Garage equipment can massively vary from all the things that can make your garage a garage such as a garage door opener or a storage shelf, and optional stuff such as interlocking floor tiles or LED-Lights.
In this article, I won’t discriminate, all the things I have found the most useful for my garage over the years will be compiled in this list and I will also highlight the equipment that you may want to miss out on so you can reinvest more in these handy tools to make your garage perfect – just in time for Christmas as well.
What counts as garage equipment
Well you may be wondering now what actually counts, I personally think it stems from what you intent to use your garage for. So for example, if you use your garage as a home gym, equipment could count as any gym machinery or floor mats, if you intent to use it as a living space, then it could be any type of furniture.
But for the sake of this article, I will just quickly highlight some key pieces of equipment that all garages should have before getting onto my recommended list:
• Garage door opener and remote
• Garage LED lights
• Garage heater
• Garage storage shelves/cabinet
• Interlocking garage floor tiles
• Garage insulation kit
I could go on, but in my opinion, if you have all of these bases covered, you’re good to go for pretty much any garage set up of your choice as a start.
Without further ado, now let’s look further into each vital piece of garage equipment, alongside some product recommendations so you can ensure they are of the highest quality for your garage.
1.Garage door opener and remote
If you have a garage door (which you obviously should), I promise you will make your life 100 times easier by getting a garage door opener and garage door opener remote. With these, it means you won’t have to do your back in trying to open and close your garage door, but instead, you can simply use the flick of a button.
This will be safer for not only you and your back, but for any straying kids, objects left on the ground, and not to mention more convenient. All you have to do is install it once and you’re good to go. If you’re looking for some great garage door opener remotes, be sure to check out my article on it here.
2.Garage LED lights
The truth is, you can get any light for your garage, but that doesn’t mean you should. LED lights are leaps and bounds above any other type of light for efficiency, brightness, versatility, and more. In fact, I’ve practically written an essay on why they’re so good here.
My pick of the bunch has to be CODAFUL 160W LED High Bay Light Garage Light, but they are honestly all fantastic since you can’t go wrong with LED lights for your garage.
3.Garage heater
Garage heaters are vital if you plan to use your garage for anything apart from a walk-in freezer, or maybe if you only use it for storage. But if you’re planning to use your garage for anything that involves you being in there for more than 5 minutes at a time, invest in a garage heater and make sure your garage has at least basic insulation.
In terms of garage heaters, you can get good ones that won’t set you back too much, my favourite garage heater for value for money has got to be Space Heater, 1500W Ceramic Tower Heaters Indoor Portable with Remote. But go ahead and check out my garage heater article here for a comprehensive guide and selection.
4.Garage storage shelves/cabinet
These two are different but hold the same purpose, even if you use your garage as a living space, it is still worth using the area as a storage space especially if you’ve got spare room in there.
However, not all storage shelves and cabinets are built the same, you’ll want ones that are versatile, strong, and good for your money. In that case, you will want to check out my articles on garage storage shelves and garage storage cabinets by clicking the highlighted text.
My pick of the bunch respectively has to go to POWERACK Wall Mounted Garage Shelving Storage Racks (2 Pack).
5.Interlocking garage floor tiles
An often overlooked aspect of a garage is the floor, but in all honesty, this is in my opinion one of the most important pieces of equipment you can get for your garage and that isn’t just to protect your own garage floor or to make it more comfortable for you, it’s also because it is so versatile and can be used for practically any garage set up.
Interlocking garage floor tiles are laughably easy to set up provided you don’t have too much to move off the floor to make space for them, and once they are set up they will last for years. I could go on and on, but for the price you’re paying, you have no excuse to not get this for your garage.
The best tiles for you will really depend on the type of garage you have and what you use it for, that being said, the set that I use and would strongly recommend is the Dinoflex Rubber King Interlocking Tiles.
6. Garage insulation kit
Finally but definitely not the least important is the garage insulation kit, this along with a garage heater are so important especially if you plan to use your garage as a living space are/or you live in areas where winters are cold.
So as long as your garage isn’t in the middle of a desert, it is really worth investing in a garage insulation kit, and a garage door seal for that matter just so you’re covering all bases.
My favourite insulation kit and seal are definitely SmartSHIELD -5mm 24”X50ft Reflective Insulation Roll and Universal Garage Door Threshold Seal Strip, Bottom Weather-Stripping Replacement Rubber Waterproof 20 FT Length but be sure to check out my post on insulation kits here and my garage door seal post here.
How to maintain your garage equipment
When it comes to maintaining your invests for your garage, I have a few tips that will help you save money in the long run and get the most out of your purchases, let’s take a look:
• Buy equipment with the intention of using it for at least 5 years. You need to have the same mentality as when you’re buying a car here, why would you bother trying to upgrade your garage when the upgraded only lasts a few months. You need to pick the best product available to you in your price range, look at reviews, and try to buy products with warranties. Don’t try to cut corners and getting something overly cheap, as the saying goes, buy wrong, buy twice.
• Do regular power/battery checks. You won’t believe how infrequently the average person checks to see if a battery/power source is working properly. The reason you’ll want to do this is to make sure the batteries aren’t corroding and causing irreversible damage (which will be more expensive to fix/replace) and secondly, to make sure there are no sudden power cuts which could potentially be dangerous if you use your garage as a home gym or workshop.
• Keep a good air flow. Finally, but potentially the most important depending on if you use metal storage cabinets for your garage, is to keep a good air flow. This can mean both keeping your garage ventilated well meaning new, fresh air can come in, and using a dehumidifier meaning that air with too much moisture doesn’t cause any part of your garage to rust. If you’re looking for an all in one heater, air conditioner, dehumidifier, and fan, check out blank.
Final thoughts
That about wraps it up for this article, the main points I would highlight is to invest well into each of these products, have the mindset that you want it for 5+ years and you will end up with higher quality products that won’t let you down.
For me, I’d say the essential pieces of equipment make your life easier in the respect that your garage is a comfortable space for you to live in or use as a functional area and therefore keeping a good, warm airflow is important and hence my inclusion of garage heaters and insulators.
If you felt like you learnt something reading this, I would appreciate it if you shared it with someone you feel would benefit from my guidance and recommendations. That being said, I wish you the best luck with your garage and see you on the next article.
