I have a nice large garage which is built underneath the house (bungalow), and extends backwards partially into a sloping hillside.

It seems dry, at least no smell or sight of damp. In fact, the fuseboard and other electrical gubbins are located on one wall. I am shortly going to be having a sectional garage door fitted too.

It is built from what looks like dense breeze blocks, I assume these are the more solid engineering type bricks commonplace in the 60’s at time of build as the interior walls are constructed of these. The floor is partially smoothed solid concrete.

I’d like to have clean white walls that don’t peel and a shiny hardwearing flooring – are there any reasons that this would be a bad idea to execute?

Also, whats the best+cheapest method for achieving above look?
Mancave pride at stake here..

I’d like to have clean white walls that don’t peel and a shiny hardwearing flooring – are there any reasons that this would be a bad idea to execute?

Yes. White walls are terribly passe. You want rhino horn white, or mummy’s elbow white or some such version of off-white.
White alone is more the sanitorium look and is considered out of vogue currently so best avoided.

I heard this week about a paint available in homebase or some-such, called ‘Dead Salmon’

Could be just the job

Cellar in my last house was painted. It wasn’t perfectly dry the cellar but I think somoene used normal emulsion on top of a thin plaster skim on top of Yorkshire stone and wood. Nothing breathed or flexed so it flaked off when I moved in – was still flaking off 15 years later when we moved out!!!

Breathable paint as a minimum!! Not sure if masonry paint is good for it maybe?

Clad the wall in fake stone panelling for that subterranean dungeon look.
A few flaming torches in iron sconces, some skeletons clad in filthy rags chained to the walls….very Game of Thrones.

Easily done but you will need to prime it first. The floor is best done with garage floor paint and left to cure for a suitable amount of time before you start driving on it, usually a few weeks. Not the best time of year to be doing it IIRC

Most people don’t because they’re lazy and never spend any time in there.

I did mine with the cheapest trade emulsion from Wickes (two coats, first will soak in a lot) and some left over masonry paint on the wall that’s the house exterior because it’s some sort of pebble dash.

Floor I did with Leyland Heavy Duty floor paint (available from Screwfix). 2 coats again. Went around with a wire brush removing anything loose, used an old vacuum cleaner to pull up the dust then painted straight on, brush at the edges, roller for the rest. It takes a few days to cure, if you’re going to do it then get on with it as when it’s colder it’ll take ages.

I don’t park a car in there – if I did I’d be inclined to spend a bit more on one of the 2-part coatings (garacoat, etc.) that’s less likely to peel off with hot tyres on it.

Massive difference, way brighter, no dust. Downside is that I can’t ignore anything I spill on the floor as it won’t just soak away into the concrete any more.

How many litres of floor paint did you get through simon_g?

My garage is approx 20ft x 9ft

I got 2 x 20L of white emulsion for the walls… I did 2 coats… 1 remained unopened

Don’t paint the floor 🙁

Mine was done with breathable emulsion, the bricks suck up paint so you will need more than you think. My garage took 40 litres IIRC. Edit it was 4 x tubs of 10ltr

Before painting it was all brushed down to remove dust

I tiled my floor as I had it in an old house and if well fitted with good tiles there is nothing more durable. Cars parked on it no problem, hammers dropped, spills easily cleared – it’s an effort but well worth it.

Garage now dust free, much brighter and is a nice place to be. If I get the floors covered in mud and junk it can be brushed out or in extreme cases hosed out.

The garage is used for bike builds, engine rebuilds, DIY projects etc etc, so gets well used it’s not a showroom.

When people hear you have tiled a floor they think you are utter freak, until they’ve worked in its and try to do it themselves. To make it cost effective look out for end of line tiles and grab a job lot depending on garage size

5l is supposed to be enough for 2 coats of a standard single. I used that plus most of a 2.5l, but my garage has an extra few metres at half-width at the back. Varies a bit with how porous your concrete floor is too.

Oh don’t forget do the ceil;ing too, brightens it up no end

Sweet.
The screwfix paint looks just the job for the floor.

Hadn’t considered floor tiles but may look into sourcing a job lot.

Ceiling will be getting the same make over treatment. Then I shall be hanging my retro cycling banners and drawing around my tools like any good mechanic would.

Is it weird as a grown man to hanker after a red painted garage floor?

Surely i should desire more interesting things. Like Dip-Dabs and spokey-dokeys?

Sweet.
The screwfix paint looks just the job for the floor.

It goes down fine, it works fine… .right up until you drop a spanner on it… or anything really… it then just looks rubbish, it chips and breaks up.

Cheap though

it chips and breaks up.

Yup, learnt this the hard way with my garage floor, used Screwfix garage floor paint and after 18 months it’s already got lots of chips and bits missing. Still keep the dust down which is the most important thing but it’s not ideal.

Is there anything better out there that I could just paint over the top of it?

yes, there must be something out there fit for purpose?

