Carpentry and Woodworking - building shelves for my messy garage

hi

i want to organize my messy garage with some sort of shelves.

here is my idea:

the dead space located to the right and left of the automatic garage door is about 24" deep and runs the length of my garage (about 20 feet).

i would like to build 2x4 studs attaching to ceiling joists and existing walls and then build horizontal members off of them.

the walls in the garage are sheetrocked already.

any suggestions on how to do this?

would i use plastic bins to keep all the loose stuff i want to organize and label the bins by their contents (i.e. electrical, plumbing, etc.)

if you have done a similar project or have any ideas, please let me know.

thanks

bob

I think it's just as easy to build a cabinet box (a top, bottom, sides and back) and hang it on the wall... no additional studs or support is needed. Think of it like hanging cabinets in a kitchen. Once the box is built, you just screw the box to the studs with some cabinet screws. Doors are optional.

Another thing you can do is check with a remodeler or cabinet installer and cop the old kitchen upper cabinets from the remodel. They usually trash them, but may take more care in removal if they know you want them. Make excellent storage units hanging in a garage, and already have the doors, etc.

thanks for the feedback.

i am still leaning toward building shelves the full length of the garage wall from the floor to the ceiling.

the idea of the cabinets would not provide enough storage for me and i want to get stuff up off the floor or out from the piles of stuff they are presently stored in.

anyone have any experience doing this (full length shelves)???

thanks

You could use 2X4 ledgers along the wall. Instead of hanging the shelves from the ceiling joists just use 2X4s cantilevered to the ledger supporting the shelf below.

thefamilyhandyman.com

Search for "super-size cabinet" and "garage storage"

Building the cabinets (w/o doors) would make them super strong.

Also a good article in the Sep 2008 issue.

They also have lots of diff ways of doing shelving similar to what you described. Though I didn't search that far, saw an article like that a few months back I believe

good idea about the ledgers.

if i connect them horizontally on the wall and then have matching 2x4 horizontal about 24" out from the wall. i will need to join the outside 2x4 with verticle 2x4's. these vertical members will resting on the garage floor.

do i need to worry about the 2x4 that will make contact with the concrete floor for moisture reasons? do i have to protect them or use some sort of anchor to keep them off of the floor so they don't wick moisture and rot over time?

thanks

We've built some garage units that are just basically a ledger on the back wall beneath each shelf, vertical 2x4's in front every 8' or so to keep things as open as possible... another horizontal 2x4 in front under the front edge of every shelf, and 2x4's where needed for nailers. 3/4 CDX plywood is strongest for shelves of any depth. 24" wide obviously makes the best use of materials, but you could also orient the plywood the other way and get three 32" pieces out of a sheet too.

The vertical 2x4's only need to go as high as the highest shelf, there's no reason to attach them to the ceiling. The shelf itself keeps the whole thing tied to the wall once the perimeter of the shelf is attached to its frame.

We screw everything together so that it can be dismantled later if needed.

As far as the wood wicking up moisture from the cement, I wouldn't worry too much about it unless you wash your car in your garage, but you could always use PT wood for the vertical members if you are concerned about that or live next door to a building inspector.

And you may save a little money by using 2x2 for the ledger. Can't imagine you'd lose any strength as long as you were screwed to each stud. Oh...and pre-drill whatever you use.

Guess it depends on the weight yer planning on.

I have done this in several homes and it works fine. Some areas to keep in mind:
Use bolts to attach to rafters. If yours rafters are running with your wall then that determins your shelf w. If the rafters are running away from your wall then you can set them at your choise.
If your shelfs are running from front to back of your grarge you might want to watch your height. By keeping them high enought to pull your car under them if needed.
If this is planned out right, they make a great storage area.