Garage Makeover
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Feeling a little cluttered?
Looking for a “new you”?
Does life seem just a bit…unorganized?
Bikes, bins, boxes, and a relative bottomless pit of shoes!
That was how I felt navigating through the clutter of our garage before heading out to work each day.
Then I decided to take control of my life!
If this sounds a bit cheesy, like an infomercial, then the tone of this blog has been correctly established.
The best part is that you don’t have to make three easy payments or sign up for a trial period for anything! This post offers some helpful tips to declutter and take back your garage.
Read on for my research and experiences with how to reclaim your throne atop a well-organized garage storage kingdom.
It’s all about spacing on the floor!
I’m not talking about running the Phil Jackson Triangle Offense, though it was quite effective for Phil’s Bulls and Lakers championship teams.
Creating space on the floor refers to the storage solutions needed to get items off the ground and properly stored, utilizing wall, ceiling, and cabinet space.
The Mighty Slat Wall
Next time you go to the mall and walk past Foot Locker, notice how many shoes they have prominently displayed with perfect spacing. You can choose from hundreds of shoes to try on, yet the actual footprint (pun intended) of those display shoes is relegated to an 8” protrusion from the wall. This is the power of the slat wall.
Slat walls are offered by several brands and in materials such as wood, PVC and aluminum. They have a plethora of accessories designed to facilitate your storage needs.
One can hire an installer, but I found the installation of a slat wall to be an easy enough DIY task.
I installed the Proslat Slat Wall system after reading up on several brands. Install was a breeze, the quality is high, and several third party companies make accessories for the Proslat system.
from the Proslat website. I have not owned a pair of Rollerblades (in-line skates) since 1997.
What you’ll need:
stud finder
drill
screwdriver
level
painters tape
jigsaw or multitool
sheers
The jigsaw, multitools, and shears are needed for custom sizing and installation. You will find some excellent installation videos on the Proslat website.
Overhead Storage & Bins
“Where did he go, Grandpa?”
“He’s above our heads, Charlie, in a million pieces!”
This was the line from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” when “Mike Teavee” was digitized, broadcasted, and turned into a smaller version of himself. What a nasty young boy!
Think about your “stuff,” like Mike Teavee. Compartmentalize it and store it above your head, but utilize overhead storage racks!
When you make this purchase, also consider picking up several of the same size and brand of bins for consistency. It’ll give you a nice, clean, streamlined look.
For installation, please refer to the slat wall needs, as the mounting instructions are similar. You will want an extra hand to install these, so be ready to order some pizza and beer for your teammate!
Cabinets
There’s a reason that bathrooms have “medicine cabinets.” Sure, it’s to “store your medicine.” I believe the real reason is to “hide” your medicine. You don’t want your guests to see that questionable cream, ointment, or back hair trimmer. So, you store it behind a cabinet.
Garage cabinets serve the same purpose. Hide away items that cause clutter. Stow the particulars that you want to avoid getting dust, dirt, and debris caked on.
Similar to the mighty slat wall, these can mount on the wall. Cabinets may also be free-standing or even come on wheels. There are all types of cabinet styles. Similar to stereo systems (see Sonos vs. Home Theater Receiver) you can customize and spend as much money on these as your budget will allow.
Polyaspartic Flooring
Now that you have created spacing on the floor, you’re going to see a lot more of it. It would be nice to look down on something clean, durable, and slip-resistant, like a nice polyaspartic-coated floor.
Polyaspartic-coated floors offer benefits over DIY “paint and fleck poly” systems that you’ll find at big-box home improvement stores. You will need to hire a pro installer for this one, as there is floor prep needed for correct application.
I priced it out with several contractors and found the local going rate to come out to $4.50 per square foot, though this number was negotiable as some contractors were willing to shave a little off of that. Be sure to ask!
These floors sure look beautiful in the garage. When professionally installed,, the floors typically come with a warranty against chipping, bubbling, and peeling.
Do you feel inspired yet?
If so, then you should check out one of my favorite books that I like to gift new home owners:
The Home Edit is a fantastic manual for creating clean, decluttered, and efficient spaces. It’s quite the new home gift that will surely come in hand for people who appreciate organization
Now, doesn’t that feel better?
Step out of your home and into a clean domain each and every morning, following the above 4 tips. To riff on George Zimmerman’s (founder of Men’s Warehouse) famous quote:
“You’re going to like the way your garage looks, I guarantee it!”
https://www.garagefloorcoating.com/polyurea-polyaspartic/
