Converting racks to wall shelving

[twowheeled]

Being kind of cheap and needing wall mounted shelving I had an idea the other day. Here is a pretty standard steel rack style of shelving that gives me 4x 6 foot "shelves" for $200.

Husky 4-Tier Heavy Duty Industrial Welded Steel Garage Storage Shelving Unit in Black (77 in. W x 78 in. H x 24 in. D) HBR782478W4 - The Home Depot

This excellent Husky Black 4-Shelf I-Beam Welded Garage Shelving Unit is ideal to gas, fuels, fire protection and general plumbing and HVAC applications.

www.homedepot.com

Here is a wall mounted version using cables that is $300 for an 8 foot shelf.

NewAge Products Pro Series 2 ft. x 8 ft. Steel Garage Wall Shelving in Black (2-Pack) 40414 - The Home Depot

Make storage space for your seasonal items like holiday decorations in your garage space with this excellent NewAge Products Pro Series Wall Mounted Steel Shelf in Black.

www.homedepot.com

Has anyone put up the cable hung style before? Could I just buy some eyelets and stainless cable, and do the same thing using the shelves of the cheaper rack?

 

[wssix99]

Could I just buy some eyelets and stainless cable, and do the same thing using the shelves of the cheaper rack?

Not if you plan to hang multiple shelves from the same cable. The biggest problem with hanging (anything) from the ceiling is that most modern ceilings are only designed to handle the weight of insulation, drywall and paint - nothing more. There are volumes written on the site about this, so I won't repeat those points here.

Companies can offer the shelf like you posted with minimal risk because a single, light duty, narrow shelf hanging from the ceiling (tied to the ceiling close to a wall) probably isn't going to cause a problem. When you expand the concept to heavy duty (and heavy weight) shelves and multiply the number of shelves hanging from the ceiling, you get into structural issues.

 

[twowheeled]

thanks but I was planning on hanging the shelving with cables to the wall not the ceiling, my garage wall is framed with 2x6's so I think it should be ok?

 

[alex71]

won't work with the one you have linked. each shelf consists of 5 pieces (4 supports and one deck). You would need to weld everything together first. even then, it would probably be flimsy without the support of the uprights it's designed to work with.

 

[twowheeled]

shoot, you're right. At first glance I thought it would work.

 

[wssix99]

For hanging stuff on the wall, nothing beats cabinets. In addition to providing easy-to-hang wall shelving, you get the doors that help keep things clean in garage or storage spaces.

They are a little more money but are also something that will show well when you go to sell your house.

 

[dshop]

Look up a used office/ warehouse materials store in your area.
They have tons of used shelving, work tables, etc. at cheap prices.
Lots of offices are shutting down with the "work from home" business model so popular now.

 

[yatg]

The rolling rack shelves have 1 piece shelves, but not as wide as the Husky.

https://www.costco.com/trinity-5-tier-heavy-duty-wire-shelving-rack%2c-60%22-x-24%22-x-72%22-nsf%2c-includes-wheels%2c-black-anthracite.product.100709272.html

 

[aallison28]

Look up french cleats. You could design individual shelves that would hold as much weight as you wanted. You may need to make steel cleats and steel shelves but it could be done. And making french cleats, you could move them and change them as needed.

 

[Learninggal]

Is there a way to measure ceiling load capacity in a garage built in the 70s, it’s a detached garage

 

[firebirdparts]

Looking at it would lead you there. Figuring out the dimensions of everything. 2 feet from the wall where the structure actually lands, structures are pretty strong. For shelving, it’s likely to be adequate. That only applies to some of the walls though.