Recommendations on Sturdy Garage Shelving?

[bulletpruf]

All -

I'm active duty military and have been moving every year or two since 1997. I've been using plastic garage shelves since then. They hold a reasonable amount of weight and are easy to break down and move.



Now that I'm about to retire, we're buying a house (close next week) and I'm ready to buy or build something a bit more permanent.

Here's the garage in Italy before I got unpacked.



Back wall of my current garage -- yes, I have a chainsaw problem, and yes, that's just a portion of my collection...



Anyway, the garage in the house we're buying is 21.5' deep and 23' wide. I'll line the walls with shelves and some cabinets, along with toolboxes. Install a 2 post lift in the middle. And it will be a 1 car garage so I can have some work space and storage.

What I would like is something modular so I can put shelves at the height that I need them. I also need to go to the ceiling (12') so I can maximize my available space. I think 3' deep is about right, too.

I'll keep the really heavy stuff on the floor (spare engines, transmissions, etc), but I'd need the shelves to be able to hold a few hundred pounds.

I would also prefer to buy something new. I realize you can find some screaming deals on used stuff, but my main concern is finding quality shelving that's an exact fit for my needs. I've compromised too long here.

I would also be amenable to building something myself out of dimensional lumber, but I think I would be better off (and have more adjustability) with metal shelving.

Anyone have any recommendations or input?

Thanks,

Scott

 

[AA7483]

That is a hell of a collection you got there.

 

[bulletpruf]

That is a hell of a collection you got there.

Thanks. About 100 saws, of which about 90 are vintage -- mostly Stihl and Jonsereds from 1950's - 1980's.

 

[rkrcpa]

I just installed Closetmaid Shelftrack in my garage. Did one bay to start and will add more as things get organized and I work out locations for things.

3' deep seems a bit much, I'd end up up spending all my time moving things out of the way of that item in the back that I needed.

 

[bdbecker]

Pallet rack or industrial grade shelving all the way. Try to find places like this:
http://www.lonestarpalletrack.com/

I wouldn't be scared of buying used as long as it was in good condition. But if you have to buy new to fit your size requirements, its not as expensive as you might expect.

 

[signcrafter]

I've been buying these when they are on sale and love them, https://www.menards.com/main/storag...-c-12652.htm?tid=-2646527576869288944&ipos=20. I just buy this kit because that's what they have in the stores. But you can special order by the piece and get whatever you want. They have ends that are 8' tall and 30" wide, then cross bars up to 8' long. I have about 6 sections now and am planning on getting one more and then 4 of the 8' long cross beams and make a 8' workbench with a sheet of plywood and then have a shelf above it. Lowes also sells the same stuff under a different name. Think home depot also does. They are easily adjustable and hold a lot of weight. I have a ton of oil on one shelf, tools on a bunch of them. Bins full of heavy stuff. I wouldn't put them in the same catagory as pallet racking since pallet racking is made to hold several thousand pounds of stuff on each shelf. But they are very heavy duty and for most people they are more then enough and a great price if you buy the 4 shelve kit on sale.


They have a bunch of different options, https://www.menards.com/main/search.html?sf_categoryHierarchy=&search=edsal.

 

[cjcocn]

Any of those silver tops 110s or 111s?

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'd check into pallet racking like mentioned above. Several guys here have incorporated them into work benches with storage above.

 

[gemniii]

Pallet rack or industrial grade shelving all the way. Try to find places like this:
http://www.lonestarpalletrack.com/

I wouldn't be scared of buying used as long as it was in good condition. But if you have to buy new to fit your size requirements, its not as expensive as you might expect.

I'd check into pallet racking like mentioned above. Several guys here have incorporated them into work benches with storage above.

Yup. I've got about 120 lineal feet of pallet racking lining the walls of 4 workshops. It's like Tinkertoys for Big Boys. Easy to assemble, re-assemble, space like you want. And if you are good at finding deals it can be cheap. I got about 7 sections for $10/section - that was 2 uprights and 6 8' beams per section. But usually that would cost at least $200/ section.

 

[bulletpruf]

Any of those silver tops 110s or 111s?

