Garage Must-haves?

[John A]

Hello
At the grand age of 45, barring any terrible disasters, we are finally moving to a house with a garage having only ever owned houses without off-street parking.
The days of lugging detailing and camping kit out of the cellar and loft respectively will be gone.
I would like to make it a comfortable space to use to do minor jobs on our fleet - changing wheels, cleaning, etc., so I want a rubber floor and decent lighting, proper tool storage and some sort of racking to store camping kit, Christmas decs and so on.

And it's not just any old garage - it's 16 x 28 feet, so there is plenty of room.
I would like recommendations for :

• rubber floor tiles - I have 448 square feet to cover. Are there any decent suppliers or brands who aren't going to cost the earth?
• lighting - I think the defined hex-style lights look good for picking out detailing imperfections, but do they actually have a good light output?
• tool storage - I almost certainly can't stretch to Snap On or Mac - I want a roller cabinet and a workbench - are any of the cheaper brands actually any good (with roller bearings, decent slides/hinges)?
• Other things that I should consider

 

[TallPaul_S]

Top of my list would be a Kranzle power washer, mounted to the wall along with a DI vessel (if you live in a hard water area), something like this:

 

[B.different]

I like that setup. How much does that set up cost without the krenzil?

 

[John A]

Yeah I would like a Kranzle. My little Nilfisk machine is going to have to do for now...

 

[TallPaul_S]

The DI vessels aren't that expensive either tbh, £100 or so. If you only use it for the final rinse then it'll last a while too before needing a refill. Water spots begone!

That set up also takes away the hassle of finding the washer, connecting evening up etc etc. it's so much easier if it's all there and all you need to do is flip a switch and put out hose!

 

[B.different]

Any particular make you recommend and how many washes would you say it lasts.

 

[Neilson]

How level is your floor? Mine is full of imperfections and holes and I wish I had it skimmed as soon as we moved in. Its got 8 years of stuff in there now so not sure how I'd move it out to get it done.

If you want a bench, these are solid for the money. We use several at work.

Seville Classics UltraHD Workbench With Peg Board and Castors

UHD20251

gardenstoredirect.com

 

[John A]

How level is your floor? Mine is full of imperfections and holes and I wish I had it skimmed as soon as we moved in. Its got 8 years of stuff in there now so not sure how I'd move it out to get it done.

If you want a bench, these are solid for the money. We use several at work.

Seville Classics UltraHD Workbench With Peg Board and Castors

UHD20251

gardenstoredirect.com

Looks good - I did think I'd like something a bit longer, and they do a 72" version, but I'm not sure I'll need it.
Floor looks pretty good - I've only been to see it once and there was a Ford Fairlane taking up most of it, but it was purpose built so it should be in good shape

 

[Hilly64]

I got my floor tiles from
Garage Floor Tile Company, 15 Sedgwick Road, Luton, LU4 9DT

British manufacture, register for online discount and probably not far from you to collect, I went for the recycled ones with ramped edges. can't fault them and seemed very competitive, good customer service and easy to install. Cut with circular or jig saw not knife ... too tuff. original floor far from perfect but went down without issue and seem to wear well





similar Kranzel set up to above, makes cleaning a joy

compressor comes in very handy

Halfords cabinets are good

Built own bench so custom fit the space and tool storage, double layer of glued and screwed ply makes for a solid top. Use frame to hide cables for additional sockets which come in handy especially above worktop

 

[John A]

I got my floor tiles from
Garage Floor Tile Company, 15 Sedgwick Road, Luton, LU4 9DT

British manufacture, register for online discount and probably not far from you to collect, I went for the recycled ones with ramped edges. can't fault them and seemed very competitive and easy to install. Cut with circular or jig saw not knife ... too tuff

View attachment 277252

View attachment 277253

similar Kranzel set up to above, makes cleaning a joy

compressor comes in very handy

I have got a compressor with a 50L tank.
It's 95+ dB so I would consider swapping it out for a 'silent' one (they're not totally silent, but much quieter) that I could leave in one place and get a retractable airline.

 

[Hilly64]

I have got a compressor with a 50L tank.
It's 95+ dB so I would consider swapping it out for a 'silent' one (they're not totally silent, but much quieter) that I could leave in one place and get a retractable airline.

You certainly know when mine kicks in!

 

[John A]

Getting too excited about what is basically an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street, with an extraordinarily large garage space...
This is what I am working with



The T6 won't live in the garage, but I wanted to mark it out so I knew what I was working with, space-wise.
The vendor owns (and garages) what looks like a Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner - which is 17 feet long (and a full foot longer than a SWB T6)

I want:

• Rubber floor
• Work bench (with or without storage)
• At least 7 x 0.6 x 2 m of storage shelves/racking (4 tier)
• Roller tool chest
• Service/utility trolley
• A new compressor
• Lighting

What am I missing and what recommendations can you give me please for?

• Rubber floor tiles - I have 450 sq ft to cover and I reckon that's in the region of £750 - £1,000 Are there other options to explore? Garage Floor Tile Co. is currently £1020+ VAT
• Shelving - I am looking for something solid and stable, but cost is a factor. I have found a guy on eBay who sells 2.5m uprights for £55 and shelves for £30 (ex VAT). I would be looking at 7.5m coming in at £820 + VAT and would like some alternatives to consider
• Roller tool chest - doesn't need to be huge. A 40" or 55" single cabinet with drawers and a worktop would be sufficient. I don't have Snap On money - is the stuff out of Machine Mart or Costco actually any good (in terms of bearing quality, smooth operation of drawers, etc.)?
• Compressor - I am looking at a Hyundai oil-free 100L job for about £300, which will be offset by selling my 50L SIP compressor. Main reason is noise - the Hyundai version is rated at 64 dB so expect this to by MUCH quieter than the 100 dB of the SIP.
• Lights - either hex lights (which seem a bit fashionable and faddy, but do they actually emit that much light) or the Nebo High Bright lights, that are Standard Edison Screw fit and produce 6,000 lumens each.

I also have a shed, so don't need to factor in space for things like garden tools and furniture, kids' bikes, etc.
I don't know where the outside tap is yet. I also do want a Kranzle but there are other priorities and my Nilfisk will have to keep up the good work for the time being.

Ta

 

[TallPaul_S]

My dream house would be a huge garage with an attached house, so that's very nice to have!

 

[Sasquatch]

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