If you're like the thousands of people every year who have committed themselves to live a healthier lifestyle, you might have thought about converting your garage into a home gym.
Especially during these pandemic times, more and more people have been working out at home, making this a perfect time to transform your garage.
If you've been on the fence about converting your garage into a home gym, read on to find out how easy the renovation process can be.
With a home gym, you will no longer need to make excuses for why you didn't work out. There will be no need to get ready to leave your home, and you will only have to walk a few steps to your new gym. Home gyms can save you time and money and are a great addition to any home.
Preparing Your Garage for a Home Gym
Install an elliptical trainer in your garage? What a great idea!
For most people, garages are a place where we tend to store a lot of junk we don't need or are no longer using. Decluttering your garage will be crucial when designing your new home gym. This can be done easily by getting rid of things you no longer need. Once you've freed up some space, you can then begin thinking about how you would like to organize the space, as well as where you would like your equipment to be placed.
Aside from decluttering, you might also want to consider if you would like to add additional storage solutions to your space. You might also want to decide on whether or not you will continue to keep your car in the garage. Cars will take up a lot of space; however, if your garage is big enough, you could still fit a car and home gym at the same time. This is especially true if you decide to incorporate new storage solutions into your space.
To maximize the available space, think about wall storage. For example, you could choose a vertical bike rack or add a slatwall to maximize wall storage.
Before purchasing any fitness equipment, you should consider what you want and how you will arrange it in the room. Consideration should be given to the small details since gym equipment is heavy and cannot be easily moved once installed.
Should You Install a Large Mirror?
Mirrors are a great feature for any home gym. They allow you to observe your form during intense workouts. Most modern gyms are equipped with large walls of mirrors. With that in mind, installing your own mirror could give your home gym a modern look. This could make it like you never left your local gym and can give your home set up a professional feel.
Preparing 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.
Once you've decided what kind of equipment you would like to get for your home gym set up, you might want to consider the exact renovations that need to be made to make your gym as comfortable as possible. These considerations can be anything from new paint, epoxy coating for the floors, or insulation to keep the temperature comfortable.
Should You Install Electrical Outlets for a TV or other Electronics?
Having a TV installed in your gym could be a great feature to help your workouts go by faster. It can also be a great way to stay on top of current events allowing you to watch the news while you work out. If this is something you're interested in, electrical work will be necessary.
If you decide you will need more outlets in your garage, we recommend hiring a professional to do this. Jobs like painting or installing a new storage unit can easily be done on your own. However, electrical work is more intensive and should be done by a qualified professional that knows what they're doing.
Hiring an electrical professional can save you from making a mistake during the installation of any electrical components and can save you from an unnecessary accident that could result in a fire. Save yourself the headache and call someone who knows what they're doing.
Replacing a Ceiling
Is your ceiling made of wooden beams? If you want to give your gym a nice modern look, a drop ceiling is a great option to consider. However, if you decide to go this route, make sure to insulate the remaining space. An empty ceiling is an excellent hiding place for mice and other critters.
If you have a solid finished ceiling, it's possible to add a lightweight storage unit to your ceiling. This blog by BLACK+DECKER explains how to install it securely.
What about your flooring?
An epoxy garage floor. Picture by AllGarageFloors.
Flooring will be a critical consideration when transforming your garage into a home gym. If you already have a concrete floor, you might think that it won't need to be replaced or improved. Of course, any concrete floor will be able to support the weight of your equipment. However, there are other things you need to keep in mind other than the stability of the floor.
A cracked concrete floor will not be impact-resistant and can further deteriorate over time. Concrete is also very cold in the winter and can make it hard to maintain a comfortable temperature. Luckily, there are a few options you can choose from to improve the comfort of your concrete floor, and they would be ideal for a home gym.
1. Epoxy or polyurea
Hiring a professional to install an epoxy or polyurea coating could be a great option for your garage flooring if you're looking to create a more comfortable environment. Both coatings are waterproof, which will be critical in a home gym setting.
Waterproofing your floor with one of these coatings is very important if we consider how garages are susceptible to high levels of moisture and humidity. Epoxy and polyurea coatings can help. You might also want to consider installing a powerful dehumidifier to give your space the best chance of remaining dry. It can prevent mold from growing and is a great addition to epoxy or polyurea coatings.
Aside from controlling humidity, epoxy and polyurea coatings make your floor more impact-resistant, which will be key when you're dealing with weights and other heavy workout equipment. Another great benefit of epoxy or polyurea coatings is that they give your floor a clean, fresh, and shiny look, which can open up your space. They will also allow your floor to last longer.
