Garage Storage Systems Guide

A homeowner has multiple options when it comes to garage shelving. In this article, we will give an overview of some of the more popular types of shelves in an effort to give the reader some relevant garage shelving ideas to implement as part of their garage storage systems design.

When deciding on a shelf, in a broad view, we have two types: the type of shelf that stands on its own in the garage, and the kind of garage shelves that must be installed or mounted into the wall or ceiling. From here we can break it down into the materials used, such as stand alone shelving units constructed of metal and wood, versus ceiling or wall mounted shelves, which are usually made of metal since it’s metal parts are cheaper and easier to secure and install.

Let’s go through these types one by one.

Stand Alone Garage Shelving

Stand alone garage shelves are the type of shelves most of us are familiar with. These types of shelves don’t really differ all that much from bookshelves or other kinds of storage shelves in general. What sets them a part when it comes to garage storage is that they are more often than not constructed of metal. This is due to the fact that metal withstands the conditions of a garage better than wood. Other than metal, you will also find plastic as a common construction material for these types of shelves. It’s cheap and stable enough for light items, but definitely not good for heavy tools or equipment.

Here are some examples of garage shelving that rests on the floor; i.e. there’s nothing to mount or install into the wall.

Heavy Duty Plastic 5 Shelf Storage Unit
Cost: $80
From: Target
Weight Capacity: 150 Pounds
Dimensions: 74 Inches Height X 36 Inches Width 24 inches Depth
Materials: Constructed of Plastic

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Here we have a basic 5 shelf heavy duty garage shelving unit that Target sells for only $80. It has a total weight capacity of 150 pounds. It does require assemble but this assembly requires no other tools or parts not included in this products shipping.

Whitmore’s 5-Tier Supreme Steel Shelving System

Cost: $80
From: Target
Weight Capacity: 350 Pounds
Materials: Constructed of Heavy Duty Black Epoxy Steel
Dimensions: 72 Inches Height X 36 Inches Width X 14 Inches Depth

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The difference between this one and the last? The cost is the same, but here you get a black steel shelf with 350 pounds capacity, an increase of 200 pounds over the plastic shelves above.
Interesting, this shelf has a weaker depth that the plastic shelves, but still offer a much higher weight capacity. So if you need more room, the plastic shelves would be better, but if you need heavy duty weight capacity, 350 pounds is likely going to be more than enough for you.

Sterilite 4 Shelf Cabinet
Cost: $70
From: Target
Weight Capacity: 40 Pounds
Materials: Heavy Duty Plastic

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Now here we have a great shelf at a reasonable price considering it is equipped with 4 shelves, has two doors, and is lockable by adding a padlock to the doors themselves. The biggest drawback of a shelf like this is the meager weight capacity of only 40 pounds. You wouldn’t be usin this to store any heavy duty equipment. But it would be great for storing chemicals, paints, and other hazardous materials so common in the garage.

Side Note: This is one of the most popular garage shelving units at Target.com. There are nearly 50 reviews, which rated it overall 4.5 stars out of 5 stars. Assembly is required but it’s great to see many people stating it took them less than 10 minutes to assemble the entire shelving unit. That’s the kind of products we want to see!

Devant 4 Tier Corner Mesh Shelf
Cost: $40
From: Target
Materials: Metal

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For the stand alone garage shelves, let’s round things out and end this article on with a very cool little mesh shelving unit from Devant.

This item is designed to perfectly compliment and make use of the corners of your garage, an area of space often not properly maximized for storage. This shelf would be good for commonly accessed things of light weight, such as small tools, cans, and whatnot. It’s about a foot deep and a foot wide and stands roughly 4 feet high. This isn’t going to store your chainsaw, but it will store your extra extension cords and other random items that do need a home!

For $40, this isn’t a bad at all. Especially if the corners of your garage aren’t being put to good use.

Since this article is getting fairly long, I’ve decided to divide it up into two parts. In this section we looked at stand alone shelving units and gave an overview of 4 different types, covering both metal and plastic shelves, including corner shelving units.

In our next article we will do the same for mounted shelves, including both ceiling and wall mounted garage storage shelving products.

