Shelves in the garage: order comes first. General design issues, simple options, step-by-step instructions for making your own (75+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews

Olga Polyakova 03/28/2020

33926 Views

A garage is a place to store a car. However, no one ever designs garages so that only a car can fit in them. As a rule, after parking your mechanical friend there is still quite a lot of space left. Usually, it is occupied by some additional car accessories, such as a set of seasonal tires or a mini-wash. However, over time, the garage becomes a place for storing tools, various conditionally necessary things or items that have nothing to do with the car at all, for example, jars of pickles. Moreover, these items are almost always stored anywhere. Shelves, which you can make with your own hands at a minimum cost, will help you organize your garage in order. Not only will they help you organize things rationally, but they will also improve the aesthetics of your garage interior.

General design issues

Rack with shelves

First of all, you should forget about the first ideas that come to mind - creating the simplest hanging shelves, with a load or area that can accommodate all the property currently contained in the garage. Firstly, this is not rational from the point of view of their manufacture, and secondly, over time, the volume of things stored in the garage increases, so new and new designs will have to be made.

Therefore, it is immediately necessary to plan the design of the shelves in such a way that it is:

• universal
• expandable
• as easily movable as possible

That is, it is advisable not to make each shelf separately, but to make an entire rack consisting of several shelves as a single structure.

Rack with cabinet

The next important question is what the design of the rack will be - collapsible or not. Typically, non-removable structures are more durable and can withstand heavy loads, however, their disadvantages include difficulties in expansion, dismantling and transportation.

Collapsible structures are less stable , their rigidity is far from that of non-collapsible ones. Often, for additional stability, such structures have to be attached to walls. However, they have two special advantages - easy expandability and mobility. In addition, thanks to their modularity, shelving can be made in a variety of sizes.

In this case, the choice depends solely on the desires of each person.

Other options

A variety of materials are suitable for making shelves. The main requirement for them is strength, the ability to withstand the expected load . Craftsmen find original and practical solutions for organizing garage space.

Cable rack shelf

Cable racks make very durable shelves

Cable racks, trays, profiles are products necessary for electrical installation work. From these parts you can assemble a strong and reliable structure from several shelves and sections. Also, these products are suitable for constructing a frame on which wooden, glass or plastic shelves are installed.

The range of auxiliary materials for electrical installation work includes a full range of fastening elements for assembling structures from cable racks. All these products are affordable and sold in the hardware or electrical materials departments of any construction hypermarket and shopping center.

From canisters

Shelf made of canisters - option for originals

A plastic canister is a real find for those who love original solutions for organizing storage systems in the garage. Entire racks are built from these containers. Canisters act as drawers, one of the side walls of which is neatly cut off. This way you get a hollow box with a handle.

Installation of such racks is simple. In production, it is recommended to focus on the instructions for installing wooden shelves suggested above. First of all, a multi-sectional frame is constructed from boards, in each opening of which a canister laid on its side is installed. Get a comfortable, deep, drawer with a handle.

Attention! Used canisters for solvents, oils, and chemical solutions must be thoroughly rinsed. This will eliminate the odor and eliminate the risk of fire.

Choosing a rack design

Collapsible rack

Most often, metal or wood is chosen as the material for garage shelving. Combinations of these materials are common. Plastic is rarely used.

The designs of shelving made of wood and metal can be as follows:

1. Stationary , that is, designed and assembled for a specific room. Typically, a structure of this kind is assembled once, and to give it additional strength it is attached to the wall or floor (in some cases also to the ceiling)
2. Mobile . It is possible to install the structure in different places, or the ability to constantly move it using rollers (wheels)
3. Collapsible . The number of shelves, their height, and sometimes their length can be changed within arbitrary limits
4. Hanging . Such structures are fastened to the ceiling or walls.
5. A combination of different types or with exotic elements (for example, rotating, sliding). Usually, this is more of an aesthetic rather than a practical decision.

