Ivans garage/mancave build

Dez

I think that's what the two old tins I had must have been.

I'm not sure whether to carry layering this water based rubbish on or to do the right thing and bin it and buy some polyurethane or even epoxy stuff.

Hate paying good money for things to just bin them though

I did my garage floor with some epoxy stuff, can't remember the name though. Gives a nice even surface and fills in uneven places very nicely. Holds up well, but the garage is mostly used as storage, so might not vouch for more intense tinkering usage.

Well I've given up with the floor for the moment as it's annoying me. The important thing is that it's painted and won't create dust like bare concrete floors normally do.

And what better way to begin a relaxing evening in the workshop than by burning sh*t


So. Fire on the go, dog harnessed away from said fire, let's make a start on this folding down bench idea.

on the subject of floor paint, having spent a fortune on floor paint in my old unit for it to look tatty in less than 12 months, I decided when building my garage at home to tile it. Best decision Ive made, antislip porcelain tiles, they have taken a beating with just 2 or 3 small marks (dropped a large trolley jack on one and a gearbox on another) the cost was a a lot less than having a company lay the commercial grade epoxy and looks great.

When I built my current garage, i played with the concrete floor one times too many to get it smooth when the concrete was wet, so the result was a very dusty floor. If i had played anymore the concrete would have been scrap. I got away with it by using something called Bostik SBA from Screwfix. It is like the ultimate PVA glue but alot thinner so you don't have to water it down. It is used for things like making waterproof render mix and i've used it on damp walls to later paint over. Alot goes a long way. Use a cheap big fluffy roller and slosh it on the concrete and let it soak in and dry. You can then paint over it without it peeling up.

I have found in previous garages - new builds included, that even dedicated garage floor paint flakes up once car tyres stick to it. In other words it never properly sticks but creates a skin on top. Weirdly, my parents had an accident once where a shelf fell down in their garage and a tin of Dulux Peacock Blue wall emulsion spilt everywhere. It turned out to be the best garage floor paint because it soaked in to the concrete, and was matt so didnt stick to car tyres. We actually went and bought another tin to complete the rest of the floor!

www.directtilewarehouse.com/dotti-anti-slip-floor-tiles-anthracite-floor-tiles/?gclid=CjwKCAiA-vLyBRBWEiwAzOkGVG2KLWp3ly-IFnQZWSq81GMlWSF6v4FDn2Z5DJxnGcybvikpQsZPBhoCNOgQAvD_BwE

These are the floor tiles I used, not from this supplier but these are the ones. Cant fault them.

Being a tight git I have put old carpet down in my garage. It's a two car garage in length so it has taken two carpets to cover most of it.
One carpet is a very good all wool job, makes it a nice place to kneel or lie down on although at my age I try and not to do that too often.

The tower bolts to hold the bench in position are now fitted. It's a nice and secure fit and they don't rattle, which is what I wanted. Undo them and the benches can be removed. Ideal.



Next up was to hang the crappy bit of chipboard I've been drying out.
Simple enough.
That'll need painting white.



The wall i chopped away was rough and loose at either end. It needed suring over with mortar. It's not particularly pretty but it's now all tied in together. Once it's dry I can board over it to make it look neat



That was my first attempt at any sort of cement and I'm pretty happy how it's gone on.

I got another 3 packets of loft boarding while I was out and I've got a bit more room upstairs



And just because it was lying around and getting in my way, I hung my old gt6 wing, which I'm using to hang all my power tools


That's about it for today. Its starting to look like a workshop!

The use of the wing is great and I've git 2 old MX5 wings dumped at the end of the garden...

I've been thinking about a shadow board but I like to have my tools portable, maybe I need 2 sets.