Going to the gym is something many people talk about doing but never actually follow through with. Every year millions of people commit to getting in shape, yet most of the time, those people will only show up to their local gym in January for a couple of weeks and then never come back for months.
There are many excuses for why people give up on their New Year's Resolution, but what if those excuses could be eliminated?
By turning your garage into a home gym, you can eliminate a lot of the stress of having to leave your house to go to the gym. People with home gyms don't have to worry about waiting for others to be done with the treadmill or other machines. They can simply walk into their garage and not have to fight the crowds.
The First Step: What Portion of Your Garage Will Become a Home Gym?
Garages are often used to store things we don't want in our house. With that in mind, making room for gym equipment will be the first challenge you face when converting your garage to a home gym.
Install an elliptical trainer in your garage? What a great idea!
Will you keep a small place in your garage to store all those things? Do you want to keep your workbench in the garage? Will your car need to be stored inside the garage from time to time?
To maximize the available space, you might want to think about a wall storage strategy. For example, you could choose a vertical bike rack or add a Slatwall to maximize wall storage.
Aside from maximizing space by implementing wall storage, you should also think about other storage organization strategies if you consider how heavy gym equipment is. Because of how bulky gym equipment can be, it is very difficult to move once it's been installed, so you will need to choose the positioning of the equipment carefully if you want to best maximize your garage space.
Should You Turn Your Wall into a Giant Mirror?
Your local gym probably has a large wall of mirrors. Mirrors can be a great addition to any home gym because they allow you to observe your form during your workout. They are relatively easy to install and can give your home gym a modern feel. Having one might make you feel like you never canceled your gym membership in the first place. It can make your home gym feel like it's at the same level as any professional gym in your area.
The Second Step: Prepare Your Garage for its New Use
This picture shared by BoxJunkies shows an in-garage gym. The owner decided to install a TV and other conveniences.
After you've made your storage and organization considerations, the next step will be to perform the necessary renovations to convert your garage for its new use. Transforming a garage into a gym might require electrical work, flooring, or paint renovations.
Will You Need to Install a Television or New Electric Outlets to Plug in Your Equipment?
Many home gyms could benefit from having a TV in the room to allow you to pass the time during your intense workouts.
Certain equipment like treadmills, steppers, or ellipticals might also need a power source to run. If you're interested in any of these options, electric work will most likely be necessary.
When looking to conduct electrical renovations, we recommend hiring a qualified professional.
Working with electrical parts can be dangerous, and accidents can happen very quickly to those who are not experienced. By hiring an expert, you can eliminate the risk of fire or injury— and can also ensure that all the repairs are done properly and to code.
Jobs like painting, installing new storage units, and ceiling repair can easily be done on your own, but electrical is a little more intensive and requires professional installation.
When thinking about ceiling repair, a drop ceiling could be a great option if the ceiling is made of wooden beams. If you do go this route, make sure to insulate the remaining space to prevent it from becoming a hiding spot for mice and other critters.
Those with a solid finished ceiling can potentially add a lightweight storage unit to the ceiling. If you're interested in that option, this blog by BLACK+DECKER explains how to install it securely.
Third Step: Choose the Flooring
An epoxy garage floor. Picture by AllGarageFloors.
Those who already have a concrete floor in their garage will most likely think it won't need to be repaired and will hold the weight of their equipment.
While this is true in the most basic sense, not repairing your concrete isn't a practical option for a home gym.
Because concrete floors are not highly resistant to impact, they could deteriorate over time if you're using them as the floor of your home gym. In many cases, concrete can become cracked and scratched after just a few months of continuous use.
Another consideration you should be aware of is that concrete floors can become very cold during the winter months, making it difficult to maintain a comfortable temperature. With all of these things in mind, what options do you have to prepare your concrete floor for a home gym? We will take a look at that in the next section.
1. Epoxy or Polyurea
Epoxy and Polyurea are 2 excellent options if you're looking for your floor to be both waterproof and impact resistant. It can also give your floor a clean and shiny look. Having a protective coating can also help your floor last longer while you're using it as a home gym. While this can be done on your own, it is recommended to hire a professional who can get the job done quickly and effectively.
Waterproof flooring is especially important when you're using your garage for more than just storing your car. Garages are typically vulnerable to humidity and mold, making it essential to prepare your floors to mitigate those factors. By doing so, you can make your home gym a lot more comfortable and useable. Epoxy or Polyurea coatings could certainly help reduce moisture in addition to installing a powerful dehumidifier.
2. Rubber Training Mat
If you aren't willing to go through the effort of recoating your floor with an Epoxy or Polyurea finish, then a great second option could be to install a large rubber training mat.
Textured rubber mats can provide a stable gripped surface for equipment to rest on, which can reduce the risk of falling while working out. Training mats can also reduce noise levels when lifting heavy weights that you drop on the ground.
Additionally, padding is great for protecting your joints during floor exercises. Protecting your knees, elbows, and tailbone is crucial if you're serious about continuing your workouts at home, and padding can greatly assist in that. It is also generally a lot more comfortable than concrete.
Want other mat flooring ideas? The Best Flooring Options for Your Home Gym by Men's Health proposes many mat options for your home gym.
3. Carpet
You are choosing the type of carpeting, if any, will be an important consideration when designing your home gym. Those who insist on installing carpet need to prioritize a hard-wearing and tightly woven carpet option to ensure a stable surface for training. Anything less durable will not provide a hard enough surface for equipment to stick to the ground stably.
