Color/ design my garage?

[James66g]

Hey guys I am redoing my 2 car garage and would like to make it somethin special I have a few ideas but I have been thinking about it so much I am getting mired down so I thought with all the photo shop artists online and the friday art show reset why not see what you guys think? I am gonna be putting a man sized air compressor (stand up kind) two 5 foot tool boxes a mac for automotive and a craftsman for the around the house stuff and a craftsman 6 foot work bench along with a freezer for the house and my dads old coke machine. along the wall (possibly the left were the kick out is ?). what I am looking for here is a color pallet I am in the process of prepping the floors to be stained not epoxy coated and my car is green tool boxes and coke machine are all red and black. so i did a sketch for ideas and here is a picture of the actual space!

Thanks in advance to anyone that takes up the challenge and I cant wait to see what you guys come up with ! I did a quick one at work but am not really stoked with it.

[abe lugo]

try garagejournal.com it like the HAMB only it about the garage

[carcrazyjohn]

If you plan on doing any work in there white is the color .If its a display im in favor of greens and tans.I used this paint scheme once ,I was painting the bedroom and ,I couldnt decide which color I liked ,So I painted 2 walls one color when you entered the room and the other color when you walk out of the room ,Originally i was gonna paint 2 focal walls ,I like what I did better.

[James66g]

I was gonna try garage journal but they dont have a lot of arty stuff goin on there and most of the guys paint dark color on bottom stripe then lighter color on top I was hoping for somthing differant!

[historynw]

Still working on my back garage but I did use a 6 inch plastic composite baseboard to keep water from messing up the walls. I wainscoted the lower half and plan on painting the top half of my walls. Nothing too fancy. The back wall is for shelves and work bench for crap collecting. Now if I can only get it done when it gets warm again.

[Rocket Scientist Chris]

Originally Posted by James66g

I did a quick one at work but am not really stoked with it.

I'm far from an interior designer, but I think you should start with a scaled floor plan of your garage. Make some little "footprints" of the fixtures you want in there. Plus, one for your car. Of course, you need to make a decision as to whether or not you'll want two cars in there. That'll make a big difference in the type of stuff you can have and where it can be placed to be functional. Remember, you need room to get drawers/doors open and be able to work on your car!

[Mark H]

For a working type garage(what other type is there!),I agree with carcrazyjohn.Has to be boring old white to reflect the light.I'd also paint the lower 4ft of the wall in gloss so any grease/oil splashes will wipe off easier.
Can't have too many power outlets either.Mount them above worktop height so they dont get damaged at floor level.Don't forget task lighting above your work bench.
I'd also try to mount storage cupboards on the wall as much as possible to free up floor space.
On the back wall,I'd paint a big ass HAMB logo!
Mark

P.S.
Don't forget a lockable metal cabinet for flamable/noxious substances.

[Jalopy Jim]

I painted mine: the ceiling, high gloss white, the walls safety yellow highway striping paint, and the tools hunter green. And the floor thats natural grease, welding, fibreglass, and overspray on concrete.

The highwayway striping paint is reasonable in price and withstands any thing but sharp edges.

jim h

[Hot Rods Ta Hell]

I agree on light colors and gloss for the lower walls.
If this will be a working garage, with a good sized car, parts and sub assy's (engine on a stand, stack of wheels/tires, etc.) and all the 'extras" you'll have a cramped garage real quick. Add a MIG welder, oxy/ac cart, floor jack, etc. and you'll be down some more floor space.

Look to move some of the "extras" into the house; the deep freezer to the laundry/pantry, Coke Machine to the rec or hobby room. Lose the chair and maybe look to move the noisy/hot compressor outside the garage into a lean to shed (if the neighbors aren't too close).
Don't forget to add a TV and stereo above the work bench!

[OLIVER BROS GARAGE]

I think you need to spend more time looking around at the garage journal. I spent quite a bit of time on there a few years back and there was a great amount of ideas including colors over there.

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

We do shops and garages for a business and this is NOT a business plug. Maybe we can just share some of our experiences with some general suggestions and things to think about....

* Forget Photoshop for now. Get a good grasp on the purpose of your garage and what you'll be doing out there. Work, storage, hanging out, etc.
* What do you need storage for? and What do you need workspaces for? What do you NOT need in the garage that you can store elsewhere, like a freezer maybe?
* Draw out a floor plan and place all of your items (storage, work, jacks, etc.) into the floor plan, including cars, and other stuff. Rationalize it until it makes logical sense.
* Get a roll of Blue Tape and tape it all out; the outlines of your things. Tape the wall outlines, the elevations, and footprints. Make sure the storage and work flow will actually work as you visualize your new shop. Make sure you can fit around your car(s) to work on them.
* Plan out your heat, electric, air, lights, etc. and make sure it works with the rest of the shop needs.
* Now you can play with Photoshop ......