Have any thoughts about the items reviewed above? Please leave us your comment below. Thanks!

Getting Started with Garage Storage, Shelving, and Organization

The iconic American garage has a a way of collecting all your extra  stuff. It’s almost as if that is actually what the architects had in mind when they designed the garage; not a place to put your car, but a place to store a second refrigerator, install bike racks, shelving, old books, gardening and landscaping equipment, a broken heated dog bed, and anything and everything else you might want to keep but don’t need in the house.

Unfortunately, despite the best intentions, this often leads to a familiar situation: a garage full of….junk! Well, maybe not exactly junk, but when it’s all thrown together with no rhyme of reason, it certainly starts looking like a bunch of junk, even if smack dab in the middle of that junk is something valuable like an old CZ Eternity Ring from your first marriage.

Anyhow:

So where do we get started when we are trying to set up a garage storage system for all these items?

At the Garage Storage Systems Guide, we will advise one thing to you before all else: take an inventory of everything in your garage first, and divide it into two pile – a pile of items you use and a pile of items you don’t use. This a kinder way of saying we are going to keep the first pile and sell, donate, or trash everything in the second pile? (And on that point, why not consider having an online garage sale? I mean do you really need to keep those moving blankets you bought when you first moved into the house 10 years ago?)

This serves a dual purpose for preparing for a real garage storage system. First you’ll find you have a lot more space to work with if you get rid of everything you don’t actually need, and secondly, it’ll be much easier to organize that items you will keep when you don’t have as many items in general. (Added bonus: you might walk away with a couple hundred dollars after selling those unused items. That money can go a long way in purchasing some garage shelving and storage units, but more on this later.)

After taking an inventory of what we will keep, we then need to come up with a plan to organize it. What sort of storage units would serve best? For bikes, we can install bike rakes. For loose items, shelving units. For landscaping items, closet shelves or steel shelving units work well, as well as a place to hang watering hoses and other watering equipment. Ceiling racks and top shelf units work wonders for keeping items off the floor – what do you have that you would like to move out of the way?

And let’s not forget how helpful simple things like plastic storage bins can be in grouping up loose items, not to mention they are a great form of cheap storage!

Once an inventory is made in this way, you can start looking at garage shelving and storage items and make an educated purchase, organize your storage, and then…hey, maybe you can fit your car back in the garage.

A Look at the Different Types of Garage Shelves Out There

If you can only do one thing and one thing only in your quest to organize that crazy mess in the garage storage space, purchasing a good sized garage storage shelf is the best thing you can do for the time, money, and effort required. The absence of a shelf almost guarantees that your garage will be messy – how exactly could these items be organized without anywhere to put them?

Luckily, there are a lot of options on the table when it comes to garage shelving units. It’s simple enough to go to any big box store such as Target, Walmart, Lowes, or Home Depot and purchase a 5 shelf rack for little money.

On the low end you can easily find cheaper wooden (and probably not solid wood) and metal wire and metal mesh shelves for sale which  can hold a lot of items but not be able to take a lot of weight of wear and tear. This type of shelf is best for simple items like pottery and landscaping equipment, childrens toys, extra solar powered garden lights waiting to be put to good use, extra or old clothes, all items which often make it into the garage!

If it’s possible, in the long run it is worth spending $50-100 for a solid shelf that can hold a lot of weight. This will give you a versatile and lifetime shelving unit to place pretty much anything you want inside, including heavy tools, concrete, dirt, and so on. Those purchasing lightly designed shelves will create a safety hazard if heavy objects are placed on those shelves – and many are suprised to find out just how much stuff they can fit on the shelves, as long as the shelves can take the weight.

There are also some perks available with many  shelving units – such as covered doors over the shelves. For those seeking to lose the eyesore of having a lot of stuff, even if it is on a shelfand organized, look for these closed units to keep things looking clean and tidy.

The biggest perk of them all offered by garage storage racks is the option of using wall and ceiling mounted racks. This will naturally cost a little bit more but of course the trade off is that garage floor space will be cleared up and can be used for other purposes – or, even better, no purpose at all and will remain clean and clear!