Garage Ceiling Ideas: Storage and Materials

If you are thinking of remodeling your garage, then we might be able to help you. This article is around to help you figure out the garage remodeling process. Here, you will know some of the best garage ceiling ideas, storage, and materials you can use.

Adding a finished ceiling to your garage space is a good way to make it look and feel more hospitable. Just because you don’t have guests that go into your garage, that does not mean you cannot make it look good. There are many garage ceiling ideas that you can use to make your garage look better and more functional.

Read on to learn about these garage ceiling ideas and determine which one is the best for your needs.

Garage Ceiling Ideas: What Should You Be Looking For?

The first thing to do is figure out what exactly you want to do with your garage ceiling. Are you looking for something cheap yet functional? Perhaps you are looking for something that looks nice and ties in with the overall look of your home? Or maybe you’re looking for something more practical, like storage systems that you can mount on the ceiling, perhaps?

You need to ask yourself these questions to ensure that you will be going in the right direction.

Cheap Garage Ceiling Ideas

If you do not have much budget to refinish your garage ceiling, then you may find these suggestions interesting:

1. Drop Ceiling Tiles

This type of ceiling treatment might make your garage look like a supermarket or an old office space. Despite that, it is still relatively cheap and easy to install. You do need to install a grid system that will hold the ceiling tiles in place. However, it is a relatively easy job that a single person can do.

Drop ceiling tiles are among the cheapest solutions for garage ceilings. The reason is that they typically cost around $2 per square foot (fiberboard).

2. Styrofoam Ceiling Tiles

This is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to make your ugly garage ceiling somewhat presentable. Styrofoam tiles usually cost around $1 per square foot at the cheapest. They also typically have an adhesive backing, so installation is a breeze.

Aside from low costs, another benefit of using Styrofoam tiles is that they can also serve as soundproofing and insulation. This means that even if you are using power tools in your garage, you won’t bother anyone in the house. In addition, it would be relatively warm in your garage during winter.

3. Vinyl Beadboard Soffit and Sidings

These vinyl paneling boards are cheap, easy to install and look great. Although you will use them contrary to their intended uses, vinyl soffits and sidings are still great as garage ceilings.

Because they are so light and easy to cut to shape, you can install them by yourself. Aside from that, they are already pre-colored, so you do not need to paint them. However, take note that vinyl sidings and soffits get quite brittle after a couple of years. This means you may need to replace them.

4. Paint

Paint is probably the easiest and most cost-effective method of giving your garage ceiling a makeover. However, you need to prepare your ceiling before painting. If you don’t, you will see every imperfection cast a shadow on your ceiling as you turn on the lights.

It is best to spend one day of your free weekend preparing the garage ceiling. This means you need to clean the surface, apply plastic filler wherever needed, then use a primer coat. The primer should be nice and dry the following day so you can start painting.

5. Oriented Strand Board (OSB)

OSB is one of the most popular garage ceiling materials. Not only is it relatively cheap, but it is also easy to cut and install. In addition, unlike the other materials mentioned previously, OSB has a high shear strength.

Shear strength is a material property, stating how much force you should apply to tear it apart. OSB, because of its fibrous construction, has very high shear strength. This means you can install things directly on it that are relatively heavy without ripping out.

With the other materials mentioned earlier, you should locate the ceiling studs to mount things on the ceiling.

You can find more ideas and tips on this homecarezen.com article here: Garage Ceiling Ideas.

Other Garage Ceiling Material Ideas

Now, you can do a lot more if you have a bit more room in your budget. Here are a few more suggestions for materials that you can use for your garage ceiling in that case:

1. Aluminum Sidings or Soffits

Just like vinyl siding and soffits, their aluminum counterparts also look great when used as ceiling covers. The thing that makes them even better than vinyl is that they are a lot more durable. If you are not living in an extremely humid area, you will not have any rust problems with these materials.

Also, most commercially available aluminum sidings and soffits already come pre-painted to fight against rust. In other words, it would not be that big of an issue. The only thing that you might have a problem with is installation. You might need to have them professionally installed.

2. PVC Drop Ceiling Tiles

Compared to regular drop ceiling tiles, PVC tiles are a lot more durable. They can also hold some weight if you want to mount lights or other small things on your ceiling.

In addition, PVC ceiling tiles come in many different colors and styles. You can make your garage ceiling look better than the ceiling in your living room if you want. These are also quite easy to install. Just install an aluminum grid system on your ceiling and then drop these tiles in them.

