Shelves for Garage--Help!

[SMLWinds]

I am trying to organize a garage at the house I bought. It is pretty large (5 car bays). I would like to have some shelves around the perimeter on the inside. I have cinderblock walls.

I had considered building them out of wood but then they wouldn't be adjustable and everyone I talk to says it isn't cost effective to do that. I keep getting recommendations for stand alone adjustable metal (or metal/wood) shelves. Does anyone have shelving they would recommend?

Any help is appreciated!

 

[encantofred]

i plan on putting pallet racking in my garage. they are big but you can buy them used pretty reasonably and you could put anything on them.

tom

 

[Carves]

This sort of stuff is all right ... 7ft h. 6ft w 2ft d

but its not ideal for everything.

 

[zcar751]

I picked up Guerrilla adjustable selves at Sam's Club for a decent price 5 years ago and have been very happy with them. There are several choices out there you just have to decide which one you like best based on size, capacity, depth, and height. You have plenty of sources, Home Depot, Lowes, Northern Tools, Costco, Harbor Freight, and Tractor Supply to name a few of the big box stores.

 

[tcsalvage]

I bought a bunch of grey metal shelving a couple of years ago for 100 dollars per 50 foot run, it came in various widths and I ended up using the 18'' wide shelves and storing the rest in a van. You could also look into grocery store shelving since it seams to be better suited for lighter things and doesn't have poles in your way along the run. Pallet shelving is nice for very heavy loads but does take up a lot of floor space and will cost much more to buy.

 

[fourjeepin]

I have bought the metal shelving from Target for my shop and basement. Portable if you get the wheels. And very reasonable priced in the fall when on sale for back to school.

 

[HanShotFirst]

I bought metal shelving from Costco and put casters on them; that was a stroke of brilliance. Can't tell you how many times I was grateful I did that.

 

[drivesitfar]

SML: depends what you are going to store on the shelves. i bought these 4 foot wide 6 foot tall metal shelves with wood about 30 years ago when i moved it and have yet to change them. i do like the pallet racking and heavier duty shelving for my shop and storage though and here's a few pictures.

i'm getting ready to start an ORGANIZING 101 thread because there are so many great ideas on this site it would take a normal person months to find them.

good luck and post up a few pictures of your garage with measurements and maybe we'll have more ideas for you.

 

[SMLWinds]

Correct me if I am wrong, but pallet shelves are a metal frame you can put pallets on, right? I don't know if I need all the pallets, but I do like the idea of a sturdy metal frame. I googled pallet shelves and I guess what I have in mind is something like that with plywood for shelves. I have looked at many of the big box chain stores and they have some options, but a lot of them seem cheap to me. They would probably do the job, but I want to make sure I get a product that lasts and can stand up to some workload. As for what I will put on them, basically anything and everything--tools, wood, storage boxes, etc. Most of what I put will not be extremely heavy, but I would like for the shelves to hold a load if I do want to put a load.

 

[SMLWinds]

I would love to see that Organizing 101 thread---I have a wide open garage and a ton of stuff to go in it with no storage currently and so ideas are outstanding!

 

[evildky]

They sell a slightly smaller version of the pallet racking at hardware stores, sam's, costco etc that comes with heavy duty wire shelves. If you want to use plywood instead or in addition to for small bits that's an option but I love the wire shelves for the light transmittal.

 

[HoosierMark]

I bought Guerrilla or whatever they are callled from Sams club, appear to be the same as Costco but Costco are black and mine are grey. Menards has basically the same thing. I love them. If you get the ones with four shelves you can eliminate the bottom shelf if you want and make two units into three.

 

[Keel]

Pallet shelving is mighty big.. it is 4' deep and doesn't go right up against the wall.
Sure it's great if you have stuff that needs to be on a pallet,, The mesh that goes over the cross bars isn't all that strong, it's not made to hold weight ,it's there only for safty if something was to fall through the pallet or off it..

Now 2x4's are cheap.. and making some of the shelves adjustable is cake..
Go look at the book cases with the holes on the sides for pegs and adjustment..
now take that and supersize it..
make a jig out of one 2x4 with holes drilled 2" on center.. dill hole size will depend on what hardware you buy..
They make/sell metal inserts

or use

in the 2x4 cross brace ends, 2' on center like the jig for the holes you drilled in the 2x4's for the legs.. and now you can just bolt the cross braces in at will, need to change one shelf? no problem, unbolt the 8 bolts holding the 2 cross braces for the shielf (one front one rear, 2 bolts per end)
and move it..
much cheaper than the metal racks, and you can make it 2' deep or 10 if you want..

