DIY Garage Makeover

Most of my friends know I collect cars so when they visit, inevitably they want to visit the garage and check out the cars. While I enjoyed working in my shop, there was a vast contrast between the well-maintained cars and the unfinished presentation of the building they called home. It was time for a garage makeover!

I'm pretty handy with a miter saw, nail gun and even sheetrock mud so I set out to develop a plan. Besides, all the cars are running great and I needed something to work on. 

Unfinished Garage

Our existing garage was a nice 24x24 foot space with 8' ceiling. The exterior looked nice enough, but the inside was simply not finished. Exposed 2x4" studs 16" on center with trusses overhead spaced 24" apart. The floor was a cracked unfinished concrete slab. There was no insulation making the interior impossibly hot in the Arizona summer. 

Insulation and sheetrock would be simple enough, but I wanted to make a nice space that was worthy of the 1978 Corvette Hotrod and my sweetheart's 1956 Thunderbird. 

The first step was to move all the electrical outlets higher on the wall to about 43". This would allow easy access to the outlets without having to climb behind tool chests or benches. I replaced the breakers with 20 AMP GFI type one for the left side and one for the right. I also mounted one outlet in the ceiling for each car just in case I wanted to hang a trickle charger above each car. I used 12/2 Romex with a ground wire and heavy-duty outlets.  

I also added a 30 AMP 220 V circuit to the outside of the long wall terminated in a weatherproof box. This would support a split air conditioning/heat pump system. 

Next was insulation and with only 2x4 studs and only 4" of space on the exterior walls, I considered foam for the increased R-value and amazing vapor barrier. I've used this in my house before with exceptional results, but at almost $3000 the price was just too high for the garage. I opted for Owens Corning pink insulation with a paper vapor barrier. Using a small compressor I attached an Arrow PT50 Pneumatic Staple Gun to quickly install the insulation. 

I wanted a durable surface that was attractive and also was looking to break up the wall. I landed on installing corrugated steel roof panels up to 36" then shiplap for the remainder of the wall. 

Corrugated Metal Wall Installation

Corrugated metal roofing is available at Home Depot from Gibraltar in 6-foot Galvanized Steel Roof Panel to minimize cutting -- one sheet would cover twice the space. I also found a nice way to finish the ends. I used 1/4" galvanized J-Trim that is usually used to finish the end of sheetrock as a way to provide a finishing touch to the corrugated metal. Since corrugated metal is designed for 24" roof trusses, and is only 29 gauge thick I opted to install 1/4" plywood on the 2x4 studs prior to screwing the roofing to the wall. Together with the 1" fasteners, the plywood provided the necessary support to keep the metal sheets from rattling. The entire metal installation process goes like this:

1. Install the 1/4" plywood
2. Install the baseboard leaving 1/2" space between floor and bottom of the base
3. Cut the corrugated metal sheet in half with Wiss Aviation Snips
4. Using a clutched power driver, screw the metal panels to the wall, making sure to hit the studs when possible. I used two rows of screws installing the bottom row first and put the top row in only after installing the J-trim. Make sure to overlap the panels.
5. Overlap more or less to adjust the length and minimize the need to cut with the bends. 
6. Trim the top and any rough edges with the J-Trim. No need to use screws to fasten the J-Trim because the first shiplap board will hold it in place. 

Starting at the top of the J-Trim, install the first piece of Shiplap using a miter saw to trim and level to make sure it is straight. Some may want to start with a piece of trim, but I thought the J-Trim looked clean and liked seeing the top edge of the J-trim. I used a nail gun with 16 gauge finish nails to nail the shiplap directly to the studs. Because we are running the boards across the studs there is I did not feel the need to install strips because the studs are visible. If you are installing shiplap vertically or over sheetrock, strips are a great idea.

Shiplap is usually rough cut and inconsistent, so a gap between planks will provide that old barn siding look. I used the lip of carpenter's square to provide a consistent space between planks. Sliding the square from side to side while holding a level at the top edge provided an easy way to make sure the planks are square.

Hint: consider doing a little planning for the size of the gap. Trimming the top plank with a table saw will be necessary and adjusting the gap will eliminate a strange size top plank and could minimize trimming.

Continue the shiplap installation but leave a gap of a couple of boards until the sheetrock has been installed on the ceiling. Consider using trim pieces to clean up the corners and top as the wood will expand and contract over time.

All that remains for my project is to determine the type of flooring to put in the garage and install the climate control system, but so far the garage is much more comfortable and I'm not ashamed to take my friends to see our cars.