The article discusses the most convenient and practical accessories for the garage with their own hands, which allow you to improve the comfort of operation of this room. Here are detailed recommendations for the development and creation of structures designed for convenient storage of tools and automotive parts, tips on the manufacture of furniture, as well as arrangement of lighting and heating systems.
Useful tools for the garage do it yourself: general recommendations
The garage is designed not only for storage, but also for car maintenance. For this reason, this room should be roomy, clean, comfortable and well-equipped.
To achieve all this, it is enough to take into account the basic requirements regarding the organization of space:
- The presence of shelves for tires and storage tools saves free space and allows you to optimize space.
- The quality of lighting is of great importance, since not only productivity, but also the quality of minor repairs depends on it.
- The construction of a garage workbench, machine tools, a viewing pit and other devices expands the range of the vehicle owner’s capabilities in relation to the repair and maintenance of the vehicle.
Helpful advice! All these elements should not occupy a space exceeding 10-20% of the garage area.
About 80% of the shelves in the garage with their own hands are built to store garage supplies, namely:
- tools and accessories;
- component parts for the car;
- accessories.
Often in the photo of shelves in the garage with their own hands they meet with a rack, which can also be made independently. Most often the rack is considered as the main place for storage of tools. After its installation, the remaining space is filled with comfortable and roomy shelves.
Be sure to select the place where the work clothes will be stored. It is not necessary to occupy a large area, you can do with one shelf or even a hook (depending on your needs).
Garage – a place where dangerous and flammable substances are stored. These include oil, gasoline, solvents, paints, polishes. For them, you must provide a separate cabinet, hang a fire extinguisher and install a tank with sand.
To protect against contamination during storage of wheels mounted on brackets for tires, you should purchase large-sized bags or specialized covers to prevent dust from entering.
The most bulky spare parts of the vehicle are sets of rubber, which can be winter or summer. When winter is used, summer tires are usually stored in the garage and vice versa. Therefore, shelves for storing tires or brackets should be arranged.
The design of the bracket is as follows:
- Two triangular frames, made on the basis of corners. Jumpers made of any strong metal are installed between these frames.
- The triangular parts of the structure are fixed on the wall in a pre-selected place. The installation of wheels should be perpendicular to the bearing element of the stand. In this case, the tires should fall slightly between the jumpers, thus fixing themselves on the shelf due to their own weight.
Helpful advice! Shelves for wheels in the garage with your own hands are recommended to be placed as close as possible to the ceiling at the optimum height. Due to this, car tires will not occupy useful space in the garage.
For compact storage of wheels a whole rack can be used in the form of four wide shelves. It is suitable for placing wheels with discs that can be placed one above the other in a horizontal position. The design can be made angular and raised to the wall.
To create such a design is recommended to use:
- wooden beam;
- boards;
- chipboard sheets.
Installing brackets for tires is the most efficient way to store wheels. Greater free space savings can be achieved by hanging the rubber to the ceiling base along the garage wall. This option is possible if the room has a large height and reinforced concrete floors in the form of slabs on the ceiling. They will be used as the basis for screwing dowels.
To organize a comfortable area for placing things, you can make homemade and very roomy shelves or shelves. Of course, in the shops you can find hundreds of ready-made models, nevertheless, to make a shelf in the garage with your own hands is much cheaper than buying a similar product on the market.
Regarding shelving the same problem. Taking on the independent production of storage space for tools, you can not only organize a convenient and practical shelving, but also harmoniously fit it into the garage space.
Helpful advice! The minimum indicator of the loads that the structure must withstand is 150 kg or more. The maximum load limit per section is 500 kg.
Rules for the manufacture of wood products:
- It is better to use hard wood such as beech, oak, hornbeam.
- Before assembly, wood treatment with antiseptic agents is mandatory.
- The frame parts must be carefully ground to ensure safe operation of the rack.
- For the manufacture of shelves it is recommended to use chipboard or plywood sheets, OSB. DVL plates with a thickness of at least 4 mm are also suitable.
The thickness of the material is determined by the loads that will subsequently act on the rack.
Shelves are installed in cases where the garage does not allow to put the rack. It is better if there are several designs.
Scheme for creating shelves for tools:
- Plan the placement of shelves, determine their size and perform markup.
- Prepare the material in the form of boards and fasteners.
- Using a perforator, make holes in the wall, install dowels with hooks in them, which will provide enhanced fixation.
- Fasten suspensions on the boards, complete with eyelets. It is recommended to use screws or ordinary nails for metal hangers.
- To fix the finished products using the construction level, otherwise the tool from the shelves may fall, which makes operation unsafe.
Helpful advice! In the manufacture of shelves, it is better to give preference to several short designs, since one long product can break under the weight of the tool.
At the final stage, you can make a decorative finish products (paint or special film).
To create a shelving with your own hands, you will need 9 and 19 cm wide boards. The size of the structure can be adjusted.
