Homeowners Brent Becker and Shelby Mitchell both lead busy lives, so cleaning and organizing their overcrowded garage wasn’t at the top of their to-do list. To remedy the situation, we helped them out with a top to bottom garage makeover.
To organize a garage, start by taking everything in it out and divide the contents into piles to keep, donate, and throw away.
Garage Floor Covering
To improve the look and function of the garage floor, we installed interlocking, PVC floor tiles made from 100% recycled materials from Norsk. The raised diamond pattern on the tiles is both slip resistant and easy on the feet.
The 18”x 18” tiles are 1/4” thick and can be cut to fit with a utility knife. They’re easy to install by hammering the interlocking joints together with a rubber mallet.
Storage Container Rack
Plastic storage containers are great for organizing small items, but stacking the containers can make it difficult to find what you need. To solve that problem, we built a rack with a 2×4 frame and 1×2 cleats to allow the containers to slide in and out for easy access.
To take advantage of a hard to access alcove in the garage, a large drawer with 1×4 sides and a plywood bottom was constructed. Casters on the bottom and a handle and legs on one end allow the drawer to side in and out easily.
Watch our video on Simple Garage Storage Solutions for other tips on how to organize storage in your garage.
A Wagner high volume, low pressure (HVLP) paint sprayer made fast work of finishing the storage rack and sliding drawer.
Watch this video on Paint Spray Guns to find out more about the options available for spray painting.
Other Storage Additions
Closet rod brackets, with foam pipe insulation used for padding, work great as wall mounted bike racks. Watch our video on Installing Bike Ceiling Hooks to find out about another way to store bikes in your garage.
To keep all the inflatable pool floats organized and out of the way, a fishing net was attached to 1x2s and hung from the ceiling over the garage door by hooks.
A store bought rack was mounted on the wall for garden tools. Watch our Tool Storage Rack video to see how to make a DIY rack for your gardening tools.
To make washing the family pet a snap, a Booster Bath doggie bathtub was installed along one wall of the garage.
Garage Door Openers
When replacing your garage door opener, consider one that has a screw drive for smooth, quiet operation. The Genie TriloG 1500 garage door opener has a 140-volt DC motor to provide plenty of power to open quickly.
A lock button on the wall provides added security, as does a close confirm feature on the remote which lets you know if the door failed to close.
A wireless access keypad can be mounted on the wall outside for easy access without need for a remote control. An optional battery backup allows you to open and close the door during power outages.
Watch our video on Garage Door Openers to find out more.
Other Tips from This Episode
Simple Solutions with Joe Truini:
Wrench Organizing Tip
A rock climber’s carabiner is great for keeping wrenches organized. Simply open the carabiner, slide the closed end of the wrenches on, and close it. Hang the carabiner in your workshop, or clip it to a belt loop to keep your wrenches handy. (Watch Video)
Best New Products with Jodi Marks:
NeverWet Outdoor Fabric Spray
NeverWet Outdoor Fabric Spray from Rust-Oleum is a one-step, water-repelling treatment for outdoor fabrics. The clear formula won’t change the appearance of fabrics. NeverWet Outdoor Fabric Spray is available at The Home Depot. (Watch Video)
Ask Danny Lipford:
Preventing Slippery Wood Steps
To improve traction on slippery wood steps, clean them thoroughly with a deck cleaner or brightener. For even more traction, attach peel-and-stick abrasive strips to the front of each tread or spray an anti-slip coating, such as Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield Anti-Slip spray. (Watch Video)
Comments are closed.