Garage Layout
Does anyone have suggestions on preparing a brick built garage before installing a layout. The garage is 18 X 9 Feet,has single door entry and no window. Floor is a coloured very smooth hard surface. The roof is pitched from front to back, so is very high at the centre of the garage,roof is tiled. All electrics are pre-installed, as with the lighting. NO Heating. Any suggestions appreciated. David

garage layout
Hi dave I had my first layout in my garage. Not a bad place,but when i look back i think you must check! If the door is north faceing it is very cold in winter,if it is south faceing ,most of the bad weather come for that way. It's realy great in summer because you can have the door open even at night!I would recomend painting the walls first with mat paints,blue above the board hieght and white below,Do not use gloss.Use some sort of board on the floor,old palets or decking if the funds stretch that far,the cold comes upinto your legs even in summer,why not a carpet,but bewarned if your drop anything and you will!The small bits are hard to find!Again it you use boards seal the joints with tape!!!!

I have my layout in my garage and pretty much did as Tim said. Although I do not have dehumidifier yet. It;s not quite as essential over here in Australia.

My layout is also in my garage. I painted the walls a light grey, as I did not want a surgical feel to the room. In hindsight, I should have done this before I built the layout! I also have a fridge in the room, which is good for keeping it warm, strange but true. There is also a dehumidifier in the room as well. I have built my layout on a semi modular approach, not to exhibit it, but purely in case we move one day, I will be able to move it (with difficulty) and reuse a fair amount of it. Something to keep in mind. John

John, do you actually keep anything in the fridge - eg DB? ;)

Hi Gary, No DB. Peroni, Stella, and Heineken. Some white wine, some KGB (SWMBO's) and of course the fizzy drink. John All my vices in one room!

Garage prep. for housing layout
Hi David As I'm sure you know damp will play havoc with your scenic models etc and is a real problem in garages (I have never known a damp free garage). Some contributors here recommend de-humidifiers as a posible solution. Questions you need to ask yourself - is the garage in an exposed position? Does it lie SW of the house thereby catching the wind/rain more often? Are the bricks of a porous nature which will soak and hold moisture more readily? Does the garage need a damp course in the external wall? If the answer is yes to most of these then damp will be a problem. However even if the garage is sheltered If I were you I would consider erecting a timber wall on the inside comprising timber studs at 600mm centres, faced with a dpm (polythene) and overlaid with say 6mm ply. An air cavity of say 25mm minimum between the brick and the vertical timber studs will be needed. A ceiling would also be needed (same materials) which would also help with heat retention. If there is a separate access door then no problem but if not, and you rely on an up-and-over door for access, this will need a little more work. If you need any further info send me a pm Bye