How to Paint a Garage Interior?

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A garage is a workspace where people keep a lot of equipment. The workspace remains full of auto repair tools, DIY tools, home gym accessories, lawnmowers, and many more.

The fact is, most of the garages have incomplete wall painting with mud and dust. But will you want to pass your life with an unpainted wall? Basically, a wall that gets dirty with mud and dust is hard to clean. So, how easily can you clean it?

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How to Paint a Garage Interior?

Why Painting a Garage Interior?

What is the entrance point of your home? Are your family and friends entering your home through the garage?

If your garage wall is unpainted, you are definitely not facing a pleasant moment if any guest is entering your home through the garage.

A painting garage is a pleasant space that you will love to keep your door open to welcome your guests.

And if the garage painting is impressively beautiful, your guest will praise your choice, undoubtedly. Who doesn’t love to hear praiseworthy words?

Garage wall painting is an easy task. And if you follow a few simple techniques, you will find it much more comfortable than other painting tasks.

Step by Step Process of Paint a Garage Interior

Painting a garage interior is uncomplicated. Also, you don’t need to be much cautious while painting a garage because it is not your living room.

However, follow the below simple steps, and after completing all the processes, give a pat to your back.

Part 01: Preparing the garage wall and floor

Step 01: Cleaning the garage

In this step, you need to wash and scrub the wall of your garage. If you are planning to paint the garage floor as well, a lot of other necessary things need to be done to prepare the floor.

If you don’t do proper washing and scrubbing, be sure, next season you will get paint peeling problems. Also, the surface will look ragged. It means all your hard work will go in vain. So, it would be best if you do everything is right at the first time.

Step 02: Wear all personal protective gears

Do you know what protective gears while painting a garage interior

You need to wear a face mask, chemical resistant boots, and gloves. If you don’t find a chemical resistant boot, shoe cover will also be a good option.

Removing the oil from an old garage wall is a bit challenging. So, you have to use a few heavy kinds of stuff to get the work done.

It is significantly vital to make the garage wall ready to take a coat of paint.

Step 03: Open all the ventilation for proper air circulation

During the garage painting process, you have to make sure all ventilators are opened. It is mandatory because paints create bitter smoke. So, well-ventilation will take away the bitter smoke.

Besides, if the weather is too windy, open the ventilators maximum 6 – 8 inches. This open space is sufficient enough to remove any bad odors.

Step 04: Make a solution of bleach and water

Once you complete scrubbing the garage wall, give it a rest.

Again reconfirm you have given a well-rinse to the wall. Closed all types of cracks, all damages repaired after the water has vaporized.

At this point, a mixture of water and bleach will be the right solution.

Remember to keep the ratio of the water, and bleach is 3:1.

Step 05: Choose the garage floor paint color

Before we start the painting process, it is significantly crucial to let the crack repair along with the sealant should be adequately dried.

Give the process much time to get dry, but make sure it is completely dried.

You may need to etch the floor if it is new so that the floor can absorb water properly.

Remember, if the floor doesn’t absorb water, the paint will not be absorbed by it.

Step 06: Once the floor is fully ready, apply a coat of primer

Your garage floor will look 100% better than before, and you will get long-lasting service if you apply a coat of primer on it. You will never regret using a primer on the floor.

After applying the primer, you need to give it a rest at least for 1 day. Once the primer is completely dried, you can use the paint.

Be sure you started applying primer and paint from the back portion of the garage. So that you can complete applying primer and paint to the exit of the garage. Thus, your paint will remain safe as you are not walking over the paint.

Part 02: Painting the garage Exterior

Step 01: Give a power wash to the siding

Pay particular care to the areas where the stain is too much.

Step 02: Pick the right color of the siding

Check the color options and pick the ideal color for your garage sidings.

Step 03: Start painting

Start painting from top to bottom. And if you use the best exterior paint sprayer, it will be best. The sprayer is much more efficient than a traditional brush. Also, sprayers save time.

Part 03: Painting the exterior garage

Step 01: Make sure the interior wall is well-prepared

Before starting the interior garage painting, make sure the wall of the interior garage is well-prepared.

Step 02: Apply the primer

Before making the final coating of the paint, apply the primer once the interior garage wall is well-dried.

Step 03: Apply interior garage paint

Choose the best indoor paint sprayer and the paint for your garage wall. Also, you can go with the same paint that you have applied to the exterior garage wall.

Tips for Paint a Garage Interior

As I stated earlier, garage painting and design is not a complicated task.

