Slatwall product for the garage

[Dan Babb]

My garage is a mess and I need more room to store stuff. I had a slatwall product installed in a prior home and liked it a lot.

That company isn't up in the area I live in now and I don't know what brand they used.

The stuff they used was durable and could support a pretty good amount of weight when putting up brackets made for slaw wall.


Anyone put slatwall up in their garage? Looking for where you bought the stuff and if it's held up to putting stuff on it.

I've got a contractor that will install it...just want to get the right product so it lasts.

The product he found locally has an insert that goes into the slats. Plastic or Aluminum...Alum is stronger, but is way more money.

Just looking for ideas from the experts here before I pull the trigger.

 

[mmhouse]

The Slatwall stuff is way too expensive for me. I find that once I give things a place they tend to stay there so I've installed Rubbermaid FastTrack where I need it with the appropriate hooks (they have many different kinds). If something changes I can always move the track somewhere else. Just my way of doing things. The Slatwall may be fine for you and maybe you don't mind the $.

 

[RoarkIndustrialSolutions]

I would recommend storeWALL. We're a distributor.

http://www.storewall.com/home/
http://www.storewall.com/benefits.html

 

[digdug18]

Check craigslist, you can find good quality slat wall for pretty cheap, keep in mind the walls can't hold much though. And are made of particle board. I know you can buy a slat wall router bit, maybe make the slats yourself out of 2x4's for more strength.

 

[Wastedwagesracing]

I was thinking about slat-wall also. But then a member made a good point. If you are going to be welding, cutting or grinding the slat-wall will have a tendency to hold sparks.

 

[bbailey]

Not all slat wall accessories work with each other. I have both craftsman and storewall. Home depot has a version as well.

Storewall is nicer, but harder to buy accessories for it.

 

[Nowater]

I saw a similar product for sale in my area on Craig's list a while ago. A retail store was closing and selling the fixtures.

 

[djkeev]

20 years ago I had a pallet of slat wall given to me, I hung It up and ended up hating it for duration of my time in that garage.

Why?
Special hangers
Back then, a poor selection of hangers
The slats break off with any weight on them
The slats collect dirt and dust like nothing I've ever seen!

A horrible, horrible, HORRIBLE product for a dusty shop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Run from this bad idea as if Satan himself were chasing after you!

In all honesty, I'm not a "hanger" kind if guy. Maybe my slat wall experience is why?
Give me a sturdy shelf to put quality storage boxes on any day.

Tools belong in a chest or tool box, on the wall they get easily "borrowed" and dirty.

Dave

 

[Matt M PA]

I bought my slatwall from Home Depot. But, it's the same as you'd get at a retail store fixtures shop. We have a store in Philly called Gershell Brothers...that does mail order. They have tons of hooks, baskets, clips, shelves, etc as used in retail and they all work fine with my slatwall.

My attached garage has slatwall and I'd do it again. I've got more things stored away neatly, including the soft top and windows for the RT/10 on slatwall shelves from Gershell. Best of all...these shelves, baskets, etc aren't expensive.

The slatwall I got at Lowes is very sturdy, I'd guess it's like an MDF material with a vinyl cover making it white. I placed a hook too close to the garage door and the door bent it badly on it's way down. The slatwall wasn't phased. So, I figured I'd straighten the hook to reuse it. I put it in the vise and pulled the work bench out trying to straighten the hook. It wouldn't budge. My slatwall has no inserts for strength, either.

I've been very pleased with my slatwall, and a friend of mine liked it so much he did his garage with it as well. And...he got a bunch of accessories from Gershell too.

 

[sirsloop]

I got a 4x8 sheet of slatewall at lowes and put it up 2.5 years ago. It's HEAVYyyyyy! The one I got felt like 1" MDF with the slats routed out. No problems with the usual suspects... 100ft extension cords, halogen work lights, saws, bar clamps, etc. it's solid and is way more durable than peg board. It paints well too!

Lol... this is just after I moved it. Much more cluttered up now! HA!

