Actually just looking for recommendations for garage storage right now.

I've priced out a number of the standard off-the shelf garage sets (gladiator, kobalt, craftsman, Husky, black&decker)

I also looked at getting the componentized kitchen cabinet pieces and throwing a top on it for the base cabinets, and mounting the wall cabinets. This looks cheaper at first, but when I add cabinet hardware and a top (whether I get a cheapo laminate counter top, or just buy a sheet of thick MDF is pretty similar), it's around the same as the off-the-shelf garage stuff.

Pricewise, it's all pretty expensive for what it is, and surprisingly, the off-the-shelf garage cabinets aren't much more than the cheapo kitchen cabinets-- and appear to be more sturdy.

I've scoured craigslist for cabinets being pulled out for upgrades, but typically the pieces available are weird sizes, widths, etc., and the couple of times i've seen something priced right and well sized pop up, it's gone quickly.

I've considered building my own storage. There are tons of plans out there that look relatively straightforward. That said, I don't have a ton of free time, and i don't think i'd save a ton of money given the investment in power tools (although i'd love to have a nice table saw, a kreg jig, and other woodworking tools). It would be a lot more fun, too.

what other options are there? Currently, i'm tempted to go with the Gladiator stuff. I'd always thought it was overpriced, but when i've compared it to the other options, it's only slightly more than the competitors, and isn't all particle board.

I did get lucky and found a workbench and a 5 drawer cabinet for $100.

anyway, interested in other ideas and pictures of your garage/workshop/man area.

8/8/2013 2:26:59 PM

french cleat system FTW. want to do one so bad. but no time or money right now.

8/8/2013 4:31:56 PM

x2 on the French cleat. I have it all over my garage and it's awesome. cheap and easy. I'll try to post some of the stuff I've done for my garage that I've put in the DIY project thread.

^If you want some help, let me know. $40 gets you a 4x8 sheet of 3/4" birch plywood, and that makes about (16) 8' rails. Some 3" screws to zap to the studs and you're good to go! Table saw is nice, but I did most of mine with a circular saw (that was before I bought my shiny new finger remover--err table saw.)

8/8/2013 5:10:24 PM

^ if you're offering help on putting in French cleats in a garage, I have a fridge full of beer and a steak from the meat house for you.

I have an oversized two car garage that has zero storage space.

8/8/2013 6:33:02 PM

The French cleat would be how I'd mount regular cabinets, if I got some. The cabinets themselves are still the missing piece.

8/8/2013 7:14:33 PM

^^^3" cleats & screws? that really hold up some heavy weight stuff? Everything I've read was at least a 4" cleat and lag screws.

I really want to get everything off of the floor, in addition to storage/organization. Though I'm guessing for a heavy duty workbench, I'm going to need some floor supports, right?

[Edited on August 9, 2013 at 11:44 AM. Reason : .]

8/9/2013 11:35:08 AM

Habitat homestore always has cabinets for cheap. I'd go there and look a couple times. For a counter I'd put down plywood or MDF and then steel on top of it. We have steel counters in the garage that are tall enough to roll the bottom of a tool chest under and it's a great setup for us. If only he could finally decide on and buy a rolling tool chest. We also have two steel shelving units on casters and they are very useful.

8/9/2013 11:35:12 AM

^^Plenty strong, in my experience. I put (2) screws in each stud location. A 3" screw going through 3/4" stock and 1/2" drywall results in a LOT of thread engagement in the stud. All my stuff can hang its intended weight + my weight (that's my FoS test ).

For reference, remember that your kitchen cabinets are likely only help up by 4 or 6 screws each and they support plenty of weight.

Rail width/height is not that important, you just need enough "meat" to land your fasteners and leave sufficient bearing surface. Also remember I'm ripping the plywood at a 45, so a 6" piece ripped down the middle yields two rails that are wider than 3" at their widest point. The 4" dimension you speak of, is that from the flat edge to the peak, or the flat edge to the bottom of the bias? My rails are ~3.5" at their widest point.

Here's some of my stuff, forgive me if you've already seen it...

