# Garage divider help



## EBreindel (Dec 7, 2016)

Hello,

I am trying to set up a shop. I have a standard two car garage (one garage door) I have seen many options for dividers for a two car garage with two doors but no so much for one door. My wife will be parking her car on the other side and doesn't want sawdust all over on her side. Anybody have any ideas??

Thank you


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## GrantA (Jul 19, 2014)

Find her another place to park then you get the whole garage!

Seriously if she doesn't want sawdust then your options are either make the sawdust outside and blow off everything before bringing it back in, or get a big dust collector and the best ports/guards/enclosures for the tools. 
If you really want to try to have a "separate" work area I would just build a frame out of 1×2s and cover with clear plastic. It won't stop sawdust from spreading but will help control it.
You'll need air filtration and a respirator


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## ChefHDAN (Aug 7, 2010)

I'd just play valet and move her car around. Can't imagine cutting my workspace in half….


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## jerkylips (May 13, 2011)

> Hello,
> 
> I am trying to set up a shop. I have a standard two car garage (one garage door) I have seen many options for dividers for a two car garage with two doors but no so much for one door. My wife will be parking her car on the other side and doesn t want sawdust all over on her side. Anybody have any ideas??
> 
> ...


I've actually been thinking about a solution for this myself - haven't done it yet, but i was thinking about using some 3/4" black pipe (only reason for that specifically is that it's the only one I could seem to find the right fittings), a combination of tees and flanges, and screwing it into the rafters of the garage to make a "curtain rod". I was thinking that some tarp that hangs down to the floor, with probably some sort of weight at the bottom, would hold it in place while working -when I'm done, it would be easy enough to slide/unhook until the next time.

kind of like this - (looks like they used cable on this one instead of pipe)


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

Unless you build a solid wall some dust will inevitably wind up on the other side so be prepared for some complaints. A leaf blower will help you blow any dust that does make it over there.

These are probably too pricey but you might get some DIY ideas by looking.


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## clin (Sep 3, 2015)

I'd go with a curtain. If the car side is such that opening the car door is towards the curtain, so much the better. While you have to have enough room to walk between the car and curtain, it wouldn't matter if the car door hits the curtain a bit, assuming you don't place something solid on the other side of the curtain.

Before going all DIY with things like pipes and fittings for hanger rods, I'd look into purpose built tracks for curtains. The type of thing you see in hospitals.

Obviously as close to the the ceiling as you can hang it. That's why I wonder if there isn't a track you can get and some sort of hangers that go right at the top edge of the curtain. Might even be a way to have the curtain rub the ceiling.

It would likely be best to touch the floor. Dust settles and you walk around kicking it up.

Nice thing about a curtain is you can pull it out of the way when you need more room.

I agree with dust collection and I'd hang a room filter in the shop side. Remember, if dust can settle on things it also means you will be breathing it. So the same things that make it safer for your lungs will also greatly reduce the dust problem.


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## fivecodys (Dec 2, 2013)

I couldn't find a solution that worked well so I have everything on mobile bases. 
It's funny how dust travels around things. 
I really didn't have enough room with the garage divided off anyway.
SWMBO's car gets pulled out into the driveway and I sent up my tools and go to work.
When I'm done I put it all away and pull her car back into the garage for the night.
It's a huge pain in the rear but it's better than no shop space at all.
If her car gets too dusty, I go have it washed.


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## Carpentress78 (Aug 13, 2019)

I had a project building benches for my husbands microbrewery and ran into terrible dust problems, if you eliminate the track and get something like pipe stock from Home Depot here, it cuts the cost way down. We got our Garage Curtains from Steel Guard Safety but I know there are several manufactures that sell them. The Curtains we have had about 6 months do a pretty good job of keeping the dust out of our cars that are garaged. Cost only came to about $17-18 a foot.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

Sawdust is very lightweight and non-adhesive. Any that lands on her car be blown off before she even makes it to the street. Otherwise, I'd go with the leaf-blower. If you need to keep other things contained, a divider may be necessary but, IMO it's easier to get sawdust off a vehicle than it is to keep it off.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

i just let her complain then i build her what she wants,she still complains but accepts the fact that's life in a woodshop.good luck.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

There is a steel channel for electrical work that can screw to the ceiling. They make wheeled dollies that fit inside the track and roll nicely. I have a drop cord and air hose attached to the track in my garage. The channel is made by Unistrut, also by B Line and others. Comes in 10' and 20 ' lengths with the holes pre punched in it. Easy. Better than pipe and fittings because it mounts tight to the ceiling.


