Transform Your Workspace With These Garage Hacks

If you’ve ever been on Instagram (and we wouldn’t judge you if you hadn’t, social media, despite its uses, can be a terrible, terrible place) then you’ve probably seen a video or two of an overly exuberant to the point of highly annoying American telling you about some kind of “hack”. Whether it be showing you how to easily remove the shell from a boiled egg or folding clothes a certain way in order to make better use of luggage space, the aforementioned fervid fellow on camera will no doubt claim that whatever hacks that are being discussed are “life changing” or “epic”.

This is undoubtedly not true. Most of these so called hacks are either just common sense or completely pointless but the term has become common parlance among the social media set and so, as much as the a word may irk some of you, we’re going to show you bunch, but with a focus very much on your garage or workshop space. They may not be epic (a word that is constantly misused we might add) but these garage tweaks will certainly improve the quality of the time you spend in the best room of your house whilst also making the space much more functional and usable when it comes to spanner o’ clock.

Storage, storage, storage

Having a tidy work space is highly conducive to getting stuff done. Fact. Not only that but having a decent storage solution for all of you tools, fixings and bits and bobs significantly reduces the amount of time you’ll spend looking for things. Invest in some decent open shelving for systematic stashing so that you can eyeball everything quickly without having to root around in drawers and boxes. If you do store stuff behind closed doors then make sure to use labels so you know what’s kept where.

Having a system for storing small parts like screws, nuts and washers is also a good idea. There are myriad options out there from off the shelf tubs and buckets to simpler, home-made solutions like old jam jars. You can even fix the lids to the underside of shelves if you’re strapped for space, just remember to label everything.

Embrace the humble hook and hang up as much as you can. From saws and jack stands to jump leads and bicycles, it’s amazing how much space you can free up simply by hanging stuff. Old plastic water pipe can also be cut down and attached to the wall to hold brooms, rakes and anything else with a long handle.

Accessibility

Keeping your most-used tools and items to hand is a must. A pin wall or beg board is a great way to store common use hand tools like spanners, pliers and hammers (come on, we all know the old persuader gets an outing at least once a week). You can buy these to mount to your garage wall or make one yourself if you fancy an easy project. Magnets are also a great way to store metal tools. Simply fasten some decent magnetic strips to the wall and away you go.

Without doubt one of the best hacks you can do for your power tools is to create an organiser. Buy some wood (or finally use some of those off cuts you’ve been storing for months) and build yourself a unit to house all of your drills and power tools so that they are tidied away but still within easy reach. Incorporate a space for charging too, along with compartments for the various bits, chucks and accessories and you’ll wonder how you ever managed without one. Epic? Almost…

Another way to store drills is by using PVC pipe. Again, cut down some sufficiently sized plastic pipe, cut a gap into it and attach it to the underside of a shelf. Hey Presto! Cheap and simple drill storage with the added bonus of being able to pretend it’s a gun and holster. There’s no shame, we all do it…

Flooring

Chances are your garage or workshop will have a simple concrete floor but there is a better way. We recently installed some DuraTread solid PVC floor tiles from Duramat and it really has been a game changer. These slimline, interlocking floor tiles are made from high density recycled plastic and were an absolute doddle to fit and work with, instantly transforming the garage into a much more usable space and cementing this as one of our hacks of choice.

Incredibly durable, resistant to most solvents and chemicals and easy to clean, not only have they protected the original floor but they’ve also made working in the garage so much more enjoyable. DuraTread tiles prevent contact with the cold concrete when you’re lying under your classic, too and help to better insulate the space. They also protects the floor whilst levelling out any small inconsistencies in the surface and better facilitate the use of wheeled apparatus like creepers and trolley jacks.

You can order them directly from Duramat and we highly recommend them.

Portable Workbench

Speaking of wheeled apparatus if you haven’t put castors on your workbench yet then what are you even doing with your life? Having a workbench is essential for any garage, shed or workshop but why limit yourself to where it can live? Get yourself some decent trolley wheels to liberate your workbench and facilitate your fettling freedom!

From moving it around your workspace and creating a more dynamic environment to taking things outside when it’s warm and sunny, having a moveable bench will greatly improve your life. This is so easy and inexpensive to accomplish but just make sure you get castors with integrated brakes so the bench stays put when you need it to. Going full send on the vice whilst chasing your workbench around the garage is definitely not a strong look. Again, if your floor is a little worse for wear like ours was then get some Duramat down.

Let There Be Light

As far as hacks go this is more akin to good advice but it’s still worth mentioning here. There’s nothing worse than a dingy workspace with insufficient illumination so make sure you’re garage is properly lit. With so many options available today, from old school strip lights to modern and efficient LEDs, properly lighting your man cave is easy.

In addition to your main source of light it’s also worth investing in a decent torch and/or inspection lamp. It’s all well and good having Oppenheimer levels of energy to brighten things up but you’re still going to need some form of handheld, portable light for when you’re crawling around underneath your pride and joy or elbow deep in an engine bay.

Again, there are plenty of options out there but we would recommend a rechargeable and magnetic inspection lamp that you can easily plug in via USB and that will stick to any metal surface with ease.

Whether you regard them as simple common sense upgrades or epic, life changing improvements we guarantee that incorporating these hacks will greatly improve the time you spend fettling with your classics so give them a go and if you have to film a video for Instagram then make sure to tag us… #carandclassic