Finishing the Garage, Ideas Please

[Philpug]

Let us learn from your mistakes. We are getting a shed and much of our "outdoor tools" will be going there. In the meantime, we (as in "me") want to finish the garage. The walls are all sheet rocked but rough, so they will take a lot of work to get them ready for a smooth finish, so I am thinking of some sort of texture, maybe a knockdown, but not sure. Garage is a three car adn we use it for all three cars. I plan on keeping the bindings up top but I do want to put the cup hooks that I am using in some sort on molding for fear that a binding will pull out and bounce onto one of the cars, specifically the Miata. The workbench will expand to an L shape with table sander, router and Foredom for a bootfitting station. I will get some more pics when we get home but the main question at this point, what is the least expensive and easiest way to finish the walls?

 

[scott43]

Meh..it's a garage..do your best tape and mud and just paint it. Any kind of surface is going to be work as well, if you spray and knock it down it's still work. And those kinds of things you may live to regret..like stucco ceilings..

 

[UGASkiDawg]

Build a nice Boodles and tonic, lay on the couch with remote and watch ski videos, repeat until the desire to do anything decorative to a place you park cars and tune skis goes away, far away. Mmmmmmmm....gin

 

[Scruffy]

Meh..it's a garage..do your best tape and mud and just paint it. Any kind of surface is going to be work as well, if you spray and knock it down it's still work. And those kinds of things you may live to regret..like stucco ceilings..

Right. Don't do anything that you'll regret later ( popcorn ceiling .) Just paint it. You can always mud it better later (over the paint) if you want to convert it to a more livable space, but as a garage, you'll probably ding the walls anyways if it's sheetrock. It looks like, from that picture, you have some curl on a taped edge. Just make sure that any taped seem is at least mudded so it's edge not curling before you paint. Then later you can mud it smooth if you want.

 

[JeffB]

but the main question at this point, what is the least expensive and easiest way to finish the walls?

View attachment 13458

Depending on overhead height, 4x8 sheets of 1/4 inch plywood or even cheaper underlayment. Use 1/2 inch by 2 inch poplar to cover the vertical seams between sheets for a more finished look. Use bead board ply if you want to get fancy. Put cup hooks and light fasteners wherever you want within reason unless you've got a ton of weight. Paint the whole thing with white primer and Bobs your Uncle.

 

[scott43]

Just saying..for me..I prefer an eggshell or semi-gloss finish just because it's easy to wipe down in the event you spray something on it by accident..it's garage after all..and if you get goop in it and it's fairly sealed/glossy, you can quickly wipe and save it. If it's flat or primer it kinda just stains and is ick forever. Think bathroom.. If you have a good floor, I'd also epoxy it. I suppose that's optional..but I hate bare concrete floors..always dusty.

 

[Uncle-A]

Use stain killer paint like KILZ it can be cleaned easy and if you use the oil base type it is mold resistant. The prep is less important in the garage. I would make sure the lighting was very good and a lot of electrical out outlets all around not only by the work bench. If you can get a hold of some upper kitchen type cabinets and mount them on the wall extra storage helps. A fridge and a microwave would be a nice addition.

PS. As far as the wall holding the bindings at the top, if the length of the hook is long enough to pass through the sheetrock there should be a double layer 2X4 horizontal at the top of the wall.so you have wood to screw the hook into for 3 inches down from the ceiling.

 

[Philpug]

OK, Clean up the tape and paint. OK, we have a 5 gallon compressor, is that strong enough to use for a paint gun? As far as color, I am thinking a light gray.

We have a freezer out there. Lots of electric already. Shelving and cabinets are set.

 

[KingGrump]

Agree with @scott43 on keeping it simple. Looks like a pro job on one coat of fire taping. Fix any loose tape and put couple of tight coats of compound on top. Make sure to feather the edges to eliminate sanding. Scrape the high spots on the compound between coats to keep the dust down. Thin the compound for the 3rd coat to allow feather edging to zero. Two buckets of compound, couple of 6" tape knives and a inside tool and you are good to go. To minimize dust, use a damp sponge mop to wipe the final coat rather than sanding.

I see the GWB paper face has turned yellow with age. Use a stain hiding sealer/primer like Kilz or Bin to kkep the stain from bleeding through the finish paint. BTW, Kilz is a primer/sealer and will not qualify as a finish paint.

 

[cantunamunch]

White for the ceiling - grey ceilings are very depressing and put some PVA in the paint.


BTW skip trowel mudding doesn't take sanding

 

[crgildart]

Plexy glass garage door windows so the paper boy quits smashing them..

 

[cantunamunch]

Another thought -the plexi windows reminded me- how long do you keep the door open on any given day and how far does the sun shine in? Might want a UV resistant paint there.

 

[KingGrump]

Phil, you just jumped in front of me. Best bet is to rent a airless sprayer that you can park a 5 gal bucket of paint underneath. Roll on the primer/sealer coat. The primer sealer will have to either oil base (Kilz) or alcohol base (Bin) to control the stain. The finish coats can be sprayed on. With a good gun, one coat is all you need. I would back roll it so it can be touched up later.

Interior latex Flat white ceiling to hide the imperfections from the oblique lighting.
Interior latex eggshell paint on wall to allow cleaning. Pick a bright cheerful color so it doesn't look like a cave. .

 

[KingGrump]

Plexy glass garage door windows so the paper boy quits smashing them..

I believe the paper boys went extinct around the same time as the dodo birds.

 

[Philpug]

Plexy glass garage door windows so the paper boy quits smashing them..

I believe the paper boys went extinct around the same time as the dodo birds.

Don't worry @crgildart, I got the reference.

BTW, Leo's? Awesome, best BBQ sauce I ever had..by leaps and bounds.

 

[cantunamunch]

I believe the paper boys went extinct around the same time as the dodo birds.

Some tribes lasted a bit longer than that - they used the coastal migration route and hunted the wooly Pokemon into extinction.

 

[Philpug]

The paperboy is a Better Off Dead reference...LOL.

 

[cantunamunch]

I volleyed it as a video game allusion and managed to work in an xkcd reference.

 

[Lorenzzo]

You could take a look at my garage for ideas.

 

[Philpug]

I will have to do that.

You could take a look at my garage for ideas.