Did you ever hear someone say they were painting their garage and wonder, Why in the world would you waste your time doing painting your garage?! After all, a garage is just a place to store your car and your tools, right? If you’re not going to use it as an extra room, then why paint it? Seriously, in this economy, who can afford all the extra money it would cost to heat the garage in order to use it as extra living space anyway? The fact is, though, that added living space isn’t the only good reason to paint a garage. First, a painted garage helps to keep your car cleaner.
Think about it. If your garage is painted, your family will take better care of it, and a garage that’s taken care of will take better care of your car. Second, a painted garage helps to keep the interior of your home cleaner. Naturally, when the garage is cleaner, you’ll have less dirt being tracked inside your home. Additionally, though living in Morristown means you won’t have added living space in winter without adding heat, a painted garage will give you an extra room in the summer. Finally, a painted garage, well, it just plain looks better! So, now that you’ve realized painting your garage is a good idea, here’s a checklist to make the job a little easier.
1) Naturally, the first thing you need to do is clean the garage. (This is a good time to remind the kids who’s boss and who doles out allowances.) It’s easiest to clean the garage on a warm day when you can empty it out and put all the contents outside. Make everybody in the family go through their own stuff and just get it all out. Another good idea is to plan a garage sale. Extra money will motivate your kids to rummage through their garbage and decide what’s staying and what’s going.
2) Its a good idea to power wash the entire garage and then vacuum it. Your garage has been holding all that stuff for so long that it’s probably pretty dirty, and you don’t want to paint over dirt.
3) Before you start painting, put on protective gear such as goggles and gloves. Additionally, make sure the garage is properly ventilated. Again, try to do painting project on days when the garage door can be left open a little. Don’t open it too much, though. You don’t want outside particles getting onto newly painted surfaces.
4) Patch up any holes or damage to walls before you paint them. Since this is a garage and it will get a lot of rough wear and tear, cover your work with a sealant for extra protection. Allow the sealant to dry for 24 hours. You want to make sure you only have to do this once, and cracks and holes in the walls will show through if you don’t patch them. Additionally, at this stage you should clean away any cracked or chipped paint.
5) If you’ve decided to paint the walls and the floor, naturally, paint the walls first so as not to get paint on your nice, newly painted floor.
6) Apply a coat of primer if you feel it is necessary. Allow the primer to dry, and then apply a coat of the paint color you’ve chosen for the walls. An exterior latex paint works well on garage walls that are made of drywall. Exterior paint is durable and weather-resistant, and this is what you’ll need in the garage, even if it’s used as extra living space.
7) When painting the floor, use a paint that’s made especially for garage floors. Decide on the gloss you want for the floor. Higher gloss paints are more durable, but since you’re using paint made for garage floors, any paint will work well. Allow this to dry for at least 24 hours before sealing.
8) Finally, it’s best to cover a painted garage floor with a sealant. This is probably the only time you’ll be doing this, and you want the finish to last.
Painting your garage really doesn’t take a lot of time or effort, especially when you consider all the advantages that come along with it. You can be done painting your garage in a couple of weekends and then begin reaping the benefits of a cleaner car and cleaner house in no time. Or, if you don’t want to take the time out of your busy schedule, contact a residential painter in your Morristown neighborhood that can get the job done in less time than you think. And maybe the best reason of all to paint a garage? You can finally get that man cave you’ve always dreamed about!