6 simple steps to an organized and sensational garage space

(BPT) - Move over kitchens and bathrooms, homeowners are focusing on a new part of the home: the garage. No longer just a place to park the car and lawn equipment, today’s garages are getting bigger and better. Here are a few quick and easy projects to create a useful and organized garage.

Make a grand entrance. While your garage may be a mess inside, begin your update with a good exterior impression. Adding a coat of paint to the main garage doors can make a dramatic update. And don’t stop there. Jazz up metal side-entrance doors with a more vibrant shade. Rust Protector spray paint from Krylon is an excellent choice to provide superior metal protection – and it dries in just eight minutes or less so you can move on to the rest of your projects.

Empty and organize. Now that your garage islooking great from the outside, it’s time to tackle the inside. Start by pulling everything out into the driveway, organizing the contents into groups: lawn and garden; tools and hardware; toys, games and bikes; and, for items you no longer want or need, garage sale. While the space is empty, give it a good cleaning from top to bottom.

Create a work station. No matter what your hobbies or interests, you’ll likely need a space to work. Assess how much room you can allocate and then create a station to accomplish tasks easily. Old metal tool cabinets are an excellent way to create an inexpensive DIY workbench. First, thoroughly clean the surfaces and then spray paint with KrylonRust Protector in your favorite color to not only make it look great but keep the metal surface protected from rust. Next, mount a work surface to the top. Now you’ll have a designated work area – with all your necessary tools within arm’s reach. Add a few bar stools and it can double as an entertainment station as well.

Keep hardware handy. While tool cabinets keep tools neatly stored away, there are some readily used tools that you want to keep in plain sight.For these items, hang a pegboard on the wall above your new work station and equip it with a variety of hooks and bins. To take your organization a step further, spray paint outlines of each tool to show where they go.

Let there be light. If your garage is like most, it has a single incandescent bulb hanging from the ceiling. That’s not enough light to do any work. Luckily, lighting up your space can be simple and inexpensive with a fluorescent light fixture. Available in a variety of lengths, these fixtures can easily be installed by hanging from chains mounted to the ceiling and simply plugging into a power source – no need for electrical wiring.

Create smart shelving. When your work area is complete, it’s time to find a place for the other items. Shelving is always a great option – but it can be expensive. A more affordable option is to recycle cabinets or shelves that you already have in your home. Have an old microwave cart, plastic shelves or even old kitchen cabinets left from a remodel? They are the perfect home for garden equipment or kids toys. Clean the surfaces and then paint them to achieve a finished look. Think you can’t paint plastic? Think again. Krylon’s new Dual SuperbondPaint + Primerspray paint features a proprietary formula that offers a high-adhesion, specialty primer that ensures top performance even on hard-to-paint surfaces such as plastics, laminates and melamine, as well as other commonly painted surfaces.

With a bit of organization and effort, you can transform your garage from cluttered to classy in no time at all. For more information on Krylon products or for more project ideas, visit www.krylon.com.