Yeah, 5 of them are -- 110's and 111S's. 110 is a pretty obscure saw; surprised that someone here picked up on that.

They're all for sale, by the way. Send a pm if you're interested.

Scott

 

[bulletpruf]

I just installed Closetmaid Shelftrack in my garage. Did one bay to start and will add more as things get organized and I work out locations for things.

3' deep seems a bit much, I'd end up up spending all my time moving things out of the way of that item in the back that I needed.

The Closetmaid stuff seem to be on the light side for what I'm looking to do.

But I hear you on the 3' deep. I plan to stack the most often used stuff up front.

Pallet rack or industrial grade shelving all the way. Try to find places like this:
http://www.lonestarpalletrack.com/

I wouldn't be scared of buying used as long as it was in good condition. But if you have to buy new to fit your size requirements, its not as expensive as you might expect.

Thanks for the input. Definitely going to pay a visit to Lonestar Pallet Rack - there's one here in San Antonio.

I've been buying these when they are on sale and love them, https://www.menards.com/main/storag...-c-12652.htm?tid=-2646527576869288944&ipos=20. I just buy this kit because that's what they have in the stores. But you can special order by the piece and get whatever you want. They have ends that are 8' tall and 30" wide, then cross bars up to 8' long. I have about 6 sections now and am planning on getting one more and then 4 of the 8' long cross beams and make a 8' workbench with a sheet of plywood and then have a shelf above it. Lowes also sells the same stuff under a different name. Think home depot also does. They are easily adjustable and hold a lot of weight. I have a ton of oil on one shelf, tools on a bunch of them. Bins full of heavy stuff. I wouldn't put them in the same catagory as pallet racking since pallet racking is made to hold several thousand pounds of stuff on each shelf. But they are very heavy duty and for most people they are more then enough and a great price if you buy the 4 shelve kit on sale.

They have a bunch of different options, https://www.menards.com/main/search.html?sf_categoryHierarchy=&search=edsal.

I checked that out. Something like that would work, but I'd really like to be able to go up to the ceiling.

I'd check into pallet racking like mentioned above. Several guys here have incorporated them into work benches with storage above.

Yeah, I think I'm going to do a few of the big Harbor Freight bottom boxes with laminated hardwood bench on top and then cabinets above. Same setup that lots of guys here have done. Thanks

Yup. I've got about 120 lineal feet of pallet racking lining the walls of 4 workshops. It's like Tinkertoys for Big Boys. Easy to assemble, re-assemble, space like you want. And if you are good at finding deals it can be cheap. I got about 7 sections for $10/section - that was 2 uprights and 6 8' beams per section. But usually that would cost at least $200/ section.

I like the way that sounds. Thanks

 

[NUTTSGT]

Just a thought, can you hang those saws by the handle by the trigger with a bicycle hook ?

If you could and used some pallet racking, you might be able screw in some hooks and hang those saws much like meat hanging in a locker. The pallet racking would have a wood shelf, maybe something that could be braced to the underside of the shelf, think extra 2x4/2x6 lagged to the above shelf bottom.

 

[bulletpruf]

Just a thought, can you hang those saws by the handle by the trigger with a bicycle hook ?

If you could and used some pallet racking, you might be able screw in some hooks and hang those saws much like meat hanging in a locker. The pallet racking would have a wood shelf, maybe something that could be braced to the underside of the shelf, think extra 2x4/2x6 lagged to the above shelf bottom.

Easier just to have them sitting on a shelf, actually. It helps if I can have the bars and chain mounted on the saw, too; would be difficult to do that in a hanging configuration because I have a lot of saws with 3' bars.

thanks

 

[bulletpruf]

I'm going to drop a few $ on this, but I like what I'm seeing so far. Something like this would work:
https://www.uline.com/Product/Detai.../Bulk-Storage-Rack-Wire-Decking-96-x-36-x-120

 

[blacksporty]

Tese are only 24" deep but I am impressed with the build and pricing https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-90-in-H-x-90-in-W-x-24-in-D-5-Shelf-Welded-Steel-Shelving-Unit-with-Wire-Deck-in-Black-ERZ902490W-5/206813267

 

[Phantomd]

Find an industrial supply store nearby. I have a couple pallet racking companies near me that I just purchased 8 qty 8' tall, 24" deep by 6' wide 4 shelves for like $200 ea. It was local so I could have picked them up without a shipping charge.

