There are many different kinds of garage shelving, each made to meet a unique set of storage requirements and personal tastes. One common way to make the most of vertical space while avoiding clutter on the garage floor is to install shelves on the wall. These wall-mounted shelves are an efficient use of space and a solid storage option. Tools, paint cans, and other small goods that are easily accessible are perfect for wall-mounted shelves.
You can put these garage storage units wherever you like—they don’t need to be attached to any walls—and they’re incredibly versatile. These storage solutions typically include movable shelves or different levels, allowing you to easily arrange objects of varying sizes. An effective way to arrange heavier tools, containers, and other bulky things is using freestanding shelves, which provide ample room for organisation.
One way to make better use of the area near the ceiling is using overhead garage shelving. These shelves, which may be either wall-mounted or suspended from the ceiling, are great for stowing away seasonal decorations, bulky containers, or other objects that don’t get used very often.
Garages with limited square footage might benefit from overhead shelving since it allows for maximum storage capacity without taking up valuable floor or wall space. If you take stock of your garage’s dimensions and the items you typically keep there, you’ll be able to select the shelving unit that works best for you and your storage needs.
Garage Shelving Ideas to Help You Store More
If your home has a garage, count yourself lucky to have that much-needed extra storage space. But, garages tend to attract clutter more frequently than not. It’s easy to adopt the “out-of-sight, out-of-mind” attitude and just throw everything you don’t want inside the house into the garage. The bright side? You can turn your garage into a practical place to store all of your family’s belongings in a variety of ways.
Whether you’re looking for imaginative wall-mounted storage or freestanding shelf systems, these garage shelving ideas will get you organised.
Shelves That Stand Alone
From seasonal decorations to cleaning supplies, freestanding shelf units are a great way to keep everything neat and tidy. They may be adjusted to different heights to suit your needs, come in a range of sizes and finishes, and are reasonably priced. Try to choose metal garage shelves that come with the option to add caster wheels so you can easily move them around.
Put one in the garage to keep paper goods and bulk items organised for easy retrieval when you need to restock. For storing smaller things and keeping their contents protected from the elements, stack clear containers with lids. Put labels on the containers or shelves and add more storage by hanging baskets or S hooks on the edges.
Tailor-Made Tracking Device
Garage organisation made easy with customisable track systems. These wall-mounted shelves will set you back more than a freestanding unit, but they offer versatile storage from floor to ceiling and can adapt to your changing needs. Put big containers with seasonal items on high shelves, and put things that are grabbed for often, like the kids’ sports equipment, into drawers that are at eye level.
Use only containers that match or coordinate with one another to create a unified appearance for your garage shelving system. Labels that are both legible and stylish make it easy to see what’s in each container, especially the ones at the top.
Mounted To The Wall Hooks
Your storage options may be more constrained if you plan to put a couple of cars in the garage soon or if you already do. Tools, cleaning materials, and gardening equipment can all be neatly stored against walls. Set up your hooks on an easily accessible wall.
The adhesive hooks won’t stay put when the temperature becomes higher, so avoid using them. Alternatively, you might install a pegboard with hooks already attached to it or set up a wire lattice grid and position the hooks according to your belongings. To make room in a crowded area, use them to remove rakes, brooms, and ladders from the floor.
Clampboard
For good reason, pegboards are the standard for garage organisation. They are adaptable and make advantage of vertical space, so they may hold a variety of items. If you’re handy, you can create your own pegboard, or you can acquire plywood sheets that suit your needs.
Over a workbench, pegboards provide a convenient place to hang frequently used tools, such as hammers, screwdrivers, and rolls of tape. Consider repurposing one for various use, such as those associated with outdoor gatherings. Hang lights and extension cords from the hooks, store outdoor decorations in the baskets, and keep little things organised on the shelf.
Freestanding Bookcases
According to professional organisers, you can make things easier to find and, in many instances, place back where they belong by arranging things into categories or comparable groups. Make a storage system out of robust, wall-mounted shelves and put them in the garage.
