Ideas for turning garage into a sewing room?
 

[COLOR="#FF0000"]I am buying a smaller home which doesn't have any room for my sewing, but does have an extra garage - soooo I plan to convert it - can you help?

I tried to post a picture, but no can do YET. Anyway, the walls and ceiling has chipboard, the floor is concrete and it is a one car garage. I wanted to put floor to celing shelves on which to store my many many totes of fabric, etc, Paining the chipboard a light color would seem great, and the floor, I am not too clear on - laminate, indoor.outdoor carpet, or what?? I would like to put my big tv in there with a couple recliners.....any thoughts?

http://www.quiltingboard.com/attachm...1&d=1383054025

I MUST be a comfortable space - heck, I will be there MOST of the time! THANKS

Oh! this project must be budget friendly! (I don't want much, huh?)

I now have the garage as my sewing room, love it. We insulated, drywalled, ect. it is attached to the house so it is wonderful!!! Good luck and enjoy!!!

It looks like a great space. I know you'll have fun putting it together and using it. I like your idea for shelving along the walls. I would want the best flooring I could afford, something comfortable for standing on .... like a cushioned flooring or cushioned pads strategically placed. Do you have a number of electrical outlets for all those machines and accessories? I look forward to seeing your work in progress and finished project.

As Tartan says, depends on where you live. Comfort and climate (as well as insect) control is first and foremost. What are you going to do with the garage door? If it looks out on a pleasant scene I would put in a patio door for nice light and easy access. A door will let you spirit new stash right into the sewing cave without leaving scent in the house. :) I would look for inexpensive kitchen cabinets and counter tops for storage. then I would install narrow depth bookcases for storage of fabric on comic book boards. Can you just paint the concrete floor? Makes for easy rolling of a chair. I'll be watching because I have dreams some day of converting our twocar attached garage into my sewing cave.

Needless to say, you'll need insulation, regardless of where you live. When dh converted a shed for my sewing, he found some flooring on sale, at either Lowe's or Home Depot. It's just vinyl 'planks' but they look nice, are easy to clean, and my chair rolls effortlessly. You'll also need to work on the lighting. We chose 'daylight' fluorescent lighting, which works for me.

Can you replace the garage door with a wall and door? A LOT of heat/cooling escapes, through a garage door.

Is the other garage attached to the house? If so I would take that one and use it instead and put the car in here. Much better to go in and out of the house in the winter with out a coat and not heat another garage.

Like the others ... where you are will determine some of what you will do.
Be sure to factor in all the seasons, and weather changes ... and the effects they will create for the short term while you are in there, and the long term, such as humidity and dampness potentially creating mold.

Another factor to check ... any bylaws and/or regulations for you to make the changes you want. That might determine whether the garage door could be removed and a patio door installed. That being said ... you could always leave the garage door, and open it on nice days. Screening might be a good consideration as well.

There is so much more that is do-able ... you really need to think it all thru as to what your needs and wants are. You can get so many ideas from the previous threads where others have shown their sewing areas and what they have done. Make your wish list and do some graph paper work, to determine the layouts and how things might fit in.

Have FUN as you make your plans and see it come into being!

We just had a bathroom put in our basement (floor is unlevel of course) so we put down those rubber squares they use for play areas for the kids. We found the tiles in black and it makes it so nice to walk down there. They fit together like tongue and groove. I think they are about 3/4 inch thick. We painted the walls a light yellow and it looks really nice.

My sister did the same thing. They bought a 1 bedroom home, it had a one car garage separate from the house. It is a beautiful sewing room now. One big window, with an air conditioner for summer, beautiful oak cabinets for all her fabrics, lots of drawers on the bottom, and counter top for cutting. Carpet on the floor, and one large wall she uses to display her quilts. There is a twin size sleigh bed in the corner, covered with one of her quilts, thats where I get to sleep when I visit her every July. She lives in a very small town in Eastern Oregon, in a valley surrounded by mountains.

Painting that OSB or chipboard as you called it is very time consuming. It will take about 4 or 5 coats of paint and 3 of those will be Kilz primer and what ever color your finish coats will be.