A separate group is represented by shelves for storing tools or shelf-containers for storing small parts - usually fasteners, as well as other “loose” items.

Tool storage panel

How such products are constructed is clear from their images. They are used quite often because they are very convenient to use and easy to manufacture. In addition, any available materials can be used as material for them.

Shelves made of many containers

Naturally, the layout of any rack, which includes calculating its dimensions and determining the number of shelves, should be based on the size of the garage, the parking space for the car, and the location of the doors and gates. In some cases, it will be optimal to use corner shelving.

Corner shelves

Preliminary preparation

You should start by preparing a drawing. You can do it yourself, using, for example, frames offered for sale as a basis. It is necessary to calculate the overall dimensions of the shelves and the parameters of the base for them.

Moreover, their dimensions should be based on preliminary measurements of the space in the garage. If you take these measurements correctly, you can consider that half the job is already done.

Shelf drawing

• At the same stage, it is necessary to think about how the shelves will be connected to the frame, and the frame itself will be further strengthened by attaching it to the walls or floor.
• An important parameter here will be the height, since, in the case of low ceilings, it is advisable to make the frame height up to the ceiling, leaving no free space.
• Determining the distance between shelves is one of the important design points, since it is this that determines the rationality of distributing things across levels.
• Traditionally, the lower ones are made the most spacious: large and heavy equipment is placed on them; in addition, they are often used to store wheels and rims.
• Usually the following rule is used - the higher the shelf, the less weight should be placed on it and, accordingly, its height is lower. This can be explained quite simply – by increasing the stability of the rack as a whole.
• We should also talk about the depth of the shelving. Shelves that are too narrow make the entire rack impractical, and shelves that are too deep make it much more difficult to access. The optimal depth is 50-60 cm.
• The width is usually determined by the tensile strength of the material from which the shelves are made. There is no need to make the rack too heavy by making shelves more than 1.5 m wide (this will require too thick iron or wood so that they do not sag under the weight). Usually the width is about 90-150 cm.

Let's look at the most popular shelving devices that you can make yourself.

How to arrange shelves in the garage

Try to use shelves as much as possible

The installation of simple devices will help to significantly increase the ease of use of storage systems. Thus, horizontal crossbars installed along the shelves will prevent accidental falling and damage to objects, or injury to legs or arms from heavy tools. Often, shelving in garages is overloaded, and when you take out one part, you have to move many others. Horizontal bars will keep objects within a given space.

The owner’s task is to make the most of the small garage area, using all available surfaces. For this purpose, corner multi-tiered shelves are installed, ideal for storing a variety of small items: containers with screws and self-tapping screws, fasteners.

It is important to place the shelves so that they do not interfere with free passage, and there is no risk of accidentally hitting your head or hands on them. An excellent solution is to install shelves along the perimeter of the walls at a height exceeding the owner’s height by 20-30 cm. On these surfaces you can store everything that is rarely used, but should always be at hand.

Magnetic holder is a real godsend for the garage owner

Another option for arranging shelves is to mount a wooden block with a magnetic holder on the wall. It is convenient to fix any metal products that are small in weight and size: bits, drills, wrenches, screwdrivers. This is a very convenient storage method, appreciated by all garage owners who have used this method of organizing space.

A high multi-tier shelf can act as a partition for zoning a room. To prevent things from falling from the rack located in the walk-through area, install sliding doors like a wardrobe, or install horizontal retaining bars.

Simple wooden shelves

Wooden shelving in the garage

Most often, in garages, a simple stationary structure is made independently, located along one or two walls. In the latter case, it can be considered a corner.

This type of shelves has the following advantages:

• low cost compared to metal;
• simple and quick assembly without the need for metal processing (in particular, without welding);
• ease of maintenance;
• naturalness and good aesthetic qualities;
• with proper wood processing and care, a relatively long service life and high structural strength

An approximate view of such structures is given below.

