Damn, Portland, looks AWESOME!

I need to get some better lighting in my garage.

Looking forward to more progress pics...

 

Thanks guys...a little update for ya. :wink:

Still plugging along on the garage. Mom insisted on doing the edging on the doors as she loves to paint so I let her do that. My buddy is coming over tonight to wire up the last light and then we're going to clean up a bit, probably do a dump run tomorrow.

Here is what the schedule looks like:

Tonight - Wire up final lighting fixture. 2nd coat of paint on large garage door.
Tomorrow - Clean up garage...possible dump run.
Monday - 8.17 Drive to Tacoma (again) for more epoxy
Thursday - 8.20 Shot blaster comes at 10 AM. Should take 2 hours
Friday - 8.21 Hoping to get the epoxy down. Roughly a five hour job.
Sunday - 8.23 Epoxy cures enough to be walked on. Cabinets and edge moldings go in. Detailing equipment goes into new cabinets.
Monday - 8.24 Concrete drains have cured enough to have cars driven across them.
Tuesday - 8.25 Epoxy cures enough to be driven on. Cars return to the garage!
Wednesday - 8.26 Final touches applied. Official end of project.

 

^^i love it when a plan comes together.

 

Does the 7.17, 7.20, etc. denote dates?

 

Yep...same as 7-17, etc. except using the period is a European way of doing it. I like it better as it looks cleaner in my opinion.

 

Hope you realize it's August already.....

 

He is far behind schedule. jp.

 

Could a mod fix that please?

 

Hey guys...things are plugging along beautifully and we are FINALLY swinging into the home stretch.

The shotblasters came today and got the floor prepped for the epoxy in about 45 minutes. Personally, I am so glad we took this route instead of using muriatic acid which would have been dangerous, taken most of the day and would have been environmentally unfriendly. Tomorrow the first coat goes on and the second coat goes on Saturday. Cabinets and moldings go in on Monday and cars back in Wednesday.

Here are a few updated photos for your pupil-perusing pleasure.

The garage completely stripped (minus vacuum) with the freshly-shotblasted floor. What used to be a smooth surface is now somewhat rough, like fine-grit sandpaper.


It did reveal some cracks in the surface, though.


The lights are all finished.


The amount of light put out is best shown by this photo of the garage from the outside at dusk.

 

Looking good!

Fixed those dates for ya

 

Looking good man.

Love those lights to.

 

Nice!

 

Looking sharp, can't wait to see the end result. Then some detailed cars!

George

 

wtf is a shotblaster?

 

shot blaster:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j43BtWr9KX4

 

Basically what the video shows above. It's a contained system that propels tiny steel particles at the concrete, roughing it up and prepping it for the epoxy or whatever coating you are applying.

Speaking of epxoy....first coat went on today!!! My friend Nick is getting the party started here.


Just about half done. There is a lot of floor space. The difference in color you see is due to one section being slightly further along in the curing process. Once dried it all turned the same battleship gray color.


My friend Andy goofing off...


First coat on and finished. I know we got some on the walls but I'm not too concerned about that because we're fitting an edge molding all the way around to clean up the appearance.

 

WOW! Really digging the transformation! Great job so far boss! Isn't free labor the best

 

I'm jealous Portland...that's REALLY lookin' good.

 

Damn Andrew, garage looks great already, clean, clean, clean !!

 

So jealous, this is exactly what I have planned for my garage, lighting, epoxy, and painting, also some shelving/cabinets. Love this thread, keep the updates coming.

Can you rent that shotblaster at home depot, or where would I rent one from?

 

Thanks, guys. The next update won't come until Thursday when the project will be done. So please be patient.

BlackAck...shotblasting is usually done by a business who specializes in it. The process requires large equipment and unfortunately can't just be rented at Home Depot. Google for shotblasters in Pittsburgh but I'll warn you it can be spendy. Ours ran $425 but honestly, it was worth it rather than blowing a day using muriatic acid to etch the floor. The acid is a messy, time-consuming process that requires diligence in safety and dedication to doing everything just right. The shot-blasting provides a serious convenience factor that I think is more than worth the price. Just my

 

Man, can't wait to see the finished project. That's a bigass garage, btw. Far cry from my parking spot, jammed between a 4-foot-thick pilliar and an MDX that doesn't leave more than a foot of space. Congrats man.

