Garage Remodel

[hvymtl939]

So, thought I would share why I haven't been on the water for a few weeks.

Kiddo #2 arrives in January, so I've been busting around the house trying to get things ready. Currently the house is 3 bedroom, 2 bath. Since our guest bedroom will soon become a nursery, we plan on converting the unfinished basement into a mother-in-law suite of sorts. Bathroom, bedroom, kitchenette, etc.

Our house is a side-side split, so there are stairs going down from the kitchen to the garage, and then from the garage to the basement. Since you have to go through the garage to get to the basement, we didn't want it to feel like you are leaving part of the living space, so we decided to tackle it first. I've also always wanted a halfway functional shop, so this kills two birds with one stone.

The garage was mostly finished when we moved in, with drywall, AC, and a natural gas heater. However, the previous owner built his own shelves everywhere that were 100% function, and 0% form. Tearing them out was the first step.

Here's how it looked when we started. Don't judge too much for what a mess it was in there.

And the pile of stuff that came down. Ended up pitching about half of it. (Don't tell the wife!)

 

[hvymtl939]

Once all the junk and tools and junk tools were off the shelves, the started to come down.

Just about a million and change holes to be filled.

Dang near enough plywood to rebuild a glass boat came down.

Once the shelves were down, and the holes filled, paint went on. Main color is Shewinn Williams "Cotton White".

Corner with our gas heater.

And paint work done. Trim is Sherwinn Williams "Outerspace"

 

[hvymtl939]

After much debate on what we wanted to do with the floors, we decided on an acid stain, sealer, and high gloss wax. This should allow for a floor that is easy to clean, looks amazing, and is super durable. We ended up ordering a kit from Concrete Camouflage. Nothing but excellent things to say about their products and customer service so far. First step was to degrease.

Went to harbor freight for the first round of supplies since I'm a peasant.

This part was extra fun

Once the kit came in, we did a test spot in an area that will be covered by cabinets. I wanted to test a section of floor that was pretty badly stained, to just how much more prep work was needed.

After several final cleanings with Trisodium Phosphate and a thorough rinising, it was time to stain. We masked the walls and got down to business.

We decided to go with two colors. Turqouise, with Saddle as the accent. Goal was to end up with something that looks like patina-ed copper.

We sprayed saddle all around the perimeter, and then the first coat of turquoise. It really soaked in, as was to be expected on such an old floor (house was built in 58).

After the first coat was dry enough to walk on, we sprayed turquoise and saddle simultaneously to blend them.

 

[hvymtl939]

After two coats, I emailed my contact at Concrete Camouflage back to see how to proceed, since we still had some stain left. He recommended we neutralize and rinse the floor, see what we have, and then reapply if needed. So that's what we did.

Phone camera doesn't do the colors justice at all. They're much richer and less transparent in person.

A dried spot

After the floor dried, we decided to touch up in a few areas. Then we rinsed and neutralized again.

Once that dried fully, we started applying sealer. First coat went on last night.

I applied the second coat of sealer this morning before work.

Next step will be the wax and new cabinets and counters. My folks are in the process of remodeling their whole house, so this weekend, my son and I will drive down to Wichita to get their hand-me downs. I'll update once more progress is made.

 

[sphelps]

Looks good !
I tried my hand at acid stain on an outdoor kitchen counter top . Turned out great and not really that hard to do .

 

[aspeck]

Looks awesome! Love the floor! May I ask how much you have spent on the floor and how many sq Ft? We want to do something like this to our fire station, but are concerned about the cost.

 

[hvymtl939]

Looks good !
I tried my hand at acid stain on an outdoor kitchen counter top . Turned out great and not really that hard to do .

Thanks! Toughest thing has been finding where to put everything in the mean time, since there is a lot of sitting around waiting for chemical reactions to happen.

Looks awesome! Love the floor! May I ask how much you have spent on the floor and how many sq Ft? We want to do something like this to our fire station, but are concerned about the cost.

Thank you. It's 505 sq ft. Right now, I'm at about $.65 a sq/ft. If you have more of the supplies than I did, it would probably be closer to $.50. I had to buy several brushes, brooms, and sprayers that I didn't previously have.

 

[hvymtl939]

Sealer is all cured now.

Tonight, the boy and I head to go get the cabinets and counters, and the misses will apply the high gloss wax. End is halfway in sight!!

 

[hvymtl939]

This weekend was productive, but served to remind me why I'm a desk jockey and not a general contractor. Good lord I am sore!

Got to my folks' house on Friday afternoon, and immediately started on tear down. This is what we were facing. They have kept their kitchen in great shape, even though it is dated. Their remodel will look nice, and the hand me downs will look great in the garage.

By mid Saturday morning, we had everything torn down and into the garage. Mom looks unsure.

Started loading the uhaul I rented to get everything back. I really need to buy a trailer. It would give my Expedition the pickup capabilities it lacks right now.

Saturday afternoon, once we were back from Wichita, we started reassembly. I had to cut the countertop just to the left of the dishwasher, but we were able to splice pieces back together with ease.

And how it looked as of last night. Still have a million things to do, but I smile every time I open the door and look into the garage.

 

[aspeck]

Sweet! Don't you love it when a plan comes together????

 

[hvymtl939]

Sweet! Don't you love it when a plan comes together????

It's certainly getting there. Have lots of little things to do. Kickplate trim, wiring, etc. Been chipping away at it every night after work.

 

[hvymtl939]

So, still have a few odds and ends to wrap up (touch up painting, figure out what to do with the stairs, build a mobile tool cart for the last piece of counter), but it's finally looking the way I want it to in there. Cars were gross and wet, so I'll wash them this evening so they can be back inside. Thanks for tagging along on this one!!

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Very nice and neat job there. Save these pics because in a few years that garage is going to be full of toys and bikes and other kids stuff, not the bikes with a V twin the pedal type.

 

[hvymtl939]

Very nice and neat job there. Save these pics because in a few years that garage is going to be full of toys and bikes and other kids stuff, not the bikes with a V twin the pedal type.

Haha! We'll see about that. Kiddo's mustang is already in the corner. Luckily, we have a big shed for a lot of those outside toys. I say that now though....

 

[Old Ironmaker]

In My former life with a former life we had a 3 car garage. I think the 2 cars were parked in it once. My bike was buried in the corner and it eventually looked like one of those places on the TV show Hoarders. No idea where all that junk came from and shudder to think how much it all cost. You and your wife have really done a great job there. The jury is still out as far as acid washing goes. My kid brother did his HVAC business shop in it and for what it cost him and the labour I might have tiled over the concrete. Wouldn't it be a boring world though if we all liked the same things.

 

[hvymtl939]

In My former life with a former life we had a 3 car garage. I think the 2 cars were parked in it once. My bike was buried in the corner and it eventually looked like one of those places on the TV show Hoarders. No idea where all that junk came from and shudder to think how much it all cost. You and your wife have really done a great job there. The jury is still out as far as acid washing goes. My kid brother did his HVAC business shop in it and for what it cost him and the labour I might have tiled over the concrete. Wouldn't it be a boring world though if we all liked the same things.

Yeah, I can see it being cost prohibitive if you hired it done. Since I did everything myself, my cost came out about $.70 per sq ft. Couldn't tile for that.