5 Garage Essentials

A garage has diverse uses in our lives. We heap our stuff that should be kept out of sight, perform messy DIYs and repair work there and most importantly, park our beloved car to safeguard from outside harsh elements. Therefore, it should have some essential items to make things happen smoothly.

Organising your garage and stocking up the right items in it will rule out all your challenges while you work in your garage. As well, making it more functional.

Furthermore, to save you from headaches and a lot of time, we’ve compiled a list of 5 garage essentials. Equip your garage with them and make it a happy place to work.

1. Durable and easy-to-clean flooring
   Generally, garages undergo a lot, from heavy pressure due to your vehicle movement to oil stains, making the space look unattractive. If that is the case with you, then it’s time to refurbish its flooring. It needs durable and low maintenance floors.
   
   
   Out of all, epoxy flooring is the most affordable and smart choice for your existing flooring. You can employ the tough coating on concrete, stone or any other floors. It tops up the cracks, making the surface smooth and clean; however, it can turn yellow due to UV exposure.
   
   
   If you have concrete garage flooring, you can do concrete grinding and polishing to render the floor a finished look, as an alternative. As a result, you’ll get an easy-to-clean and durable garage floor.
   
   
2. General and accessible storage
   One of the essential uses of a garage is storing stuff. Therefore, enhancing storage capacity is a must. There are several different ways to do so. Pegboard is the most affordable way to stock tools and equipment. It helps to keep everything in a clean and decluttered manner. As well, easy to pick, use and keep back.
   
   
   In fact, different types of cheap hooks are also available for hanging hammers, extension cords and other essential tools that you already have. For flexibility purposes, you can opt for open shelving and enclosed cabinets. You can either arrange metal freestanding shelves or short double-wide units as they are quick to help you during work.
   
   
   Well, if you’re not ready to invest in shelving, then another economical option would be separate tool hangers. They are quickly attainable at hardware stores.
   
   
3. Proper lighting systems
   Insufficient lighting can jeopardise the quality of work, causing time-consuming results and sometimes expensive mistakes. So, if you have flickering fluorescent lights, then that’s inadequate for your work. Change them to ceiling lights to illuminate your garage and make it an inviting and welcoming space.
   
   
   Furthermore, install pendant fixtures to provide you light where you need the most, such as on a workbench. Even adding a lamp would light the workstation properly. As well, keep a portable work light to find the tools like screws and nuts dropped by you. It will avoid visiting the hardware shop every now and then.
   
   
4. Safety gears and tools
   Having proper safety gears and tools on hand is essential. Instead of putting yourself in a risky situation, arrange safety equipment in the dedicated space where you can find them easily. Some gears and tools include safety glasses, leather or mechanic gloves, earplugs or earmuffs, a face shield and a respirator. Remember to keep two pairs of safety glasses, one for yourself and another for your working partner.
   
   
   Another important thing is the power strips and extension cords. For a workbench, a 4-foot or 10-foot power strip will be enough. For extension cords, usually, people select a 15-foot cord for garages. However, if the projects are beyond the workstation for some reasons, grab a 50–100-foot extension cord.
   
   
5. Sturdy garage door
   The strongest garage doors withstand harsh elements from heat to cold to snowstorms. However, before picking the one, you must consider your priorities. Are you searching for one that withstands dents and dings as a result of games like basketball? Are you thinking of security from burglars? Or the one that resists rust, corrosion, wrap and rot?
   
   
   Based on your answers, pick a quality door that is functional as well as aesthetically appealing. A lot of door materials for garages are available in the market. Wood, steel, fiberglass and aluminum, to name a few. Many professionals recommend galvanized steel as it is the sturdiest amongst all. As well, they provide immense structure strength and less maintenance.
   
   
   To set up a perfect garage, you’ll need items beyond these five based on your necessities. However, to start with your work, we would recommend having at least the above-listed ones. This way, you’ll have things in handy, and your work will be accomplished in less amount of time, hassle-free and without any mishaps.