Five DIY Garage Upgrades You Can Do for Under $100
Organizing your garage workshop or creating a good place to service and care for your car is a popular summer project. And while adding storage, organization, work surfaces, and all the other details that make your garage a great place to work on your favorite projects rather than just a place to park your car can be expensive, there are cheaper but effective options. ways to do this. Here are five DIY garage upgrades you can do for under $100.
Add a trestle table
Building a desk or sales desk doesn’t have to be expensive. You can make a functional and foldable bench using two sawhorses ($54.99) and two or three two-by-12-inch boards ($14.64 for an eight-foot board) or a sheet of plywood ($38.54). You can also use a leftover piece of countertop material from another project, or any material that is rigid enough to grip the sawhorse as you work. The trestle table top can be secured with clamps or bolts to prevent it from sliding around during use, but you will want to make sure that the table top is removable so that it can be folded away when you are not using it.
Use a potty bench as a desk
To add a small workspace to your garage, consider repurposing a potty bench ($86.99). A potting bench gives you a small work surface and some shelving without taking up too much floor space, and it can be used for more than just potted plants. You can use it to work on DIY projects, sort parts, or any project where you’ll need a small work surface. (Of course, you can also use it for potted plants.)
Add some shelving
If you use your garage for storage, adding shelves will help you keep things organized and free up floor space. Freestanding shelves ($69.98) can be placed wherever you want on the floor. You can also opt for wall shelves ($79.99) for a more subtle storage solution. Wall-mounted shelves do not require open space to install, so they are a good solution for rooms where floor space is truly limited.
Give your garage door a fresh look
To update the look of your garage, you can paint most two-car garage doors using just one gallon of exterior paint. If your door is in good condition and not peeling, you might even be able to get away with a simple paint and primer combination. (If the door is starting to show wear, you should also apply a coat of primer before painting. Before you begin, scrub the surface with fine-grit sandpaper to help the paint adhere better to the surface of the garage door.
Add better lighting
Decorating things, especially if you use the garage as a home workshop, can really make a big difference in the utility of the space. By hanging a few auxiliary lights ($69.99 for four), you can customize the lighting for all your workshop needs. Choosing fixtures that can be wired together will minimize the number of outlets needed to install them. Be sure to read the manufacturer’s information about how many bulbs you can add to one outlet to avoid overloading the circuit.