Step-by-step technology:
- The 9 cm wide element is cut into several pieces 18 cm, 27.5 cm and 30 cm long. The parts obtained will be struts.
- A board with a width of 19 cm should be cut into lengths of 36 cm. Shelves will be made from these parts.
- On the board, which will become the base of the product, it is necessary to put the markup in those places where there will be struts. It is recommended to indent each side 2.5 cm.
- The upper strut is glued, then the top shelf, already having a strut, is nailed to it. Similarly, the remaining parts are mounted. Install the lower strut at the end.
- The structure should be turned over and the struts should be screwed together with the product base.
- The surface is carefully cleaned with sandpaper. After that, the product must be covered with two layers of varnish on an oily basis or perform a different type of finish.
- The construction is fixed on the wall with anchor screws. Fixation should be done under the top and under the bottom shelf.
Helpful advice! To strengthen the product, it is necessary to carry out the installation of bars of wood between the sections. They will allow you to evenly distribute the load on the rack.
In order for the operation of the garage to be comfortable, you should competently organize a lighting, ventilation and heating system in the room. Since cars are closely associated with the use of toxic and harmful substances, the problem of ventilation in a confined space is particularly acute. For the garage fit the products to the brickwork. They are equipped with grills.
Factors affecting the level of lighting:
- the area of the garage, its height;
- the number and nature of the placement of working areas (size of the workbench for the garage, viewing pit, the number of machines);
- type of finish on the walls, its colors;
- network specific power indicator per 1 m ?;
- type of lights for the garage.
Different types of heating can be used to maintain the optimum temperature:
- gas;
- based on waste oil;
- air;
- electric (infrared heater for the garage);
- oven;
- water;
- solid fuel.
There are many alternative ways to independently organize a heating system.
The technical indicators of halogen lamps are in many ways similar to incandescent lamps, but their flask is filled with bromine vapor, therefore, products emit more light. The advantages of such lamps include long service life – 4 thousand hours.
Helpful advice! Products must be placed in the ceiling. It is also worth thinking about stabilization, aimed at protecting against electrical surges. It is not recommended to touch such lamps with your hands (the shelf life is reduced).
Fluorescent lamps inside are filled with inert gases. Inside the flask is covered with a specialized compound that emits light in the ultraviolet under the influence of an arc-type discharge. Recommended models are IP-65 products that are protected from moisture and dust particles.
Installation of LED lighting in the garage is accompanied by the highest costs. Nevertheless, they pay off 50 thousand working hours. In terms of efficiency, LEDs are 50% more profitable than fluorescent lamps. However, they do not have in its composition of harmful components, and the light does not have an aggressive effect on the eyes, so do not need to buy more ceiling lamps.
To calculate the power of ordinary lamps, you can use the formula:
P = S x W / N.
Decoding of values:
- P – total required power, W / m ?.
- W – power of one lamp, W.
- N – the number of lamps (lamps), pcs.
- S – area of the room, m ?.
For halogen and LED lamps the best indicator is 16-20 W / m ?. This value is suitable for rooms where the ceiling height is not more than 2.5 m. In garages with 3-meter ceilings, this figure should be multiplied by 1.5.
The calculation is influenced by the interior walls of the room. In dark garages, the lighting should be brighter.
Light Reflection Level:
| The area of the room, m? | Ceiling height, m | Wall finish color | |
| Dark | Light coloured | ||
| 20 | less than 3 | 0.6 | 0.75 |
| 50 | 0.75 | 0.9 | |
| 100 | 0.85 | one | |
| 20 | 3-5 | 0.4 | 0.55 |
| 50 | 0.6 | 0.75 | |
| 100 | 0.75 | 0.9 | |
| 50 | 5-7 | 0.4 | 0.55 |
| 100 | 0.6 | 0.75 | |
To illuminate the inspection pit in the garage, it is recommended to use low-power lamps with halogen or LED lamps, since moisture accumulating in this place can provoke an electric shock. The devices are mounted on the sides of the pre-made grooves.
Helpful advice! To accidentally dropped the tool does not break the lamp, the design of the lamps can be made retractable. When the pit is not in use, the instruments are securely hidden in the grooves.
There are a number of principles on the basis of which the autonomous lighting system is implemented:
- LED strip mounted inside the ceiling (one element has 300 diodes).
- The output of the switch is carried out strictly on the shield.
- For laying the wiring system is used suspended ceilings.
- The wires are powered by a battery connected to the mains via a charger.
The system of multi-level lighting for the garage is considered the most optimal. It involves the installation of a large lamp in the middle of the room and the installation of small lamps in work areas.
Calculation of height for a multi-level system:
| Level | Height, m |
| one | ceiling base |
| 2 | 1.8 |
| 3 | 0.75 |
| four | 0.4 |
Lamps are installed correctly in the event that the machine does not cast a shadow on either side.
The garage is heated with the help of small portable devices that can warm the room in a short time and then maintain the optimum temperature.
