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Monday, March 20, 2017

Garage Progress: Painted and Organized Garage Entrance


Unfortunately, our weekend was far from relaxing.  I don't handle stress very well, so when an unexpected issue came up on Saturday I quickly became overwhelmed.  I've been open about my struggles with anxiety and Saturday was the first time in a long time that I actually felt sick from stress.  It doesn't happen as often anymore, but when it hits it's miserable.  I find that whenever I'm upset or stressed I tend cope by cleaning and organizing.  This weekend, I took my stress out on the garage entrance.

I know, garages aren't the most glamorous spaces and neither is this makeover.  It's just an ordinary garage entrance that got a little update with paint and stain.  It's not dramatic or pin-worthy, but it has come a long way and I wanted to share how a little paint and effort can make a big impact.  

Here's what our garage entrance (the door leads to our mudroom) looked liked before.  
Garage entrance before

You like the molding?  It was our neighbors old floor molding that we threw up on the door frame in order to pass our final inspection.  We actually had different steps to pass our final inspection too.  By code you are required to have a 3 foot landing BEFORE the first step down and a railing.  We didn't like how far the steps stuck out into the garage, so we kept them to pass our final inspection then altered them in order to free up space.
Garage entrance before
I worked on the stairs first, applying 2 coats of Minwax Jacobean stain and a coat of water based poly.  
Staining garage steps
I then painted the risers and sides of the stairs white.  We ended up having to remove the stairs when we coated our garage floor (more on that another day), but once the floor was done we reinstalled the stairs,  installed trim and painted the door Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore.   
Painted and organized garage entrance

 We also finally put together the two Gladiator shelves that we bought from Sear's more than two years ago.  They are super sturdy and perfect for maximizing vertical storage.  Our garage ceilings are 15 feet high making everything look miniature, but the shelves are actually a really good size.  I ended up buying 16 black storage totes from Walmart (I bought eight one week and eight a few weeks later to spread out the expense) and was able to fit four across each shelf perfectly.
Organized garage shelves
I created labels using inexpensive adhesive label pockets and my label maker.  (I bought my label sleeves from the Target Dollar spot but here are similar ones I found)
Creating labels for garage shelves

Adhesive label pockets for storage bins
It's so nice to finally have some of my things organized and put away.  I still have a lot of purging and organizing to do, but I finally feel like I'm making some headway.
storage labels for large totes

Sherwin-williams Iron Ore painted garage door

organized garage entrance

Organized garage entrance, sherwin-williams iron ore

Updated garage entrance before and after

Updated garage entrance before and after
We still have a lot to do in our garage, but this little update is bringing us one step closer to a neat and organized space.



      

Would you like to comment?

  1. What a difference a little paint can make! Looks awesome Katie!!!

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  2. It looks amazing!! I am very much interested in knowing what you did to your garage floor. It looks gorgeous :)

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  3. What an improvement you've made, and an awesome one at that. I'm ashamed to admit our garage looks nowhere near as nice. But, as we've managed to do a lot inside the house and a bit outside, this inspires me to tackle more of the garage. Cheers, Ardith

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  4. Wow the difference is amazing,good for you about talking about your anxiety issues,you are not alone,take care be kind to yourself,regards Stacey

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  5. Wow! Love this transformation, so neat and organised! You've inspired me to purchase a label maker!

    Hannah x

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  6. That looks great! I am exactly the same way with anxiety and have also found that cleaning and being organized helps me cope, at least a little bit. Glad to know I'm not the only one! :)

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  7. What kind/color is the paint for the door? looks GREAT!

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    1. Thank you! The paint is Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore and I used their Emerald line. It's a beautiful color, you'll love it!

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  8. Another issue is frequently that you can lose remotes, break something or simply don't take care of things extremely well. Garage Door Installation Granada Hills

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  9. Beautiful makeover. I love the idea of a dark garage door....hide all the kid grime hand and foot prints!!!

    Did you use satin or semi-gloss? I'm worried Semi-gloss might be too shiny. Also, what white did you use for your trim? Thanks!

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    1. Thank you! It definetely helps hide dirt and grime. I painted the door using Sherwin-Williams Emerald in eggshell. The trim is painted SW super paint (straight off the shelf white) in semi-gloss.

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