Shelf rules of thumb?

[Bean438]

Hello. I’d like to build some shelves for the garage. 8’ wide, and 8’ tall.

Not sure how deep I should make them, nor am I sure how much space between each shelf.

Shelving will be used for miscellaneous stuff, small tool boxes, seasonal x mas stuff, etc.

Just want make sure I plan ahead and make provisions for future storage, and want to avoid “if I only made these shelves x amount wider.......”

Sticking with an open shelf because it’s a double garage with 2’ space from the vehicles to the wall. If I go with a tall/wide cabinet opening the doors with a vehicle parked inside doesn’t work. Want to be able to walk around the truck and grab whatever off the shelf.

Any recommendations for a safe, generic shelf depth/spacing?

Thanks

 

[cjcocn]

Determine what you will be storing and measure those items.

If storing totes, try to keep them all on the same shelf and build the shelf deep enough and high enough to comfortably fit the totes.

For smaller and shorter items, again try to keep them on the same shelf and build your shelf height to comfortably fit those items.

My shelving has varying heights to reduce wasted air space.

Hope this helps.

 

[rburke65]

I’d make em 24” deep.

 

[ForceFed70]

It really depends on what you plan to store and how much space you have available.

Me personally, I like a 24" deep shelf with 24" vertical separation between shelves. Having said that, I also like to "skip the bottom shelf" Allowing for 4' of space at the bottom to store larger/heavier items.

 

[My Old Tools]

I like them 16" deep. I tend to lose stuff in the back of 24" deep shelves. 11.5" to 16" spacing are generally what I use. Closer if they are made for specific items like my hand planes. No shelf should span more than 32" in width. Greater than that and they are likely to sag.

 

[bulletpruf]

I like them 16" deep. I tend to lose stuff in the back of 24" deep shelves. 11.5" to 16" spacing are generally what I use. Closer if they are made for specific items like my hand planes. No shelf should span more than 32" in width. Greater than that and they are likely to sag.

I'm about to get some pallet racks that are 3' deep. At least that's the plan. Worried about the depth, but it's a small garage and I really need to maximize storage space.

 

[audioworks04]

Typically 24in deep, but I would find the totes you plan to use and build to work with them. Height is typically near 24in shelf to shelf. I like to build my frames from 2x4 but me shelf runners out if 3/4” x 3/4” angle then set my 3/4in plywood shelf boards in the angle, this allows the most use of the space rather than loosing 3.5” every shelf. I span 4ft no problem.
Attached is one over my bench, and those totes are not light.
But really there is no formula that works perfect.


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[taumac]

As far as depth mine tend to be 16 deep just because totes I stored on them. I mine are attached to the wall the shelf brackets. If I was making freestanding shelves I would make them 24”. Height just depends on items stored. I store stuff in totes and boxes so I would leave 1 or 2” space between top of tote or box and bottom of shelf.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Like the others have said, measure what you're storing or go with a standard size of either 16" or 24". Something that doesn't waste sheet goods for making shelves.

 

[RPH]

If there free standing shelf’s then go 24” wide. The wider base will make it more stable.

 

[MushCreek]

If there's only 2' from the vehicle to the wall, how is a 24" deep shelf gonna work? Or even 16", for that matter. Shelf depth is entirely a function of what you're going to store there. Nominal 8" shelves are fine for gallon cans of paint, for example. I have a number of shelving units in various places around the house and shop, all 16" deep. I've rarely felt like I needed anything deeper. If you're going to go to a system of totes, measure the totes. The only problem with totes in your case is that you're not going to be able to pull them out if a vehicle is in the garage.

 

[nelsonm]

Hello,
I stumbled on this site while searching answers regarding suggested 2x4 shelving - widths - for my 2 car garage.

Due to the current high cost of apartments and homes, we invited my daughter and her partner to stay with us by turning our basement into an apartment they can use until they can find a home they can afford. After talking to other families, this is happening more often.

In order to make more room for the basement apartment, I initially wanted to build - temporary - L8'xH8'xW2' shelves (using 2x4 studs and 2'x8' particle boards) on my half of the garage to store all the old family and business stuff in the basement.

