Tips to help you paint your garage interior

If you’ve recently given your garage a good clean, you’re probably now thinking it’s time for a fresh paint of coat.

But, don’t just head out to your local renovation store right away to buy the paint. Take a minute to think about what you’ll need, and how to go about the project.

First, think about where you’re going to store the items you keep in your garage while painting it. You probably shouldn’t just leave them outside unprotected… After all, you don’t want things to get rusty.

You could call a friend, relative or neighbour and see if they have any space. Maybe you could use your basement, too. Worst case scenario, use a self‑storage facility. But whatever you do, you need to figure out how to transport the items.

Now, before you get the paintbrush out, there are some things you need to do:

• Repair any cracks in the ceiling or walls

  If you don’t already have drywall up, put some drywall up. If you do, make sure it’s clean and remove any hangers or hooks. If you’re not planning on using them again, fill in the holes with a heavy‑duty drywall compound.

  Now that the walls are prepared you can get your paintbrush (or roller) out!

  

• Paint the ceiling and walls

  If you have to start from scratch, you’ll need to apply a base coat. Don’t forget you can apply water‑based paint over oil‑based paint, but you cannot do the reverse. Luckily, nowadays water‑based paints tend to be a much higher quality than 10 years ago and are generally more stain and mould resistant.

  Whichever type you go for, don’t skimp on the quality as you’re not likely to be repainting your garage in two or three years.

  We suggest choosing a light, bright colour for the ceilings and walls. White goes well on ceilings but a light grey or brown is better for walls as it will hide any dirt.

  

Now, on to the floor!

• Prepare the concrete floor

  Your floor will definitely need a good clean. Make sure you wear any required protection, for example if you’re using a degreaser you’ll need to wear goggles, a mask and gloves, and keep the garage well‑ventilated. If you would rather make your own floor cleaner just combine 3 parts water with 1 part bleach. If you need to remove any tough stains, use a detergent.

  You’ll need to fill in any large cracks with a patching compound. You might even need to use a grinder to make sure the patching compound properly adheres. When it’s dry, polish the whole surface to even the floor out. You can apply a resurfacer product (100% acrylic concrete sealant with resin) if you’re floor isn’t very attractive. Make sure you wait at least 24 hours before doing anything else.

  

• Paint the concrete floor

  Once it’s primed and dry, you can use a satin‑finish latex paint (100% acrylic with polyurethane) on the floor – it’s cheaper than epoxy paint. Wait at least 24 hours before applying a second coat.

  If you do choose epoxy paint, you’ll need to add a catalyst. Split the floor into four sections and do one section at a time. Epoxy paint is a fast‑drying product (45 mins), so make sure you only prepare enough paint for the area you’re working on. To get the best results, apply a thick layer of paint. Once applied, you need to wait 24 hours before you can walk on it and at least 4 days before you can park on it.

  

  Well, that’s it! Time consuming but easy! If you don’t think you have the patience to carry out this task, hire a professional painter or company specialized in concrete flooring.

  

Don’t forget about your garage door…

While you’re making your garage look nice on the inside, think about your garage door. Whether it needs a tune‑up or you’re thinking about investing in a new door, let us know by calling us at 905-684-8161

Once we know what you’re looking for we can send you a detailed quotation. If you prefer, we’ll send one of our team out to your home to show you our entire range and help you make the best choice. You can also try out our Design Centre tool and browse through our image gallery.