In this section, I am going to give you a brief on a few tips that would help you a lot while accomplishing a project like how to paint a garage interior.

Tip 01: Choose the ideal type of wall paint

Tons of paint is available in the market, picking the best is a quite daunting task. Hence, the environment and conditions play a vital role in selecting the best paint.

Before you decide the best paint for your garage, you need to know about the characteristics of the paint.

Oil-based paint

You will get strong-smell from oil-based paint. Also, the drying time is high for them. After completing a painting session, clean up requires both time and additional accessories too.

The coverage of oil-based paint is pretty amazing, and one coat is enough to get a flat finish because of its fantastic coverage characteristics.

Besides, the bonding between oil-based paint and surface is impressive.

Latex-based paint

Compared to oil-based paint, latex-based paint has less smell and dries quickly. And you can clean them with water only. The cleaning process is also not that much complex.

Furthermore, latex-based paint is not a longer-lasting paint. You may need to apply a coat of primer on them, or a few coating is necessary to get even finish.

Different types of finishes are available in the paint.

You can clean glossier paint easily, and they highlight imperfections a lot.

Nicks and scratches are disallowed in the matte paint, but cleaning them is quite severe.

Generally, they come off with the dirt.

Widely spread interior garage paint is semi-gloss paint. They are easy to clean and reflect enough light.

Selecting the right interior paint is more critical than the exterior paint. Because exterior paint contains many toxins and as they take their place at the outside of a garage, the toxins blow away with air. Basically, these toxins are used as weatherproof components.

And when you are selecting the best interior garage paint, interior latex paint in a semi-gloss sheen will be the best choice. Because you don’t need to sweat your forehead in cleaning them, they are durable, and imperfections are not much visible in this paint.

You will find some paint marked as “low VOC” or “zero VOC.” Here the word VOC stands for volatile organic compounds. It is a carbon-based component that emits harmful gases at room temperature.

Toxins are a vital part of the current paint technology, and you can’t avoid them. So, it is better to let them be restricted to their place in the wall instead of keeping the gas off the air in the exposed area.

So, while choosing paint, choose “zero VOC” labeled paint since it is safer.

Tip 02: Picking the ideal color scheme

A color scheme is consisting of the primary color, second color, and few accent colors.

You will find neutral or muted color in the main color section. The second color is nearly the same as the primary color but light or darker. And accent color is brighter and bolder to the primary color.

While selecting the primary color and accent color for your garage, firstly learn for what purpose you are using your garage. Are you going to do auto repairing, detailing, or maintenance type work in your garage? Is it your wood-shop? Or you and your friends are going to lay a game in the garage? Or your garage is a place where you are going to park your car?

You can use your garage for several reasons.

The darker color will give you a more relaxed feeling than other colors. On the other hand, lighter colors will make the space a bit larger than usual because they reflect light.

The brighter color will give a vibrant look, whereas muted colors are peaceful.

And dirt will be more visible in lighter colors than darker colors.

You can choose the color based on any exposed items of your garage. Either it can be the color of your car or favorite sports team or any other color. Find out which one is the most noticeable item in your garage. Choose a color that matches with the most noticeable items of the garage.

Let’s say the most noticeable item in your garage is your car. If the car color is red, can you go for a purple color? You should choose a color that matches with red.

Moreover, you are planning to upgrade the concrete floor to the tile floor; you need to take this point also into consideration.

Now, which color could be an excellent option for choosing?

You can choose white, grey, or beige, which are known as a neutral color. Then choose an accent color that matches any garage items (cabinets, cars or tools, etc.). This is the safest way to start picking the right color.

After picking the general paint color for the garage wall, then look for several paint color swatches from different manufacturers.

Look at the colors intently, give a trial of 1 or 2 colors, and then make the decision.

Apply large patches of the trial colors on the garage wall to see how the paint looks like. Learn how much brightness required to fill up the whole garage, make the estimated cost and purchase.

Tip 03: Choosing the right floor option

Several options are available for garage floors. Following several techniques, you can change the garage floor. No standard way is available for flooring options because individual materials are efficient in different situations.

You need to know your consideration: appearance, durability, and cost.

No matter which flooring option you prefer, it would be best if you choose an ideal concrete cleaner, which will give you impressive results if you go with it.

PVC floor tiles are a popular option since the installation of these tiles is easy, cleaning procedure is simple, and you can make a great combination. Moreover, they don’t require so much sticky and annoying glue while installing.

If you are on a tight budget, you should go with peel-and-stick tiles. They are affordable in price, and installation is easy. But these tiles require a smooth and leveled floor.

