Garage Renovations: One Weekend, Three Surfaces

Garages are the most under-utilized square footage in most homes and the easiest to transform with a single weekend of work. The floor is the foundation of any garage upgrade: epoxy coating turns a stained slab into a finished surface, makes spills wipeable, and reads as intentional rather than incidental. Wall storage solves the second problem, which is usually that everything ends up on the floor.

Slatwall, French cleat systems, and pegboard each have advantages; cleats are cheapest and most adaptable, slatwall is the most polished, pegboard is the most flexible. A workbench surface against one wall with electrical outlets at counter height converts a parking space into a working space without giving up the parking. Lighting in a garage is almost always inadequate; LED shop lights at four-foot intervals across the ceiling cost under two hundred dollars total and triple the perceived workspace. Insulating the garage door is the smallest line item with the biggest temperature impact for an attached garage.