Picking the Correct Garage Floor Design for a Working Garage

from JNK Products

One of the questions we get asked most often is what type of pattern and what type of product people should use in a garage floor design that is used for more than just parking cars. Our customers want to know everything from what type of pattern they should use to if a garage floor mat or a garage floor tile or even an epoxy will best fit their needs.

We’ve used both garage floor mats and garage floor tiles without issues in workshop type environments. I think the choice between a mat and a tile is a matter of personal preference and I am hard pressed to find an absolute reason why someone should ALWAYS use one over the other.

I do believe picking the proper garage floor pattern when designing a garage floor, and the colors are important. First, the concept of white garage flooring is something that blows me away. Most people would not consider putting white carpet in their kids room yet they consider white garage flooring in the garage –probably not the best idea. Our experience shows that the silver and grey do the best job of hiding dirt and debris.

If you are going to be rolling a toolbox, a chair or sliding underneath a car I recommend the coin pattern as my first choice. You could go with a smooth tile or mat, but that would leave some questions as to traction. The diamond tile looks sharp and when it comes to appearance is by far my favorite. If, however, you are constantly rolling items with a small wheel base, the diamond pattern tends to be a little loud and provide a little more ‘friction’ then the coin pattern garage flooring products.

Residential Garage Floor Design

Garage Floor Design for the Do It Yourselfer!

from Garage Design Plans 101

Cluttered residential garages are not uncommon. However, you can get away from all the stereotypical designs by investing a little time, effort and cash. You will be glad to realize that there is actually more space and beauty in your own garage than you thought possible. Pick the right layout that matches your needs as well as throw in some creativity to eliminate eyesores.

Rules of Organization
Since the garage is one of the biggest areas in the house, it will be wiser not to underestimate the amount of time and effort you’re going to spend fixing it. Provide at least an entire weekend or two to work on the project. To start organizing, do a visual inspection of the entire area and check how much space you’re using up. It will help a lot if you get the dimensions specifically the total area and height so that you will know which furniture and storage fixtures will fit later on. You may want to ask someone you know to help you estimate the space you have.

When organizing, consider the biggest item you’re supposed to store inside the garage. Do you have a car? How many vehicles do you have? Do you own any power tools that occupy space such as lawnmowers, chainsaws, etc? Start making a list of all items you intend to store inside from the biggest to the smallest. Next, start cleaning out the place. Take away all items you no longer need to be sold, given away or stored in other areas in the house such as the basement or attic. Finally, design your layout that will effectively accommodate all items in the list while freeing up as much space as possible.

Planning the Layout
You can hire a professional or plan the layout yourself with the help of a friend who knows a little about layouts. Start writing down all options to make the design as efficient and convenient as possible. The best approach to save as much space as you can would be to keep all things off the floor if possible. This means you have to invest in fixtures like wall-mounted shelves and baskets, hooks and pins, overhead storage lockers, lofts and tool racks. You may also want to put a couple of large cabinets to keep clutter out of sight.

Use racks and hooks to mount bicycles and power tools. Small items such as nails, screws, bolts and other accessories should be placed in labeled boxes, crates or baskets to be stored in shelves or cabinets for easy access. Larger items can be positioned on lofts and overhead storage shelves if they fit. The rest can remain on the floor but make sure that you still arrange them well out of anyone’s working space and path. Drawers are very useful in storing items which you need to protect against external elements.

As for aesthetic purposes, think of one or two colors to use for the whole room. You may decorate with a few wall-mounted items like a clock, picture frames or framed posters. Be more creative and find the style that best interests you like placing a die-cast miniature Ferrari on one of the shelves or pinning a NASCAR flag on one wall. Lights and garage doors should also carefully be chosen to keep everything safe and easy to locate. A single fluorescent lamp is usually adequate for most residential garage designs but you may also use lamps if you have a certain working corner.

Elements Of A Good Garage Design Idea

By Tim Lee

Most people hire the services of contractors to make a garage plan for them. But if you prefer to build your own, coming up with a garage design idea is really not difficult. While technical expertise is important, there are basic factors which should make things easy for you. When you are thinking of a good garage design idea, consider the following:

1. Location.

Where do you plan to build your garage? Most homes either have front or side garage. Either way, garage should be constructed where house and the driveway are most accessible. Location also plays an important role on the overall design of your garage. The space available determines how the garage interior should be constructed in respect on the functions you want your garage to have. Once you have determined the "where", everything is easy.