 

[grabbermach]

I bought my slat wall from the local Borders Bookstore when it went out of business. Got 8 4x8 sheets plus two boxes of hooks, shelves etc for $100. It all has the alum inserts and has a nice maple finish. It was almost two nice to put in the shop.

I have only had it up for about 1 1/2 years and haven't noticed any major accumlation of dirt and debris, but I am just a weekend tinkerer with cars and such, so I am not creating huge amounts of dust.

 

[Jayhogy]

As the owner of Wind Mill Slatwall Products I would be in neglect if I did not comment on the subject of Slatwall for the garage.

Slatwall panels from Lowes, Home Depot and Storewall is all good quality product. Storewall is a little more expensive than wood based slatwall per sq. ft., but might install easier since is it lighter and comes in smaller pieces. It also comes in a variety of colors.

Not every Home Depot or Lowes stocks slatwall. So call to make sure they have it at your particular store. Otherwise look for a "store fixture dealer" in your area through Google. Most large cities have at lease one. They are where retailers go to purchase bags, tags, racks and slatwall. We have a list of them on our Wind Mill Site. http://www.windmillslatwall.com

If you purchase slatwall from an internet site make sure you obtain a freight quote. Slatwall is heavy and very expensive to ship. Crating charges usually apply on smaller quantities.

We sell our slatwall to comsumers for garage use through Menards under the trade name of GarageEscape. Every Menards stocks 4x8 white and is produced on our new Anchor Core, which is 50% stronger than MDF slatwall. Custom colors can also be ordered from their Walcovering Department. A variety of accessories are available from Menards also.



Heavy items on a shelf can be a problem for slatwall. Stick with shelves no deeper than 12". For extra security add some shelf support brackets as pictured above. Menards has these as well as many of the dealers.

Check out our Fanpage for some cool garage pictures.

http://www.facebook.com/GarageEscape

We also have a nice video tutorial with some installation tips on YouTube.

We are wholesale only, but please feel free to call us with any questions on slatwall for garage use.

 

[DRP6833]

If you're interested in a DIY version, check out this from Family Handyman.

 

[djkeev]

.................

Heavy items on a shelf can be a problem for slatwall. Stick with shelves no deeper than 12". For extra security add some shelf support brackets as pictured above. ...........

We are wholesale only, but please feel free to call us with any questions on slatwall for garage use.

Well, points for honesty! The product can't handle weight.

I wonder what his solution is for being a dust collector is?


Dave

 

[tungmetal06]

Their is a company in Charlotte nc called reeves interprises and they sell display systems of all kind including slatwall and gridwall. They have some pretty good prices. look here http://www.reevesstorefixtures.com/

 

[LNKMK8]

As the owner of Wind Mill Slatwall Products I would be in neglect if I did not comment on the subject of Slatwall for the garage.

We sell our slatwall to comsumers for garage use through Menards under the trade name of GarageEscape. Every Menards stocks 4x8 white and is produced on our new Anchor Core, which is 50% stronger than MDF slatwall. Custom colors can also be ordered from their Walcovering Department. A variety of accessories are available from Menards also.



Heavy items on a shelf can be a problem for slatwall. Stick with shelves no deeper than 12". For extra security add some shelf support brackets as pictured above. Menards has these as well as many of the dealers.

Sorry for bringing up an old post; I bought the white 4x8 sheets of slatwall from Menards a couple months ago and am getting ready to hang them. If I under stand correctly, what I bought is the new "anchor core" system? Is there a specific weight limit per anchor point?

Thomas

 

[05r50]

Rockler sells a router bit so you can make your own from a sheet of plywood.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11061&site=ROCKLER

 

[Lugnut30]

If you're interested in a DIY version, check out this from Family Handyman.

I like this too, rather than buying pre made stuff.

 

[James E]

The plastic slatwall is too expensive and the fiberboard stuff is too weak (which is sad, considering how darned heavy it is)--even with the metal inserts.

