A garage without shelves is almost as bad an idea as a kitchen without cabinets. Both spaces require an abundance of tools and supplies to fulfill their purpose.
But no one has a kitchen without cabinets. (Well, almost no one; those of us in the midst of kitchen remodels are a frustrated exception.) A surprisingly large number of people, however, have few, if any, shelves in their garages. Instead, stuff just piles up on the floor.
This is such an easy problem to fix. I have yet to run into anyone who complained that they had too many shelves. You can put up just a few inexpensive shelves in less than an hour. Here are some suggestions:
Shelf brackets. This is a DIY project that anyone can handle. Shelf brackets, as shown in the photograph, are available in a wide variety of sizes. Just a couple of screws tie the bracket to a stud. Add a board and you have a shelf.
Old kitchen cabinets. What happens when people replace their kitchen cabinets? Sadly, many of them head to the dump. Ideally, most of them would wind up as storage units in spaces where their old looks really don't matter, such as the garage or basement.
Standards and brackets. This is my favorite shelving system. Over the years I've added more and more parts, as the need arises. These make strong shelves that are easy to install and customize.
Shelving systems. Shelving systems seem to be gaining in popularity all the time. This is a good option if looks and uniformity are bigger concerns than cost.
Photo © Jeff Beneke
Comments
I would have to agree with the opening statements in this article, garage must have Storage shelving. I have a great product that has helped thousands of garage across the country. I love the ideas and tips on garage organizing.
You’ve got to have good storage in your garage. This is especially important if any children go in there as you’ll want to keep all your tools and any other harmful objects safely stored.
I like your ‘green’ idea for recycling old kitchen cabinets. Very clever.
I heard about a small company in Gnadenhutten, OH called Tusco Display, a company with over 50 years of experience in making point of purchase displays for retail.
They also made this product Sky Hook . It is a patented storage system that incorporates pairs of six foot rails and then pairs of brackets in 12 or 16 inch depths to hold a wooden shelf you cut to length!
Even a guy like me can rip a piece of lumber. The unique thing is they have a two pronged hook that goes into the cap plate in top of garage interior wall. The rails are slotted and the brackets are made to such a spec that they fit together with machined precision. I didn’t even need any tools to install them. It took me longer to pick them up round trip than it did to install them.