But, after some thought, i realized that 24" wide shelves would be too wide to fit between the wall and the garage door hardware (i only have 21 max workable inches) if i wanted to make the shelves permanent after my daughter moves out for good.

Temporarily (like library shelves), i can put (3) L8'xH8'xW2' and (2) L8'xH7'xW2' shelves with 2' of spacing between shelves on my side.

Permanently (along the side walls), i can put (2) L8'xH8'xW16" shelves on my side and (1) L8'xH8'xW16" shelves on my wife's side (she already has 2 - L4'xH8'xW13" metal shelves). Since I only have 21 max workable inches between the wall and the garage door hardware, it will make getting out of the car on my side difficult unless i park my car facing out of the garage.

I don't think I'd like to go less than 16" in shelf depth.

Does anyone have have any ideas i haven't thought of - other than getting a bigger garage, renting a storage locker or throwing the kids out?

Thanks,

 

[CraigStu]

For width I go w/ numbers than can be divided into 48 inches. So 12", 16", and 24" from a 4x8 sheet of plywood or osb makes little waste. We have managed to collect 3 different brands of those pop together plastic shelf units. I just checked and all of them are 17in shelf to shelf. So since your 2x4s will probably be 8ft long, 16in between shelves would work out. BTW, if your drive allows backing into the garage that really helps. Drive the car into the right side normally and back into the left side. This way the shared space between the cars allows both cars driver doors to be opened fully rather than each car needing it's own space.

 

[nadogail]

A shelf 8' high may be very unhandy without a ladder.

 

[Voi]

I've seen using plywood efficiently a couple of times and wanted to mention one thing I've done in the past for storing deeper tubs.

I cross cut sheets of plywood into three, 32" x 48" panels and two go into each 8' wide shelf. So out of two, 4x8 sheets there is enough material for three shelve at 32" x 96".

Not clear if OP has room for shelves that deep but wanted to mention it.

 

[mike93lx]

I'm about to get some pallet racks that are 3' deep. At least that's the plan. Worried about the depth, but it's a small garage and I really need to maximize storage space.

I tried 30" deep shelving in a small garage and hated it. Always had to dig to get stuff out

 

[nelsonm]

Thank you for all your comments.

Based on the posts preceding and after mine, I'm going to make 8'x8'x 16" deep shelves. 16" seems the most practical if i want to permanently install them on either side of the garage once my squatters find a place of their own and take their stuff with them. And when i eventually do set them up against the wall, to be safe, I'll screw or bolt the shelves to the walls so they don't fall on top of anyone.

Lowe's didn't even charge me to cute the 7/16" 4x8 OSB into 3 - 8'x16" strips each and i was lucky to find straight lumber for once. I only wish i had purchased and built the shelves a few years ago when lumber prices were about half what they are today.

@ NADOGALL
Yes, I'm aware that I'll need a latter to get to the top shelves, but i can deal with that.

Thanks for all the help, I'll post a pic of the finished shelves asap.
Nelson

 

[bulletpruf]

I tried 30" deep shelving in a small garage and hated it. Always had to dig to get stuff out

My problem is that I have too much stuff. Since this pic was taken, I have sold most of my chainsaw collection, but now I have parts for several of my vintage car projects taking up space.

In the future, I plan to get rid of the shelving units and build some 2x4 and plywood shelves, probably 2' deep.

 

[jonesg]

the more flat surfaces I have the more they get cluttered with silly **** that should go to the dump.
Totes with lids are clutter buckets.

 

[rayra]

Depends how much room you have in the garage areas involved. 24" depth is good if you have a lot of boxed goods. 16" works fine with most storage totes or small packing boxes. Either dimension works well when it comes to materials, as you can rip 4'x8' sheet goods with no waste.
I chose a double shelf spacing to allow two layers of totes per shelf. And it is also room for all sorts of odd holiday decor boxes to get stacked, without a lot of wasted volume.