 

[drivesitfar]

Keel: not all pallet racking is 4 foot deep. the one i have on the left side of my storage unit in the picture i posted is 2 foot deep and with the little metal supports about every foot under the 3/4 inch pressboard shelving I've actually had almost 4000 pounds of gym steel weights on the bottom two shelves. the do hold a lot of weight and here's a picture with the shelves with quite a bit of weight on them so you can see better. they also come in 28, 30, and 40 and probably a few other widths.

SML: i'm getting my pictures ready to start the Organizing 101 thread and i'll put it in Garage gallery soon since that is where most of the Organizing is taking place. coming soon. Costco sells the metal racking with the wire shelving that is 6.5 feet wide and 2 foot deep and about 6 foot tall. since they are pretty heavy duty i like them because i don't need a bottom shelf and i can put first shelf about 3.5 feet off the ground and put my lawnmower, rolling tool boxes and other stuff on the floor under them. they go on sale about 3 times per year for $125, but even at the $160 each you can maybe an almost 20 foot wide shelving unit for $320 like i posted in the picture.

 

[Ray916MN]

Pallet racking comes in a variety of depths. 42" is standard 24" is about the narrowest. Most pallet rack beams have a ledge which fits 2"x wood to form a flush shelf . I've done this to make a work bench within my pallet racking as well as a floor to the area where I store motorcycles. Wire shelving to fit on the racking is also commonly available. The stuff can't be beat for storing heavy or bulky items partly because it strong enough and stable enough to climb up and on or to mount a ladder to.

Gorilla or Edsal racking is nice, but nowhere near as strong or stable as pallet racking. I use it where I need narrow shelving. It is per linear foot pretty comparable in cost to used pallet racking.

 

[Keel]

Keel: not all pallet racking is 4 foot deep. the one i have on the left side of my storage unit in the picture i posted is 2 foot deep and with the little metal supports about every foot under the 3/4 inch pressboard shelving I've actually had almost 4000 pounds of gym steel weights on the bottom two shelves. the do hold a lot of weight and here's a picture with the shelves with quite a bit of weight on them so you can see better. they also come in 28, 30, and 40 and probably a few other widths.

[.

pallets are 4'x5' so I don't know what pallet racks you have that are 2' deep..

I have racks that look like pallet racks that are 2' deep.. but they are not pallet racks

 

[drivesitfar]

Keel: pallets come in all sizes. in any case so do the racks so call them commercial racks if you are that particular.

cheers

Ray: i do like your shelving and don't you have a couch up on the second level for when your garage turns into a Man Cave to watch football or other games?

nice looking bikes too

 

[tcsalvage]

The pallet racking I bought used has steel shelves 4 ft deep by 12 ft long and stand 10 ft high. I load them with transmissions and transfer cases, lighter stuff I load on the grey shelves or grocery shelves. If you are loading different weight stuff there is no sense in paying out for pallet racking when lighter shelving will hold the weight plus not take up valuable floor space.

Ray - Is that a VFR750R in the back of the first picture? Brings back memories when I ran one back in the early nineties, it was suicidal fast and could corner on a rail.

 

[Ray916MN]

Ray: i do like your shelving and don't you have a couch up on the second level for when your garage turns into a Man Cave to watch football or other games?

nice looking bikes too

Couch goes up top during the summer, when the bikes are on the floor so they are easy to get on and ride.

T....

Ray - Is that a VFR750R in the back of the first picture? Brings back memories when I ran one back in the early nineties, it was suicidal fast and could corner on a rail.

Wish I had a VFR750R. I've been looking to buy one for several years and prices have been rising. 1 sold this year at auction for over $50K! If you're asking about the red, white and blue bike, it is a GSX-R750RG LTD.

 

[smedly]

pallets are 4'x5' so I don't know what pallet racks you have that are 2' deep..

I have racks that look like pallet racks that are 2' deep.. but they are not pallet racks

Mine are only 17" deep. Same teardrop style as normal depth pallet racking and same 4" tall beams so I still call it pallet racking- though yeah, I guess that may be wrong. Must have been used at Fort Knox cause I have no idea what these would have held that is that small but that heavy.

 

[encantofred]

yea, thats what i mean by pallet racking. i love that you used it for a workbench as well. i had not thought of that and may consider it as well.

you can get it used on craigslist or a resellers almost anywhere.

tom

 

[theoldwizard1]

I am trying to organize a garage at the house I bought. It is pretty large (5 car bays). I would like to have some shelves around the perimeter on the inside. I have cinderblock walls.

I had considered building them out of wood ...