 

That's what mi padre should've done.
We our portacache, two back porches, and our front out side entry area (not sure it can really be called a "porch" only about an 8x8 area or so) done with some kind of epoxy, or paint or other...and it ended up going south. I was still a little too young to remember everything about it when they did it, but my dad is extremely thorough and I know they did all the correct prep or anything. It just for whatever reason didn't last. Areas started to peel and such.

So they decided they were going to strip it and start new, and just do a stain. They haven't actually done the stain yet, but most of the stripping has been done.

I can't tell you how many different strippers, acids, brick scrapper/rotater ma-jigs (honestly can't even think of the technical name), sanders we used.....but all the areas that did stick....STUCK. I think there are still a few areas that are being stubborn.

 

dude, you still live at mom and dads house???

 

Alright, guys. Your patient waiting has paid off in dividends. Enjoy!!!





The detailing shelf.


Gallon jugs of my most frequently used chemicals; Car Wash, APC, Wheel Cleaner, Speed Shine, Undercarriage Spray, and Interior Cleaner.


Personally I think the stereo looks much more at home here than before.


The rear of the garage complete with recycling cart and my traffic light.


Thanks for following. It's been a fun project but I'm glad it's over.

 

That's your garage? That could be my bedroom...looks absolutely amazing...feels so much bigger than before i bet. Congrats

 

I'd kill for a garage, much less one like that.

 

I like those white cabinets...

Not to jock styles, but what about an accent color somewhere?? I know Todd did it and it looks great, or maybe some type of logo on the wall?? I know its your Dads place though so I can understand if you would want to stay away form something like that.

 

If your mom and dad had a garage like that, wouldn't you?

(Seriously, though. In Europe, most people live at home with their parents until they get married, which is typically in their 30s. They think we're stupid for moving out so young and wasting so much money on rent instead of saving up money for down payments. )

PortlandRL, the place looks amazing, congrats on finishing everything up!

I too think some accents would look great - posters or something, or maybe a colorful trim? What do you think? Have anything in mind?

 

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Looks amazing!
One recommendation I would make is to caulk the baseboard/molding you put up. It'll take that little gap under and over it that makes a shadow and give you a really seemless look. Just noticed it cause I'm doing my laminate floors currently and figured it out.

Awesome job though...very nice space to do some detailing!

 

Thanks for the compliments, everybody! It's very nice to have it done and I'll be applying the caulk to the edge molding here in a few days.


I originally tried to do black trim but they wouldn't go for it. I know the all-white looks sterile but unfortunately it's all they would go for.

Thanks for the comment about the Europeans. It's exactly how my mom feels. I have a great relationship with my parents and they enjoy having me around. Personally I think the American view of things is pretty ridiculous; If you don't move out and have your own place by 18 you're a slacking piece of shit and have no future.

 

'Dude' there is a difference between mooching off your parents and being independent.

Not everyone has to be emancipated at 15 and flipping burgers just to pay their rent.

 

Andrew, photos look great and yes it does look a little sterile, but I welcome that...in fact it looks like you could do surgery in there...surgery in fact on all your automobiles that you operate on and in some cases do in fact save!!! You may now be called the Swirl Doctor !!

 

Finally got to see the update, nice work man, definitely a great job, and what I hope mine turns out like.

 

Very well done. Looks GREAT!!

 

Nice work! Looks very clean and prof. done, congrats!

 

Thanks, guys. It's almost impossible to get a car clean now as people walking by stop and ask me about the garage.

 

Hey, great work, btw, those look like the Garage ClosetMaid cabinets from HomeDepot, how do you like them? I'm planning on picking up 7 units next week, and today I ordered 10 packs of their leveling feet, so the base cabinets sit a few inches off the ground.

Also, in my garage, the epoxy was already there when I bought the house, but it goes up a bit on the baseboard trim. At first I thought it looked sloppy, but I really like it now, because when I presure wash it, the water can't puddle against the wood/drywall.

 

Thanks, man. They are actually made by a company called Do+Able and all I'll say is buy some magnetic catches to hold the doors shut otherwise they have a tendency to stay open just a bit.

Also...when you go to pick them up (and I can't stress this enough) BRING A STRONG FRIEND!!! Each of those cabinets alone weigh 152 pounds in the box and is definitely not something you want to throw your back out trying to lift alone.