Garage rack

The procedure for making such a structure is as follows:

1. The materials from which the racks and the shelves themselves will be made are selected. Hardwoods (larch, oak) are suitable for racks, but, in extreme cases, ordinary pine can be used. The shelves themselves can be made from almost any wood material. Even plywood, chipboard or OSB can be used
2. The racks should be made of timber with a cross-section of 10x10 or 5x10 cm. The cross members between the shelves are made from the same timber to give structural strength
3. Shelves are cut from the selected material according to measurements
4. All structural elements should be treated with an antiseptic before installation to avoid rotting or fungus
5. The structure is assembled from racks and crossbars. If necessary, it is additionally reinforced with metal corners and attached to the wall, floor or ceiling
6. The racks are marked vertically in the places where the shelves will be attached to them. Their fastening is carried out in various ways: self-tapping screws, tenons, and wood glue are used. In rare cases, dowels are used. Don’t forget about traditional nails, unlike self-tapping screws, they are less likely to come loose. To give extra strength to the shelves, they can also be mounted on metal corners
7. After assembly, the ends of the rack are processed, and then the entire structure is varnished or painted

VIDEO: How to make a shelf out of wood

Shelves in the garage: order comes first. General design issues, simple options, step-by-step instructions for making your own (75+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews

Where are shelves most often used?

The main place where you simply cannot do without a shelf is the bathroom. This is where shelves are a must-have attribute, as they allow you to conveniently store bathroom accessories. In most cases, even several shelves are used, but fixing a shelf in the bathroom is the most difficult, since the wall covering here is ceramic tiles, which must be handled very carefully.

You can’t do without a shelf in the kitchen, since it greatly increases practicality and you can place on it all the accessories that the housewife constantly needs at hand.

In the bedroom or living room, shelves mainly serve not a practical, but a decorative role and serve as a stand for souvenirs, jewelry or books.

Wooden shelves with metal frame

Rack with metal frame

An alternative design option, which is a more expensive, but at the same time more durable and durable solution. The racks in these shelves are made of metal, and the surface of the shelves itself is made of wood or any materials of wood origin.

Such a rack has a higher resistance to moisture and mold. It is more resistant to heat and fire. Moreover, by using metal parts, they can be made dismountable, which will allow you to change the appearance of the structure according to any desire of the garage owner.

Materials and tools needed for work

Corners for shelving in the garage

The racks of such a rack are made from rectangular pipes or from a profile with a width of one of the sides of 5 cm. A 30 mm corner is best suited as crossbars.

The frame is made from a corner, and the thickness of the shelf should be from 1.5 to 3 cm (along the height of the corner). Crossbars made from angles can be attached to the guides in different ways - by welding or using bolts. It all depends on the wishes of the owner.

If you need a durable structure, then welding is preferable; if you require the versatility of the product with the possibility of its further modernization, you should use bolts. The use of bolts allows, for example, to change the height of each level.

Shelves can traditionally be made from any material on hand - from pine to OSB. For reasons of strength, their thickness should not be less than 12-15 mm.

For work you will need the following set of tools:

• drill (screwdriver)
• Bulgarian
• wood hacksaw
• corner
• level
• welding machine (optional)

Manufacturing procedure

Corner shelving frame

Assembling the rack is best done in a free room , and it is advisable to empty the garage of unnecessary things and remove the car from it.

After assembling the frame, it should be screwed to the wall. The assembly sequence is as follows:

