If you’re like most people, you know you could improve one or two things in your garage. Homeowners these days are stuck dealing with humdrum or dim old garages that are just lacking in life!
Changing up your garage need not be expensive. There are several garage upgrades and modifications that you can easily do to give your garage a fresh, more up-to-date look.
Here are our suggestions:
Go vertical in storage
Garages become our repository of random stuff. If it gets too cluttered, it’s harder to locate items when you need them. What about the myriad of tools you have? Where are they? Or what about your sports equipment? And where is that old chair? These things can quickly clutter the garage and make the area visually chaotic.
One great way to solve the problem of too much stuff is by organizing them into vertical, wall-mounted storage installed above the garage doors. These heavy-duty steel framed shelves, combined with tote bins, will store your belongings, whatever size they may be. No worries about the safety aspect, too. Steel storage could hold over a thousand pounds in weight.
If you’re not too keen on investing in steel shelves, there are recyclable pallets that can hold thin objects upright. You could also strategically place good old-fashioned hooks around the garage to hang your tools, bags, etc.
Change the lighting
Usually, older homes did not give too much focus on garage lighting. Granted, garages back in the day were mostly meant to store vehicles. It wasn’t the project area or workout area that it’s now become for many homes.
Lighting is one of the easiest garage updates. LED lighting placed above your workspace could make things easier. You could also add rope lighting, modern recessed lighting, and bulbs in the dimmer parts of the garage. What’s great about LED lights is how inexpensive they are, and how energy efficient they will be. You won’t have a major increase in your power consumption even if you light up the garage.
Create a peg or magnet board
Have a plethora of tools you want to organize? A metal sheet makes a cool magnet board you can screw in right above your workspace. This is DIY-friendly; just level the sheet on the wall and use self-tapping sheet metal screws to secure it on studs. You can hang small tools like scissors, can opener, and more. What’s great about a magnet board is you can easily see what’s hanging on that board. You don’t have to waste time looking for small tools.
You could also buy a peg board and place them above your workspace, or on a corner wall in your garage. These save space while keeping all your tools in their designated area.
Repurpose containers
Got a lot of nails, screws, and other hardware? Or are you a crafty person who has different art supplies? These can easily get lost in a cluttered garage.
Instead of buying new containers for these items, a cost-effective and environment-friendly solution is to recycle old containers. Cut a hole on those big plastic shampoo bottles, or reuse some cosmetic containers – these help you save a few bills for storage.
Install new insulation
Feeling too cold in your garage? It may be time for new insulation. Again, this is one of those straightforward type of garage updates, and your trusted garage door repair team can complete it seamlessly.
Changing into a more energy-efficient R-18 insulation for your garage doors can enhance the temperature inside the room. You could have as much as 12 degrees warmer temperatures during winter and around 25 degrees colder temperatures during the summer months. Those are significant changes that benefit you physically and financially (due to energy efficiency).
Make the floor slip-proof
This is probably the least aesthetically pleasing in terms of garage upgrades, but it’s an important safety feature. You can DIY and create more texture on the concrete itself, or you can mix a gritty material into the sealer and apply a textured overlay on your floors.
Doing this prevents any slips and accidents especially if your garage tends to have moisture, or you work with liquids in your projects while in there.
Designate a mudroom
Once you’ve gotten most of your clutter out of the way, you could use a bit of space in your garage and turn it into a mudroom. Simply place built-in mudroom lockers, and make this your area for hanging coats, keeping your umbrella, and leaving footwear. You could even place a seating area right next to the lockers.
Add garage door accessories
Your garage door is one of the most visible points of your home. And it’s only right to give it some character and oomph when you’re updating your garage. Garage door hardware kits consist of door accents, faux metal hinges, etc. These create a more appealing look to your otherwise plain garage doors. Opt for accessories that look high-quality and match the architecture of your home.
Garage Updates Made Easy
We hope these ideas have given you somewhere to start when it comes to garage updates. Most are easy enough for a weekend project, and require little in cost.
But if you really want to maximize garage updates, maybe it’s time to install a new garage door. A new garage door can eliminate annoying clinks and noises, update the look of your room and your curb, and give you improved security. Our garage door installation techs are always ready to assist you. Get the right garage upgrades with us.