Every man envisions himself as just a little bit of Batman, making his garage the equivalent of the Batcave! But are clutter, oil stains and cracked concrete mocking you like third-rate villains every time you pull into your garage? Holy garage makeover, Batman! It doesn’t have to be this way! Done by professionals or DIYed, a garage makeover can create not only a great place to park your prized ride or grocery getter, but it can also create a true extension of your home.
Deal With the Clutter
Are you really going to make a planter out of that broken toilet? Your kid is 20 — he no longer needs that car seat collecting cobwebs on a shelf. Before you start a garage makeover, take it out. Take it all out. It’s something Andrew Bernard of Hello Garage of South Atlanta asks homeowners to do first. He says, “It helps them prioritize what they need and helps them decide where they’re going to put what they want to keep.”
With the clutter gone, it’s time to plan where the keepers will stay. Storage options include cabinets, shelving, overhead storage, slat walls, organizational hooks, and bike racks that can create a place for everything. Hello Garage has design gurus who help homeowners plan it on paper first. “It’s a collaborative process to figure out what that organization would look like,” Bernard said.
Upgrade the Walls
Just because a garage is utilitarian doesn’t mean it can’t be attractive. Adding some fresh color to the walls is a no-brainer, especially if you want your garage to double as a game room, hobby, exercise or gathering space. Coordinate the color with the rest of your home or create a unique space with a character all its own. Oil-based paints offer superior durability, but cleanup is a hassle. Latex paints offer ease of use and although the higher sheens of eggshell or semi-gloss are more apt to show surface imperfections, they are more resistant to scuffs and are easier to wipe off. Also, consider a mildewcide additive if your garage is prone to moisture issues.
Focus on the Floor
Of course, the most prominent garage surface is the one that takes the most abuse — the floor. The best choices offer beauty that takes a beating. One option is polished concrete, which involves grinding the concrete to a high-gloss shine. This usually requires a contractor and floors with lots of imperfections may not be a good candidate. Attractive and durable, concrete can still be stained by oil and other chemicals.
Epoxy coatings are another popular garage floor choice. Available through professional contractors and as DIY kits, easy-to-clean epoxy is available in many color choices but is prone to peeling after a few years.
Hello Garage of South Atlanta offers another option — polyaspartic garage floor coating. The same material that’s used for truck bed liners, polyaspartic coating goes into the concrete’s pores. The process includes grinding the concrete, repairing cracks, and grinding it again to create a smooth, flat surface. “We can put a lifetime guarantee on it because it's not going to crack, chip from hot tire pickup, or degrade over time because it actually becomes part of the concrete,” Bernard said. Easy to clean, polyaspartic stands up to leaks and spills and can be spot repaired if damaged by battery acid. Hello Garage offers polyaspartic coating in eight color options including cookies and cream, marshmallow cream, and the most popular, chocolate chip; a mid-range gray with white, black and gray flecks.
Enjoy The Results
Depending on size and options, garage makeovers can run $3,000 and up, but can also increase home value. And although you may not end up with a space as impressive as the Bat Cave, your improved garage will be more usable for storage, activities and even parties. Bernard adds, “It’s a space in their home they’ve never been able to use before.”
