solid rock walled garage..options for shelving

[tokyo]

Hey guys,

I got a garage that was built in the 30's and is solid rock. not brick.

The ceiling is open wooden beams, nice unmolested studs ready for most any crazy idea i will have.

BUT..

My side walls, and rear wall are solid stone. Probably about 12-18 inches thick. I want to be able to put shelving up and such for space, hanging tools and stuff.

What can I do. A typical hammer drill won't work right.

thanks,
tok

 

[Steve in Mi]

Depending on how the ceiling joists are supported by the stone/rock walls you may be able to support shelving by hanging it from the ceiling joist. The only other suggestion I can think of is diamond core drilling to insert steel rods on which to set your shelves. This technique is sometimes employed to support fireplace mantels where the rods are given a slight upward pitch so no further fastening is required. The weight of the mantel/shelf and contents will tend to wedge into the wall.

 

[IDASHO]

Frame in a wall, just like you would do in a cement basement. Then you have all sorts of options. Including electrical, insulation, etc...

 

[rotus7]

Frame a wall or just have free-standing shelving and benches.

 

[kbs2244]

Make ladder style end legs with the shelves laying on the "rungs"
You can buy them at a Menards type place, or make your own with 2x4's or 2x3's.
If you are going to be putting some weight on the shelves, run crosswise stringers, from ladder to ladder, to support both the front and back of the shelves. Space the legs 4 feet arart and it will hold anything you can lift up on to it.
I don't like to make them more than 12 inchs deep. That keeps things from getting lost behind other stuff.
If you are worried about them "racking" out of square, a sheet of plywood on the back, or a strap iron "X", will keep it looking pretty.
Use lots of drywall screws. Stronger, quieter, and easier to work with then nails.
I like to paint all my wood white the night before I work with it. That way I don't have to mess around with a paint brush in all the small corners, etc. At the worst, I just have to touch up a raw end somewere.

 

[tokyo]

nice..i like the white paint idea.

i thought about having to frame up a wall or two, but didn't know if there were other options.

I would like to run a workbench along one wall for my tools, like a big strong vice, drill press, shrinker/stretcher and bead roller.

Any good ideas on that??

tok

 

[Vicegrip]

I have drilled plenty of holes in all kinds of rock using standard hammer drill and carbide tipped bits. Not the ones that go in a regular drill but a hammer drill. You can get one for under $100 and the bit in 3/8 X 6 would be about $15. Costco sells a chrome shelving for $80 per 4 by 6 foot section with 6 shelves and a set of casters per kit. Very handy stuff as it can be configured many ways. Stand alone or bolt to the wall.

 

[KELLHAMMER]

You can rent a hammer drill. For about $30/day and purchase a bit to do 3/8" hole for around 25 bucks. RED HEAD Expansion bolts are perfect for mounting to stone. Get the kind w/ the sleeve and machine threads with a nut. Don't drill deeper than the sleeve. Also tapcons are great for this work. Having the right bit makes the difference. It's not any harder to mount to stone, it just requires the right tool and the right fastener.

 

[tokyo]

Now that is some shop you got there Vice...

So just a hammer drill and a nice big bit should do the trick.

Where do you get these "red head" expansion bolts??

The reason I am asking is because my previous experience (read that to mean the shared wall in my row home basement that is solid) didn't work so easily. We must have broke about 5 blue tapcons trying to get only 1 in.

thanks
tok

 

[Vicegrip]

Red head is a name brand for drop in anchors. you can get drop ins from Home Depot or Lowes. They look like cylinders with some threads inside on one end and some slits on the other. There is a cone wedge inside that is hammered in tight with a setting tool.This makes the slit end expand and grip the sides of the hole. The hole should be the right depth and size. Set to the directions and in solid substrate they hold well. They do not work well in softer materials like cinderblock and are only good for dead loads like shelving as they do not have good vibration resistance. I never had good luck with Tapcons in anything other than newer concrete or cinderblock. Yo can increase the holding strength and vibration resistance by slobbering the fastener and hole with PC-7 type epoxy. You could hang a metal shelving unit with 6 or so of them in 3/8 bolt size and load the shelves to hearts content if the drop ins are set in solid firm stone.

Drop in anchors look like this.

 

[Morrisman]

Hey guys,

I got a garage that was built in the 30's and is solid rock. not brick.

The ceiling is open wooden beams, nice unmolested studs ready for most any crazy idea i will have.

BUT..

My side walls, and rear wall are solid stone. Probably about 12-18 inches thick. I want to be able to put shelving up and such for space, hanging tools and stuff.

What can I do. A typical hammer drill won't work right.

thanks,
tok

I have a hell of a problem drilling bricks and stuff with a standard type hammer drill, so I went and bought what we call an 'SDS' drill, which is a much better version of the same thing. I only paid about $70 for mine in England. Drills through solid concrete in seconds using carbide tipped drills.

Then you use these fixings to drill and fasten timber or brackets to the wall.

 

[JMURiz]

If a hammer drill doesn't work for you, you can always rent a core drill and use a good bit. I used one of these and a core bit (3" hole) to go through 12" of rocky 60 year old concrete. Was a pain in the ****, but it worked. A hammer drill and a good bit should work though for a simple hole.

tokyo:
Post a picture of this garage, I'd love to see the 'before' pics. I live in a neighborhood built in 1940 and love the older structures.

 

[tokyo]

Well these are the best pics I have at the moment. Here is what the house is made of...so I am assuming the garage is as well.

tok