This is how the walls looked before starting the work
From what we’ve noticed and our personal experience, most builders do not finish garages. They usually just finish the one or two firewalls because it is required by code.
Other than cost cutting, the reason may be because, as far as I can tell, this is not an issue for most people. When we walk around our neighborhood, we see that most garages look just like they did on day one (except they’re full of stuff now). I have counted only one or two that have been drywalled. It was about the same in our previous two neighborhoods.
Unfortunately (or is it fortunately?), as you may have realized by now, I cannot stand having an unfinished garage. Before we even moved to this house, I agreed with Carla that the garage was going to be one of the first things we would work on after moving in. And so we did.
HOW TO FINISH A GARAGE
Having the experience from our previous two garages made it very easy to complete this project. Not only did we know what materials we needed but also had the tools and knew exactly what to do and how to do it.
Just like when working on our previous garage, this new project involved:
- Insulating and Drywalling the garage walls (luckily not the ceiling this time)
- Priming and Painting the garage walls and ceiling
- Installing a nice garage flooring, we went with porcelain tile this time.
- Installing Garage Storage Cabinets
Partially finished garage wall
The unfinished garage walls
INSULATING GARAGE WALLS
This is a very easy part of the project, you can probably complete it in one day. It can go even faster if you have two people working. One person measuring and cutting the insulation and the other setting it in place.
We used the same batt insulation we’ve used before, in no time, we had the whole garage insulated and ready for the drywall.
Using a heavy duty stapler and staples to hold the insulation
First garage wall almost completely insulated
Almost done insulating the garage walls
INSTALLING DRYWALL, TAPING, AND MUDDING THE REST OF THE GARAGE WALLS
Although drywall panels are heavier than insulation, it is unbelievable how easy it is to install them when you have two people doing the job. I remember having to hold the panels while, at the same time, using the drill at the other two houses. It was a lot of work. This time, I would just hold the panels while Carla used the drill, way easier!
Although not necessarily easier, I also felt a lot more comfortable taping and mudding this time. It was also not as messy as it’s been before. We used the same drywall tape and mud we used in the previous two garage projects.
Taping and mudding the drywalled garage walls
Half way done taping and mudding the garage walls
Drywalled, taped and mudded garage walls
At this point, I could not wait for the finished product!
Readers, are you like me and can’t stand having an unfinished garage? Have you taken the time to finish yours?
Are you interested on Insulating and drywalling your own garage? This is what you need:
- Screwdrivers and hand tools (always useful)
- Insulation
- Heavy duty stapler and staples
- Drywall panels, drywall screws
- Drill
- Drywall tape, drywall mud, taping knives and mud pan
- Ladder
*This post contains affiliate links
Hi! I’m also in Colorado and your garage looked a lot like mine does. Mine is almost all finished except the front wall and about ten feet of wall in both sides. I would like it not to be so cold in winter, so I want to insulate these sections. The looks don’t bother me, so I’m thinking I could just put up the faced insulation and NOT put any drywall up, but I wonder if that might cause mold issues with moisture getting trapped between the insulation and the plywood. What do you think?
Hi Joe,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
I’m not sure I’d be concerned about moisture in Colorado, however, I’d be concerned about the insulation getting super dirty and eventually damaged. Because I can assure you that even if you are super careful, it will be hit, touched, here and there and the pieces will start o fall off.
Let us know what you decide and how your project goes!
Hi we are getting ready to have our garage insulated and dry walled and the top part done with spray insulation. And they are installing 2 new doors for us that our dogs tore up. It’s a 2 car garage and the estimate is $8200 about …what did you spend doing it yourself ? About
Hi Tana,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
We did not have to install a new garage door or used spray foam insulation which is more expensive. We completed it back in 2016, so it’s been a while, and the prices may be a bit higher now as well, although I’ve seen that the insulation and drywall have not gone up that much.
Doing the job yourself would definitely be cheaper. However, you’d be investing your time, it will most likely take longer than if you hire it out and also, consider your skill level.
