Most of the tools in my workshop have little to do with airplanes. They are for electronics, computers, metalworking and woodworking.
Even though I am not an expert on building the Europa, I think I can claim some expertise in building a good workshop. We had to move twice, and I gained experience by building three workshops, with each one progressively better than the previous one.
- If the floor is concrete, epoxy coating it will make a significant difference to the texture and appearance. My concrete floor was sealed, so it had to be stripped and scored with solvents and a floor sander. Quikrete sells an epoxy coating that is easy to apply. It comes with a surface prep solution (acid) and the two-part epoxy. It is best to buy the untinted version and get them tinted to individual color preference. The big word of caution is that surface prep is everything. The surface must be coarse, clean and dry. It takes a couple of days to prepare the surface and just two hours to apply the epoxy. The final result is a beautiful showroom quality floor.
- If the walls are bare, this is a perfect opportunity to install a good electrical system. Most garages look like a dungeon with one lousy light bulb and one electrical outlet. I installed a separate circuit breaker, lots of outlets and some switched outlets on the ceiling (for lights).
- Walls were insulated, drywalled and then painted. The paint job does not have to be great, but white surfaces goes a long way in making everything look bright.
- Ceiling was also painted, and cellulose insulation was blown in the attic. This insulation keeps the area cool in summer and warm in winter, and if it the garage is attached to the house, it also helps save utility bills for the whole house.
- The garage door was sealed with Reflectix insulation, which is the same stuff used in auto window reflectors.
Before
- Ventilation keeps epoxy fumes away and also keeps dust under control from sanding/cutting.
- It never hurts to have too much shelving. Closetmaid wireshelving are the most economical at approx $1 per foot. All three walls were installed with four rows of 12"-wide wire shelves; a total of about 200-ft of shelving. I found the support arms sold by Closetmaid to be too restrictive and too expensive, so I used Stanley right-angle braces. This requires some modification such as extra holes and tie wraps to attach the shelves.
- Five fluorescent lights (two bulbs in each, total 10*40=400W).
- Propane heater
