5 Modern Garage Essentials

March 6, 2014
Story By
Albert Roxas

For most enthusiasts, the garage is our home away from home, or man cave as some like to call it - it's where our car "sleeps", we spend a good amount of time tinkering in there, and when our significant others think we're spending too much time there, WE end up sleeping in there! Why not create the best environment you can, right? Aside from the copius amounts of necessary tools, a requirement for any car project, these are 5 modern “must haves” in my book, essential to the ultimate garage. Keep in mind, I tend to be a little on the more is better side…

1. Flooring

Besides the cars, flooring is what most people notice first. It’s what you end up laying on if you’re wrenching a lot, it can make your garage look bigger or smaller, and most likely it'll take a beating from dropped tools and fluid spills. Rather than just work with the standard cement, the two most common types of garage flooring are Race Deck or Epoxy.

Race Deck is flashy, can have custom designs and has more of a motorsports edge to it. It snaps together easily and is pretty durable. Spills and such clean up quickly and dirt tends not to show as much with the checkered patterns.

Epoxy is more subtle (depending upon the color) and tends to be more attractive to those just looking to dress up the garage a bit. Quieter than Race Deck (which tends to clack when you walk across it) Epoxy is what you’ll find as an option in most new model homes and is installed by basically painting your floor.

2. Parking Aids

If you’ve got a tennis ball on a string to tell you when to stop, I can’t hate on that – my parents had that for years, but it doesn't exactly scream high-tech! What if I told you for $19.99 you could have something just as reliable that DOESN’T look like you’re practicing for Wimbledon when your garage is open?

This is a Smart Home laser guide that utilizes the same principle as the tennis ball, but uses a red laser dot instead. Position the car where you want it in the garage then move the dot to a point of reference on the car (mine is my A/C controls) as soon as the dot hits that part of the car, you’re far enough in!

3. Entertaiment

This is purely for those that are hanging out in the garage with you, or for those who just love spending as much time as possible out there. Especially if you’ve got an all day project with friends hanging around, it’s always good to have some kind of entertainment available – especially if those people aren't really into hanging out in the garage!

Of course a full video game system would be great…right?

In lieu of that, scoop up a Chromecast, $30 and you’ve got Youtube and internet on demand – just need a spare TV.

4. Garage Door Tech

Ever had the awful feeling of wondering if your garage is open once you've left the house? It's the worst! If you've got an iPhone or Android phone, this is a SICK addition.

The Chamberlin MyQ add-on allows you to remotely control your garage door via an app... from anywhere in the world. It also alerts when a door has been opened, logs how many times it has been open and to be quite honest, it’s just cool as hell.

5. Storage

Rather than have all your stuff sitting out, appropriate storage is a MUST. Especially when you start to accumulate bikes and all the other wonderful stuff most people end up storing in the garage. Wall mounted cabinets are the cleanest and really help provide more space by keeping stuff off the garage floor.