The Money Pit
Home Improvement Tips & Podcasts
Converting Garage to Workshop: Tips to Create Space for More Than Your Car
Money Pit Team asks,
I’m self-employed and with the economy being tight, I’m spending a lot more time at home and thinking converting my garage to a workshop that I’d use to tackle projects from car repair to woodworking. In reviewing the floor options, I’m trying to decide between adding a locking floor tile or painting it. Any suggestions?
Garages have become the recreational focal point of the home. They are being transformed into exercise rooms, children’s play areas, and attractive workspaces. There are a number of garage-ready floor tile products out there, designed typically to lock together like puzzle pieces and float over the concrete floor. While these are good looking and functional, they are costly and may not be the easiest of keeping clean as their textured surfaces easily hold dirt.
Painting is an easy way out but there may be a third option, which is to apply a 2-part garage floor epoxy. These colored protective coatings allow homeowners to turn a gray, lifeless, stained or cracked concrete garage floor into an attractive, granite-like surface that brings new life to the garage area.
I wonder about painting the floor withou doing the hard work of preparing the surface? When I started the same project last year the instructions from BEHR were to use two different products they manufacture until the floor was ready. The hardest job was to try and remove all the white residue that was brought out be they cleaners and deposited on top of the concrete.
I never could do that, even with help from BEHR's technical service people. Finanally, it began to get to cold to continue the work. When it came time to sell the house in the spring, I just left the floor as is. More of a disappointment to me than the new owner. My real estate agent said forget it and concentrate on the importan parts of the house, including the kitchen and fresh paint all around.
That garage would have been beautiful too, but it seems to be a guy thing.