I am a HUGE fan of narrow shelves in my garage. otherwise I lose a bunch of things in the deep shelves.


Check this out, these guys are local to you and sell what I am talking about
https://www.warehouserack.com/rivet-shelving-c-1_238/

 

[bulletpruf]

Tese are only 24" deep but I am impressed with the build and pricing https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-90-in-H-x-90-in-W-x-24-in-D-5-Shelf-Welded-Steel-Shelving-Unit-with-Wire-Deck-in-Black-ERZ902490W-5/206813267

Those are pretty nice, but I'm looking for something taller and deeper.

Thanks

 

[bulletpruf]

Find an industrial supply store nearby. I have a couple pallet racking companies near me that I just purchased 8 qty 8' tall, 24" deep by 6' wide 4 shelves for like $200 ea. It was local so I could have picked them up without a shipping charge.

I am a HUGE fan of narrow shelves in my garage. otherwise I lose a bunch of things in the deep shelves.

Check this out, these guys are local to you and sell what I am talking about
https://www.warehouserack.com/rivet-shelving-c-1_238/

Yep. Actually called them today. Waiting on a call back.

thanks

 

[Monza Harry]

Bullet I have the Costco version of the Menards shelves listed above, Good shelving, I know that 10' sheets of plywood can be bought and at 3' depth you will be wasting lots as compare to the 8' x 2' shelving units. The wire shelves are always the wrong way to slide my bins, I need to slide 1 heavy "mutha" sideways and it will not budge, caught on the front/back wires @#$%. next shelf I fixed that problem, but now I can't get the other heavy one to slide back in. I'm going to need some G1s Plywood! Lots of nice bins available in the 2' long configuration, there is a reason for the popularity, just a few things to confuse the situation some more. Hope this is useful insight. Harry

 

[bulletpruf]

Bullet I have the Costco version of the Menards shelves listed above, Good shelving, I know that 10' sheets of plywood can be bought and at 3' depth you will be wasting lots as compare to the 8' x 2' shelving units. The wire shelves are always the wrong way to slide my bins, I need to slide 1 heavy "mutha" sideways and it will not budge, caught on the front/back wires @#$%. next shelf I fixed that problem, but now I can't get the other heavy one to slide back in. I'm going to need some G1s Plywood! Lots of nice bins available in the 2' long configuration, there is a reason for the popularity, just a few things to confuse the situation some more. Hope this is useful insight. Harry

Harry -

Thanks for the input. I think 3' depth will work better for me; I have a BUNCH of stuff that I'd like to keep in the garage, and since I'm turning a 2 car garage into a 1 car garage, I'll have the space along the walls for deeper shelves.

Good point on the wire bottoms. However, I'm not finding shelves with flat metal bottoms in the dimensions that I'm looking for.

Scott

 

[Jon_E]

This might be more to your liking, I bought a bunch of this stuff for work and it is a hybrid of heavy-duty shelving and pallet racking. Much lighter than pallet rack but very heavy-duty relative to homeowner/garage use. And totally modular & adjustable. We love it.

https://www.uline.com/BL_484/Bulk-Storage-Racks-Wire-Decking

 

[bulletpruf]

This might be more to your liking, I bought a bunch of this stuff for work and it is a hybrid of heavy-duty shelving and pallet racking. Much lighter than pallet rack but very heavy-duty relative to homeowner/garage use. And totally modular & adjustable. We love it.

https://www.uline.com/BL_484/Bulk-Storage-Racks-Wire-Decking

Something like that would work well. Thanks for posting.

Scott

 

[bulletpruf]

This might be more to your liking, I bought a bunch of this stuff for work and it is a hybrid of heavy-duty shelving and pallet racking. Much lighter than pallet rack but very heavy-duty relative to homeowner/garage use. And totally modular & adjustable. We love it.

https://www.uline.com/BL_484/Bulk-Storage-Racks-Wire-Decking

I ended finding some of this in nice used condition at about 1/3 price of new. Got 6 sections: 36" deep, 5' wide, 10' tall.