Let us know what you decide and how the project goes!
I am taking in a garage and we have a wide concrete ribbon that goes around the garage. The Sheetrock is hung just above it like yours in the picture. We also have a 4 inch lip or step up along the front of the garage. What is your advice for floors and trim?
Hi Kim,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
I do not have a preference for flooring. I still love the porcelain tiles we installed back in 2016, however, we had to paint the stem wall and didn’t install any trim to cover the gap between the stem wall and the drywall.
Many epoxy floor installers install a “baseboard” to cover this gap. It is basically a piece of wood, 1×6 or similar, and then they apply the same floor coating to it for a cleaner look.
Whenever I get to redoing our garage, I will most likely install some trim and paint it to cover that gap and make it look cleaner.
Let us know what you decide!
nice blog of yours keep it up!
Hi! I have gotten the insulation done and have contemplated doing the sheetrock myself. I am a bit of a DIY girl, but have no experience besides repairing some drywall when painting. What type of drywall do you recommend? Not necessarily brand, but thickness, weight, etc. TIA for your advice! ~Kari
Hello, Kari,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
It depends, I assume that if it is an attached garage you have 5/8″ drywall on the interior (fire) walls and ceiling as it is required by code.
If this is the case, you should be able to use 1/2″ drywall on the rest of the walls.
If not, I’d recommend using 5/8″ drywall on the ceiling and firewalls, and 1/2″ on the rest of the walls. Before you do that, though, check with your local building office as rules can be different in your state/county/city. I’ve called them before with questions and they’ve been happy to point me in the right direction.
Let us know how the project goes!
I’m wondering how to insulate and finish the concrete pony wall? We have a gas heater in the garage and use it as an extra living space. Though, during cold weather there was frost on the cement.
Hello, Angella,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
There are ways to do it, usually outside, and most of the time it is done during construction.
All of the options I can think of (inside or outside) involve installing some kind of styrofoam insulation. If you do it inside, you may want to do some framing to hide it, which may take more space than you’d like in your living space!
Sorry, but I don’t think you have many options. You mention frost, is the room uncomfortably cold?
Thank you for an amazing post! I have an unfinished garage and want to finish it all by myself (not experienced female I am). I will use your post as a guide. But we also have unfinished ceiling. Do you have any posts about finishing ceilings?
Hello, Eugenia,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
We do not have any posts hanging the drywall on the garage ceiling (it was done by the builder), however, we have one for our basement.
The process is exactly the same, except that you are working overhead and need either a helper or a lift like the one we used.
Please let us know how the project goes!
Is there a need to insulate the concrete foundation below the drywall? The concrete in my garage got up a bit higher than in yours (varies with slope, but maybe 1.5-2ft at highest). It’s not insulated on the outside (bare concrete). Trying to figure out what to do with that portion after insulating/drywalling the frame above.
Hello, Colin,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
You should not need to insulate the concrete wall. There are ways to do it, usually outside, during construction, but it may not be worth the hassle at this point.
Let us know how the rest of the project goes!
I love It. It looks so simple. I’m a single mother looking to do the same to my garage. I hate The unfinished look! I was Estimated $4,500, and of course i dont Have that kind of money so it looks like I’m going to have to try on my own. I’m going to do one wall for starter and see how i do. It looks like it’s plywood first then insulation and then dry wall right?
Thank you for your time
Hello, Larenia,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
I replied to your other comment, but I decided to reply to this one as well in case you miss it.
You do not need plywood. The plywood you see in the pictures before installing the insulation is the outside plywood of the house (under the siding).
If you want to do exactly what we did, you need ceiling & wall insulation, staples to hold the insulation, and a heavy-duty stapler.
If you also want to drywall it, you will need all the drywall, screws, tape, mud, and tools to do it. You can have a helper or a drywall lift to make hanging the drywall easier.
Let us know how your project goes!
