Garage Makeover

First thing you need to do when tackling a garage transformation is to plan the layout and how you want the space to function. In today’s garage transformation, we are going to sort through and de-clutter the space and find a home for everything to live.

On one wall, we are going to install practical storage racks, we will paint two of the walls in a dark grey to create feature walls to display artwork on and finally, we are going to create an artist studio in the middle of the room.

TIP: to avoid getting paint on the painted concrete floor, we used a Monarch dropshot and for added protection, we used a quality exterior 3M rough surface tape along the edges, where the wall joined with the floor, to avoid any paint spills.

The first step of any painting project is to prep your room and your walls. Start by moving your furniture and other items away from the walls and cover them with a Monarch Leak-Proof Canvas dropsheet to protect them from paint splatters. Protect your floors with more dropsheets and make sure your walls are clean and free from dust, grime and spiderwebs.

To prepare your brushes, soak them in an inch of water for 15mins. Remove the water from your brush by spinning it between your hands or shaking with large motions.

Prepare your roller covers by washing under running water for a few minutes. To remove the water from the roller cover, attach it to your roller frame then spin the roller cover off a wall. Wipe the wall dry and you’re ready to go.

TIP: Moistening your painting tools in water before painting will help them absorb paint evenly to then release it in a smooth and consistent stream, giving you the best finish.

The paint we used is from the Haymes Artisan Collection, a 2-coat paint system to add texture and depth to the walls. The first coat is a lighter base coat, followed by the textured top coat.

Start applying the base coat by cutting in around the edges of the walls and around doors, windows and light switches with a Monarch Advance Paint Brush. While the cutting in is still wet, use a Monarch Walls & Ceilings roller cover on a heavy-duty frame to apply paint to the walls in smooth strokes. Attach your roller frame to an extension pole to be able to reach the entire height of the wall without using a ladder.

TIP: A loaded quality roller gives you fantastic coverage with two roller widths before needing to be reloaded. This is a more reliable method than trying to spread the paint as far as it will go and getting a patchy finish.

Once the base coat has had time to dry, it’s time for the top coat. In this garage transformation, we used our Monarch Expertech Pure Hog Bristle brush to create a criss-cross effect with the textured paint.

To achieve the textured effect, load the brush with paint and apply it to the wall by flicking your wrists from left to right creating a subtle criss cross effect with the paint, which adds real depth, texture and life to the space.

Start painting from one corner of the wall and work your way across, cutting in as you go.

TIP: Since you’ll need to paint the whole wall with only a brush, using a larger brush will speed up the process; we recommend 75mm or larger.

Once we finished painting the feature walls, we assembled some storage racks from Pinnacle and organised the shelves with some Inabox Heavy Duty storage tubs – perfect for storing art accessories and clutter that has accumulated in the garage.

To finish off the space, we added an artist studio in the centre of the garage so the owner can paint and get creative while also admiring his artwork. We also included some down-lights on the two feature walls, to spotlight the artwork and help add some ambiance to bring the space to life.