I suggest water-based primer and paints..less smelly paint fumes. And do at least remove one of the panels to see if any insulation is back there. You might even consider putting up drywall over the chipboard. Some extra work around the doors and windows would be needed if you do it that way.

And what about the garage door? and the tracks? Are you planning on replacing it with a wall and a door?

I think floor to ceiling shelves for your tubs is an excellent idea. Maybe some counter-space for other crafts.

You might check out the carpet squares for your flooring. Or bamboo might be nice if it were in the budget. Great cushiony product. Just thought I would put my 2 cents in. LOL!!
It will be great when you get it done.

If the garage door isn't insulated, you could buy a sheet of insulation that looks like Styrofoam at a home improvement store and cut it to fit in the door panels. It is light and doesn't effect the opening of the door. I can't tell if you have an insulated door or not. I bought carpet at Lowe's called Kanga. It has a foam backing and is industrial carpet. It insulates the cement floor. I also hung a king size quilt over the door with clips that could be taken down if I needed to open the door. Painting the flake board could get pricey as you will need several coats, but for the first coats you could use mismatched paint or cheap paint from a discount store and then a coat of good paint. I sold the house I made the garage into a sewing room or I would post pictures, but it worked. You can also buy a screen that fits over a garage door opening if you want to open the door in good weather.

Yes I have taken pictures, but I do not know how to put them on here. I am not computer savvy. Thats why I have never posted my quilts.

I work out in my garage now also. We are in Washington so had to insulate for winter. Put in a quality garage heater so in the winter can get it to 65 for comfortable use. During summer, another story. So stinking hot I work in 85 to 90 degrees. Yep, working on an airconditioner but would have to put in a window. Fans help. For your garage door, if the foam board does not do it for you, they have this insulation stuff that is silver at Home Depot that you put across the door and it insulates it and I can still open as needed. Works wonderful. Search for garage door insulation, you will see it.
A nice counter/cupboard space is nice to have. We found some that were being thrown away from the church which we painted and installed them. They are across one wall so I can store my threads and fabric in there so they are not damaged by the elements when the door is open. You will want a cushion pad for under your cutting area. I do longarm quilting and have truly enjoyed having the foot cushion to walk/stand on. The cement floor is rather hard on the feet and knees even if you are sitting part of the time. You will want to be sure you have enough outlets before you start putting everything in. Those are so important or be sure you have your extension cords set so you can always have access to power when moving about. Be sure your breaker box can handle the iron and sewing machine on same outlet. In my house it can't so had a couple more circuts put in with outlets. Same for the heater, be sure the outlet is adequate. You can suspend your batting from the ceiling if you buy by the roll. Set it in a corner and a pole with chains works fantastic. This way they are not in the way taking up space. Be sure is away from the garage door though. LOL. Hope these ideas help.

The number one thing with using a garage or shed is insulation and control of heat or cold. also be sure to put the right wiring in for all the electric you will need.

I have to say the best thing I put in my sewing room was those black tiles that interlock. Its nice to walk on them as I have a cement floor (especially in the winter time). Paint your dry wall after you insulate for eitiher heat or cold weather or both. Lighting- I use the bulbs that simulate outside lighting; so things are a truer color (if that makes sense). LOTS of electrical outlets .. Never know when you need it . .Oh yeah the best part: TV and radio ! LOL :-)

They sell carpet tiles at Lowes. They would be nice to put down.

My dh just turned our garage into a hobby room, he ran electric and put plugs every 3 feet, put in insulation and drywall and painted it ultra bright white (its' a ceiling paint. He then went to costco and bought laminate flooring and it looks wonderful, had a cooling/heating put in and now it is the perfect room. This is a 2 car garage & it was done for 3,000 DOLLARS except for the ac unit

In California we would have to put up dry-wall over the chip-board. because it would be a fire hazzred. just saying for ca. Dottiebug

I would just use concrete paint and paint the floor. We just bought a house and the garage is already converted other than the door we still have to remove. I'm trying to talk my DH into adding a another small room on instead of just putting in a wall. My thought is maybe someday I will get a LA and will need the extra space. He told me when we were buying the house that could my sewing room. It's a 2 car just needs more lights and shelving so I've been picking up some cabinets at our Restore to put in there. It's already heated.

