# My Detailing Studio / Workshop build.



## jonjay (Feb 28, 2008)

*Turning the garage into a WorkShop / Detailing Studio*

This is a little copy and paste from another thread I posted on SCN.

The garage has always been a storage area for me which effectively turned into a dumping ground by various members of my family do to its size. I decided that i am going to give my garage a makeover and it was time to claim back that lost space and continue my passion. Got a lot of junk in there and its quite big (easily fit a car in there and work around it comfortably).

So the plan:

1) Clear out the junk - order a skip
2) Get the ceiling boarded off (Asbestos roof so a wise idea)
3) Walls painted white
4) Floor will be tiled with strong white and black tiles. (or race decking or just garage floor paint)
5) Fix the work bench and storage area.
6) Additional shelving
7) Car pictures and some mirrors
8) A double couch for friends and tea breaks.
9) Additional lighting (halogen lights)

Lots of benefits to the above project! A lovely home for the car and a place where I can work on the car and detail in peace. Also as I have been heavily modifying my car over last 5 years it gives me a fantastic workshop space to take the car to bits and work into the night.

*Garage Makeover #2*

Last Saturday Slick (massive help) and me cleared out the junk from the garage sorting them into a keep and get rid pile. We dismantled the existing shelving, cleaned the walls and floor. Skip is coming this Saturday so I can now throw away all the junk and have room to work in the garage.

Electric points are going in this weekend. 
- 6 double plug sockets all-round the garage
- 4 Halogen lights in each corner
- 3 florescent lights in the centre

All wood has been ordered for the ceiling also. Only problem is getting a shed to stick all the gardening stuff in there.

*Garage Makeover #3*

Last week Slick and I managed to clear a lot of unwanted junk from my garage. We did a pretty good job sorting out the bad from the good with one side of the garage being used to pile up stuff to throw away, the other pile to keep and put in the shed when that arrives.

Today the skip came nice and early! Slick and I quickly got stuck in and nearly filled the skip after 40 minutes or so! We had to be a careful how we were throwing things away to maximise the space in the skip. Overall it worked out pretty well.

My Electrician got stuck in also putting in all the power points, switches, wiring and marking where the lighting was going to go.























































9 hours later and our delivery of boards and wood finally came! With the electrics nearly finished we can move onto the sealing tomorrow.










Old garage door Slick started the hack up and neatly fold away for collection.



















Luckily the locals looking for scrap metal managed to take all the metal we put next to the skip albeit late in the day. We were getting worried that they wouldn't show lol...silly us!

We all made massive progress today and are knackered! Got to give Slick majority of the praise here as he got stuck in and cleared away so much dirt, wood, grass, metal without me even asking him too! What are best mates for though ey!?

Big day ahead of us tomorrow so will post more pictures at the end of the day if I got the energy. Hopefully it will start looking the part then and you never know at some point next week I can get painting.

*Garage Makeover #4*

Lot more work done today! We started early as usual even on a Sunday...Electrics have been finished with the only thing left to do is halogens and the last florescent light. We got the wood frame cut and fixed so we could fix the panels on the roof frame.

Another mega day with the finish line in site!









































































*Garage Makeover #5*

Finished! Well not quite. 


















































































*Garage Makeover #5 cont...*
































































*Still to be done:*
_
- Order Shed to transfer stuff in house and in garage away
- Clean garage floor and walls again
- Fill in some of the gaps that I didn't get time to fill in today 
- Order spray gun to and white paint for ceiling and walls
- mask all fixings, garage door, lights, door ready for painting
- order garage floor paint
- order shelving_

*Thoughts so far: *

Ceiling is not as low as I imaged it to be and as its going to be whiter once painting it will make the garage feel bigger which is great.

Super pleased with the halogens. one in every corner will make it so much easier to work on my car and anything I detail in the future. They also produce a nice amount of heat so in winter they will help a tad.

The fluorescents work of two switches, one switch for the centre and the other for the outers. They provide a lovely level of light so for most tasks they will be great.

Should have more progress in the coming week. Need to regenerate my options and consider the tactical options available 

Garage Makeover #6

Today i bought the paint sprayer and the wall and floor paint. Tomorrow I will be tidying, sweeping, hoovering and pressure washing the garage floor so it's very clean for the floor paint. I will also mask up all lighting and electrical points ready for wall spraying. I decided I am going to spray the ceiling as well to save time so hopefully it all goes well.

Got to make sure I cover up well lol!

*Garage Makeover #6 Update*

Today, as what seems to be the norm thing recently, I took everything out of the garage and gave the floor a good sweep ready for pressure washing.










The floor came out pretty good once it was fully dry. I wasn't expecting an immaculate floor but as long as it's clean ready for the garage floor paint to bond properly that's all that matters.




























