because it puts the door right at the ceiling, and opens up the ceiling area as there is no garage door opener and rail there anymore.

 

[duneslider]

I think roller or gun application? Looks like this:

That is orange peel and usually applied by a gun spraying drywall mud. It isn't super easy to sand off once painted. We have skimmed entire walls before with good results. I have seen guys roll on really wet drywall mud then hit it with a 3-4' wide knife to knock it down flat. Sort of like doing a Level 5 finish. Makes a pretty good flat surface for painting after it is sanded.

 

[shaladdin]

@J-Man22, Thank you for the advice and resources on the lift. I’ve done a fair bit of measuring but haven’t gone through building test pieces to confirm. I think I’ll do that this weekend. Luckily, I already have a side mounted opener and high lift track.

Also, such an amazing point about the suv door running into the tracks when the car is lifted. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. The SUV is used every day so that needs to be sorted out.

Sounds like I might have to stick with overhead cabinets only and position the body length ones at the garage corners to free up some room. Such a pain, but I’m determined to find an arrangement that works

 

[shaladdin]

That is orange peel and usually applied by a gun spraying drywall mud. It isn't super easy to sand off once painted. We have skimmed entire walls before with good results. I have seen guys roll on really wet drywall mud then hit it with a 3-4' wide knife to knock it down flat. Sort of like doing a Level 5 finish. Makes a pretty good flat surface for painting after it is sanded.

That’s what I’ve been seeing done in videos. I might give it a try on a test area where the cabinets will go and see if I can get the hang of it.

I’ve always wanted to learn how to skim a wall since I have it on my to-do to refinish my entry way with a joint compound faux Venetian plaster look. Learning in the garage seems like a good place to start

 

[nadogail]

When you practice skills in a garage and you find yourself somewhat lacking; you can remind your self that “It’s Just A Garage”.

 

[shaladdin]

When you practice skills in a garage and you find yourself somewhat lacking; you can remind your self that “It’s Just A Garage”.

But at the same time, the garage is my favorite room in the house haha