Need some Garage Help...

I'm in the process of building a new house, and I want to make my Viper space a bit special. I was thinking of two things, black and white checkerboard flooring, and a lift.

Does anyone know what type of flooring would work best, and where I can get it? Same for the lift.

Thanks in advance.

I can't help you on the flooring but I just bought a lift 2 weeks ago. It is a perfect park 7000. I like it because it has center pull cables and larger posts, making it very stable. I was just out moving cars around a little while ago. Let me know if you want any info on it. I would be glad to help.

Steve,

I hear the spray on stuff is pretty good. It supposedly can handle a lot of weight. Only problem is, most companies don't have straight black or straight white. It's kind of a speckled color. Black and white checkered is definitely kicka$$. Another option is painting the floor, but you have to be careful of the type of concrete paint you pick. Some will attach to the tire rubber and peel off.

Hey Ulysses,

I painted the garage I have now, and I won't make that mistake again I'm going to leave whatever I do to a professional this time.

I'm not sure if the vinyl tiles will hold up to the abuse or not. I think the black and white checkerboard will look pretty cool.

Weren't you looking at building a place as well? If you do I can give you more pointers than I ever cared to know.

I built my dream garage (1000 sq ft w/10' ceiling)about ten years ago. I used the Sherwin Williams 2-part epoxy paint. It was difficult to apply, however, it has performed well. It still cleans up and looks like new. It wears like steel. If you are interested, I get you the series name/#. Use a light colored oil based paint everywhere else in the garage.

A few tips, you can't get it to bright, lumens, lumens lumens. Paint the inside of the garage door a light color, except for the lower panel. A darker color hides the dirt. I don't know your heat source, but, the gas fired infra-red units by Enerco (Mr Heater) are perfect for a garage. I have a 25,000 btu unit in my insulated garage.

Use stainless plug strips for the full length of any work benches. A couple of ceiling mounted cord reels with a work light/receptacle make life easy. It is cost effective to place a small panelboard in the garage - you'll need 4-6 circuits to feed the branch circuits within the garage. A 30A/240 volt outlet is a must for a welder.

Hot & cold water are nice. Utilize windows that can open. An absolute must is a floor drain, minimum of (2) 12" openings and a 4"-6" dia pipe. Also install commercial type gasketing on the overhead door.

I don't like a post in the entry to a garage. If that entry is load bearing, typically, they put in a post. Go to a steel header beam, you can eliminate the post and reducer header height if needed.

If the garage is large you will probably have some form of structural beam (usually wood) running the length or width of the garage, make it steel and it is easy to weld an attachment for a chain hoist. Most residential contractors are not comfortable with the steel beams - force them, you will always gain ceiling height.

If the house has a basement, a door into the basement is nice. One final suggestion, I installed 14 gauge aluminum sheets 3 ft high around the entire perimeter of the garage. This makes it easy to hose down and never requires any cleaning or painting.

You gotta love it. Most people have dream houses. We have dream garages. LOL

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Performin Norman:
You gotta love it. Most people have dream houses. We have dream garages. LOL

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LOL aint it the truth!

I have a 4 bay garage and went with the 2 part epxoy paint. I was worried that black and white tile would not hold up well to the salty slush deposited during the winter months here in Chicago. I've had it on for 6 mos now and it looks as good as new. It's all in the preparation. A friend of mine ( I played a minor role) spend 4 evenings power washing and acid etching (20 gals) the concrete floor. It's very easy to care of if you get a janitorial grade, double edge, long handled squeegee. Like you I wanted some black and white checks somewhere in the garage, so I painted the back of the 4 garage doors.

Norm & Chuck:
It gets worse, I've got an apartment, a few clothes, an empty fridge, and a twin bed with no bedrails (because I'm paying off my college student loans as fast as possible), but I'm making sure I save enough to afford the viper payment each month.

Hopefully I can start eating once the loans are gone in the next few months

I painted my garage floor and installed a heater.

Floor Paint
I used the same paint they use on the inside of super tankers - ICI Devoe Industrial Coatings (from ICI Paints World Group), as follows:

(1) Muriatic acid to etch the surface.

(2) Pre-Prime 167 Penetrating Sealer

(3) Devran 224HS High Build Epoxy Coating (mixed with fine silica sand for traction)

(4) Devthane 369 Aliphatic Urethane Gloss Enamel

Some tips: Don't do this yourself. It took a professional painter 15 hours to do the whole thing. He had to wear a gas mask the fumes were so bad. Also - it took about 7-10 days from the start of the process to the point of being able to drive on it. Unlimited number of colors - sorry, black and white checker would be impossible to do with this stuff - it's very thick and sticky. Looks great once it dries. Total cost with labor was $1,620 for 600 sq. ft.

I have driven the Viper on the paint on 100 degree days after a long drive with no paint pickup from the tires. Turning the wheels on it has no effect. This stuff is nearly indestructable, except for sharp objects digging through the paint coatings.

Another option: I have a neighbor who does the two part epoxy paint himself (the stuff you get at the hardware store). It works fine, but he has to redo it every 2-3 years as it starts to peel up. The painting company said this "supertanker" stuff will last 15-20 years, maybe longer.

Heater
I didn't want to cut a hole in my garage roof for ventilation so I went with a vent-free space heater from Rinnai Corporation. It has a 24,000 btu rating (using natural gas). Sits on a shelf and is only 23"W x 18"H x 8"D. I added an overhead fan in the middle of the garage to move the heat around a little more. Fan can also be used to cool in the summer.