Once the floor was dried, I cracked on with the masking up. Took me a good few hours to get everything masked ready for spraying, I got really bored by the end of it and was happy to finish!























































So where are the pictures??? Well the spray gun was rubbish (taking it back tomorrow for a full refund) so I did the painting the old fashioned way with roller and brushes. I finished 3/4 of the walls by 10pm (started a 9am this morning with everything) so will take pictures tomorrow once done. Next will be the ceiling then hopefully by Saturday or Sunday I can start with the floor.

Need to have a good look around for some storage ideas for all the detailing gear.

*Garage Makeover #6 Update-2*

The ceiling and walls are now painted! It has taken me since Thursday to do it all finishing late almost every night as the walls and ceiling were so absorbent. I will post some pictures up soon...

...Some Pictures!




























So still left to do in the plan:

1) Get shed
2) Put garden stuff in Shed
3) Paint floor (two coats)
4) Get shelving for detailing gear and tools
5) Get cool pictures for the wall. 
6) Get a couch in case the Mrs ever throws me out lol.

*Garage Makeover #7 - Garage is now turning into a workshop studio*

It is *finally* looking how I wanted it to look from day one when i started this project and when i first moved into my home 6 years ago. Really really pleased with how it's turned out as it's a night and day difference. The Ronseal done a good job with one coat but it definitely cannot do 60sqm like says on the tin, especially on a bumpy surface. Took the whole tin to do my garage just about so had to go and buy another tin for the second coat (spent £80 on garage floor paint alone). Please excuse the border; I will correct this after the second coat has dried.





































Well chuffed. 

Hopefully after tomorrow I can concentrate on getting Shed to house all the stuff in my conservatory and get shelving for all my tools and detailing gear.

*Garage Makeover #8 - The Studio is nearing completion *


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## [email protected] (Apr 28, 2011)

nice work fella


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Looking good there matey.


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## NarN (Jun 24, 2011)

Great job!

What's the with of the studio?

I cleaned my car in the garage last week due to rain and it's about as wide as the car with both front doors open. It felt cramped, allways opening and closing doors to get around the car.


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## North east Car Care (Jan 14, 2008)

Cracking work Maz, as i`ve said before matey i`m not jealous at all when i`m working out on the drive :devil:


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## jonjay (Feb 28, 2008)

Cheers guys.


NarN said:


> Great job!
> 
> What's the with of the studio?
> 
> I cleaned my car in the garage last week due to rain and it's about as wide as the car with both front doors open. It felt cramped, allways opening and closing doors to get around the car.


4.3 meters wide so more than enough space to work around.

Done two details:
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=222445
and
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=220961

Had no issues opening all doors.


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## johnnyh (Jun 20, 2011)

Ahh... to have a decent sized garage, it must be bliss. If I put a car in mine I have to get out through the boot. Useful for storing everyday crap in, otherwise useless


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## ads2k (Jul 12, 2006)

Great space :thumb: Oh to be able to work round my car....

Hope security is up to scratch, don't want anyone ruining all your hard work .


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## SparklesFylde (Jan 28, 2010)

Looks Brill. Nice Work. Need to sort mine out, its a hole at the mo.


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## slim_boy_fat (Jun 23, 2006)

Nice man cave!!! :thumb:

Did you insulate the ceiling?


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## NarN (Jun 24, 2011)

jonjay said:


> Cheers guys.
> 
> 4.3 meters wide so more than enough space to work around.


Our garage is 3.5 meters wide. That's just enough to open the doors. The width of your garage door trough me off.


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## jonjay (Feb 28, 2008)

NarN said:


> Our garage is 3.5 meters wide. That's just enough to open the doors. The width of your garage door trough me off.


Yea the pictures dont really show its size that well. Real test is when i get a bigger saloon in there. Length maybe an issue...


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## jonjay (Feb 28, 2008)

butler2.8i said:


> Cracking work Maz, as i`ve said before matey i`m not jealous at all when i`m working out on the drive :devil:


Your gonna have to visit some day if your ever down this way Shaun!


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## North east Car Care (Jan 14, 2008)

jonjay said:


> Your gonna have to visit some day if your ever down this way Shaun!


Cheers matey :thumb:


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## uzi-blue (Mar 16, 2011)

Very nice, I want one. :argie:


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## Lovescars (Dec 17, 2010)

one day i will have garage but for now its the rain and wind lol look really well chap


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## jonjay (Feb 28, 2008)

slim_boy_fat said:


> Nice man cave!!! :thumb:
> 
> Did you insulate the ceiling?


Cheers 

Nah, wanted to keep costs down and it holds in heat a little too well.



Lovescars said:


> one day i will have garage but for now its the rain and wind lol look really well chap


Thanks matey.


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## Keith_sir (Jun 27, 2011)

Very nice, seeing this reminds me i need my garage floor painted. 