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## John_ (Sep 23, 2013)

> Hello,
> 
> I am trying to set up a shop. I have a standard two car garage (one garage door) I have seen many options for dividers for a two car garage with two doors but no so much for one door. My wife will be parking her car on the other side and doesn t want sawdust all over on her side. Anybody have any ideas??
> 
> ...


I used to make a 'paint booth' in the corner of my garage that looked similar.

I used 10' long sections of 3/4" metal electrical conduit and an eye bolt big enough that the conduit could slide through. The conduit only needed to be supported at both ends, and I would image to split a garage like that you could do it with two pieces, a connector and 3 eye bolts. I then bough some extra long, clear shower curtains from Amazon, and it actually worked out pretty well

These are 6' x 8'
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007N2OWM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## Woodmaster1 (Apr 26, 2011)

Good luck on your dilemma. I just sanded a farmhouse table today with a belt sander and got dust all over my wife's car. I bet she will say something to me about it.


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## Runner (Apr 13, 2016)

My wife parks in my shop, and the dust hasn't been an issue. My tools are always hooked up to either a dust collector or a shop vac. Circular sawing and free hand routing I'll do outside. At the end of the day I do a quick vacuum of the floor. No complaints from my wife.

Just take you wife's car through the car-wash once in a while and make sure her tank is full.


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## Carpentress78 (Aug 13, 2019)

I think you are going a bit too light with that track. We went to McMaster to seal up the gap between the track and top of the garage with some material and velcro swatches cut up.

When looking around I saw a similar curtain hooks much cheaper here at McMaster Curtain Hooks only $5 for 10. You could buy the Material and make your own, but I know when I called back Steel Guard they said they have B Stock Body Shop Curtains for sale a lot. Didn't need any just got a few yards of material to stop the saw dust from leaking out plus velcro.


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## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

if the garage is finished, frame a wall to divide the 2 areas and drywall it.
if it isnt finished, frame a wall to divide the 2 areas,insulate, and drywall the shop area.


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

The one door thing is a real problem. You could put a post in and replace the one door with two but even then some dust will find its way over. I have a manual dust control setup and at least once a session I get distracted and forget to move the hose or turn on the vac. With all the $$$ that it would take to alter the doors you would be able to build a small building or have one premade and hauled in. The easiest cheapest solution that I could think off is what they use in mining operations. A pvc pipe bent in an arch with lots of holes drilled in it. Place a timer switch on it and when she hits the remote she can back through an arch of water to rinse off the car. This could be trouble in colder climates.


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

The car is the least of your worries. It is easily cleaned in a carwash or with a hose. Unless you have the halves totally walled off it is a losing proposition. Ask me how I know. Even with a curtain the other half will eventually accumulate fine dust on and into everything. The leaf blower and dust collection/filtration will help but if dust is an issue a fine layer will build up and infiltrate no matter what you do. Even the leaf blower won't get all of the fine dust, just the top layer.


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## poospleasures (Aug 7, 2011)

I have the same problem in my shop. I do park the wifes car inside all the time. She sewed a couple bed sheets together and I use then to cover the car when it is inside (most of the time). I do have a cyclone collector system which is in use 99 percent of the time. A car wash will last several days this way w/no dust on the car. Very simple solution.


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

> I have the same problem in my shop. I do park the wifes car inside all the time. She sewed a couple bed sheets together and I use then to cover the car when it is inside (most of the time).
> - poospleasures


Never had any complaints about the car because it's in and out all of the time so dust doesn't seem to build up on it but the sheets seem like a good idea to cover everything on the shelves.


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## gtrgeo (Mar 22, 2017)

I was going to suggest a car cover similar to above. I have a three car garage with one bay closed off with a sheetrock wall/man-door as my shop. It is a blessing and a curse. It is not completely closed off so depending on the activity some dust still seems to make it over to the cars on the 2 car side. The wall does help somewhat to keep non-shop things out of my shop but does limit the space I have to work in. I would roll the car out when you want to work or put a cover on it when this is not feasible while you are working. This enables you to keep full access to the space.


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

> I would roll the car out when you want to work or put a cover on it when this is not feasible while you are working. This enables you to keep full access to the space.
> 
> - gtrgeo


+1


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