You can actually buy a type of screen to go in the garage so you can have the door up but also have some screen protection. I see it in a neighboring suburb - the kids have toys all over the garage and the parents can sit in there out of the sun and/or rain and still get fresh air. Check on online.

And you could run a wire or cable across the garage on the inside of the door and clip curtains, drapery panels, sheets across so in the winter you have something more pleasant to look at. The cable would have to be high enough to not interfere with people but just below the garage door track so it is not in the way there. And I think that I would use the rubber mats that snap together - cushy on the feet, and more warmth in the winter. You can always put an office chair mat by your machine so you can roll around in your chair a bit.

Sounds like a fun project.The garage willbe a awesome sized. Sewi get room.Please show us the after pics.

Same thing here in Indiana, but only on the wall that is shared with the house. We had to put 1/2" drywall all the way up to the eaves of the roofing.

We're in the process of converting a space in the garage into multi-purpose. Main use is LA with storage and work space for a sewing machine. The alternate use is to wheel the LA into the garage (there's a 6' double door) and insert an airbed. There's a full bathroom at one end. It's getting paint now. When that's done, I'll start a new thread with pictures. The floor is concrete. It'll be painted with concrete sealer and color. 3/4" thick rubber mats from Harbor Freight are under the LA and extend out to stand on. There're not easy to get really clean, so I'm thinking I'll throw an indoor/outdoor piece of cheep rug over them so the dirt doesn't get onto the quilts.

I'd also ensure my garage door is completely sealed so unwanted critters(mice) cannot get in and do damage.

Ditto #31/// .. Sunlover53

I wouldn't doubt that there are sites that say that. You don't even have to look hard to find warnings against everything there is, including dirt, grass, water, air, etc not to mention deodorant, bras, and every kind of food known to man. That said, they have to glue it with something and being surrounded by it in a small room may not be good and am curious why someone would put that in there instead of drywall, which I think would be cheaper. I'm not sure about "signing your own death certificate" though. And I don't know what is in Kilz but that stuff smells way more toxic than chipboard/oxboard. Or why it would have to be sprayed-I guess because they figure you can't spray it yourself and would have to pay someone (them?) to do it.

Almost all carpet contains formaldehyde so if you want to avoid that, go with laminate or something. Or paint the concrete.

The only thing that would worry me is to mouse proof the area. They will get in!!!!! My studio used to be in a garage till I out grew it. YOU will need lighting and electrical outlets, more than you think you will need. And heat and AC?

READ THE KILLS LABLE> IT WILL KILL YOU! My DH had nerve damage and mental lapses from using this product. Be very careful with it. He followed all the precautions and it wasn't enough to keep him safe.
peace

Regarding paint, at Home Depot, (and many Lowes), they have mismatched paint and it sells for $7 a gallon. Of course, it comes in all colors but for the primer paint, it would not matter. With Kilz, you have to be sure to cover your arms too, it can get into your pores. I would say, try the children's tiles, or colored tiles, not the carpet tiles.
See what is in them first. They would have to be suitable for children. Then price them thru a carpet place first, then try BJ's or a place like that. I just got some at BJ's for my laundry room. They come in about 2' square. I think you could get them in any color. A light color would be great. You could always hang mirrors for more light. Have fun!

Another thing to consider, you could get regular bookcases and attach them to the wall if you could find the studs, that way they could not tip. I would say to use your 6" wide ruler and fold all your fabric that way. I really like mine and it does not cost to buy the boards. My closet is already full, one other wardrobe, and 6 more tubs to empty. Yes,
we are never done. Go for it!

I used carpet tiles for the floor in my sewing suite and my autistic grandson made the squares into a giant quilt block. It turned out really nice and he loves the thought that he did it for me.

You could seal the door and put in nice windows you can open and look out and get he air as well, and keep the weather and critters/bugs out.....Can't wait to see this as it goes.....Nothing wrong with doing it all yourself with some outside help.

aka bettybooptx

If you live where it is warm I would use stick and peel flooring from Alure..It is easy to put down and looks great...