Hello, our garage is already insulated and drywalled, but not painted. Do you recommend having the walls textured or anything? Or should we just paint away? thanks!
Hello, Stephanie,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
If I were two do it again (which I probably will), I’d go ahead and do it “right”. That includes applying the extra coats of drywall mud and texture before priming and painting.
I’d say most people don’t want to spend a lot of money in the garage, but if you care about it looking nice like I do, then you will not regret it!
Let us know what you decide!
You did such an awesome job!! I also have a question on the painting part. Our garage is dry walled but has those tape and mud lines. I’m not even sure where to start with what’s next to get painting. Please help!
Hello, Carla,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
Depending on how nice you want it to look, you have a couple of options:
1. Go ahead and prime and paint (tape and drywall lines will still be visible).
OR
2. Apply the two additional coats of drywall mud, and if you want it to look even nicer, texture it. Then, you can prime and paint.
We went with option 1. However, Like I told someone else in a previous comment, I will most likely re-do it soon, when we do our basement drywall.
Let us know what you decide!
Tony
You said you put porcelain tile on the garage floor???!!!??? What..tell me more. We also are finishing our old garage..I also can not stand an unfinished garage …we are at insulating phase and new canned lighting.
Rebecca
Hi Rebecca,
Yes, we did! It’s been almost 9 years and it still looks pretty much like day one.
There are a few spots where we will need to eventually put new grout, but that was expected and we are OK with it (we didn’t use the best grout).
Hi Tony – Great post, thank you for your insight. I have been considering insulating and dry walling my garage over the Thanksgiving holiday. I am going back and forth between doing it myself or hiring a professional. I’m hoping you might be able to provide some advise.
My first consideration (in doing it myself) involves the ceiling. I currently store random things like holiday decorations in the rafters and I’m not sure I am not skilled enough to build a door or access point up there. Would it be crazy to leave a section unfinished for access (maybe the size of a drywall sheet) – would that allow enough cool or hot air in (depending on the season) to render the rest of the garage useless?
Second – I planned on initially heating the garage with a large ceiling mounted electric heater – any thoughts on this versus paying extra for HVAC installed? I am certainly not equipped for an HVAC project and would need to hire that out.
Final question is regarding price. My garage is 25×25 – I received a quote for $4,500 (about $2/SF) for the walls – subtracting garage door. How does that sound for a price?
Thanks!
Hello, Brant,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
I’d say it all depends on how comfortable you feel working with tools, hanging drywall, etc.
To answer your first question, you do not need to build a door, access point, or leave an unfinished section. You can buy an Attic Ladder at a home improvement store or online. They’re super easy to install, and it should not affect how hot or cold the garage is.
I’ve been considering a wall-mounted electric heater for the winter and a ceiling fan for the summer. I’ve heard mixed reviews about the electric heaters, mostly that they use a lot of electricity, but if you only use it while working on a project instead of running it 24/7 during the winter, I assume that you should be OK. Hopefully, I can give you my own opinion soon.
Unless you spend way too much time in the garage, I would not even consider a dedicated HVAC system. I have no idea what kind of system you’d need for a 25×25 garage, but if I have to guess, I’d say it will cost you 10K+ to complete such a project.
Some people run a vent from their existing HVAC system to the garage, but I’d check with a professional to make sure that your furnace & A/C unit have the capacity to heat or cool down your garage.
As far as the cost to finish it, I’d say it depends. Is that including materials? Are they just hanging the drywall or are they finishing it and applying texture? Why doesn’t it include the ceiling?
That is the worst drywall job that I have ever seen!!! You did not use any drywall tape on the seams between the sheets. You did not feather the joint compound out enough etc.
Hello, Tom,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
I appreciate your honesty. Although I’ve definitely seen worse, I agree that we could have done a better job.
Just to clarify, I did use drywall tape, I just didn’t put the extra coats of mud or sanded it. To be honest, we didn’t want a perfect finish, and even though it is not perfect, it looks WAY better than when it was unfinished. Four years after completing that job, we still get compliments all the time (most people’s garages remain unfinished around here).