Nearby floating shelves can hold a tyre pump, cycling shoes, a helmet, and bicycles. Alternately, you might arrange your seasonal belongings on separate shelves, such as those for camping, skiing, and the beach. An effective strategy for maintaining order in the garage is to sort items according to their use or the season.
Take Advantage Of Crawl Spaces
Make the most of the space within your garage by making use of the framed walls. With some imagination and basic materials, you may create a one-of-a-kind and practical system for organising your belongings.
To make room for little paint cans and construction materials, attach narrow shelves between the studs. Attach a dowel rod to the wall to hang brushes, and set up hooks for spades and trowels. To maintain order with tall equipment, such as brooms and rakes, bungee cords are strung across studs. Binder clips make it easy to keep gardening gloves together and on hooks, and baskets hold sandpaper, rollers, and tape.
Things to Think About Before Buying Garage Shelving
There is an abundance of options available for garage shelving. There are a lot of factors to consider when purchasing new garage storage, including material, size, capacity, and mounting method. What follows is a list of criteria to help you select the best shelf unit.
Classification And Setup
The three most common and practical options for garage shelves are those that attach to the wall, to the ceiling, or stand alone.
Freestanding
Since they are not permanently attached to a surface, freestanding devices offer mobility and freedom. Putting them together and placing them where you want them is all that’s required. On top of that, you can get these units in a mix of materials (wood, metal, plastic, etc.) and they usually have adjustable shelf heights. The negative is that they can obstruct the path of traffic or other useful areas, making it difficult, if not impossible, to park a car.
For Use On Walls
When it comes to wall-mounted shelves, though, precision is key since they use metal brackets spaced at regular intervals to attach to studs, which are vertical structural beams. Spacing out from floor to ceiling, wall studs measure 16 or 24 inches. You have the option of using a manual approach or an electronic stud finder when installing a wall-mounted shelf.
After you’ve found the studs, attach the brackets according to the manufacturer’s directions. Next, the brackets are placed on top of the metal, wire, or wood shelves to ensure they are as sturdy and stable as possible. For maximum versatility and storage capacity, think about placing shelves 16 to 20 inches apart.
Rail shelving is an adjustable feature seen on many wall-mounted cabinets. The components of adjustable rail shelving include shelves, brackets, and vertical metal rails. Slots are positioned at regular intervals along the vertical metal tracks. Shelves are held in place by brackets that slide into these spaces. You may change the amount of space between shelves by adjusting the height of the brackets.
As long as the brackets are likewise made of metal, adjustable shelves—typically constructed of steel wire—can readily support large goods. Hardware that works with both drywall and solid walls is included with some train tracks. Some tracks are only compatible with wood studs and not steel studs, so check the instructions before you buy.
Installed On The Ceiling
Using long, adjustable metal brackets, ceiling-mounted garage shelves may be attached to the ceiling joists, providing a convenient place to store seasonal items and equipment out of the way. Several hundred pounds can be securely stored in a welded-steel structure. Although these storage units are great for stowing away seldom-used stuff, they are typically inaccessible without the aid of a ladder or step stool.
Subject Matter
The most common materials for garage shelves are metal, plastic, or wood. The things kept on the shelves greatly influence the relative merits of the various materials.
Wood
Beautiful and long-lasting, wooden shelves are a great way to spruce up any office or closet. Strong and long-lasting are hardwood shelves made of oak or maple. Plywood, chipboard, and other compressed woods can withstand light loads without warping or breaking, but they aren’t ideal for heavy-duty storage.
Find a kit that includes all the hardware components and detailed instructions if constructing a wooden shelving unit is in the cards. But remember that not all kits come with lumber.
Wire And Metal
Shelves made of metal, usually steel, are available in a range of sizes and may support loads that are rather heavy. Metal shelf is great for storing and organising items because it is nonporous and won’t soak up any paint or chemicals that may spill. To make metal shelves more durable and resistant to rust and damage, they can be powder-coated or given a black finish.
While heavy-duty machinery would benefit from solid-metal shelves, wire shelves provide all the durability of metal without the added weight. Metal strands interwoven to create a strong grid, web, or nett is known as mesh, and it is commonly used to make these items. Paint cans, tools, buckets, and boxes work great on these shelves, but bigger containers are better for storing little things like nails and screws so they don’t fall through.
