The Garage Becomes an Arcade!

Ever since my collection began to get out of hand, I've been calling the garage an "arcade." But, despite the fact that I've been putting more and more games in there and moving more and more junk out of there, it could always more accurately be described as "a garage full of games." For years I've been planning to change that--and over the Christmas holidays in 2004 I finally did!

After doing some wiring to put in four dedicated breakers for the games (actually, my brother-in-law did most of that--I just assisted), I set out to create the ultimate 1980s hangout. I'm very pleased with the results.

Click the here or on the picture below for a full tour. Click here to read about the details of the renovation.

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Project Details

I wish I had taken pictures throughout the process, but I didn't. Oh well.

My first step was to move the games to my neighbor's garage across the street (no small task for 13 games!). I then took down everything from the walls that could be removed, and primed the walls, ceiling and floor. Then I painted everything black. I decided on concrete paint for the floor instead of carpet because it makes the games easier to move, is easier to clean, and doesn't promote static.

Next, I added some cool detailing. I had originally decided to paint a variety of video game graphics on the storage cabinets and ceiling--both raster and vector images. In the end, though, I decided to stick to vector. It was much easier that way. I had to put my X-COM Interceptor mural back on the wall. It's not an 80s game, but I did design it, so that mural means a lot to me, and it generally goes with the game theme. I also framed and hung the autographed Dragon's Lair and Space Ace posters I got at the Classic Gaming Expo a few years back. For lighting, I installed rope lights around the perimeter of the room, put up a, and mounted two plasma discs on the ceiling.

On my large storage cabinet, I mounted two chalk boards for posting high scores. I marked them off using car pin striping so that you can erase scores without erasing the lines. On my garage window, I hung a new set of black miniblinds. (I had to order those online--not much demand for black miniblinds locally, apparently.) I covered the remaining storage cabinets with stretchable black fabric--stapled to a 1 x 1 board on the ceiling and velcroed underneath the front edge of the shelves for easy opening. With the lights off, the shelves disappear and all of the junk is hidden!

The final touch was mounting a monitor and a DVD player on the wall. Whenever the arcade is in use, 80s music videos run constantly. It's a great addition (and a cheap, space-saving alternative to an actual video jukebox).

This Just In...

Just before our summer party in June, 2005, I finally covered up the garage door. Rather than painting it, I hung some inexpensive cloth from the shelves above the door and let it drape down behind the games. This was a cheap (under $10) solution for hiding the last bit of white in the room.

For our anniversary, Meghan bought me a new neon "Gameroom" sign for the arcade (as you can see in the pictures). This adds the perfect amount of light to brighten up Centaur's playfield, and it is definitely an eye-catcher. The perfect crowning touch.

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