3. Plywood

Plywood is one of the most popular materials used for garage ceilings. One nice thing about using plywood is that it is relatively easy to install. It is also cheaper than solid wood planks, and it can carry a bit of weight.

However, plywood is not quite as strong as OSB when it comes to shear strength. The thing that makes plywood better than OSB is that plywood does not swell when it gets wet. If you live somewhere that gets quite humid during the summers, this will be the right choice.

4. Corrugated Metal Sheets

When giving your garage a modern and industrial look, only a few can top using corrugated metal sheets. This is if you use it to cover the ceiling. However, you will need to put a considerable amount of insulation in your ceiling. It is because the corrugated metal makes your garage feel like an oven in summer and a freezer in winter.

Another neat thing about corrugated metal sheets is that they already come pre-painted. You can choose a light color to make the light spread out better. Alternatively, you can choose dark colors to reduce glare.

Again, what are some of the most practical garage ceiling ideas? Make your garage space more hospitable by installing a finished ceiling. There are more cheap and practical garage ceiling ideas that you can use to make your garage better and more functional.

Garage Ceiling Storage Ideas

What can you do when you have already made use of most of the walls in your garage for storage? Look no further, literally. You can use your garage ceiling to add more storage options to your garage. Here are a couple of things that you can try:

1. Cargo Nets

An easy way to utilize your garage ceiling to add storage space is to hang a cargo net or two. The neat thing about using cargo nets is that you can stow away odd-shaped sporting gear. These include hockey pads, basketballs, and other similar things.

Cargo nets are quite inexpensive. You need to hang them using simple hooks. However, you can only store lightweight stuff on them; otherwise, the nets would sag too much.

It is best to use only small and medium cargo nets. The reason is that the larger ones tend to sag a bit too much. Also, if you have a bigger net, you’d be tempted to put large and heavy items on it. This is a bit risky.

2. Garage Storage Lift

You don’t need a ladder to reach this storage solution. A garage storage lift is a storage rack hung on the ceiling studs using steel cables. Unlike the traditional fixed suspended shelves, you can lower this one using pulleys. This is great if you will be storing heavy and bulky objects that are difficult to lift over your head.

3. Sturdy Hooks

If you want something extraordinarily cheap and easy to install, nothing can beat simple coated garage hooks. These simple storage solutions do not require any tools for installation. They also have a lot of different uses. For instance, as mentioned previously, you can hang cargo nets from them.

However, you can also use hooks screwed into the ceiling joists to hang your tools from. Use hooks to hang a chain length from several hooks, then hang anything you need on the chain. Just make sure that you do not exceed the hooks’ weight limit, and you will be fine.

4. Ceiling-mounted Shelves

Ceiling mounted shelves are comparable to traditional wall-mounted shelves. The reason is that wall brackets do not only support them. There are also ceiling members that hold a considerable portion of the load.

Another neat thing about ceiling-mounted shelves is that you can make them have different heights. For instance, you can mount a shallower shelve just above the garage door. You can also mount deeper ones elsewhere where they do not pose an obstruction. These shelves are best for garages with minimal floor space.

5. Slings

Do you go kayaking regularly? If yes, use a couple of ceiling-mounted slings to get that bulky thing off the floor when unused. Use slings for other things, like your bikes and other awkwardly shaped objects.

6. Plastic Bins

Now that you have shelves installed in your garage, use plastic bins when loading them up with your miscellaneous stuff. It is better to use plastic containers instead of cardboard boxes as they can last virtually forever. Cardboard boxes will start to deteriorate after a year or two. They also have no defenses against the weather.

Plastic bins, although they cost more than cardboard boxes, make garage organization much easier. They are quite durable, unlike cardboard that is easy to rip and puncture. Plastic bins are also waterproof. In case your garage roof leaks, its contents will still be quite safe and dry.

Conclusion – Garage Ceiling Ideas

Giving your garage ceiling a proper finished look is a good way to make the space feel more comfortable. This is especially the case when you also use your garage like your workshop.

If you mainly use your garage as a carport and storage area, this should not be a reason not to make it look nice. There are plenty of garage ceiling ideas that you can use to give your personal space a well-deserved makeover.

These ceiling ideas are not just for looks, though. They also help make your garage more comfortable to work in and add plenty of practical value to the space.