# Garage/Dining Room



## peeweepinson (Aug 18, 2003)

This year for the party area I would like to use my 2 car garage for the "dining room." Any ideas or places to look on how to turn a garage into a gothic, spooky dining area? I am thinking lots of cobwebs in corners, etc. but would like to see how others might have accomplised this. I have checked on back posts and found a few things.


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## Madame Turlock (Nov 2, 2007)

Making a candelier (like a chandelier but with candles) is one idea. You may also be able to buy one at garden centers. Try doing a web search using candelier as your key word. I'm sure Martha Stewart has made one.


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## deadlypeanutboy (Oct 9, 2007)

In my experience, the trick to making one room look like another is to first eliminate all the elements of a space that scream "Its a garage, dummy" and try replacing those with things that are more dining room-ish. My garage has the same walls and molding as my living room, with the exception of that huge metal door. I would try to cover it with a fairly solid wall to match the other walls: maybe using a theater flat. Mount it in front of the garage door, paint and trim to match, and a garage could look like just another room.

Of course, there aren't that many room elements your can add that scream "Welcome to my dining room." Madame Turlock had a good idea with the chandelier. The only other common dining room element that I can think of is a chair rail. You can purchase inexpensive molding and attach it to the walls about 3 or 4 feet off the floor. It can even be glued to the flat you have covering the garage door. That could help make the flat blend in with the existing walls and help it not look so out of place.


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## ylbissop (Sep 6, 2007)

maby think about purchasing some hotwire foam factory tools and creating walls molding or a gothic fireplace out of foam.


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## deadlypeanutboy (Oct 9, 2007)

Cool idea ylbissop. 

I was looking at my garage this morning and realized that I neglected one more aspect that screams "its still a garage, dummy" and that is the floor. My garage floor is your average concrete slab covered in various stains (oil, grease, paint, blood, etc.). You'll have to cover the floor, I guess. You could always paint it....

Hey, my sister-in-law got a large carpet remnant from a flooring store that she trimmed square and uses as a large area rug on her tiled living room floor. Maybe that would work.


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## scream1973 (Dec 9, 2007)

You can always go to a carpet place and pick up a remnant for relatively in-expensively depending on how large the area is .

Depending on how "garagey" the garage is if you wanted to make it look old gothic victorian you could get 1/8"-1/4" plywood and wall paper/paint it as fit and then light tack this into place on all the walls which would cover the door and bring uniformity to the room without causing a change to the whole garage itself. Or there are lumber centres that sell pre-painted/papered panels.


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## maleficent (May 20, 2007)

Another challenge will be getting it to not smell like a garage.


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## scream1973 (Dec 9, 2007)

Smell isnt that hard to deal with , with all the scents you can procure now.


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## 3SpookyChicks (Jan 20, 2006)

The Scene Setters with the peeling wallpaper on top and wooden panels on the bottom might work.


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## Jackielantern (Oct 31, 2005)

3SpookyChicks nailed it.....check out the Scene Setters. I've used what she mentioned in our unfinished basement and it makes a HUGE impact for very little money.

For an area rug you could pick up a canvas painters drop cloth & paint a pattern on it to replicate a rug. (Just tape down the edges so nobody trips) If the lighting is dim enough and you have enough decor around people won't notice the floors much, so I wouldn't worry a whole lot about that part.

Check out my album, you can see the Scene Setters in the background. If you want I can post more pictures from the previous year that shows the buffet table a little better. Also in those pics you can see a candelier I picked up for $25 at Terry's Village? It's halloween themed with skulls.


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## Jackielantern (Oct 31, 2005)

Well, whatya know! I got the picture copied here. lol


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## MHooch (Jun 15, 2007)

Or...

You could get lucky and find lots of fabric on sale and drape the walls with that. But the Scenesetters sound like a great idea, and economical.


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## ylbissop (Sep 6, 2007)

Jackielantern said:


> Well, whatya know! I got the picture copied here. lol


where did you get or how did you make your scene setters?


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## peeweepinson (Aug 18, 2003)

It is a very clean garage so smell, etc. won't be a problem. I have thought about the scene setters myself and appreciate all the posts. Going to check out Terry's Village now and other places to see if anything might be on sale!


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## Jackielantern (Oct 31, 2005)

ylbissop said:


> where did you get or how did you make your scene setters?


I picked mine up at Party America but I've seen them at Spirit of Halloween and online as well. Another thing to watch for is knock-offs at Walmart and Target. If I recall correctly a 4.5'x50' roll is around $18.

A note about Scene Scetters. The plastic is VERY thin, like disposable plastic tablecloths, so they really should be tacked to a solid surface to avoid movement and damage.


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## maleficent (May 20, 2007)

I found this site and it has several scene setters that I haven't seen before. Check out the background scenes.

Party Decorations - Party Supplies - Free Shipping - www.PartyCheap.com


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## Dr. Z (Nov 22, 2007)

Hey Peeweepinson, why don't you turn your garage into a _psycho's victim-demembering-lair_ dining room? 
Let all your stuff and tools such as chainsaw, hammers, pipe wrenches, saws, etc. covered with blood (and don't forget to widely spray the floor too), some bloody butcher apron and maybe severed body members props. 
I know this may sound as a cheap or _the lazy man version_, but that would spare some time to prepare the rest of your haunt and could be part of the mood don't you think? Moreover, if you do it good your guests would be so disgusted they won't eat anything! (just kidding lol)


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## pandora (Jul 15, 2004)

For "curtains" or just overall spooky feeling, you could try the coffee stained cheesecloth panels seen here:

Decorating : Halloween : Decorating for Halloween : Home & Garden Television

They could give a nice aged feel to the room, like grandma's tattered old sheers. Plus they would be something mutlidimensional to add to the scene setters.


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## peeweepinson (Aug 18, 2003)

Thanks Pandora, I printed out their suggestions. I am getting lots of good ones.


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