If you enjoy doing DIY projects then the garage is probably an important place for you. Not everyone has a dedicated workshop in their home and most homeowners rely on extra space in the garage to do everything from fixing toys to building their dream car. With so many different projects that require different tools and materials, it can be hard to maintain order in the garage.
When you most need something you can never find it and when you go buy a new one, you find it in plain sight. Luckily, there are a lot of things you can do to make your garage much more functional and have a better workspace. If your garage has been sitting empty for a while, here are a few tips to help you make some good use of this space.
Door and Gate
When you’re driving home on a rainy night or are nice and comfortable on a hot day with the AC on in the car, the last thing you want to do is to go out and open the garage door. Luckily, automating this task is cheaper than ever and it barely takes a day’s worth of work to complete the job. All you need is an automatic garage door system and you can install it yourself. The main thing to watch out for when buying one is the type of door you have. Some garages have roll-up doors while others slide to the side.
The kind of system you need to get should function with that particular style and size of the door. You can easily link this to your mobile phone or have a dedicated device. Next time you approach the garage door you can open, close, and even lock it with a touch of a button.
Insulation
Most people think that insulation is only needed in areas with extreme temperatures. While it definitely is extremely effective in this type of climate, it is just as useful for people who live in areas with moderate temperatures throughout the year. One of the main advantages of insulation is that you will protect your vehicle and all other items in your garage from extreme temperatures. This is necessary if you store things like paint or varnish as they are flammable.
Insulation will also help in sound-deadening the garage. If you are using power tools and doing noisy work, this will help keep the people in your house and your neighbors quite a bit more comfortable. Insulation will also protect the structure of the garage from the elements and prevent natural problems such as termites, fungus, and mold. This can drastically increase the service life of your garage. If you have a premade garage or shed, this is an upgrade worth looking into.
Storage
A common problem for homeowners is that they keep putting things in the garage and, over the course of a few years, it gets so full that they need a professional to help clean it all out and make sense of everything they have in there. A very easy solution is to customize it to your space according to the kind of things you have stored in your garage. For instance, if you have surfboards, then just making a few racks will help keep them out of the way and make it so much easier to access them when needed.
Similarly, if you have a lot of tools, rather than storing them in drawers, consider making a cabinet or even using an open wall to hang them all. This will make it easier to find things when you need them and will also help you use the space more efficiently.
Lighting
Garages rarely have big windows so having good lighting is important. If you use your garage for a lot of handy work then you can get some custom lighting for the workbench you use or any other areas where you spend a lot of time. Rather than having to go outside to do things, you can comfortably do them indoors. You can get lighting for all kinds of purposes. You can even use artificial light to grow plants and make a part of your garage a greenhouse. The best option would be to get some kind of LED light. These produce a lot of lumens, use very little electricity, and don’t produce much heat at all.
Flooring
With so many things happening in the garage, the floor is bound to get dirty. Regular flooring can be very difficult to clean. Even regular dirt and debris from the car, the odd splash of paint, and things like glue can be impossible to get off. A much better solution is to get good-quality garage flooring.
This can be water-proof, oil-proof, slip-resistant, or have many other properties depending on your specific needs. However, even a basic garage flooring will be a much better option than regular cement flooring. It’s a lot safer, lasts much longer, and is much easier to maintain.
Power
With all your lights and tools ready in the garage, you need some power to get everything going. Rather than using extension cables and having wires all over the place, consider installing some permanent power plugs.
Depending on the kind of machinery you are using, you might want to use large, high-power plugs or you could have regular power sockets for your work. Having power plugs in handy places for example on top of the workbench helps simplify your workflow and makes things a lot safer.
If you don’t already have a workbench, this could be your next project. You can easily build a fantastic quality workbench with some basic tools and some good quality lumber. Wood is the perfect choice if you use a lot of electric machinery as it’s much safer than any kind of steel. Moreover, it’s very easy to make a wooden bench whereas for a metal bench you will need to weld parts and use all kinds of machinery.
Making a better garage is not just about how nice it looks but also how well it performs. Having a better workspace will make all your DIY projects much more enjoyable, safer, and quicker. This is a one-time investment that will easily last you several years if you do it right the first time around.