Homemade workbench:


Golf club rack:


Over-bench tool storage (random and frequently used stuff):




Detail of French Cleat:


Shoe Rack:


Scrap plywood rack and lumber storage:


Homemade paint cabinet in the shed:




[Edited on August 9, 2013 at 2:07 PM. Reason : links]

8/9/2013 2:01:51 PM

Oh, great, even easier then. I heard 4" from flat to peak, which I thought was more than enough. But if a 6" wide board ripped halfway works, then even better (assuming your rip adjusts for the angle so that it goes through the middle in the center of the plywood, your lengths are 3.38" from flat to peak and 2.63" from flat to bottom of bias). So this would certainly yield 16 lengths with no waste. I have a table saw, though working with 4x8 plywood would be a pain. Figured I'd get it cut into 6" or 1' x8' strips at the store and do the angled rip on the table.

Where you have stacked rails, what's your vertical spacing? That's something I have yet to figure out. I know it sort of depends on what you want to do (and adding more is simple enough), but I was hoping to start with something reasonable and consistent.

[Edited on August 9, 2013 at 3:23 PM. Reason : .]

8/9/2013 3:21:36 PM

Did some garage work at the in-laws new place at the coast this weekend. I put up 76' worth of rail, made a bunch of hook-brackets, and still had enough plywood leftover for 6 more 8' rails. They don't have much stuff down there yet, but it's amazing how just 6 beach chairs and a few lawn and garden tools take up tons of room when they're all on the floor.

I think it turned out pretty well and they have LOTS of room for future storage and flexibility. Not bad for $45 in plywood and $25 worth of hooks/hangers.

8/19/2013 1:18:34 PM

I miss having a garage so much

8/19/2013 9:06:44 PM

I wish I had one

8/19/2013 9:40:16 PM

damn man, need more junk in your garage now! fill it back up! lolz

8/19/2013 10:28:39 PM

spydyrwyr, I'm really digging that paint cabinet you made. Do you have plans for that? I have a bunch of paint cans and right now they're shoved under the stairs in my garage.

8/20/2013 1:07:32 PM

Not mine. But I'll be incoperating some of his ideas into my workshop.



http://12-gaugegarage.com/

8/20/2013 3:33:10 PM

These are older pics right after it was finished so there was not a lot stored at that time.



[Edited on August 20, 2013 at 4:28 PM. Reason : .]

8/20/2013 4:27:53 PM

Pegboard is a mans best friend

8/21/2013 10:28:09 PM

Recently bought a house with a garage - this might become my new favorite TWW thread

8/22/2013 1:59:01 PM

I don't have plans, it's pretty basic, but I just sketched out a quick cut list and layout that hopefully explain what I did. I screwed they plywood back to the shelves in a few places across the 4' long spans for rigidity. Shelf height/spacing can be changed depending upon what you want to store.

Double check the dimensions, I did this pretty quick and dirty. I left a ~1/2" gap between the doors where they meet in the middle to account for tolerance stack and hinge placement so the doors wouldn't interfere with one another. It's just a storage cabinet so I didn't care.

The doors could probably be all 1x4, but I had extra 2x4's laying around and I like to go over-kill.

I used 3" drywall screws for all the 2by; then 1-5/8" drywall screws for all the 1by and to attach the plywood. I'm sure you already know this, but just in case, be sure to predrill near the ends of all the 1by otherwise you'll split it.

Layout:


Cut List:

8/22/2013 2:34:50 PM

I bought a bunch of Gladiator tracks last weekend, along with some of their heavy-duty, braced shelves. Haven't put them up yet, though. Man, their shit is expensive.

I did put plywood flooring down over most of my attic over the garage last weekend, too.

8/23/2013 10:56:22 PM

man, I think I'm gonna take all that Gladiator stuff back. It's expensive, and my layout isn't really optimal for putting it to its best use. It would be convenient, but I think for the same money or so, I could have double the storage by building a loft in my garage.

The only thing is that I want to make it so that it supports its own span, with only supports on the ends. That way, it doesn't take up floor space in the middle of the garage (so that I could even park the nose of a vehicle under it).