Also your flourescent fittings, have you thought about getting daylight lamps, i find these brilliant. Maybe you already have them.


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## prokopas (Apr 29, 2010)

Nice one


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## magpieV6 (Jul 29, 2008)

sweet!


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## jaymeh (Dec 22, 2010)

Nice build


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## 47p2 (Jun 17, 2007)

Nice transformation


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## jonjay (Feb 28, 2008)

Thanks 



Keith_sir said:


> Very nice, seeing this reminds me i need my garage floor painted.
> 
> Also your flourescent fittings, have you thought about getting daylight lamps, i find these brilliant. Maybe you already have them.


Yes I been told about them. Will look into it!


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## cupra-dav (Mar 21, 2007)

Looks great! A garage being used properly. Need to get my finger out I think


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## jonjay (Feb 28, 2008)

cupra-dav said:


> Looks great! A garage being used properly. Need to get my finger out I think


Do it!


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## lil-pinki (Jun 9, 2011)

Brilliant job mate, just a little jealous


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## Davie1973 (Nov 12, 2010)

One little suggestion would be to stick some loft flooring on the rafters and a little ladder and you'd gain yourself some extra storage space. Granted it will more than likely be useless when there's a car in there but otherwise very handy.

I enjoyed doing out our garage but that was before the kids came along and now it's generally full bikes and toys :wall:


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## Tom_watts (May 2, 2010)

Nice build, looks nice and professional


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## jonjay (Feb 28, 2008)

Thanks!


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## murfs frst (Feb 21, 2009)

very good amazing what a lick of paint can do.


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## Demetrios72 (Jun 27, 2011)

Great work there matey
Hope you put it to good use after all that hard work

Well done :thumb:


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## jonjay (Feb 28, 2008)

Demetri said:


> Great work there matey
> Hope you put it to good use after all that hard work
> 
> Well done :thumb:


Definitely have! Dont know what I would do without it now.


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## *cossiedave* (Dec 5, 2010)

great work , very tidy!


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Great transformation and great space now


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## craigblues (Jul 24, 2011)

Any further updates on your garage?


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## w00044 (May 17, 2009)

Nice work, I have almost exactly the same garage (a bit thiner) and would like to do the same. Unfortunately my roof could do with being replaced first!

Did you not fancy boarding the walls?


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## ben-150 (Nov 7, 2010)

Good Work, looks really nice:thumb:


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

That a massive turnaround there, alot of time went in to this one, it shows, i would love detailing center just like that.


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## jonjay (Feb 28, 2008)

Cheers guys. Only update is a little shed on the side to store stuff that's not meant to be in my detailing space. 

Current plans are:

1. Another shelf unit. 
2. Some nice car pictures. I got two that need framing. 
3. Couch? maybe a waste of space?

Opinions welcome.


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## w00044 (May 17, 2009)

jonjay said:


> Cheers guys. Only update is a little shed on the side to store stuff that's not meant to be in my detailing space.
> 
> Current plans are:
> 
> ...


I'd say pictures and a couch!

If you don't mind me asking, outside of the electrics what was the total refurb cost (inc door), as mine is alms exactly the same type of garage but a bit thiner.


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## slim_boy_fat (Jun 23, 2006)

Beer fridge!! :wave:


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## B005TED-G (Jan 5, 2012)

Get yourself a couch, get the pictures up and maybe hit up the DW team for a Banner 

Very nice garage by the way, you've done a fantastic job on what appears to be a decent budget. Top marks :thumb:


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## jonjay (Feb 28, 2008)

w00044 said:


> Nice work, I have almost exactly the same garage (a bit thiner) and would like to do the same. Unfortunately my roof could do with being replaced first!
> 
> Did you not fancy boarding the walls?


I thought about booarding the walls and might still do it in future but at the time I just wanted it ready to be used asap. I also wanted to keep tabs on costs.



w00044 said:


> I'd say pictures and a couch!
> 
> If you don't mind me asking, outside of the electrics what was the total refurb cost (inc door), as mine is alms exactly the same type of garage but a bit thiner.


Total cost of everything cost me around £1200. Thats for all materials and electrician/builder for the hard bits. 
It was a good 5 days work there.


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## w00044 (May 17, 2009)

Thanks for that, gives me a figure to work to!


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## Kev_mk3 (Sep 10, 2007)

cracking work there


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## w00044 (May 17, 2009)

I have almost exactly the same garage (just a bit thiner). Finally got around to making a start on mine, started by sealing all the joins of the panels today and managed to get about a third of it painted. 

As a paint I used Dulux weather shield (textured) and seems to cover well and I think bar the odd patch will only need one coat. A few more evenings and should have it finished. Just can't decide whether to paint the brackets that hold it all together or not.......

Then just need to re seal the floor to wall with a fillet as the old one has cracked in places then paint the floor...


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