 

[e015475]

the more flat surfaces I have the more they get cluttered with silly **** that should go to the dump.
Totes with lids are clutter buckets.

There's some truth to this.

This is the system I currently have - totes and the widest MDF shelf material I could find at HD. I've had it a couple years now, and I've gone through all the boxes at least once and some twice and thrown stuff out I've saved but will never use.

It is about 8' tall and I put the lightest boxes up top and don't need a ladder. I mark the contents with a sharpie, and when I repurpose one I just wipe it off with acetone and remark it.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

This thread reminds me of something I did in my old Pasadena garage before we moved. I bought a shelf organizer kinda thing from Costco and put a lot of my miscellaneous stuff in its bins. It worked well though it did tend to get full of dust.

I got the bright idea to enclose it with some scrap plywood using self drilling screws. Then, in keeping with Jack Olsen's 12 Gauge garage vintage green color scheme I took a bunch of old paint and mixed them together until I got what I thought was an old timey looking color that would NOT be a copy of Jack's green but more an homage.

I came up with this old yellow color. I liked how it came out so I painted some horizontal file cabinets and other stuff in the garage. But this garage had SUCH a rat problem the organizer enclosure just ended up giving them a place to make their nests. I can't count how many rats I killed with snap traps until I finally gave up but easily 20 or 30 over a few months.

Fortunately, we moved in 2020.

 

[Jgaz]

16” for most of my garage shelves.
I have a heavy duty Costco metal rack in the shed that is 24” deep.

These shelves use adjustable, heavy duty shelf standards, but have seldom been adjusted in 8 years.
Think about what you want to store and how to store it. Commit to a standard bin brand IMO.

 

[jsaw]

the more flat surfaces I have the more they get cluttered with silly **** that should go to the dump.
Totes with lids are clutter buckets.

My experience also

 

[73project]

This thread reminds me of something I did in my old Pasadena garage before we moved. I bought a shelf organizer kinda thing from Costco and put a lot of my miscellaneous stuff in its bins. It worked well though it did tend to get full of dust.

I got the bright idea to enclose it with some scrap plywood using self drilling screws. Then, in keeping with Jack Olsen's 12 Gauge garage vintage green color scheme I took a bunch of old paint and mixed them together until I got what I thought was an old timey looking color that would NOT be a copy of Jack's green but more an homage.

I came up with this old yellow color. I liked how it came out so I painted some horizontal file cabinets and other stuff in the garage. But this garage had SUCH a rat problem the organizer enclosure just ended up giving them a place to make their nests. I can't count how many rats I killed with snap traps until I finally gave up but easily 20 or 30 over a few months.

Fortunately, we moved in 2020.

Rat traps kill them one at a time. My farm/ranch supply company sold me some bait under the name of Havoc. They take the stuff back to the nest and the entire pack eats it. It works like a champ, and the rat population is gone in a couple of weeks.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Rat traps kill them one at a time. My farm/ranch supply company sold me some bait under the name of Havoc. They take the stuff back to the nest and the entire pack eats it. It works like a champ, and the rat population is gone in a couple of weeks.

I tried poison and it worked but one died under my house and stunk to holy hell so I stopped using it after that one.

 

[niget2002]

We use totes. We went to walmart and bought a bunch of totes mostly all the same size. I built our garage shelves to fit the totes.

If I have a shelf that needs to hold smaller stuff, I made a small sub-shelf to slide into place.

 

[Skiff Builder]

I like my shelves to roll. Helps when reconfiguring the shop for different project phases. Make a 5 sided box out of plywood. Shelves within and good casters on the base.
Make one of these sized 4'w x 2'd x 6'h for a rolling tool station. 4 shelves inside. Use the 3 outside faces to hang hand tools etc, the top of the box is another shelf. You can fit almost everything needed to build an entire house!

 

[Voi]

I stumbled across a discussion on Reddit recently about tote storage shelves where the boxes hang from runners on the lip on the upper rim of the tote.

I suppose one advantage of that would be no horizontal surface for clutter. And less money in material. More 2x but no plywood.

Obvious downside is that it would only work for a specific tote.