Other hints:
* White for the ceilings, and a light pastel semi-gloss for the walls. There are a lot of forgiving light colors available. Add your own stuff to the walls; pictures, signs, memorabilia, shelves, or junk to personalize it.
* Floors - I am not a fan of the plastic floor tile materials. My shop is for hard work. If it is concrete at least seal it but make sure it is clean as a whistle; use muriatic acid. I like the industrial grade epoxy primers and top coats but they are a bit expensive, just don't use home owner grade stuff cause it's cheap. You will regret it. There are other, poly based materials that are also great. Do your homework cause every need and solution is different.
* Lighting - 8' florescent lights are the best bang for the buck. Light above your work, not behind you casting shadows.
* Electric - Forget the 15A stuff and got to 20A for all of your outlets. You got power tools to run.
* Heat and A/C are a must in New England. Make sure you have enough of each for your area. Nothing worse than being uncomfortable while you work.
* Entertainments - We have 4 speakers in the workshop an d4 in the office area and play the iPod on shuffle through an old stereo amp and Niles speaker selector. There is also a TV. With over 16,000 songs on the iPos we got the musci cranking all the time.

www.garagejournal.com is a good place to learn what others have done in their shops. It's not a how-to-design shop, it's members that offer up some really good knowledge.

I hope you find my comments helpful.

Good luck on your shop,
Joe

[James66g]

This is gonna be mostly a hangout garage I am at the point with my car were I am down to detail work and interior stereo I will be building other stuff but I have a two car cemented area on the side that will soon be set up as a working shop the attached to home garage will be for hanging out showcaseing the rides and light work no heavy body work or engine swapping in here that will be done on the side.

I agree with a few of you guys in moving the aircompressor outside and am looking into getting power out there

As for the freezer well its gotta stay in the garage for now at least.

Stereo...Hells yea! I am goping to build shelves and use my Dads beutifull wood cabinet sansui speakers he brought back from when he was in the Navy. wish I had the whole set up still but only the speakers have survived. i am also looking at a TV hooked to an old ps2 to pey my mad fabricator videos and stuff in the back ground.

I will only be parking my Galaxie in here and occaisionally the wifes scionxb I only named her rice ride so you would know just how tiny and boxy it is it barely takes up the room a motorcycle would !

[58Fridge100]

1) The cool thing about a garage to me is that you can get crazy with your ideas alot easier than inside the house.
2) Flames, skulls, posters, etc- have been done a million times.
30 "Pop" art looks mad cool in a garage/hangout environment

You can go with a painted floor- and experiment a little bit of you're so inclined. Most modern glossy concrete floor paints now are a two step process that requires a clearcoat on top. You can paint it the floor with a geometric pattern, or some really bold color like red, orange, or electric blue, and then clear over top of it.
Places like Mcmaster-Carr and grainger sell some really cool rubber mats- all different types and patterns for commercial applications that would contrast nicely with a boldly colored shiny floor- and help protect your "pretty" floor.


You could paint a mural on the wall- or even do a "mod" geometric pattern. This is a litte too effeminate or designy for some people, but i think it's cool. You could do a repetitive pattern with stencils- the same way that you would do a camouflage pattern.


You could also do a huge graphic- this is just an eyeball, but imagine a really cool photograph of a vintage rear engine dragster or something...



I personally think the TIKI thing is cool- and it also translates well to a graphic application. if it's graphic and simple, it's easy to duplicate as a stencil.

[58Fridge100]

kinda like this quick & dirty photochop....

[343w]

I've done several floors with epoxy while in the new car dealership business, it works well but is pricey! The most important issue with any product is prep, just as with metal prep before painting! Old floors need to be super clean no matter what finish is used. I'm a contracter and have had great success with concrete stains for the past 10 years, once the floor is cleaned and stained, it can be sealed with either epoxy clear, or an urethane product to provide a great long lasting, maintenance free floor. The stain I have used is "INCRETE", you can google that product to find the dealers in your area.

[McKee]

I'm partial to Aubergene and Chartreuse.

[69f100]

the colors look cool but I think the darker color on the botom looks better. we painted my sisters room lie that. black, a 8inch line of cardinal and then cirles and white on top and came out looking great and balanced. someone told us that you put the darker on bottom because then it dosent feel top heavy and make you feel short.

[James66g]

58fridge100 >> you sir are a ruler thats the kind of stuff suggestions i have been looking for! I have been thinking in the garage I would like a wall of original stuff done by artists I really dig weezner coop allison Norwell but I have also been thinking a mural on one side would just be awsome! I also like the graphics idea (I hate the show and wouldn't want ford gt ) but like the garage space in pimp my ride is kinda neat something similar but different colors/ car.

I love the red floor but with my green car I think it would start looking christmasy and that would be lame!

Thanks everyone and keep the ideas coming! I have a steam cleaner on the way and am talking with my concrete guy about different stains he is gonna bring me samples of reds and blacks and greens a mix of one color and black to make a dark marble kind of look?

Originally Posted by 58Fridge100

kinda like this quick & dirty photochop....

[James66g]

Here are some pics I took at galpin for those of you lucky enough to have never seen the show! neat dealer ship and great museum collection they have totally woth the stop!

[James66g]

SO I am still trying to get all the glue off my damned garage floor I have tried everything and nothing seems to get the job done I am pretty much about to throw my hands up and surrender! Well surrender to paying some guy to grind that shit out that is! I have been sketching some ideas and thought well at least I can post something. I am not really happy with the murals but it was an idea swirling around in my head so I tried to put it on paper still a work in progress. The Bear idea I got when a buddy and I were watching TV and saw this add for fatheads its like a vinyl sticker of football players but life size so I thought how awesome to have a bear skin rug but vinyl that looked hella realistic on the floor ? I dunno I thought it was funny.