You can go with a roll-out vinyl option, which is extremely cheap. Unfortunately, they are not very durable. And creating a customized pattern is also complicated. Also, if any damage happens, you can repair it quickly.

Using the coating of concrete is another option. The best thing about the concrete floor is they are much durable, and cleaning is also easy. Selecting the color and texture of the floor is similarly effortless. Take professionals help, when you have decided to go with concrete coating on your garage floor.

Be sure; you will get an extended period of service if your garage floor remains clean and unstained. Using a concrete sealer will assist you in this regard. The concrete sealer will block engine oil or other liquids to enter the surface. This way, cleaning the floor becomes easy.

Tip 04: Storage as Decoration

Storing accessories can frequently be tied to the standard color pattern of the garage. You can paint accessories like wall-mounted cabinets, units made of wood, workbenches.

If you are planning to put any storage, consider what it means so that things fit (tools, tires, etc.) well. Cabinets should be placed a few feet up from the floor. So that they can keep themselves safe from oil, water, or other fluids that may fall on the floor.

You will find some people using pegboards to organize their equipment in the garage. These can easily be painted by neutral or accent color. This way, they can grab visual interest in them from any viewer.

Stainless steel pegboards are an excellent option to choose from.

Another new thing named chalkboard paint is also gaining popularity. Labeling and organizing become comfortable with prepared chalkboards.

Tip 05: Any other things to update

If you have already finished painting the wall, there are a few more surfaces in the garage that can be upgraded to change the looks further.

You will get a great appearance of your garage if you simply improve the building materials of your cabinets and door. A significant difference will happen if you add or remove the doors of cabinets. Moreover, if the cabinet door is not made of wood, you can change the building material to timber.

You also can paint the baseboards or paneling of your garage if these two things are available there. Generally, white is the standard color of a baseboard. But to add a vibe, you can go with a different color.

To make sure your selected color is perfect for the baseboards or paneling, paint a small portion as a trial basis. If you like the color and the color matches with your wall color, then start painting the entire area.

Moreover, white is also a standard color for ceilings. But you can go with the same color, as the walls. However, the white ceiling will give you a much taller and lighter look.

The doors are another place where you can add pop.

The exterior garage door should be of a color that matches the home color. And doesn’t mismatch with the front door color. If you choose a light color as the garage door color, it is also not a bad idea.

After the color gets thoroughly dried, you can add posters, stickers, clocks, and many other things as per your requirement for further personalizing.

A plethora of options are available to add a vibe to the interior garage design.

Tips and Tricks While Painting a Garage Interior

✔ If the garage wall is made of wood, before painting, clean and sand down the surface.

✔ Use a wire brush or TSP cleaner to clean the brick made garage wall.

✔ Make sure all cracks in the concrete wall are filled. Then clean the surface, not before that.

✔ Are you planning to use mixing paint on your garage wall? If you are going to apply latex-based paint on an oil-based paint wall, firstly sand the wall thoroughly. Clean it correctly. Then use a bonding primer so that the new paint sticks on the wall without any hassle.

✔ As I stated earlier, proper ventilation is a must while applying makeup on the garage wall. Adequate airflow is required. This way, you are keeping yourself safe, and the drying process will be faster.

✔ If one coating is not enough, apply another coat. Make sure; you are getting even finish.

Frequently Asked Question

What is the recommended garage wall painting?

Interior latex paint in a semi-gloss sheen is the recommended paint for a garage interior.
In my opinion, using exterior paint in the garage interior is simply a waste of money. Because, during different seasons, your inner portion of the garage is not exposed to the weather like rain, snow, or sunlight. So, there is no point in using exterior paint in the garage interior.

Is it necessary to prime before painting?

You can’t avoid using a primer if the garage wall is drywall. PVA primer will be helpful at this point. The responsibility of the PVA primer is sealing the paper and allowing the topcoat to bind. Once you complete priming, you can use any type of paint, either oil-based or latex-based.

Can I use exterior paint as interior paint?

The responsibility of exterior paint is to protect the outside wall from different types of weather. It is not advisable to use exterior paint as interior paint because exterior paint will do much more harm than good if you use it as interior paint.

Wrap Up

So, what is your impression after reading the article on “how to paint a garage interior?” I believe you have found the process amazingly simple. Now you are well-aware of how to get a nicely painted garage wall.

Ensure you have taken all the necessary precautions to keep yourself safe from any unwanted situation while painting on the garage wall. Safety goggles, hand gloves (latex), respirator mask, boot all are required while painting.

Safety should always get the first priority.