I bought metal gridwall for my garage. It stands off of the wall with cleats and has a serious weight capacity. Lots of hooks/shelves/baskets available at store supply houses and it's seriously cheap. Comes in black and white and you can cut it to fit any sized wall.

It wouldn't work very well between your upper and lower cabinets but on a bare wall, it's great.

 

[66HertzClone]

I've been toying with organizing our shed, many, many garden tools and it would be nice to get them organized. Using a slotwall like product seems like a good way to do this, I came across this on the Lowe's web site, most reviews were favorable.

 

[OJ Bartley]

I have access to some MDF slatwall panels for free from a remodel, so I plan to use them in my garage. I would like to paint them, but want to see what the best method is. I've seen people mention that they sprayed theirs, but I would think that painting inside the track would gum things up, wouldn't it? Would it be best to prime and paint in thin coats using a foam roller or something to keep the tracks clean?

 

[LNKMK8]

I painted the ones in my garage, but took slightly different approach. I wanted the slats to match the trim color of my garage, so I spray painted them, and then just used a standard short nap roller to paint the faces of it. It took a couple of coats to cover the face well, but I think they turned out great. There is a enough play in the slats that there is no issue with inserting or moving accessories.

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

 

[LeeG]

You could also try using a French Cleat system. Cheap, solid, and you can easily make any sort of custom hanger you need.

 

[OJ Bartley]

Good idea, and nicely implemented. I think I might just do the same.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

 

[moonpool145]

I am a big fan of slatwall. On the house I just moved from I had (I think) about 18 sheets of it up that I got from Home Depot. I thought it worked really well but have a few thoughts.

1) It is cardboard type material (I don't know the actual material name) and not very strong. The plastic liner strips sold for the grooves are a great idea.
2) Don't use it where it will get wet, it comes apart quickly. Don't ask how I know
3) Very important - before you are going to spray paint the walls with a big airless sprayer, make sure you blow out and vacuum all the grooves. Those buggers hold alot of dust from the construction which messes up the paint. Again, don't ask.

Still I will do this in my next garage but will probably use the plastic panels if I can afford them as it really adds to the flexibility of storing stuff and I like the look

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[Matt M PA]

I've had mine up for years with no issues. Strength is not a problem. The store supply shops (like Gershells) sell all kids of inexpensive baskets, shelves, etc. I store the soft top and windows for the RT/10 on shelves mounted to the slatwall. These shelves have "outriggers" that add additional support. I can post a pic if needed.

 

[shannonw]

10+ years ago when i moved in i slatwalled the entire garage permitter (normal lowes 4x8 sheets)...for 50 -75 bucks off ebay you can get black hooks, black baskets of all sizes, all kinds of ****. Put 1 by sleepers and a few drywall screws to hang it is all...

Anyways 10 years of hanging all kinds of stuff off normal slatwall not a chip , tear anywhere and I put heavy **** up there, key with normal slatwall is if you put something heavy obviously it needs to have legs/brace otherwise it will rip it out.

Only problem i had was florida sun and i have my doors open a lot, over the years the white yellowed.

i just got rid of the last big bits. It got old to me looking at stuff hanging around in a 2 car garage, sanding, painting, and stuff the panels and baskets just collected lots of dust over time, blowing wouldn't really clean it up without pulling everything off. I have a few key pieces now is all, ripped the last big sheet out this weekend. Over time have been able to move up to other solutions ..moving stuff to overhead soffits, large toolbox, and some wall cabinets, and finally thank goodness have a shed. Unfortunately...that's a long hard painful process getting organized.

But i will say, the slat bought me floor space for a good number of years pretty cheaply even if visually it drove me a bit nuts from baskets and stuff hanging everywhere.

 

[shannonw]

just to clarify...not to knock the great slatwall setups here, so don't get me wrong =)

When i did mine i had zero storage, no cabinets, nothing. So literally anything and everything was hanging on slatwall in a 20x21 garage. Looked nothing like these clean organized setups..at one point every sq foot was covered =)

After 10+ years I'm kinda glad to see the perimeter portion go and just have a few token pieces here and there.