How to Make the Garage a Better Place to Be

After we wrote the recent post about storage ideas for your garage, we got to thinking: why is the garage, which is probably the biggest single space in a home, so neglected when it comes to things like organization, and even renovations? It’s like the poor garage gets no respect. It does its job, day in and day out, the garage door going up and down on demand, protecting your car, sports equipment, garden tools, lawn mower, and who knows what else.

But when it’s time to decide on which home improvement you’re going to tackle this year, has the garage ever topped the list? Has it ever even made the list?

Yes, we’re playing up the ‘poor garage’ angle (maybe too much?!), but we’re just trying to highlight the potential for one of the great spaces of your home. If you want to take that potential to the max, you can remake the garage into a space that’s on par with any other room in your house. With some insulation, drywall, a ceiling and flooring, you could have the coolest games room, home office or personal gym ever.

But what we’re talking about here isn’t changing the garage into something else, but making it a more pleasant place to be while still delivering everything you need and like about having a garage.

A place that, even though it’s still home to your car and equipment, you’re impressed and feel good when you walk into it.

In addition to adding some of the storage ideas we mentioned before, here are just of few of the things you can do to help make the garage a better part of your home.

1. Finish the Floors, Walls and Ceiling

Imagine if your bedroom had bare concrete floors and no plaster on the walls and ceiling. It’s a dreary sight, isn’t it? Now you know why your garage isn’t the most inspiring place in your house.

There’s a reason your garage is that way. Basically, any place where you store a car, and the fumes and drips that come with it, needs to be bare so you don’t damage finished floors, walls and ceilings.

But you can have the best of both worlds. On floors, which might have to handle dripping oil, an epoxy or polyuria coating is tough enough to handle anything you can throw at it while being available in a wide range of colours and finishes that can give your creative side an outlet.

Similarly, finished walls and ceilings can be painted with the same easy-to-clean, moisture-resistant paints you use in the kitchen or bathroom.

2. Light it Up

Yet another reason for the dungeony feel in your garage is the stark lighting. Bare bulbs or fluorescent tubes aren’t great at creating any kind of ‘ambiance’. Think about similar lighting as you might put in your family room, including pot lights in the ceiling and task lighting on work benches.

3. Install a Glass Garage Door

This one won’t only make your garage look and feel great, it’ll boost the curb appeal of your entire home. During the day, glass garage doors let in a beautiful glow of diffuse natural light. At night, with the right interior lighting, they can emanate a similar glow from the inside out.

Perhaps best of all, you’ll not be compromising the security of the garage or the durability of the door because the metal frames used in their construction make them just as strong as any other garage door.

If you’d like to get more ideas for making the garage a place that you’ll want to hang out in, and to see a range of glass doors that’ll set-off your whole house, please call or visit us here at Scarboro Garage Doors. You can also fill out our online contact form to get in touch with one of our representatives!