This isn't the exact size that I got, but it's the same style -



36" is fairly deep, but I really need the storage space. Once I get rid of a lot of my chainsaw collection, I may drop down to 24" wide shelving.

Thanks

 

[mc4life27]

Look for a Kmart that is shutting down. The one by me was throwing out all of their pallet racking like 3 roll off trash bins full and so I took as may loads as my card and garage would hold at the time. I got a bunch of the thick steel super strong racks many different configurations all for free

 

[bulletpruf]

Look for a Kmart that is shutting down. The one by me was throwing out all of their pallet racking like 3 roll off trash bins full and so I took as may loads as my card and garage would hold at the time. I got a bunch of the thick steel super strong racks many different configurations all for free

Free would have been nice! But I'm happy to find this stuff at a significantly reduced price.

Really curious to see what it's going to look like when I get it all set up.

 

[jimreed2160]

Great score on your shelving! I just chucked a 36" deep shelving unit bc it was too deep. But I understand your unique needs and think your saws will enjoy the depth. Good luck on getting organized.

 

[A**holes Garage]

I had all Gorilla racks for years and they weren't portable. I replaced them with these;

https://www.costco.com/TRINITY-5-ti..."-x-72"-NSF,-Gray-Color.product.11505870.html

Surprisingly strong and with the wheels, I can pull them out to clean, move, get access, reconfigure, etc. Down side is that they are wire, small items can pass through the shelf itself.

 

[bulletpruf]

Here's mine assembled and installed. Sturdy stuff!

 

[finn]

You’all find that the 36” deep shelves are too deep to be practical unless you are storing things like engines and transmissions.

I have the Menards Gorilla Rack, now slightly redesigned and called Extreme, in both the deep and shallow configurations, maybe 24” and 16”. The deep is useful for some things, like cylinder heads and workbenches, but, more often than not, things get lost forever if they aren’t in the front row, easily visible.

 

[cjcocn]

I just redid some of my shelving using wood. It was on hand and I was able to make it according to my needs.

 

[bulletpruf]

I had racking in the garage, which was fine when I wasn't using it as a garage, but sticks out too much to get a car in. I now want to get one in, do maintenance etc, so need to put shelves up instead.

Anybody have any thoughts as to what's best/cheapest/easiest? It won't have to carry anythgin very heavy, just the usual tins of paint, tools, general bits and pieces etc.

In the past, I've usually made my own like this:



- but it's a bit of work, and it might be easier to use those B&Q slotted uprights and brackets that hang from the slots...?

Reasonably cheap and easy is the plastic snap-together shelf units you get from the big box store. Works great for stuff that's not too heavy.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Pallet racking all the way.

I used to make wood shelves, but wood is often spendy, not modular, not much resale, and you probably aren't going to take it with you if you move.

 

[Voi]

I had racking in the garage, which was fine when I wasn't using it as a garage, but sticks out too much to get a car in. I now want to get one in, do maintenance etc, so need to put shelves up instead.

Anybody have any thoughts as to what's best/cheapest/easiest? It won't have to carry anythgin very heavy, just the usual tins of paint, tools, general bits and pieces etc.

In the past, I've usually made my own like this:



- but it's a bit of work, and it might be easier to use those B&Q slotted uprights and brackets that hang from the slots...?

I used those at my old house where parking was a problem. If we got a new vehicle the shelves could be quickly customized for door swing or bed height.

While I do use & like the homeowner grade racks like Edsal or Xtreme Garage for heavier & deeper stuff, I did like that everything was up off the floor for sweeping with the wall mounted standards & brackets.

 

[Jackfre]

I make a grid of 1x3’s x whatever depth/length you want topped with 1/4” tempered hard board. The surface is easy to clean. I screw those to the wall. Leg supports can be 1x3 or 4 or 2x. If you don’t like the result, you can simply swap the pieces. These are very easy to make and are very storng.