An organized and accessible garage

Ah! The pleasure of stepping into a nice warm car that was safely stored in your heated garage… What’s that? You can’t remember the last time a car saw the inside of your garage?

It’s time to change all that! With a thorough cleaning and improved layout, your garage will have enough room for not only your car, but a work area, your motorcycle or ATV, and a host of other items you never thought you could find room for. All arranged in an orderly fashion and easily accessible.
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Time to Empty the Garage!
The Garage Floor
Workbench and Walls
Storage
Practical Additions
A Comfortable and Secure Garage

Time to Empty the Garage!

You can put it off until tomorrow if you like but there’s no way around it – the garage will have to be emptied.

Remove all items from the garage and place them in five separate piles (as listed below). Make sure the piles are properly spaced, and use pieces of cardboard and a felt marker to indicate the contents of each pile, to avoid any confusion.
  • Items to Keep
  • Items for Sale or Donation
  • Items to be Recycled
  • Items to Throw Out (domestic waste)
  • Items to Throw Out (hazardous materials)

Once the items have been classified, each pile must be handled in its own way:
    Pile: Items to Keep
    Classify each item in this pile based on its usage or according to a classification system of your choosing. Ex: Sports, automotive, fishing, gardening, tools, clothing, seasonal items, etc. We will get back to this pile later.

    Pile: Items for Sale or Donation
    There are several ways to rid yourself of these unwanted items: have a garage sale or place classified ads (for more valuable items); give some of the items to family, friends or neighbours; drop others into one of the various charity donation containers located throughout the city; or simply drop them off next to the curb, you might be surprised to see how fast that old lamp, broken chair or your collection of assorted electrical wires disappears once passers-by are aware that they are free for the taking.

    Pile: Items to be Recycled
    This pile probably contains many traditional recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, metal, plastics and glass, and most of them should find their way into the standard recycling bin. But wait! Did you know that, because of the copper they contain, many types of electrical motors and even your old electrical wires may actually be worth something? In fact, all metals have a certain residual value. Just take a look in the yellow pages section of your phone directory under the “Metals” heading and you will probably find businesses that purchase used metal objects. Some of these companies may offer you a few dollars for the scrap metal on your property and most offer a free pick-up service, which can come in quite handy - especially if your scrap metal items are big and heavy!

    Pile: Items to Throw Out (domestic waste)
    Place these items in garbage bags or boxes and dispose of them in the usual way. For larger items, most municipalities provide a special-item pick-up service on a regular basis, while others offer to pick up oversized garbage items upon request at no cost or for a nominal fee. Finally, your city’s municipal services department will be able to direct you to dump sites where, for a few dollars, you can dump a variety of waste items. Keep in mind that specialised companies may be interested in taking your scrap metal items; the same can be said of your used construction materials (doors, windows, etc.). It is always preferable, and sometimes profitable, to recycle unwanted items instead of throwing them out!

    Pile: Items to be Thrown Out (hazardous materials)
    Paint, motor oil, flammable liquids (ex: fire-starter fluid), ammonia and other chemical products that pose a threat to the environment require proper disposal techniques. Although some hardware retailers will take your old paint cans, empty or not, it is recommended that you check with your municipality to learn more about the available local services and resources that can help you get rid of your hazardous waste materials. Never use your regular garbage service or the sewer system to dispose of hazardous products!

The Garage Floor

Once the garage is empty, it’s time to clean the floor. Grab hold of an industrial broom, put on your dust mask and start sweeping! One small suggestion: spread sweeping compound across the entire floor before you begin. This highly effective powder helps the cleaning process by attracting dust particles and keeping them settled on the floor. It also allows you to clearly distinguish between the areas that have been swept and those that still need sweeping.

After the dust has been removed, you may find a few nasty oil or grease stains on the concrete floor. To remove the stains, soak sawdust with paint thinner and cover the stains with the sawdust mixture. Let stand overnight and sweep clean in the morning. Repeat as required before cleaning the area with trisodium phosphate.

If you discover efflorescence salts (white powder that sometimes forms on concrete surfaces), generously swab the affected area with a diluted solution of 1 part muriatic acid and 1 part water, scrub vigorously with a broom, let stand until the “bubbling” effect dissipates (do not wait until the solution is dry!), rinse thoroughly with clean water and let dry. Note: Efflorescence salts are caused by excessive humidity. If present, it is important to determine the cause of the humidity and eliminate the problem.

To perform a humidity test, the concrete must have been dry for 72 hours and the temperature of the concrete must be above 15ºC (60ºF).

Using masking tape to hold them in place, tape down four or five 30 cm x 30 cm (12 in. x 12 in.) (or larger) squares of plastic sheeting (polythene) in different locations across the floor, including the area where you found the efflorescence salts. Because moisture movement tends to vary depending on the temperature of the concrete, you must leave the squares in place for 24 hours, if the ambient temperature in the garage is higher than 20ºC (68ºF); or for 3 days, if the temperature is between 5 and 20ºC (or 41ºF and 68ºF). Do not perform the test if the temperature is below 5 degrees Celsius. When the appropriate amount of time has elapsed, check to see if there are any droplets of condensation under the plastic film. If you discover condensation, find the source of the humidity and correct the problem. Failure to do so will probably prevent you from painting the garage floor. If there are no droplets under the plastic sheets, the floor is ready for the painting process.

Before painting your concrete floor, etch the surface (if it is polished) by applying muriatic acid and scrubbing it with a broom. When the bubbling effect dissipates, rinse thoroughly with clean water. Repeat the operation as required. Then, apply a concrete primer to ensure proper paint adhesion.

Choose an epoxy paint if you intend to park a vehicle in the garage; otherwise, a latex-based or alkyd-based paint will suffice. Beige and grey are the colours most often used for garage floors as they tend to conceal most types of dirt and stains.

If you choose not to paint the floor, it is recommended that the floor be covered with a specially designed coating in order to protect the concrete from water and de-icing products, etc. Although this type of product will be of some help during the cleaning process, it is important to note that a painted garage floor is much easier to sweep and clean.
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