Garage Makeover Time

[Toyarzee]

I want to install garage flooring, paint walls and ceiling, service the garage doors, and install ceiling shop lights. I've been pricing things out and trying to figure out the best approach, so I'm wondering what you guys have done.

I was originally leaning toward epoxy floor, but I have some moisture in the concrete and I have limited time to leave all cars parked outside of garage. Then I looked at interlocking tiles and I'm seeing quotes for a 3-car garage ranging from $1,500 to $2k, and even still some of the manufacturers say not to use jack stands or a floor jack; this is not an option as I'm only updating the garage to make it easier to work in. Any thoughts?

[Gunman]

I put up a total of 8 4ft led shop lights, 9 if you count the one on the workbench. It's a large 3 car garage.

I looked into epoxy, and snap together tile, and since I'm the second owner, and the floor has already had oil leak on it, I dropped the epoxy idea. Snap together tile is just too much money, and the fact you can't use jack stands on it is a no go, so I just left it alone.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Gunman

I put up a total of 8 4ft led shop lights, 9 if you count the one on the workbench. It's a large 3 car garage.

I looked into epoxy, and snap together tile, and since I'm the second owner, and the floor has already had oil leak on it, I dropped the epoxy idea. Snap together tile is just too much money, and the fact you can't use jack stands on it is a no go, so I just left it alone.

You can epoxy over old oil. Etch with a light muriatic acid solution and use a quality epoxy and all will be fine. we have it on the plant floor and it stands up just fine even with 40 years worth of oil soaked into the concrete. Success is all in the prep.

[ls1ac]

There are several types of floor coating today. If the floor has moisture in it you can use a two part water based epoxy. the secret of good adhesion is clean clean clean. most of the better brands include a citric acid cleaner, but muriatic acid is the best to start with. The "professional" two part epoxy is the toughest, but the most difficult to apply. It will require a "dry" surface. A dehumidifier for about a week will usually do the trick after several cleanings.
It sounds like you have a double whammy with a damp floor and nowhere to store the junk in the garage. After cleaning you could try a one part water based product but still you need time to cure.

[Gunman]

Agreed, but I didn't have the time to do a proper prep. At my current, and previous employer, both had to have professionally installed epoxy coating repaired, due to lifting, and that was on new concrete. Based on that, I didn't think my amateur sort time frame prep would be sufficient, lol.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Gunman

Agreed, but I didn't have the time to do a proper prep. At my current, and previous employer, both had to have professionally installed epoxy coating repaired, due to lifting, and that was on new concrete. Based on that, I didn't think my amateur sort time frame prep would be sufficient, lol.

New concrete is always an issue with coatings.

[humfrz]

I've painted concrete garage floors in garages in California (3), Connecticut, Missouri and Washington. I've used various epoxy compounds with varying degrees of success.

Would I do it again? NO! It's just a concrete floor in a garage, it ain't the floor of your living room (most of the time).

As far as lighting, I suggest you install enough lights so as you don't trip over things. If you want to see what you're working on, get one of those head band light things, hang it on a nail by the garage door, put it on before you start a project, thatta way the light will always be where you are looking -


humfrz

[DarkPira7e]

Don't go so crazy with overhead lighting that you cast pitch black shadows. Keep lighting balanced, nothing is worse than trying to work with 20,000 lumens slamming down on an open hood and making the engine a black pit.

If you don't have a lift, you definitely shouldn't put something shiny and smooth as a surface that will be support the stands your car will be pressing down on. I'd instead invest money in some ventilation. It sucks, but a floor is a floor. The only people with really nice floors either don't work on them, or have been cleaning them religiously since they were new concrete.

[soundman98]

i can help with lighting

i have a small 2-car garage, with 5 of these. 3 evenly spaced across the center(2 just inside the garage door track, 1 in the middle), installed front-to-back, and the last 2 go side-to-side across the front and back of the garage

https://www.menards.com/main/lightin...779726&ipos=12

and then i have have 1 of these installed over the top of the workbench in the back corner

https://www.menards.com/main/lightin...7905442&ipos=1

finally, i strapped that same workbench light to a hand truck, and use it as a vertical light to get proper detailing light on the sides of the car.

[Gunman]

This is how my garage lights look. I also have a trouble light on the ceiling of the single car bay, and one on the wall of the double bay.

2 pairs of led lights in the double bay (4 total). 1 pair in the single bay (2 total). 1 in the "room" in front of the single bay, by the water heater, and storage, and another single in the entry way to the house. And a single on the work bench.

[ls1ac]

I work on old English sports cars a lot so cleaning up oil is a regular process. The coated floors are great.
New floors and old oil stained floors are very hard to clean properly.
Just because you pay someone called a professional it still may not be right.


I use a lot of task lighting. I figure where I will be doing the most work and make sure I have light over both shoulders. Even then a head light is some times needed.
In one shop I have indirect lighting and still found I still want it to be brighter.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by soundman98

i can help with lighting

finally, i strapped that same workbench light to a hand truck, and use it as a vertical light to get proper detailing light on the sides of the car.

]

That's cute - the color of your hand truck matches the color of your car -

I commend you on getting all that stuff in your garage and still enough room for a car(s) -


humfrz

[Sapphireho]

Originally Posted by Gunman

This is how my garage lights look. I also have a trouble light on the ceiling of the single car bay, and one on the wall of the double bay.

2 pairs of led lights in the double bay (4 total). 1 pair in the single bay (2 total). 1 in the "room" in front of the single bay, by the water heater, and storage, and another single in the entry way to the house. And a single on the work bench.

What's with the giant roll of toilet paper?

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by humfrz

That's cute - the color of your hand truck matches the color of your car -

I commend you on getting all that stuff in your garage and still enough room for a car(s) -

the hand truck was entirely unintentional

the trick is to ALWAYS pull the vehicles into the garage. as long as there's a car there, stuff can't take over the area.

if i let it go for more then a weekend project, the cars start losing their parking spots.