Easy ways to dress up the garage
I believe in practical and functional living, but I also like to look for easy ways to dress up those spaces in your home that are very well used. Like the garage.  Most people probably don’t care about how the garage looks, but when you have a front facing garage entrance and a husband who likes to keep a clean and tidy garage, you certainly want it to look visually appealing when you or guests drive up to Duke Manor Farm each time.
Two summers ago, we did a little refresh and painted the walls. It needed it. Bad.  By the way, we’re  really not the graffiti types.We used the garage area to spray the kitchen cabinets, and in the process my husband had a little fun with the walls. At least he was romantic.Â
How about this real as it gets photo? #justkeepingitreal
When we planned to paint the house lighter, I tested the inside of the garage walls with a few of the colors that I was considering.   It stayed cleaned and look good all for about a  week…maybe less.  Design tip – To have a more cohesive look when the garage doors are open why not paint the inside of the garage the same color as the exterior of the house.
I even got fancy around the door area and painted a runner on the stairs. This is the only part of the garage that still looks pretty much the same 2 year later. (Tutorial here.)
Still on a quest to dress the garage up a bit more, we recently installed some siding and wood trim on all the walls. I am painting the bottom part with a color a few shades darker then our house exterior with a color called Chatroom and the top will be the same color as the house, called Sedate Gray. Both colors by SW.
To conceal little kid muddy prints, and kid graffiti (they must have learned from dad) Â I am painting the cabinets and other doors black.
Here’s a progress shot . I love the way it is coming together. So crisp, clean and fresh……. for now anyways.
I still need work on organization for mainly the kids stuff ( bikes, scooters and skateboards) and come up with a plan to repaint the garage floors. If you got any good tips, I would love to hear them.
I’d show you more of my progress, but I got to get out there and finish painting so you don’t have to see half painted walls when you pull up to the house!
grateful
for weekend family time around the campfires
I wish we would add the wood trim in ours. We had ours all painted and looking good several years ago and then it went right back to the junky way it looked before. It does feel good to drive into a nice clean garage.
that’s one thing hubby has serious issues with a gross looking garage. It is coming together really nicely and didn’t break the bank. rain rain rain. good day to stay inside and clean house.
I’ve taken all summer trying to rid the garage of “stuff”, many things going to Goodwill, “alot” going to the trash. Purging is soothing to the soul, hard on the back and kind to the hear when you open the door to a clean space. I’m struggling with organizing the lawn tools, hope someone comes up with a fun exciting and decorative way to house them. I’m enjoying seeing yours come together. fondly ~lynne~
who would have thought garage’s could be such a chore. good luck with yours. have a great week!
I could move in! Looks great, I can’t even see my walls…darn it!
xo
Debbie
well….you know what your next project is! 🙂
Looks fantastic Laura. John keeps our garage tidy
Cindy
thanks cindy. it must be a man thing. 🙂
We cleaned the garage this weekend. Two minivan loads to the local high school charity. The kids are raising money to travel to England this summer for a forensic tournament. Our neighbors painted their floor with a product that hardens like enamel. Fun part was the sprinkles that you put on. On person did the paint rolling and the second came afterwards and did the sprinkles. We are planning on doing it too. Comes in a few colors and I think they got it at Lowes.
what a beautiful heart and donating your stuff to a charity. good luck to the kids. I am sure it will be a great trip and something they will remember for a lifetime.
You will have the prettiest garage in the South! 🙂
one could only hope! 🙂
My garage is the bane of my existence! Always full of furniture projects for my booth. Can NOT stay ahead of it, but I do try. Years ago I painted the floor and while it’s been pretty good, I should have gone with a darker color. I have to fight the urge to mop it. 🙂 Love the black doors idea… good luck!
xo Heidi
hey you. Hope you had a great time at CL fair while I was at home tackling the garage! ha. hope you are having a great week!
We also have the painted garage floor with the enamel and sprinkles. Purchased at Menards. It seems expensive up front, but lasts and is easy to clean so it’s worth it. We have tin panels on the lower portion of the walls and the garage always looks clean. I agree it is a man thing. I really didn’t think all that garage fuss was necessary, but we have had so many gatherings in the garage because it’s so easy to set up tables and serve food off the counter top work bench. Sears has a great section of organizational stuff for garages, a wide variety of hanging things for tools, lawn chairs etc.
Good luck with the project
peggy- thanks so much for the tips particularly the tin panels. I am sure easy to wipe up if needed. Never ending job, right? Hope you are having a great week.
OK…only you would have wainscoting in your garage….love it!…Got to show this to the hubby…he will be envious!