DIY Garage Ideas

When most people think of a garage, their first thought is of cars. Some people use their garages exclusively for car storage, and store a few things on the sides. Some people have a two car garage with only one car, or they park on the street. Whatever the situation is, if you have extra garage space, you have so many possibilities! Check out the list below and see if one or more of these ideas would improve your garage space.

If you like working out at home, your garage is one of the best options. It has a floor that can handle heavy weights, and most people don’t want unsightly gym machines living inside the house. Creating a garage gym can even be a small part of how you utilize your garage. You’d be surprised at what you can accomplish within those four garage walls.

The first thing you’ll want is some gym flooring for your garage. Although the concrete garage floor can handle your movements and equipment, it’s not comfortable. Many workouts include laying on the ground or kneeling, plus it’s better impact on your body to be moving on rubber. You can find black rubber floor mats at a number of fitness equipment retailers, but keep in mind a few things: they are heavy and expensive. Luckily, even one or two may be enough to create your gym.

You can also utilize your garage space to install exercise equipment. Whether it’s a pull up bar on the wall, a TRX hanging from the ceiling, or a machine that can be folded and stored, your garage holds a lot of possibilities for a DIY home gym. For small equipment like bands or balls, you can use shelves, a cabinet, or wall hooks to keep things organized.

Speaking of wall hooks – they may just be your new best friend! Because many people park their car in the garage, wall hooks have become a popular way to store items vertically on the walls, optimizing the space. There are so many things that can be stored on wall hooks.

One of the most popular items to hang on garage walls is tools. There are a different ways to hang your tools on garage walls, such as hooks, nails, and pegboards. Pegboards are large pieces of thin wood with holes and a variety of types of accessories (like hooks) to stick in the holes. Many people like using pegboards for tools because if you own a bunch of small tools, you can use small hooks and group them in sections. A clean white pegboard also provides a nice contrasting color to your tools so you can see them well.

Another category of items you can organize on hooks is sporting goods. Whether it’s skis, bicycles, tennis rackets, or roller skates, hooks are a great way to display and organize your athletic equipment.

Finally, you can also hang cleaning and landscaping tools on garage hooks. As long as they look clean, you could hang your brooms, mops, and rakes. We recommend saving actual cleaning bottles and sprays for the next section – cabinets – since they’re not that pleasant to look at.

While shelves and cabinets are inevitably going to take up more space than wall hooks, they come in handy for many items you want stored. Not everything should be hung on a wall, especially due to its shape, size, or aesthetic. Shelves are good for things you’ll need often or are pleasant to look at, while garage cabinets can be good for storing items you won’t need on a daily or even monthly basis, or that you want to hide.

Garage shelving and cabinets can be used to store things like paint cans, seasonal items (clothes, holiday décor), camping and outdoor gear, art supplies, or projects in process.

Whether it’s a “man cave” or a living unit, your garage has the potential to become a completely different room. Depending on its basic functionality – like lighting, plumbing, and insulation – you may be able to start remodeling on your own. One advantage of turning your garage into a different space is that you can access it through the garage door, without entering the house. You could even rent out the room!

Before starting your garage DIY projects, make sure you come up with a plan in advance. If you need help with lighting, plumbing, shelving, or more – contact us today!