I’ve read a few threads on stw about garages. I’ve got a garage for first time.
Is the main advice to paint all the walls white as soon as you move in? And what is that clip together floor that people say is good?
Another job will be security. Any alarms people will recommend and bike locks? The three bikes are stood up on their back wheel on bbb wall hooks.

Any advice would be welcome.

You either paint it now or never. That mostly applies to the floor but is still true for the walls. I lined mine with OSB so I can easily fix things anywhere. Didn’t do a soft floor as I do metalworking and the like. I’ve got WiFi and have a WiFi camera that will send me alerts. Handy if something happens while I’m in the house. Probably less useful if I’m away.

The best thing I’ve done so far is the lights. I don’t have a picture of the full ceiling but I painted it black and fitted 2 large LED panels and a small one at the front. They flood the place with soft even light so it’s well illuminated even though it’s not all white.

The OSB is now covered in tools.

I still really need some power as my only socket is in the totally wrong place.

But, yes. Anything you think you’d really like to have in the future, put the effort in now. You’ll never do it when it’s packed with junk.

Oh wow, think those pictures have inspired me to pull my finger out this summer and get my garage organised.

They look great. I’ve been left a massive tub of white paint. That’s going on tomorrow before I start accumulating stuff.
What did you use to board those walls?
I’ve got 3 strip lights at the minute but those LEDs look great.

I used 18mm OSB and cut them all down to size with a tenon saw. It took bloody ages! Hard graft but all the edges are bang on.

They’re attached to breeze blocks so I bought large 12×120 plugs and glued them in with No Nails before screwing the boards on the next day. I was making it up as I went along and was prepared to admit defeat and do it again but it worked out perfectly.

I just winged it with the bench. The floor isn’t perfectly flat so I realised if I measured all the legs perfectly they came to different heights anyway so I just eyeballed it. The rear edge is screwed into the OSB and it took my body weight bouncing around on it during the build.

Sockets, lighting, sink, tool boards.

Stripped everything out of the garage, slapped masonry paint all over the walls and the ceiling, took all the crap to the tip.

Those three point wall mounts for the bikes are great. Plenty of hooks etc for hanging stuff. Some shelving units from Big Dug. Vinyl floor tiles. There’s also a tap with a hose permanently attached. It was a bit of an outlay, but once it’s done it’s really satisfying and once it’s tidy, it’s easier to keep tidy!!

The white walls and the vinyl floor just make it feel like a proper room somehow, rather than a dumping ground.

Going to get a turbo trainer set up in there soon.

I’m defo painting it white this week! Looks great. Might board the ceilings too and putting the interlocking tiles down.
As for turbo trainers, I was thinking I’d put a stud wall in and put a mini gym at one end with a turbo and a telly.

Any alarms people will recommend and bike locks? The three bikes are stood up on their back wheel on bbb wall hooks.

If you’ve been targeted alarm and locks will only just slow them down, instead get the bikes added to your home insurance and install whatever locks they specify to make a claim.

Damn, Stumpyjon’s garage looks better than my kitchen, he also seems to have more screws/fixings than my local B&Q

Damn, Stumpyjon’s garage looks better than my kitchen

We’re wanting to get our kitchen done this year and I might ask Stumpyjon to put in a quote….🤦‍♂️

Feeling the need to start the ruckus equivalent in garage owners*

*floor paint has been in the cupboard since 2013 🙄

Feeling the need to start the ruckus equivalent in garage owners*

*floor paint has been in the cupboard since 2013

The walls were painted white about 10 years ago.

Which was when I bought 5 wall mounting bike hooks. Which are still in the Planet X box, behind what are now 8 bikes….

I’m gonna break into stumpyjon’s garage and make it messy and disorganised.

StumpyJohn’s wine rack seems to be full of screws

Include a seating area for post ride drinks so you don’t drip mud and blood in the house.

Mines ordered a 10m x 4m portal insulated garage

Floor is painted with interlocking mats behind the shutters.
Bike stand is a bodge to fold away, will take an ebike, as van goes in garage every day.
Bag on shelve has all the tools needed and is just lifted to put in the camper, same with sliding boxes which have pedals, bleed kit, spare brake pads. Compressor on wall can be lifted off for out side use.
Floor above bikes is 3.5m deep and holds a multitude of stuff not regularly needed