I use white and cheap.

I've been pondering the same question. I'd like a little color in my garage, but can't decide. Maybe it's the female in me, there's no man-of-the-house. I painted the door leading from the garage to the kitchen a kelly green to match the front door. Now, I'm working on that.

Try the decorating forum. Those people are very color savvy. I'm sure they won't mind it being a garage.

where can I buy the cheapest paint? I spoke to a Home Depot person and he suggested that I use 'exterior' grade paint since my garage is only insulated on 2 walls. He said the paint will last longer compared to interior paint. I need 5 gallons for 2 coats, so it comes ap around $150 for paint and primer. I think it is a bit too much money to paint the garage. what do u think?

WAY too much for garage paint! get the 7-10.00 a gallon LATEX INTERIOR paint. most garages i have seen around here are a flat or semi flat antique white. just buy the factory mixed stuff, not the ones they mix in the store.

but hey, it can be pink if you want it!

davidandkasie, where can I get the $10 a gallon paint? Please help! Thanks in advance!

walmart or lowes, they both have it. you just want the cheapest paint they have. I got lucky last year and caught some on sale for less than 6.00 a gallon. we used it to paint inside all the closets, the hall and the laundry room. it looks just as good as the 20.00 a gallon paint we used in teh bedroom and living room.

one word of warning though, it sometimes takes extra coats if the surface is a dark color or not primed. on one room we had to do 3 coats, but the last coat was more of a touch up than a full coat.

Kilz is good stuff...

I was planning to paint over it with latex - but it is only a garage.

Lowes and Home Depot sell "spoiled" paint which is just paint that was either mixed wrong or was not the color that the customer wanted or needed. These are perfectly good paints but you selection is limited and changes constantly. I've frequently seen 5 gallon containers of paint in the marked down section. You can check to see what's available and you can get good quality paint at 1/2 price.

Here is a questions for those of you painting garages. Our new garage is drywalled and taped or whatever you call those seam lines. However we are not having it spray textured at this time due to low funds. Can we paint it? If so I would use a beige or gray color. Thanks

I think going with the exterior grade paint is a better solution myself. I'm in the middle of (actually taking a long breather) finishing my garage. I got the Behr exterior paint. The salesman made a good point that it will be exposed to more elements and abuse than the interior paint. Its more waterproof, easy to wipe those oil spatters off, etc. Unless painting with or covering up a dark color Behr is pretty good about being a 1 coat cover. If you work it out, 1/2 as much Behr as the cheap stuff = coming out even or ahead. I would prime with Kilz just to seal up the pourous sheetrock expecially if you don't texture to ensure you can coat in 1.
Julie you can texture yourself fairly cheap, if your willing to put some work into it. Some nice looking textures are done with sponges and brushes, the texture itself is cheap, some people even use joint compound. More work, but the results will be worth it. Being the garage it doesn't have to be perfect and its a great place to practice for indoor projects.

ttugrad95
Never thought of doing it myself, but that is a good idea. Also sealing with Kilz sounds smart also. Thanks for the suggestions.

I would go with a light gray color myself, reflects light good and stays cleaner looking than pure white. And I would definitely use exterior paint, there's more condensation in a garage than inside a house (like when it's raining and you park your wet car in there).

DH just painted our new barn/garage interior walls with white high gloss paint from Le Depot. He got it in 5 gallon pails. Apparently this is the most durable finish and easy to clean. Looks terrific!

Our color choices for our second garage were White & Black checkerboard with a bright Red border, within a Gray field. All the paints were a 2 part epoxy. Total time to complete was aprox 2 weeks due to the graphic logos we placed in the middle of the floor!

I'm about to start on my garage make-over. I intend to paint the walls a beige color, which should look nice and reflect light well. I'll be painting my workbench legs a "hunter green" color, along with the pegboard over it that holds all my tools. I'll be putting a wood-grain formica laminate on the workbench top, and frame the pegboard with quarter-round trim, as well.

Kilz makes an excellent double-duty paint, which has the primer mixed in with the paint. I've used it before with good results. It's a little pricier than others, but will save money in the long run, when you stop and consider buying a bucket of primer plus a bucket of paint.

My major work will be getting rid of the metal free-standing shelves that I'm currently using, and installing wood cabinets in their place. Hopefully, it won't be that hard to do.

This is my first post on this page - I'll post some "before and after" photos in a few weeks after I get the job done.

Regards,
drumz1

One of the first things I do whenever I buy a house is get the garage interior painted. I instruct the painters to mask off the floor, windows, electric fixtures, garage door hardware and anything else that logically shouldn't be painted. Then I get walls and ceiling sprayed with a coat of Kilz, followed by a coat of inexpensive off-white flat exterior latex.

With the addition of inexpensive fluorescent light fixtures, it's amazing how even the grundgiest garage, including the ones with no wallboard, suddenly appear clean, bright, and in most cases, more spacious.

James

logicalone, thanks for posting the photo of your garage! I, too, am wanting my garage to look cleaner and brighter. I always enter through my garage and my washer/dryer is also in my garage, so it's worth spending a bit more to make it look nice.

Looks like you also used on those new paint treatments on the floor.

I'd suggest using a semi-gloss. Interior paint should be fine. Home centers have a pile of incorrectly mixed paint and they let it go cheap. My families paint store always had a good supply and that was before the era of mixed paint. Today almost everything is a mixed color so the stock sould be ample.

I painted the long back wall something akin to a Ford Blue, and the ceiling and sides a neutral white, all in semi-gloss. The bold blue really helps define the space, but since its only on one wall it doesn't dominate, just calls attention.

The blue is not far from the URL highlights on this page or the Windows XP toolbar, come to think of it.

An unheated garage, depending on your climate
Should be painted with an exterior paint.

Painting the interior AND exterior provides a
Moisture barrier. Ours is only painted on the
Exterior, as well as my neighbors and we all have
Problems with stains from moisture on the inside
Walls.

Interior paint won't be as effective nor will it
Last as long due to the extreme temps (zone 5).

Primer is primer. But best to pay extra for better
Quality paint if you are staying for the long term.
Higher quality paints also mean less splatter.

Ours is detached, unheated and open beams -
No drywall.

Painting the interior also increases the integrity of the EXTERIOR
paint.