I have thought about putting the extra coats of mud, and even texture it, when we work on the rest of our basement. I will probably update the post at that point.
Are you planning or working on a similar project? Share it with us!
Uh oh, we’ve got an expert. Drywall police have arrived to keyboard warrior on the whole blog. Thanks Captain drywall, now gotham is safe from DIY villans.
Hello, Bobby,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
It doesn’t bother me, at all. I appreciate your support, though.
Have a great day!
Hi, our garage was insulated and the previous owner installed OSB board. Is there any worry to using drywall vs OSB, and would you change the OSB to drywall, or just paint it?
Hello, Kell,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
Many prefer OSB/plywood in the garage because it is stronger than drywall. So if you hit it with, let’s say, a toolbox, you are less likely to open a hole on it. It is also a bit cheaper than properly hanging and finishing drywall.
I’m not sure what building codes say about this, but it is my understanding that drywall has a higher fire rating than OSB.
In any case, I’ve never heard of anyone having any issues with it. And yes, you can just paint it and most people will not even notice that it is OSB.
Let us know what you decide!
Hi there, I am hoping to convert my garage to a bedroom for guests. The floor is concrete but very uneven. No major cracks but some moisture when it rains. Do I start with the floor, redo the concrete or do I need to seal up the top of the ceiling so the rain doesn’t get in which is why I think the concrete floor gets wet? It is a flat roof garage. I would like to make it a peaked roof but realize that is a major cost.
Just would like to know where do I start? It has two very old windows (wood frames but would prefer a larger window, again major cost though right?
Thanks for your information!
Margo
Hello, Margo,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
Your plan sounds like a major renovation. Assuming you don’t do the vaulted ceilings, it seems you still have to make some roof repairs. After that is taken care of, my main concern would be making sure the floor is also fixed and leveled.
Garage floors are required by code to have a small slope so water, etc., can drain out of the garage. If, for example, you just carpet over the existing concrete, one side of the room will be higher than the other side.
Like with any other project (once the roof and concrete are fixed), you would start with the windows (framing) work, electrical/plumbing, insulation, drywall, etc.
Let us know how the project goes!
My townhome was built in 1979. It’s a three story: garage on the ground floor, living & kitchen on the first, and sleeping on the third. We can hear the garage door open and talking in the garage no matter where we are in the house. The garage has drywall but I do not know if there is insulation behind it. I’m guessing no. The garage ceiling is also dry walled because the furnace ductwork goes through it. It’s really cold in the front hallway that shares a wall with the garage, and the whole house feels cold. I’ve done the weatherstripping and caulking on the windows and doors. What advice do you have? Should I cut out part of the drywall in garage to see what’s behind it? Then assuming there’s nothing, do I try to blow in insulation? Or take down drywall, add insulation and put up new drywall? I’m on a budget so anything I do will be DIY. I just don’t know if doing all that will really help the house feel warmer. Thanks for your time and suggestions! Corrinne
Hello, Corrinne,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
From your description, it is very likely that the garage ceiling is not insulated.
If you feel comfortable doing it, I believe that blowing in some insulation is a good option for you. You should not need to replace all the drywall. You may need to blow in from both sides of the garage, though (depending on the orientation of your joists) because the ducting may not allow the insulation to go from one side to the other. But that’s something you can assess while blowing in the insulation.
Let us know how the project goes!
I am looking to do a similar project in a house I just bought. The house was built in 1969 and the garage was an add-on at some point in time so the work is pretty jenkie. Two of the walls are covered with random nails…I am not sure where they come from…meaning, the pointed side of the nail is sticking out of the unfinished garage walls; much like a torture room, lol.
I have tried to find the head of the nails, but am assuming they are underneath the siding that is on the outside of the home. Any suggestions on how to get around this for installing the insulation? Should I just pound them down?
Thanks! Love your blog.
Hello Sam,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog, it’s nice to read that you love it!!