Material
Plastic shelving is still an option to think about, even though it isn’t as sturdy as other kinds. In most cases, you won’t even need any tools to put it up. Even when fully completed, it is lightweight enough to be moved around a garage. Shelving made of plastic is not only durable but also resistant to corrosion and water, making it an excellent choose for humid garages. Even though plastic shelves might bend or bow when completely filled, they are still a sturdy adequate choice for the majority of storage needs.
Capacity And Dimensions
When looking for garage shelving, it’s important to consider the unit’s overall dimensions (width, depth, and height) and the weight it can support. In addition to securely storing tools, cleaning materials, and athletic equipment, the unit must fit into the designated space.
The standard width range for wall-mounted and freestanding units is 12 to 24 inches. Shelves that can hold things without obstructing the space around them are ideal for easy access. To accommodate large objects like golf clubs and other sporting equipment, search for ceiling-mounted containers with dimensions of 2 feet by 3 feet or more.
There is a vast range of shelf lengths available, but the most common ones for home garages are 3, 4, and 6 feet. Another choice is to construct your own shelves from a DIY kit. Additionally, there is a wide variation in height, from three feet to over seven feet. In garages that are tight on floor space, a taller unit might make better use of the available vertical space.
While it’s true that many garage shelving units can support hundreds of pounds, you should be sceptical of any that boast a single shelf capacity of 1,000 pounds. One hundred to four hundred pounds is probably the upper limit for a single shelf’s bearing capacity.
Instead of piling everything onto one shelf, think about getting a unit with multiple levels to store all your belongings. When using shelves that are fixed on the wall or ceiling, be careful not to put too much weight on them. Shelves can tear away from the surface or even destroy the structure if the weight is too much.
What Are the Different Options for Garage Shelving?
The addition of a garage is a great improvement to any house. It can serve as additional storage space in addition to protecting our automobiles from the elements and other potential threats. When we use a garage for nothing more than storing things, we neglect its principal function. We can now talk about modern garage storage solutions thanks to all the advances and customisations.
Putting our extra possessions in the garage, where they are out of sight, is a pretty easy option, I’ll admit. To get the most out of our garage, it’s a good idea to organise it once we’ve established into our living space. Shelving is the way to go for this task. You should put shelves in your garage for the five key reasons listed below.
- Category: Organization—this is a major one. The garage, more than any other room, needs organisation. Everything from shoes to tools to machines to outdoor gear can be better organised in this way. In this approach, you can always locate what you need, and when you’re through with something, you can put it back where it belongs.
- Health and Safety: Some items, when left unattended, pose a health and safety risk. Gasoline, antifreeze, car fluids, and weather deterrents are all examples of such products. Particularly for families with children and dogs, it is important to keep flammable and toxic items up off the floor.
- You will clear space to park your vehicle! Organising your belongings from the floor to shelves will serve multiple objectives; one of them is making more room in your garage to park your car.
- The weather can be harsh on some possessions, so it’s a good idea to give each one a specific place to stay under cover. The use of shelves will protect your equipment, machinery, and personal possessions from rust and water damage.
- Extra Space for Stuff: You’ll find a way to put even more of your belongings in the extra space you make. After you’ve put up shelves and arranged everything in the garage that currently belongs there, you can utilise the extra room for anything else that needs a home.
In conclusion, garage shelving offers flexible and effective storage options to keep things organised. Wall-mounted and ceiling shelves help utilise vertical space, while freestanding units are ideal for heavier items. Pegboards and hooks can be used to hang tools, outdoor gear, and small items, making the garage more accessible.
Freestanding, wall-mounted, and adjustable shelving systems provide versatile storage solutions for different needs. Shelves made from metal, plastic, or wood each have their benefits, with metal being durable and plastic suitable for humid conditions.
To maximise garage space, consider narrow shelves, adjustable units, and careful weight distribution. Proper organisation not only helps with safety but also makes room for parking and other essentials. In summary, the right shelving system helps you keep your garage organised, safe, and efficient.
