Finishing the Garage..

N

Nitax

New member
Hey guys I have a 20x20 2 car detatched garage that needs to be finished... My plans are as follows feel free to chime in'



1. Fiberglass Insulation in the bare studs (what R Value?) New England Brrr...



2. Drywall, I've seen it done and it doesnt seem too hard but is there a special kind I should use aside from the interior home stuff?



3. New Insulated garge doors probably Lowe's and the I-Drive door openers:-) Have Lowes install them



4. Ucoatit for the floor or the Sherman Williams 2 part epoxy.



5. Currently have 2 overhead light bulbs but want to put some rows of florescent lights will the wiring that is there be fine to rewire into say 4 8' lights on each side?



Basicly its a blank canvas It was built about 23 years ago and I want to make it comfortable to work in year round. I plan on running a phone line out there and getting some heating setup.



I am more mechanical than handy so I want to see if you guys have any recommendations, I plan on doing it all myself with the exception of the garage doors or should I tackle that too?:)
 
No...thats concrete board....Greenboard looks just like drywall, except the paper backing is green and not grey.



As far as R value....as HIGH as you can get in the space you have.



Do alittle research on the drywall.....putting it up isnt too hard, but taping, mudding, etc., can be time consuming and aggracvating to a beginner.
 
You could get a cordless phone and save having to install a phone line to the garage, mine even works whenI am at the bottom of the garden mowing the lawn!



And you can never have too many power points,what about installing one near the floor for when you are needing power to do something under the car?
 
Here's what I did in my garage...



Cable

Phone

Natural Gas for the heat

r13 fiberglass insulation in the walls (not the boards, get the glass)

r38 in the ceiling! Oh yeah its warm in there!

Epoxy coated floors. Stuff cleans up great

Greenboard on the lower walls, regular sheetrock on the upper.

Barn lights in the ceiling.

Spray textured the ceiling (just like the inside of your house!

Outdoor latex paint for the walls.

Hmmmm... I think thats it. :)
 
Thanks guys you confirmed alot of the ideas I had and clarified what I was unsure of now I just need some nice weather to get the project started!



Zack
 
Mr Concours said:
.... can never have too many power points,what about installing one near the floor for when you are needing power to do something under the car?
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bab ,bad idea. Imagine hosing out the garage, water splashes up 3' onto the outlet and you are toasted. I would keep all outlets up 5' (check code)



latex out door paint?

bad idea IMHO...water/condensation gets inbetween the studs in the insulation. Outside is water proof, inside is now water proof (exterior paint) so your paint bubbles up.

I would do 2 coats of Killz (sp?) primer followed by 2 coats of an egshell/flat indoor paint



keep all drywall at least 6" off the floor (again, the water thing), mabey a 2x6 pressure treated "base moulding" of some sort.



don't get too crazy just adding in lights/ outlets keep a tab of the amps you adding on to the system. (A liscensed electrician) may need to add a new circuit at the breaker box.



I would suggest against floor paint, look at some of the concrete stains they sell
 
We dont ever wash our cars in the garage over here in England with the exception of some car dealerships who have a wet bay permenantly set up with a steam cleaner, but even then they are few and far between.

It doesnt really get cold enough to warrant washing a car inside the garage, but I can appreciate the need in the northern U.S States/Canada.
 
chaotik said:
As far as R value....as HIGH as you can get in the space you have.
Click to expand...



I agree in part, but with the insulated door and walls, it's a package deal. If you go R35 on the walls with an R4 door, you've still got an R4 door. (Not even sure if they make something as low as R4.)



Now, if the exterior of the garage is brick, and will be heated by the sun during the day, I say get as high as possible, because the brick has a heat capacity which will work against you. A heat sink like that exterior to your insulation is really unfortunate thermodynamically, but fashion dictates such.



"Not all combinations make sense." - Software instructions :D
 
use plenty of switches. Every job seems to need more or less lights on. I have two seperate entrance doors so I have a 3 way switch by both doors for one set of lights. Use seperate switches to turn on as many or little lights that you need. Put a seperate light over workbench and another over tool box with their own switch. Using a ceiling fan,plan on a speed control for that. I also on overkill have a switch on my garage door opener so i can kill that circuit if a car is half in and half out in case kids or wife hit door opener in house. I have outlets at 5 ft high every 6 ft, looks like a lot but it helps. Putting in stereo or tv or small refrigerator or microwave?, plan outlets for them ahead. Need 220 for compressor now or later? Planning like you are doing is the right way to go, thinking way ahead to future use is the hard part. Good Luck
 
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