2. Rubber Training Mat
Training mats could be another great way to cover a concrete floor. A textured rubber mat will allow for your equipment to be set more securely to the ground. They also offer a greater layer of padding that can help reduce the impact of an accidental fall. Additionally, training mats are great for noise reduction when dropping heavy dumbbells.
Another great benefit of floor mats is that they offer an extra cushion for any floor exercises, which can help protect your joints during intense workouts.
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 might be thinking that a rug or carpet installation might be a good way to warm your concrete floors. However, it is important to consider whether or not this is practical. As we mentioned earlier, garages are prone to high levels of humidity, and carpets are not waterproof. Not only that, but they are also likely to become dirty very quickly. With that in mind, installing a carpet is usually not the best choice.
Additionally, carpet isn't a great surface for equipment to be set on as far as stability is concerned. But if you do decide that you need carpet, make sure that you go with a hard-wearing and tightly woven option to mitigate any of the potential concerns we just talked about.
With all of this in mind, if having a warmer floor is your biggest concern, you might be better off installing a heater. In doing so, you will be able to maintain a comfortable temperature during the winter months without having to worry about mold developing from the humidity.
Equipment can weigh a ton. You need to have solid flooring if you don't want to break it after only a month.
Think about Air Flow
Having good air circulation through your home gym is essential for getting the most out of your workouts. To achieve fresh airflow, you will want to install a dehumidifier, air conditioner, or heater to ensure optimal conditions.
Of these options, a dehumidifier is probably the most important. After an intense workout, your room will most likely increase in humidity. If you're looking for a lightweight ventilation solution, you should consider 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?
Is Your Garage Well Insulated?
Having gone over the various ways to improve your garage to set up your home gym, we would be remiss if we didn't talk about insulation. Insulation can go a long way in keeping your garage warm during the winter and can also reduce noise levels in your garage.
When looking to install insulation, it is important to also inspect your garage for holes and cracks that will need to be filled—any opening into your garage lets in cold air and even unwanted critters.
If you've already had your garage insulated, but the garage door isn't so well insulated, all your efforts will be wasted. Cracks in a garage door can cancel out any other insulation and will need to be addressed if you're trying to have the most comfortable home gym experience.
What do you think of this garage door? This is a Vog, an exclusive modern design, 9' x 7', Black color, with a window layout named Left-side Harmony for a lot of natural light.
Different types of insulated garage doors are available on the market. You can choose your options between no insulation, R-12, or R-16 insulation. Insulation 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.
To have the best insulation, you will need someone who can perform the best installation. Working with a professional who uses the highest quality garage door components, like the correct seals and weatherstripping, will ensure that your garage has the best chance of remaining well insulated.
Aside from working with a professional that knows what they're doing, a garage door that is energy efficient will also be an important consideration when renovating your garage into a home gym.
Garage door weatherstripping are crucial!
There are easy ways to reduce your electricity and heating bills just with your garage door. Of these considerations, using the right weatherstripping is especially effective. It is used to fill all the spaces between the door and the walls. There are different types of weatherstripping, each with its characteristics.
There are also garage doors with weatherstripping between each panel, called the InterLokTM joint, exclusive to Garaga's garage doors. This joint makes the door completely sealed against cold winds, pouring rain, and melting snow.
Other important components of garage door insulation are window seals, bottom weatherstripping, or a seal on the floor, such as a Storm Shield threshold. The floor seal is critical if your garage floor is uneven or cracked. The seal can prevent moisture from entering your space, as well as cold drafts that could creep through in the winter.
Let the sunshine in!
Windows are another important consideration when thinking about renovating your garage.
If you're looking for more natural light but still want a certain level of privacy, there are many options of garage door glass to look into.
Different types of windows are offered, depending on your preferences. Installing smaller windows on the side of your garage or on your garage door can allow you to maintain some privacy while also allowing light to shine through.
Your garage is almost new, but it doesn’t have windows, and you would like to add natural light to your garage without changing the door? It's possible! We can install windows simply by changing certain panels on your garage door. See this article about adding windows to an existing garage door for more information.
Want a new garage door to complete the look?
Do you prefer the simple elegance of Traditional Style? This garage door is a Classic CC design, 9'x7', in Ice White color, with 4 lite Orion windows.
Here at Caspersen Door Systems, we have many styles and colors to fit your style and budget. You can preview every design and color option using our Design Centre tool!
Once you've settled on your choice, you can ask for a free quote by email.
Too many choices, so it's hard to choose? Contact us at 508-563-5633.
Our experts will be more than happy to help you find the perfect garage door for you.
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