One problem with attaching shelves to block walls is that it is difficult to find a fastener that will hold without the block crumbling ! The best thing I have used are HD plastic hollow wall anchors. Red Head Poly Set Plug Anchors PS-1012SP Do not buy the kit with screws, because you will need longer sheet metal screws.

Vertically attach 2x4s to the wall using these plastic wall anchors (you might need anywhere from 4-8 per 2x4 depending on how much weight you plan on putting on each shelf and how long the 2x4 is) with a double bead of construction adhesive on the back.

This type of shelf bracket is inexpensive, come in multiple sizes and holds a lot of weight.

They are not adjustable, but if you lag them to the 2x4, it is easy to reposition them. For heavier loads, position your 2x4s 18-24" OC. Lighter loads 36-48" on center.


No, you can not use this for a work bench !

 

[afmrick]

We just moved into a new house and I was looking to get some shelf storage quickly to clean things up so, I bought some of the Husky 24" deep pallet racks (~$200) too. Gladiator (~$180) and Edsal (~$150), among others, make 'em as well.

I like the Husky because it was taller and came with more shelves but, you can buy the pieces separately. I used some of the shelf pieces to connect separate sections so, that I had a whole wall of shelving.

 

[burdickjp]

I got gorilla shelves at Lowes. It's 30" deep, 8 ft wide and 8 ft tall. I set the bottom shelf high enough to roll a car under and throw everything up top to work on that car. I also have one set up as a work bench with a shelf on top. I had one set full of engines at one point. And they held well.
As mentioned, interchangeable versions are sold by other brands.

Sent from my XT1045 using Tapatalk

 

[iminocca]

I have some commercial "boltless" shelving I bought about 15 years ago and it is substantially stronger than the offerings from HD, Lowe's, Costco, etc...you can still buy that type of shelving but you might have to order online and have it shipped. It is a little more $$$, but might be worth it. I also have a couple of boltless shelf units from HD and they seem a little flimsy to me fully loaded but I found that bolting them securely to the wall makes them a lot more solid and less prone to moving and flexing.

 

[SMLWinds]

Ray-I LOVE your racks....that would be exactly what I am looking for. Where do I get pallet racks like those? I don't mind whatever price I have to pay but want quality stuff that will function well and last a lifetime. I really like the option to get some 24" deep as well.

The option to drop in 2" wood for a flat, solid surface or get readily available metal racks for the shelving makes it perfect.

I think I have settled on getting shelves just like the ones in Ray's picture, just need to know where to get it (or what quality brand I should be looking for).

Thanks!

 

[drivesitfar]

SML: i bought mine off of Craigslist and from a few clients that were retiring and selling off theirs at their warehouses. there are a few places that sell used ones in my area and i'm sure you could buy new, but they are not cheap.

can you go in your GJ profile and maybe put in your location because you could be in Australia or England for all we know. i'm guessing you are in the US and where to find shelving will help other members help you once they know where you live. these are too expensive to ship most likely.

also while you are in your GJ profile click on Avitar and download a picture that will show up under your SML handle if you want to have one and you can change often or leave it so members learn who you are when they see it.

 

[pcmeiners]

Another possibility, used food store gondola shelving, relatively cheap, holds a lot weight, no cross member (wasting space), different sizes up to 36"?

 

[rexer]

Costco has the Whalen Storage 4 shelf black heavy duty for $134.99 right now , I have one and I got a lot of weight on it cylinder heads, blocks, etc.

Wish I had room for another one...

 

[54stude]

I am a big fan of the mobile metro brand rolling shelves. Especially if you can get them used. Mobile, configurable, and easy to clean under.

 

[Ray916MN]

The search term for retail outlets for pallet racking (aside from "pallet racks") is "material handling". Some stuff comes up on Craigslist, but I never found enough in the right sizes to get exactly what I wanted. I got mine from a place that had acres of used racking. Simply told them the sizes and quantities of uprights, beams and decking I needed over the phone. They quoted me a price and had all the material metal banded together when I arrived and loaded it on my trailer. If you're near a good sized metropolitan area, you should have no problems.

I was not particular with respect to brand. Racking is sold by weight handling specification. Standard stuff is generally rated for 3000lb distributed per shelf. Look at the Interlake website, http://www.interlakemecalux.com/ and you'll get a good idea of what is possible and what you'll want.

 

[metalhead212121]

subscribing....

 

[metalhead212121]

Ray awesome garage to say the least! (Read through your build thread) If and when time and money allows I want to build something you have (specifically where you have the three bikes stored).