8/25/2013 12:50:18 AM

Suspend it? I would run a 1x along the ceiling and use 3/8" all-thread and pipe hangers. drill through the front of the shelf and put a nut and washer on the bottom of the beam. Space the supports every 3-4 feet and possibly use a cleat system along the wall.

8/26/2013 9:21:37 AM

Suspending sounds like the best way to go for a loft, IMO too. I like unistrut lagged to the ceiling joists and all-thread for support. It's easy to put up, flexible in case you change/add, and easy to level/pre-tension.

I'd suggest lagging directly to the studs on all three walls, then suspending as mentioned above for the floating span, spacing as necessary depending upon the intended loading.

If you don't want to frame it with wood, you can just use unistrut and wire metal shelving and suspend it everywhere. I've seen a lot of those for basic storage.

If you don't have a finished room above your garage, then you can poke the all-thread through the ceiling drywall then through a small section of 2x (that you add) that bridges two joists, cap with fender washers and a couple nuts. This distributes the load across two joists and you don't have to worry about finding and hitting them with lags.

8/26/2013 9:46:57 AM

I'm concerned about the strength of the truss above the garage. I don't know that I want to put all that weight on it by suspending anything.

8/26/2013 7:04:47 PM

Here's my messy single-car garage. (Panorama photo...so the angles are kinda weird.) I need moar space for all my hobbies.

Brewing, Woodworking, Metalworking, Mountainbiking, etc.



Large version: http://goo.gl/BaHdWd

[Edited on August 26, 2013 at 11:28 PM. Reason : .]

8/26/2013 11:00:29 PM

I've posted this in other threads, but here is my shop:









[Edited on August 27, 2013 at 9:50 AM. Reason : big pics]

8/27/2013 9:50:03 AM

Jealous. One day...one day....

8/27/2013 9:57:53 AM

^^^

damn, that is a lot going on in a single car garage!

8/27/2013 9:46:25 PM

I want to do something like this.

If I decide that isn't enough, then maybe another one over the garage door, too.

8/27/2013 11:55:42 PM

Took some pics this morning of my garage since the other ones were so old. Now has Bar/Kegerator and plenty of other junk.

8/28/2013 10:12:33 AM

spydyrwyr, your setup is awesome. I'm totally going to steal that. My house will be done in Sept, and I definitely want to do that to the garage; along with putting in a hoist & storage system for my Jeep hardtop.

Ahh, DIY projects, awesome.

8/28/2013 5:17:36 PM

this thread needs more pics. just bought a house with a 2car and looking for some ideas for storage/shelving

8/30/2013 5:56:18 PM

Here's mine: http://tinyurl.com/le2ggpq

9/5/2013 4:25:00 PM

Lol since my career now as turned down the building owner path... I have 6 garages each has about 700,000 sqft of parking .

Accept the 3 cars worth I'm signing. A contract for this weekend

9/6/2013 2:35:49 PM

what? you lost me

9/6/2013 9:19:09 PM

http://s1360.photobucket.com/albums/r651/sumfoo1/?action=view¤t=null_zps3564a031.jpg

Best way to post photo bucket pics from phone ?

[Edited on September 11, 2013 at 8:50 AM. Reason : .]

9/11/2013 8:50:08 AM

Here is mine. I modified shelves from IKEA for use in the garage. They don't sell them anymore. Each shelf is rated for 250lbs. I have nearly a full shop stashed in my garage.
MIG welder, lathe, drill press, grinder, table saw, table sander, tool boxes, air compressor, etc.
Standing in the garage doorway, from left to right...











[Edited on September 15, 2013 at 9:39 PM. Reason : .]

9/15/2013 9:34:41 PM

epic thread bump. Post up the garages.

mine is complete chaos right now. I'm thinking that early spring I'll rearrange it.

1/2/2017 10:36:32 AM

Made the 2 workbenches the last few weeks, just got the pegboard up today.

1/2/2017 6:42:55 PM

bump, still looking for ideas

[Edited on December 28, 2021 at 3:21 PM. Reason : ]

12/28/2021 3:20:57 PM

I got my garage floor done, painted walls, etc. Then went with the Rhino Shelf out of Angier.

Looks good now.

8/16/2022 6:06:02 PM