How to Turn Your Garage Into The Ultimate Hobby Space
America loves its hobbies. Making music. Playing video games. Yoga and fitness. Woodworking… it’s how we relax and enjoy ourselves as we deal with the multiple stresses of everyday life. But most hobbies need space in which to enjoy them — space that can be hard to come by in a home that’s already full of stuff.
But unless you’re living in a big-city apartment, your home likely already has a room that can be made hobby-ready without having to resort to expensive construction or renovation. That room is your garage, and it only needs a few tweaks to really open up the possibilities for hobbies and a whole lot more.
Starting From the Ground Up
A new garage floor coating can completely transform your space!
The first thing you should do when starting down the path to your dream garage is to have a look at the floor. Like most garages, the floor is bare concrete and likely stained with oil, paint and other chemicals. Worse, it might be cracked or pitted too — hardly a place to work on your favorite hobbies. The answer, then, is to renew the floor with some sort of garage floor coating.
There are a ton of different options when it comes to garage floor coatings, including DIY options like tiles and floor paints and professionally installed coatings like epoxy, polyurea and polyaspartic. While DIY options seem inexpensive, they typically don’t look good for more than a few months, so they need to be redone over and over again. That not only means they’re more expensive than you’d think, but it also means you have to haul all your stuff out of your garage each time you redo it. And trust us, that’s no fun.
Professionally installed garage floor coatings look great and last a lot longer, but they’re not all the same. Epoxy garage floors take many days to cure, rendering your garage unusable that whole time. Plus, they can yellow over time with prolonged exposure to UV rays. Polyureas, too, can be UV-susceptible, and their super-fast cure time means they can be very difficult to install. Polyaspartics, however, are a type of polyurea that has been modified to address these issues. That means polyaspartic coatings offer the best of all worlds: they’re tough and very long-lasting.
So, if you really want to get your new hobby space going, start with a professionally installed polyaspartic garage floor coating.
Organization Is Key
Our garage storage options are durable and versatile.
Once you’ve got your floor sorted out, you’re going to need a place to store your stuff (both your hobby things and anything else you want to keep in your garage, like tools, sports gear, etc.). And for most hobbies, you’ll also need a dedicated work surface — one that’s tough, durable and has your tools within easy reach.
Look for sturdy welded-steel shelving and cabinets for storage. Ideally, they should be powder-coated to resist rust and dings. Shelves should be highly adjustable, so you can trick out your new hobby room to your own exacting specifications. A workbench is a great addition too, especially if it also offers some sort of pegboard vertical backboard for handy tool storage.
Slatwall systems are also a great way to get long or oddly shaped tools off the floor but within easy reach. They can also hold baskets, hooks and other accessories that make organizing your garage a snap.
Opening Up the Possibilities In Your Garage
Whatever you’re into, you can probably do it in your garage — once you’ve tricked it out to your specs, of course. Here are a few things other people enjoy doing in their newly reimagined garage spaces.
- Woodworking and Other Tool-Intensive Hobbies
If you’re cutting a dovetail joint, planing a board or just repairing a lamp, you’ll need a workbench to get it done. The sturdy, purpose-built HG Workbench from Hello Garage holds up to 300 lbs. and features a pegboard backing that’s ideal for keeping tools within reach. - Home Mechanics
One of the classic uses of the home garage is for amateur auto mechanics to work on their rides. But replacing a head gasket or bleeding a brake line is much easier when you have your tools organized and stored close at hand. Heavy-duty steel cabinets and shelving from Hello Garage is ideal for this. - The Home Gym
This is another common use for an upgraded garage. Steel shelving and cabinets are great for holding weights and kettlebells, and a durable, beautiful polyaspartic garage floor stands up to repeated use and really helps brighten the entire area. - Storage for Adventure Gear
If you’re into climbing, kayaking, camping or any other rugged outdoor pursuit, you probably have lots of activity-specific equipment that needs a place to live during the week. HG Overhead Garage Storage is the perfect way to maximize space by getting heavy, bulky gear like tents and climbing ropes off the floor and out of the way. Long, oddly shaped items like waterskis and kayaks can be stored using Hello Garage’s highly configurable slatwall system. - Play Area for the Kids
You probably wouldn’t want your kids hanging out in a garage with a nasty concrete floor that’s stained with oil, gas and other chemicals. But upgraded with a gorgeous polyaspartic garage floor, your garage is a perfect spot to let the kiddos do their thing while still keeping them safe at home.
No matter the hobby, our garage flooring and storage options make them more enjoyable!
Getting Your Dream Garage Is Easy
As you can see, there are a lot of options to consider when it comes to creating the ideal hobby space. The key is to let your imagination run wild and really begin to understand the possibilities your garage offers. And when it comes time to get the ball rolling, talk to an expert — like the Garage Gurus at Hello Garage. They can offer you a free personalized garage consultation and help guide you down the path to achieving your dream hobby space.
Once you’ve achieved your dream garage, trust us, you won’t believe how you lived without it for so long! The only question left will be whether or not you allow your cars to park inside!