From what you say, those nails should be the ones holding the siding to the OSB/studs. Ideally, they go in where there is a stud, but it seems like most of the time the guys installing the siding miss the studs so they end up sticking out on the other side of the wall as you describe.
You do not need to pound them down, doing so will make it harder to remove them if you ever need to replace your siding.
You can install the insulation right over the nails, they will penetrate the insulation, they will not cause any issues. If anything, they will help to hold it down inside the wall.
Let us know how the project goes!
For future reference, drywall shouldn’t touch cement Cement sweats and the moisture is soaked up by the drywall. Put in a small strip of wood at the bottom that’s the same thickness as the drywall
Hello, Crystal,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
It is hard to tell form the pictures but we did leave a small (1/4″ to 3/8″) gap between the drywall and the concrete.
Are you working on a similar project?
Hello
What did you use to cut the drywall and insulation?
Hello, Toya,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
You can easily cut the insulation with a pair of scissors or utility knife.
The drywall can also be cut with a utility knife, you cut one side with the knife, then you bend it, to break it where you just made the cut, and then cut the other side.
Let us know if this helps!
Hello!!!
How do you finish the gap between the floor and the walls (where the wall ends and the floor begins)
Hello, Vanessa,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
I assume you are talking about the small gap between the drywall and the floor? That one is usually covered with the baseboard.
We didn’t really cover it in our garage, however, installing some kind of baseboard or trim is always an option.
Hope this answers your question!
If the garage is not heated, it’s not a bad idea to use green drywall which is more resistant to humidity. An unheated-uncool ed garage goes through much temperature and humidity swings.
Hello, Joseph,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
I completely agree with you for garages in many other areas of the country. However, here in Colorado, humidity is definitely not an issue. It is super dry all year long.
I think the only time I saw a little bit of condensation on the garage walls, it was below 0 outside (which is not very common out here) and I was working in there.
Great job!
What flooring have you used there? Is it withstanding the wear and tear?
If vinyl tiles, do you park your car inside the garage?
Thanks
Shiva
Hello, Shiva,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
We went with porcelain tiles!
We park and work in there all the time, they still look like day one! I’ve been wanting to write an update post, I just haven’t had the time to do it, hopefully, next spring, after 3.5+ years with the tiles.
I have a situation maybe you would be able to enlighten me…
We have an older home, built around 1947, acquired a couple of years ago.
The previous owner decided to convert the back patio into an enclosed room, and he got as far as framing the 3 walls (the 4th being the outside wall of the house), to include sliding glass doors on the left and right, and a couple of windows at the new far wall.
Unfortunately, the work was never completed, as he passed away. By the time we acquired the home, the back room was full of dust, spiders, and insulation that was unusable.
The inside walls were never installed, causing the insulation to get dirty and rotted.
The outside walls look to be T111, but one of the corners is bowed out and dirt/bugs find a way in.
Electrical power was not run (easy fix to do), however, there are a lot of holes to be filled or covered, and open seams around the window and sliding door frames.
Can you please advise how to resolve these issues, as the room is pretty much useless except for storage.
Any help is appreciated.
Hello, Rob,
Thanks for your comment and for reading our blog.
It seems like you have more than one issue going on.
The first thing I would look into is the bowed out walls. Have they been getting wet, are they carrying a load they are not supposed to be carrying or was it just a bad framing work? If they are getting wet, I would find the source of the water and fix it. If they are carrying a load or it was a bad framing job, then, unfortunately, it may need to be redone (some pictures may be helpful).
The open seams around windows and door frames may be related to the framing problem, however, it could also be that they were not properly installed, to begin with. Did they use house wrap? Window flashing? Did they caulk/foamed any openings before they let water in? The list of items to check is just too long.
The insulation and electrical are the least of your worries, once the main issues are resolved, you can confidently go ahead and complete the electrical work, insulate and even drywall if that’s what you’d like.
As I said, some pictures may be helpful, and let us know what you find out!
Tony