But ultimately, installing carpet is usually not recommended seeing as it is harder to keep clean. Not only that, but durability is also an issue.
The carpet tends to degrade more quickly and is not waterproof. With that in mind, if your garage gets any moisture or humidity, there is a high chance of the carpet developing mold, which makes it a less than ideal option for garage home gyms.
While it might be tempting to install a carpet to warm the space during the cold winter months, most would be better served by installing a heater instead. This will allow for comfortable temperatures without having to worry about mold.
Equipment can weigh a ton. You need to have solid flooring if you don't want to break it after only a month.
Fourth Step: Think about Air Flow
Having good air circulation in your garage home gym is crucial after an intense workout. To ensure having fresh air that circulates through the garage effectively, you should consider installing an air conditioner, heater, or dehumidifier.
Dehumidifiers are especially important for garages that are already more susceptible to humidity than the rest of the house. This humidity problem can become intensified if the space is being used for working out, seeing as high-intensity training, hard breathing, and perspiration can create an even more humid environment.
Those looking for a light and easy-to-use ventilation solution could go with something small and quiet like this garage ventilation system from Humidex. This small monitor helps improve air quality, reduces mold, and is even impact-resistant! What more could you ask for?
Fifth Step: Is Your Garage Insulation Good Enough?
Insulation is crucial when considering not only your health but also the longevity of your workout equipment.
Having proper insulation can prevent you from getting too cold in the winter. It can also prevent noise from escaping the garage allowing for your space to be soundproof. Having enough insulation to prevent your home gym from becoming too loud can allow you to work out at any time of the day without having to worry about disturbing your neighbors or family members.
Check the walls inside and outside the garage. When considering insulating your garage, you should look for the holes and cracks that will need to be filled. These cracks could let in cold air and mice. To protect mice again, you could fill your walls with polyurethane foam or fiberglass insulation.
Many garage owners who have had their garage insulated might still feel a cold draft coming through their garage. If you have had your garage insulated, but the garage door isn't so well insulated, this could cancel out your garage's insulation altogether.
Are you going for a more Modern Style? This garage door design is perfect for you! It is a Vog design, 9'x7', Black, with window layout: Left-side Harmony.
There are many choices available for door insulation on the market. You can choose your options between no insulation, R-12, or R-16 insulation. Insulation, for anywhere in the house, is calculated in R-value. The higher the value, the greater the insulating effectiveness. Roofs are often insulated with R-40 insulation, while house walls range between R-13 and R-21 insulation.
If you've already had all the walls in your garage insulated, you should choose an insulated garage door. Not having one can derail all your insulation efforts. This is because cold and warm air can easily penetrate an uninsulated door. This can lead to higher energy bills in your home that could be avoided with an insulated door.
While having good insulation is key for any garage home gym, it won't mean much if it's not installed properly.
Aside from the individual garage door, it is important to choose the right components of the door as well. Things like gaskets and weatherstripping need to be chosen and installed with care to ensure the most optimal levels of insulation.
With that said, all the components of the door must be properly installed by a professional who can guarantee the best performance of the door. When choosing a new garage door, it is also important to choose an energy-efficient option.
Other cases where garage insulation will be critical are if your garage has a floor with a sleeping area, or if it's attached to the house. Proper insulation will save you from having to use more energy to heat your home which can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars over a year.
Garage Door Weatherstripping Can Greatly Assist Your Insulation Efforts
There are easy ways to reduce your electricity and heating bills just with your garage door. A lot of it will come down to choosing the right weatherstripping. Weatherstripping is the rubber piece that seals the door to the floor of your garage. It is also used to fill all the spaces between the door and the walls. There are different types of weatherstripping and each has its unique characteristics.
Additionally, there are garage doors with weatherstripping between each panel, called the InterLokTM joints, exclusive to Garaga's doors. These joints allow the door to be completely sealed against cold winds, pouring rain, or blizzard conditions.
Other factors contributing to garage door insulation are window seals, bottom weatherstripping, or a seal on the floor, such as a Storm Shield threshold. The floor seal is useful if the floor of your garage entrance is uneven and cracked or to prevent water from entering your garage during heavy rains. A rubber threshold is also useful in winter. It gives your door extra protection by preventing ice from forming under your weatherstripping and sticking the door to the floor.
Sixth Step: Windows
If your garage is too dark and could benefit from some natural light, installing a garage door with windows could be a great option for you.
Cutting into walls to create new windows can be a major project. If you'd like to save yourself from that hassle, having a professional install a new door with windows could be your best bet.
Different types of windows are offered, depending on the level of privacy you want to add to your garage. If you simply looking to add natural light to your garage with windows, you might not need the largest windows. This option allows you to still get adequate lighting without having to sacrifice privacy.
You have a garage door without windows, and you would like to add natural light to your garage without changing the door? This can be done. We can install windows simply by changing certain panels on your door. See this article about adding windows to an existing door for more information.
Want a new garage door to complete the look?
Are you fond of timeless beauty and traditional style? This garage door is a Classic CC design, one of the most popular designs, single door, Ice White color, with 4 lite Orion windows.
Here at DSI North Door Systems, we offer a wide variety of garage door styles and colors to match your preferences. You can even try them on a picture of your home with our Design Centre App!
Once you've found an option that works for you, you can ask for a free quote by email.
Too many choices, so it’s hard to choose? Contact us at 1-800-425-0662.
Our experts will be more than happy to help you find the perfect garage door for you.
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