1. Based on the finished measurements, the material of the racks and corners for the shelves is cut using a grinder
2. The racks are marked in those places where shelves will be attached to them
3. The corners are bolted to the posts (or welded in the case of a stationary structure). In this case, it is extremely important to maintain a connection angle of 90°, otherwise the structure will turn out skewed
4. Similarly, the racks are connected to each other using crossbars, but in this case, right angles must be maintained not only between the racks and crossbars, but between the crossbars and the previously attached corners
5. The assembled structure is installed in its place and screwed to the walls and floor. This can be done, for example, using anchor bolts
6. The metal frame is sanded using a grinder with an appropriate brush attachment and coated with a primer or paint containing a primer. At this stage, in order to facilitate the labor-intensive process of mechanically cleaning the frame from rust, you can use a chemical rust converter. Typically, converters require a day to dissolve the rust; after which surfaces can be painted without any mechanical or chemical treatment
7. After the paint has dried, shelves are cut out of wood or wooden materials and adjusted in size to the finished frame structure
8. The shelves are sanded, painted or varnished, and then attached to the frame using bolts or self-tapping screws

VIDEO: DIY universal shelves

Shelves in the garage: order comes first. General design issues, simple options, step-by-step instructions for making your own (75+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews

What about drywall?

For various reasons, fastening can be done on a plasterboard structure. The material is very fragile and therefore requires special installation technology. Here are a few basic points that are important to know when working with this material.

1. Drywall has its own fasteners - butterfly dowels (pictured below).

1. The cabinets are hung on a special strip, which is attached to as large an area as possible to ensure even distribution of the load.
2. It is better to strengthen the fastening with anchor bolts.

Shelves for storing heavy items

Metal shelving

Typically, metal shelves are used to store very heavy items or items with large dimensions. To securely store things on them, it will be better if they are made as stationary structures.

This approach immediately eliminates bolts as a connecting element. You can buy stationary metal products, the connections of which are provided using various grooves and guides, but this will no longer be an independent production, in addition, such structures are very expensive.

Therefore, it is recommended to use welding to create entirely metal shelves. The use of bolts is allowed in non-critical joints, or where they are assigned the role of fastening light elements.

Metal rack

• As usual, manufacturing begins with the creation of a drawing or sketch . In this case, their location plays an important role. It is advisable to place such products near strong, solid walls. It is possible that a significant part of the load when attaching the rack to the wall will fall on the wall, and if it is of a decorative nature, unpleasant incidents are possible.
• For such shelves, it is best to choose not square profiles as frame elements, but ordinary corners , but with dimensions of at least 50 mm. Often the creation of such products is made not from a frame, but from a wall mount.
• The frame elements are first marked and cut out using a grinder , and then welded into a single structure using a welding machine. At all stages, you should check the right angles of the rack elements: between the racks, crossbars and fasteners.

Frame for metal shelves

• The shelves themselves are made of perforated or rolled steel with a thickness of 1 to 5 mm. Its thickness is determined solely by the desire of the owner.
• At the same time, one should not forget about the weight of the structure . A sheet of rolled steel with dimensions of 50x100 cm and a thickness of 3 mm weighs almost 12 kg, and a sheet with the same dimensions and a thickness of 5 mm weighs almost 20 kg. In addition, do not forget about the cost: a sheet measuring 1000x500x3 mm will cost about 2-3 dollars.
• An alternative would be to use wooden shelves . In this case, you should choose wood with a thickness of 2.5 to 3 cm, which will first need to be treated with a fire retardant to increase its fire resistance.
• These boards can be connected to the frame using bolts. Metal sheets are also attached to the boards with bolts or self-tapping screws. In this case, it is better not to use welding so as not to destroy the wooden elements.

Upon completion of the work, the entire structure must be cleaned of rust and painted.

On mounting rail

With this fastening method, furniture is hung on special hooks or canopies, which in turn are inserted into the grooves of the mounting rail. Hinges are fixed inside the modules in the corners.

• The installation process is simpler and faster.
• Allows you to hang kitchen cabinets more evenly.
• You can handle the installation alone
• The design is stronger and more reliable, and can withstand high loads, provided that a strong, thick strip is selected.
• A more expensive option compared to mounting on corners or hinges.
• The canopy can be adjusted in different directions. Using screws, you can adjust minor flaws made during marking, as well as adjust the distance between the cabinets and the wall. This property will be especially useful if you are afraid to miscalculate the height of the apron and install the top module overlapping with it. In the case of protruding tiles or peelings, you can increase the gap between the wall and the top drawers.
• Suitable for mounting the headset on flimsy walls.

