Actual Garage Progress

[mikemounlio]

So my garage has been a mess since i bought the house. The 1st year i owned the house i rented half the garage to the last owner! The threw me off from the start. Once i had his stuff out i was able to make some progress on setting it up the way i wanted it. I had built a nice corner bench. I upgraded the lighting. I added the biggest air compressor i could find. I now have several new toys in the garage but no dedicated place to put things. So i have spent the last couple days working on storage. Due to the shape of the garage and how it was built i have about 20" x 18' of room on the side that really is unused. Well that has now become a giant shelf. I have all my big stuff (welders, battery charger, lawn mower, pressure washer and others like that under my 1st shelf. I will start putting all the small crap that i done use to often on the next shelf and so on. Im building a mini bar area around the window thats on that wall. The shelf will then tie into my corner shelf at some point.

I have also finally got a wall mounted nut and bolt organizer. I will need to get another tho.

I have found that the magnetic strips are perfect for quick access tools on the wall.

Gotta have a nice garage! It makes it so much easier to do big projects.

Got any good garage tips or tricks?

[FestYboy]

Always spend 10 min at the end of the day (every day) and put ALL the tools away where they belong. Make it a habit. A clean and organized work area is a productive work area.
Anything you can paint white, do it, especially the ceiling.
Run 1/2" hard line from your compressor to multiple points in the shop, no only does it make things more convenient, it also adds capacity to the system without taking up room. Peg board on slides or hinges makes efficient use of wall space, it can be 2-3 layers deep and only come off the wall less than a foot.
Have a dedicated work surface that gets cleaned at the end of every day.

[Doug Brown]

Having a couple of BIG fire extinguishers and a garden hose with a nozzle nearby is always a smart thing. It usually takes a minimum of 5-minutes for them to get there ONCE you have CALLED - so anything you can do to slow or stop the fire before their arrival is a very good thing.

First aid kit and some Fire Gel dressings are handy, as is a fixed or cell phone for calling for HELP! if it all goes wrong!

Bottled water or Gatorade to drink, especially in the summer time.

Second hand carpet rescued from the dump for putting on the shop floor to catch the dirt & grease and give you something soft to knee or lay on.

Enjoy your new shop!

[mikemounlio]

Great tips guys. Its a work in progress for sure. As i get new things or see new storage tips online i give them a shot. Normally tho i dint have time to spend on the actual garage. Im normally busy doing other jobs around the house. But im getting there.

[w4rkry]

+1 on the carpet. I used to use Cardboard, but carpet squares are so much nicer, and often just as cheap.

Also, is your garage heated? If not, I would absolutely recommend it. As well as a fan for when it gets really hot in the summer.

The last thing I like to have is a stereo with an AUX input. I like working with a bit of something to listen to.

[mikemounlio]

Normally I have my cars up on stands so I can use a creeper. I try to avoid laying on the floor. I always seem to have something leaking on it.

[Shin Hayata]

Get thee a lift table, if you don't already have one. Your lower back will thank you. Buy a car or [especially] a bike mag and look for the $299.00 coupon. The crate is a forklift load, so you'll need a trailer or a friend with a truck to bring it home.

A few days old and already being prepped for surgery.

[Advancedynamix]

Hose and cord reels in every corner. I wish I had a reel for every power tool I own. The time spent plugging and unplugging things has added up over the years.
Rolls of surplus linoleum flooring can be purchased on Craigslist sometimes for near nothing. That stuff makes awesome work mats for the floor or bench. If I'm doing a really messy job, I'll roll a section under the car and then just throw it out when I'm done. It's soft enough to protect parts that may fall off the bench or out of a slippery hand too.
Last but not least, microfiber towels. Buy them in bulk. Since I started using microfiber towels, my hand soap and solvent usage has been cut in half. They wash out well too and last a long time. Costco has a good bundle of them for cheap.

[FestYboy]

Amazon for the microfiber towels.... You can get them by the gross.

[Advancedynamix]

Arty always knows how to get me excited! Nothing like some gross towels on a Monday afternoon!

[mikemounlio]

When i bought my house the guy that owned it had passed away. His wife told me anything in the house they dont care about. 99% of the stuff left was junk but he had about 20 boxes of shop rags. I am now down to my last bag of rags. It has been 6 years of clean rags!!! Sadly it has come to an end.

[FestYboy]

Lol!
AmazonBasics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth - 144 Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009FUFD1C..._QCoMybTF42D0P

Though for detailing, I'd go with:
Chemical Guys MIC35106 Happy Ending Edgeless Microfiber Towel, Red (16 in. x 16 in.) (Pack of 6) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0102GRX8I..._tFoMybV4P8YCP

Note the item description... Right up your alley Charlie.

[lessersivad]

For oil or grease spills,(and I don't care how old it is) I have found a simple and easy way to clean them up.

Pour mineral spirits on the area then dump floor dri onto that. Make sure to use enough floor dri so it is actually dry on top to give room for absorption.

For a 'recent' spill, let it sit for a few hours, sweep up the floor dri and the spill should be gone.

For a more 'aged' spill or area, same procedure only let it sit over night.

I usually 'recycle' my floor dri after sweeping it up. (Dump it back into the small garbage can where I keep the floor dri) and keep reusing it. it's usually dry by the time it gets dumped into the can.

Hope this helps.

[Advancedynamix]

Oh hell yeah!

[mikemounlio]

I have a trash can full of cheap cat litter. I have found it works rather well. I never thought to dump sprits on the floor 1st tho. Ill give that a try next time.