Any idea what the weight of those three bikes are combined? Due to the size of my garage and lack of space I feel I might have to make a "custom shelf". I'm looking at either opting for something like you did or building a custom shelf built to my dimensions. I want something that will allow me to store stuff ABOVE my Snap On Triple Bank. As you can see I'm pretty jam packed as far as space goes. My biggest concerns are will the floor take the weight of whats on the shelf and can the shelf take the weight of what I put up top. I'd be livid if the shelf came crashing down damaging my toolbox in the porcess. I can't really give you EXACT specs on my floor... I jack hammered the old floor up myself with friends. The new floor is about 5 inches thick.. (no rebar.. hindsight is 20/20). I told my concrete guy to make it to withstand weight. Never thought I'd have as much junk (weight) in the garage as I do now. (Again hindsight is 20/20). Believe it or not the concrete has only showed signs of small hairline cracks. (Knock on wood)

 

[drivesitfar]

Metal: i posted a picture of some similar shelves as Ray and i have some that are 12 foot tall, 8 foot wide and 24 inches wide that I've had maybe 8,000 pounds on the bottom two shelves and another 5,000 on the cement floor under the rack. i'm at a storage unit and I doubt they poured thicker floors than your 5 inch thick ones.

if you don't have any air space under your slab you should be good to go with several thousand pounds sitting on racks on it. my guess is the 3 bikes Ray has on the shelf above weigh maybe 3-4000 pounds total if that.

i have small metal supports under 3/4 inch pressboard on my shelves i had a lot of gym steel weights on. not sure if Ray has anything other than 2 x 6's or 8's and i'll let him tell you.

your picture didn't load so try again if you can. also if you want to have the first shelf higher than a couple feet off the floor you might add a few beams at 2 and 4 foot for some extra support on one side (behind tool box if you are putting rack against the wall).

good luck and maybe Ray will post a picture of his racks with a sofa up on the second level if you didn't see it in his thread.

 

[metalhead212121]

Drives- The picture I uploaded comes on my end but may not work because I posted it on "the dark side." Anyway.. here's another pic. The pics you uploaded on this thread wont work for me.... Picture my toolbox where Ray916MN's couch is. Its basically my only solution for overhead storage. I do have other options but I'd prefer to have storage (heavy duty storage) above my tool box.

 

[drivesitfar]

Metal: nice box BTW. my 24 inch shelves might not work as a single, but you could put 2 or 3 of them together. or get a 40 or 44 or 48 inch deep shelving and a couple if needed which i think Ray has.

i have 3 12 foot 48 inch deep versions sitting sideways that i store my 14 foot trailer under and storing a ton of stuff above it that would normally be open space in a normal person's garage.

take care and you'll figure something out and if you still have questions just ask. I've tried almost every type of shelving known to man in the last 30 years and i'm still learning the best methods.

cheers

 

[Ray916MN]

Ray awesome garage to say the least! (Read through your build thread) If and when time and money allows I want to build something you have (specifically where you have the three bikes stored).

Any idea what the weight of those three bikes are combined? ...

Thanks for the compliment on my garage.

The 3 bikes combined are only around 1500 lbs. To get the depth I needed for bikes I have two rows of 42" deep pallet racks with 8' beams tied together. As each shelf is rated for 3000 lbs. distributed and I have the weight of the bikes spread across 2 shelves, I'm really lightly loading the racking. I did tie all of it together to give it more stability. None of it is bolted to the floor or walls. The feet of the uprights sits directly on the concrete floor, which is 4" thick with rebar and fiber spec'ed to support 4000 PSI. Haven't seen any cracking around the feet which are 3.25"x3.25", and if I did see any, I'd probably just get some 1/2" 6"x6" (almost quadruples the footprint) steel plates to put under (or weld to) the feet and distribute the load on the concrete.

The shelf the bikes are sitting on is set at 7' and the racking is 13' tall with beams at the top and set at the front about 14" above the shelf to keep the racking square. The wood I used between the beams are 2x12 boards cut to about 39" length to fit between the lips on the beams.

Aside from using metal plates to distribute the load on your floor, you can also simply use shorter beams between the uprights so you have more uprights to carry the load to the floor. I think the shortest beams you can get are 4' long and they are commonly available up to something like 16' long. Although I could used beams long enough to span from the wall to the far edge of what the bikes are sitting on, by using 6' and 8' beams I added one upright into the run which I considered to be critical to keeping things square and stable given how few beams I was going to be using with the uprights. Clearly bolting it to the floor or using a beam at the bottom of the uprights would have dramatically increased stability, but since I don't perceive any instability, I haven't bothered.

 

[RStewart]

i second anything portable.