Of all the proposed mounting methods, the most modern and reliable is installation on a mounting rail.

Making hanging shelves

Hanging wall shelves

There are two types of hanging shelves - wall and ceiling. Wall shelves can be made in open or closed design, sometimes they have a back wall. They are attached to the garage wall using corners or anchors. These shelves can also be either stationary or collapsible.

Ceiling shelves are placed at the highest level and are attached directly to the ceiling. They can be hung on hooks welded to metal ceiling beams. In addition, eye bolts or special long studs are used as fastenings.

Suspended ceiling shelves

The advantages of such shelves include the relative simplicity and speed of assembly. However, they are quite flimsy and cannot support too much weight. On the other hand, no one will place items that are too heavy to be stored at this level for safety reasons.

The manufacture of the frame for such structures, as well as the shelves themselves, repeats the procedures described earlier in the production of wooden shelves with a metal frame. In this case, fastenings are made in the upper part of the frame for connection with hooks or studs installed in the ceiling.

VIDEO: Wooden hanging shelves

Shelves in the garage: order comes first. General design issues, simple options, step-by-step instructions for making your own (75+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews

The main purposes of shelves in the garage

Shelves in the garage are needed to systematize internal “wealth.”
For Russians, the garage has long become a multifunctional room. This is no longer just a place for storing and servicing a car, but also a workshop, as well as a warehouse for a variety of things, including:

• car spare parts;
• wheels;
• electric and pneumatic tools;
• oils and gasoline;
• fishing rods and other fishing, hunting and tourist equipment;
• wearables and other things;
• food preparations;
• detergents to maintain cleanliness.

All this must be organized, kept dry and in good condition. For this purpose, there are only two designs: racks and shelves. The first differ from the second in that I can be mobile. Shelves are always stationary and mounted on a wall or partition.

For things with different geometric parameters, you need storage space of the appropriate size . In this regard, there are several types of shelves:

• for tools, with crossbars to prevent this expensive equipment from falling;
• for storing long items: building materials such as boards and metal corners, as well as fishing rods, shovels, spare parts;
• for large-sized products: machine tools, heat guns, auto parts;
• for small hand tools, keys, insulating and other materials.

Therefore, the design of the shelves must be selected based on several parameters:

• the dimensions of the items that will be stored on them;
• frequency of their use;
• weight.

Using the same criteria, the location of the shelf is determined and the material for its manufacture is selected.

Shelves made of metal and plastic

Plastic shelves for tools

Due to its low strength, plastic is rarely used in the manufacture of shelves, however, for storing various small items and light items, this option has a right to exist. Plastic is the cheapest material from which shelves can be made; in addition, with its use you can not only save money, but also decorate your garage design with bright elements.

Such shelves can be made using a wooden or metal frame, in a variety of designs. The design and dimensions depend on the desire and taste of the garage owner.

It must be remembered that such racks have a number of significant disadvantages:

• low fire and heat resistance
• vulnerability to chemically active substances (solvent, gasoline, acetone, etc.)
• low holding weight

Shelf in the bathroom

The bathroom has its own nuances when working with shelves. If the walls are covered with tiles, then you can fix the shelf only at the seams. After all, if you try to drill a tile in the middle, vibration may cause it to crack or even fall off. Of course, there is special equipment that allows you to drill tiles, but it is expensive and it is not economically profitable to buy it. Even at seams, you need to drill the tiles carefully, and it is not recommended to turn on the vibration function until the drill reaches the wall. Only when you get to the base, then you can drill like a regular wall.

If you have a corner version of the shelf, then, as for a straight one, you must first make markings. But in the bathroom it is not necessary to use a level, since the anchors will still be in the seam, and even if it is uneven, it will still not be possible to retreat.