2. Budget.

How much? The amount of money you should pour on the garage design is the next factor you need to be aware of. The cost of constructing a garage per square feet depends on where you live but it roughly goes from $40-$100. The materials you will use for the garage design also play a bit factor.

3. Function.

How will the garage be used? Before, the garage is used solely to keep the vehicle secured. But garage nowadays serves multiple purposes from storing house and gardening tools to working space for do-it-yourselfers.

Utilize the spaces available on your floor, wall, and ceiling.

Your garage walls can accommodate most of your home tools and gardening equipment including your brooms, extension cords, hoses, garden tools, ladders, bicycles, balls and bats, golf bags and accessories, food coolers, coats, shoes, hats, and other workshop and general house tools and accessories. Install vertical storage on the wall for additional storage space.

Garage cabinets can store your insect, lawn, and garden chemicals, paint, other small tools used for car maintenance, and the rest of the items you want to keep hidden for safety reasons.

Overhead storage can be installed to maximize the unused space of your ceiling. Here, you can securely keep seasonal items such as sports equipment, holiday decorations, and other things that cannot be kept at the floor.

The key here is not to focus your attention so much on the floor; you have lots of spaces above it.

4. Aesthetics.

Functionality is your main concern when thinking of a garage design idea, should you be worried with the aesthetics? Yes. How your garage will look like is important. Colors of the wall, design of the cabinets, types of materials used, and even the theme of the garage should be carefully planned.

Efficient Garage Floor Plans

Garage Floor Design completes the space to be more
than just a place to park a car!

By Harmony Teal

Are you designing your new dream home with an architect or a builder? If so, don't forget to lay out the garage floor plans too. We tend to overlook garages, but they can be so much more than just a place for your vehicles.

What you want to do is start by examining sample floor and house plans, which you can get either from your architect or an online site. These plans should give you a pretty good idea of the current trends in garage plans.

For example, try making your garage a little wider by a few feet if it needs to be a two-car garage. This gives you extra space for cabinets and shelves, and still gives you enough room to access your car without scraping up against things or doing weird contortions.

Making the garage a few feet longer than normally seen in garage floor plans is good too because it gives you more room and versatility. All that extra space will give you a place to put your lawnmower, bikes, and even a workbench.

Another step to creating a multipurpose garage is to create a little area or nook that can be used as a workspace, a children's play area, or just a place for extra storage. These spots are usually tucked in a corner in the back of the garage.

You will get a lot of extra room just by extending the garage space out or even connecting it to the house.

If you want to use the garage for storage, you can raise the ceiling. A tall garage with a ten or eleven foot ceiling will give you extra wall space that you can load up with shelves for storing Christmas decorations and other seasonal items.

Another thing to consider is access to the yard and the house. It's traditional for most garages to have a door to the house, and of course the main door for car access.

It could also be convenient to add an extra door that opens out to the yard. That makes it easy for you to take out your yard and lawn tools, and gives easy access to large toys.

If you have a laundry room near the garage, you can make an instant mud room just by adding a door to your garage floor plans that provides access to this room.

With a little thought and modifications, you can have a fantastic garage to go with that dream home you're building.

Garage Floor Design

There's no better way to make a point than to show a photo! The above photo was taken to illustrate the transformation made by a do-it-yourselfer garage floor makeover project. The garage floor tiles were supplied by SwissTrax. SwissTrax manufactures a durable, interlocking modular garage floor tile in many colors and a variety of tile styles.

This blog is all about the Garage Floor Design. Our major resource of information is SwissTrax.com. We will gather information and photos and post the details here for you. Should you have any questions, please call.

The garage has become more than just a place to park a car. In many homes, the garage area has become an extension of the living quarters. As you can see in the photo above, the Garage Floor Design completes the space and makes it a clean area for many projects and tasks. Join us in examining many ways to tranform your garage into a successful interior design project.