Most industrial garages i’ve seen have a super hard wearing finish.

Epoxy paint. Has to be quite a bit warmer though really. It will be WAY harder wearing, but way more prep and more expensive to lay.

I’ll say it for the millionth time this year.

Carpet tiles…. 50 of them or so…

£25-30.

I’ve recently sorted out my garage. Build a ‘mezzanine’ shelf above the door so got rid of the shelving I had that was storing paint and assorrted rubbish. Painted the breeze block walls with cheap white emulsion from B&Q, got a halfords roll cabinet and tool chest and fitted this stuff on the floor. It’s not the cheapest option but it’s warm, robust and easily cleaned. I’ve got a car in the garage so needed something heavy duty.

I also fitted a couple of led pir floordlights on the wall so as soon as I open the door the lights go on (the light switch for the ceiling lights is at the opposite end of the garage from the door I usually use).

The garage is a very pleasant place to be now. All I need is a Park stool and I’ll be in heaven 🙂

We’re about to move and get a garage and I looked at epoxy paint. Sounds like a real faff to put down so looked at getting it done professionally and it was coming about about £800. Not sure I’d pay that much but I have heard of people dragging engines around on epoxy floors and it doesn’t even mark them…

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50-LILAC-HEUGA-CARPET-TILES-HEAVY-DUTY-THICK-COVERS-12-5-SQ-MTRS-GRADE-C-BATCH-/252145807810?hash=item3ab50fb1c2:g:90oAAOSw9mFWMOW4

That will cover a full garage, take an evening to lay. I used carpet glue on the ones just by the entry door to keep them secure… they don’t move at all.

Carpet tiles…. 50 of them or so…

Probably great for a ‘man cave’, or a ‘workshop’ at a pinch, rubbish for a garage or for any messy jobs.

I rented a house with a carpet in the garage, a few months in I e-mailed the landlord to say I’d got rid of it as I’d been entirely unreasnoble and parked a car in there, and after a few weeks of wet weather it was starting to rot.

Lino on the other hand is great.

Gary M – pics please of your rubberised haven

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PVC-Flooring-Roll-Garage-Industrial-Workshop-Shop-Shed-Van-Tiles-Basement-Floor-/171980906851?hash=item280adc6163:g:1v8AAOSwd4tT9R3K

Hmm. This interests me. Bit thin at 2mm perhaps though?
Could stick it down with a bit of spray glue, cut the edge to fit and install some skirting board around the garage walls. Neat.
?

No pics of the finished article I’m afraid. The problem with carpet tiles is that if they go down on a lumpy concrete floor then they look rubbish. Plus they get stained really easily. I wanted something that lasted and could be easily brushed and mopped clean.

This pic on the big dug site shows it laid.

see my link above? /\

I’ve sourced that roll of PVC at costco for £99. Might be a go’er for me as im fairly sure one roll will cover my floor pretty much exactly with minimal waste.

Tiles, if laid well, are the best option. But preparation is absolutely paramount, it needs to be levelled completely or any voids are a crack or chip waiting to happen.

We have workshop floors at work that still have the tiles laid in the early 60’s to mid 70’s.

My in laws went the whole hog. The walls were plastered and painted. the last 1/3 (up to the door) had fitted carpet. They had someone put in fitted kitchen style units. The part where the cars went had those rubberised tile things.

It was dusted, vacuumed every week and repainted annually, though the paintwork was better than most of the walls in my house. They stopped short of shelves with ornaments and pictures though.

Oh yes, it was heated too, so the cars would be warm or something…… The cars were pretty special though, so you can understand it….a shagged out Subaru estate and a mini metro (late model). I have heard of people having ‘special’ garages for their classic sports car collections but never for cars whose main value was as scrap.

Barking I thought…..Mrs Slowjo agreed! Ironically, we are just selling the house and the purchasers really liked the idea of a smart garage so maybe it is becoming a ‘thing’ and they were ground breakers!

I had a mini metro GTA a few years back. one of the most fun cars i’ve ever owned.

I love eccentric banger hoarders. Fair play.

This mini metro was like most of them…rust, held together with paint and whatever the local garage had to weld on to get it through the MOT!

Two weeks ago, we sent it to the big scrap yard in the sky!

check this bad boy out!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1990-ROVER-METRO-ADVANTAGE-GREEN-/191728247256?hash=item2ca3e4e1d8:g:AMcAAOSwd0BV3B4m

yeah baby!

or for the really special garage..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-Metro-6R4-2-5-V64V-International-Rally-Car-/272016078296?hash=item3f556bf5d8:g:vsEAAOSw5ZBWHifo

When I was at Uni, my mate blew his whole grant (and all his savings) on a 1st gen metro. I think it was a 1ltr engine and the car was beige. His missis was made up about it because ‘Lady Di’ had just been pictured driving one.

Horrible car. Not much to go wrong though….but what there was to go wrong….did go wrong!