Garage Car Wash

[Accumulator]

Yeah, check the building codes about the drain, but *do* have one installed. I had an oil separator put in mine (all to commercial code) and it must not`ve been a big deal as I can`t remember what it cost. I just had my contractor do it and he never made it sound like anything major.



I do think you oughta do the drain right...there`s stuff that washes off of cars that I wouldn`t want in my groundwater, regardless of the regulations.



I`m a big fan of trench-style drains; mine runs down the middle of the shop. Much easier to squeegee water into it than with a regular (small) drain. Sloping the floor a tiny bit towards the drain is good too, but how well it works out depends on your concrete guy.



I went with FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) panels for the lower 4` or so of the walls (the rest of the walls are epoxy-painted block) and it`s worked out fine. Get water resistant paint for the rest of the drywall and you should be fine.

[Setec Astronomy]

I do think you oughta do the drain right...there`s stuff that washes off of cars that I wouldn`t want in my groundwater, regardless of the regulations.

You make it sound like yours goes into a french drain or a storm drain; isn`t it hooked up to the sanitary line?

[Accumulator]

You make it sound like yours goes into a french drain or a storm drain; isn`t it hooked up to the sanitary line?

Sorr, gave the wrong impression. Yeah, after the oil separator it goes into the sanitary line.



No sotormdrains on our propery, and the only french drains I have are for the downspouts/rain gutters, which I believe are called "gray water" applications.

[miahman98]

Hello everyone. I’m new to the forum so forgive me for making my first post here. With that said, if you are having siding put on your new house just have it go right into the garage. It sounds kind of odd but trust me, it looks good and works very well. I have also seen it used on bath room ceilings with great results. Good luck with your new home.

[2002 Z06]

I am currently building a house myself with a three car garage so what I am having done is I am going to have hot and cold water in the garage, a heater installed on the ceiling in the corner, the garage TOTALLY insalated, epoxy flooring put down, ALOT of lights, compressor installed in the attic (save space), and I am looking into different paints to protect the walls from water splashing. My guess is that a high gloss paint would do the trick but I will search around.



Let me know what you find out.

[Accumulator]

2002 Z06- I`ve been very happy with the epoxy-based high gloss wall paint ("same stuff they use in the minicipal bus garage" according to my builder :nixweiss ). It`s been seven years now, and it`s doing fine.

[2002 Z06]

2002 Z06- Welcome to Autopia!



I`ve been very happy with the epoxy-based high gloss wall paint ("same stuff they use in the minicipal bus garage" according to my builder :nixweiss ). It`s been seven years now, and it`s doing fine.

I will look in to that...Thanks. :up

[KnuckleBuckett]

Don`t use paint for at least the first four feet. Use waterproof paneling. Looks good, is an easy clean, brightens the area, and is nearly indestructable. It is VERY easy to install and is commonly used in car washes. I have used this material regularly, and dig it.



It can be obtained at any mega-hardware. Prices are reasonable considering the long term durability and looks.

[KnuckleBuckett]

When I installed it in our former laundry room, I didn`t even use a saw. I used a ruler and an carpet knife. Worked like a charm.

[Black Diamond]

Also, keep in mind that if there is plumbing in the garage, then the garage must be heated to be sure the plumbing does not freeze up and the pipes burst.

[southpactire]

I went with FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) panels for the lower 4` or so of the walls (the rest of the walls are epoxy-painted block) and it`s worked out fine. Get water resistant paint for the rest of the drywall and you should be fine.

With the FRP make sure you get the correct adhesive! They sell several and I mistakenly picked up the wrong one on my third trip to Home Depot. The result was the FRP has buckled badly on some of the 4x8 panels with the wrong glue. It didn`t show up for about a week until the adhesive cured. My only option is to tear it off and replace the panels with the correct adhesive. The ones with the correct glue look great.

[Accumulator]

With the FRP make sure you get the correct adhesive! They sell several and I mistakenly picked up the wrong one...

Heh heh, glad I left that job to my builder Whatever they used bonded just fine to the underlying epoxy-based paint (they painted the walls first then I decided I wanted the FRP).



To be honest, the walls in my previous shop (which was a commercial shop/used-car dealership for years) were only painted, and they worked out just fine too. I suspect it was a matter of using the right paint over top of materials that weren`t water-sensitive. But I sure like the FRP panels better.

[beastie]

I always wash my car in the garage during winter. I use Protect All Quick & Easy Wash which works quite well. I have to finish 4 bottles of the stuff before I get to try ONR. I would leave maybe 2-3 cups of water on the floor after I`m done. That`s it. It could air dry without hurting anything.

[Torqd500]

Burnout01,

I routinely wash cars in my two car garage. It has no drain but is sloped, so most of the water runs out. I have a semi-gloss paint on the walls. I was more concerned about getting the cabinets, toolboxes, etc. along the walls of the garage wet than with the walls themselves. I placed an eye hook on one wall and ran a plastic covered cable to another hook on the opposite wall. I also used turnbuckles so I could adjust the tension. With cables running between the car and everything along the walls, I hung a series of cheap shower curtains on the cable. Did this along the three walls of the garage. No need to cover the garage door. If I need the curtains I simply slide them into place. If not, I just slide them against the wall where the cable is hooked. No danger of getting anything wet that shouldn`t be wet. I have since found, however, that I usually don`t need the curtains to keep the spray contained. Good luck.

Richard

[Brad B]

I lucked out that my 90 year old house had a garage with a large (really large) drain built in. The grandfather laws allow me to keep it. Our metro area does not allow them any longer.



I have installed a large HVAC system which makes year-round, weekly washing bearable.