After thinking about which heaters are better for a garage, many mistakenly believe that a home-made device can be made exclusively from expensive components and requires a considerable amount of time. For this reason, owners of garages refuse this idea.
In fact, for the manufacture of a garage heater with your own hands, it suffices to restrict yourself to low-cost materials, such as a thermal film. The scheme for creating such a device is very simple and involves the use of the following materials and tools:
- a set designed to assemble a heater;
- wires equipped with a plug;
- paper laminated plastic (the area of one element is 1 m?);
- graphite powder;
- epoxy adhesive composition.
Helpful advice! Be sure to have a multimeter with you. When assembling the device, this tool is useless, but it will be needed to test for operability.
Step-by-step instructions on how to make a garage heater:
- A mixture of glue and graphite powder is made. The more powder in the composition, the stronger will be the heating of the device. The average temperature ranges from 60-65 ° C.
- Plastic sheets on the rough side are covered with a mixture of glue and graphite, which is applied in zigzag strokes, after which they are fastened with the front sides and fixed with a frame made on the basis of wooden slats.
- Terminals are fixed to conductors made of graphite and the construction is dried. Drying must be complete, otherwise moisture will spoil the device.
After the heater is dry, a resistance check should be made. A safe garage heater is considered only after this check. Up to this point it is strictly forbidden to connect the device to the electrical network.
Security Restrictions:
- It is not recommended to leave the device turned on unattended or leave it next to the children.
- It is forbidden to use equipment that could trigger a fire.
- Do not place flammable substances or materials near the device.
In order to carry out repair and maintenance work, you will need to build a viewing pit in the garage with your own hands, the dimensions of which will correspond to the dimensions of the car, as well as a workbench for convenient work, plus provide the room with machines.
The main set of tools and materials for creating a homemade workbench for the garage includes:
- planks and wooden bars;
- fasteners and fasteners;
- planer and other woodworking tools;
- varnishing and joinery glue;
- sandpaper and linseed oil.
The workbench consists of a table top and a stand, as well as several clamping devices. The height of the workbench in the garage should be selected taking into account their own growth. You can take as a guide the height of the kitchen table in the house, for which it is convenient to work. Be sure to make to create a workbench for the garage with your own hands drawings.
Helpful advice! Ready-made drawings of the workbench for the garage, which can be found on the Internet, will be suitable as the basis for the independent production of the structure. If desired, it can be tailored to your needs.
Garage arrangement: how to make a workbench indoors:
| Stage of work | Details, size in cm | Mount type |
| Worktop assembly | 20 boards (5x10x200) with grooves 2.5×2.5 in the 5th and 16th element (step 25) | Adhesive composition metal screed |
| Drying | – | – |
| Making legs (4 pcs.) | Bar (10x10x80) with grooves under the brackets on the front supports | Brackets |
| Substrate base assembly | Frames (2 pieces) from boards (5х10) | Spike connection to a depth of 2.5 cm and bolts |
| Fixing the side and rear support walls | Chipboard plates (thickness 10 mm) | Screws |
| Fixing the table top to the upper frame | – | Bolts |
Final processing involves impregnation of the finished product with linseed oil and opening with varnish.
There are no defined dimensions of the inspection pit in the garage. The dimensions of the car are taken as the basis.
How to make a viewing pit in the garage with optimal parameters:
- The width is chosen so that there is enough space inside for work. The size is limited by the distance on which the wheels of the car are planted. Each wheel needs a small area to perform maneuvers. The average pit width is 0.8 m.
- The length of the pit is limited by the length of the machine. To this indicator should be added 1 m.
- The height of the garage owner is used to calculate the depth. To him is added another 10-15 cm.
How to make a viewing pit in the garage using different materials:
| Material | Wall thickness, cm |
| Ceramic brick | 12-25 |
| Concrete | 15 |
| Building blocks | 20 |
The pit is pulled out taking into account the optimum width of the pit, the material chosen for the walls, as well as the thickness of the waterproofing layer. Stages of pit creation:
- markup;
- construction of the pit;
- arrangement of the pit;
- wall construction;
- lighting strip.
For waterproofing walls used specialized hydrophobic impregnation.
Helpful advice! Using formwork, you can make reinforced grooves in the walls of the pit to accommodate tools and lighting fixtures.
To create a press, it is necessary to make a frame with a size of 178×80 cm from 4 pieces of metal pipes. These elements are joined by welding. The work is recommended to follow the drawings, pre-selected or compiled. After that you need to install:
- retainer;
- removable stop;
- bottle jack (hydraulic).
Can be used to review the detailed technology for creating useful garage accessories with your own hands on video materials. Such visual recommendations help to navigate in size, master step-by-step instructions and imagine what kind of appearance a finished structure should have.
Arrangement of the garage can be made with their own hands. The list of useful devices does not end there. It can always be supplemented with any interesting ideas. The main thing is that the garage fully meets the personal requirements in terms of comfort and convenience.
