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So that the “good” in the garage does not interfere with the movement, it is necessary to somehow organize its storage. The most convenient shelving for the garage. If there is enough space, they can be made on the entire wall or even on several walls. If there is no place below, you will have to move upstairs – to make shelves under the ceiling. Not the best option, but sometimes the only one. Still, shelving in the garage standing on the floor is safer, especially if they are securely attached to the wall (to avoid unpleasant situations).
Which rack is better: welded or bolted
Shelving for the garage is made of wood and metal. Wooden mostly non-separable – on nails and self-tapping screws. They are usually installed permanently, fixed to the wall. Metal racks can be welded. Then they are indestructible. There are racks on bolted connections. These structures are mobile and can be disassembled if necessary. Their disadvantage is insufficient rigidity, since there is always some backlash in such a connection. To make the structure more stable, it is attached to the walls. To do this, metal plates with a hole can be welded (bolted) to the extreme racks. Drive a crutch into this hole (after drilling a hole of a slightly smaller diameter in the wall).
Both welded and bolted shelving for the garage serve well, but welded structures are more common. The collapsible option is chosen in two cases. The first is that it is possible to move to another garage and all the equipment will have to be transported, and the structure weighs hundreds of kilograms, so it is problematic to move it entirely. The second is that there is no possibility or desire to use welding (if the garage racks are made by hand). The rest usually prefer welded ones – they are more stable and, with welding experience, are assembled faster.
On sale there are still metal racks made of perforated corners. They are also mobile and can be disassembled, but they are connected using hooks (on the crossbars) and grooves (on the racks). Such storage systems are convenient – you can rearrange the shelves to the desired height. Their disadvantage is that they are expensive.
Designs and dimensions
Structurally, shelving for the garage consists of racks, crossbars and shelves. Sometimes, to increase rigidity, transverse puffs are also made on the back side – two steel strips welded / screwed diagonally to the extreme racks. They compensate for side loads increasing overall stability and reliability.
Dimensions – the height and depth of the shelves – are chosen almost arbitrarily – depending on what you intend to store. The only thing that needs to be carefully selected is the span length – the distance between the racks in one section. It depends on the stiffness of the material you decide to use: the shelves should not sag even when fully loaded. For heavy things / objects, the span is about 1,5 meters, if the load is not too large, the distance can be increased to 2 meters, but it’s definitely not worth doing more. If you need a longer garage rack, put intermediate racks, the distance between which can still not be more than 2 meters.
A few words about the height of the shelves in the rack. The lowest shelf can be raised from the floor level by 50-70 cm (even more if desired). This is where the heaviest items are usually placed. The rest of the shelves can be made at different heights, 30 cm is inconvenient and impractical. In general, a 1,5 liter plastic bottle should optimally fit on a shelf, and this is 35-37 cm. This distance is convenient for use.
Of what do
As already mentioned, shelving for the garage is made of wood and metal. Wooden ones are lighter in weight, it is easier to work with wood, but they do not withstand such heavy loads. Metal ones are heavier (many times heavier), but an elephant can also be laid on them.
There is also the issue of price. Rolled metal is not cheap at all these days. If you buy everything in the market or in a store, at the price of one rack (along with consumables) you will cost almost the same amount as the finished one. The only real way to save money is to buy metal at the metal base in whole whips (there are 6 m and 12 m), and then cut into pieces of the desired length. Slicing can be right at the base, you will have to pay extra for services, but the amounts are very small. In this case, you will be able to reduce costs by about 20-30%.
Lumber is less expensive than metal. But do not think that the costs will be small: you will have to buy high-quality wood without knots, and this is the “elite” or “premium” class with a corresponding price tag. So it won’t be very cheap.
Of wood
Operating conditions in the garage are far from the best – high humidity, frost, alternate freezing / freezing, sometimes hot. Not very good for wood. Therefore, all material must be treated with antibacterial and protective compounds before work. Take wood products for outdoor use, as conditions in an unheated garage are more like them. You can choose a tool that simultaneously tints the surface to be treated and your product can not be painted. After processing, the materials are dried and only then work begins.
When connecting parts of a wooden shelving, you can use the standard methods for carpenters – in a quarter or half-paw. If this is difficult for you, you can also nail butt, and use metal corners and / or overhead plates to reinforce the connections.
Another point: it is better to connect on nails, and not on self-tapping screws. It turns out more stable, less connections “loose”. If you choose the option with reinforcement with plates, they can be mounted on self-tapping screws.
Now in terms of size: for racks, a beam of 50 * 50 mm is usually used, for the crossbars, you can use the same beam or a little thinner – 50 * 30 mm. Flooring is made from:
- boards with a thickness of at least 21 mm;
- moisture resistant plywood with a thickness of 10 mm;
- laminated chipboard;
- OSB.
The cheapest are board and plywood. Laminated chipboard is much more expensive, but it does not need to be painted, and this is a good plus. In order not to spend a lot, you can take the first and last sheets in a pack at the bases – they are scratched and are much cheaper.
Another point: the side cut remains open on the shelves made of chipboard. If it is not processed, when the humidity rises, the chips will swell, the shelf will warp. To prevent this from happening, coat the edges with silicone. With such processing, nothing will happen to chipboard.
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If you decide to make metal shelving for the garage, the choice of materials is wider – there are two options for rolled metal, plus standard storage solutions (perforated corners). You can also use metal parts designed for other purposes – for example, steel cable racks or cable channels that are used in communication are suitable.
So, what is the frame of a metal shelving in the garage made of:
- From a metal corner with a metal thickness of 3-4 mm. The width of the corner shelf is 25-45 cm, depending on the planned loads. Durable, but metal-intensive material, weighs a lot, is expensive.
- Profile pipe (rectangular in section). With a lower metal consumption (less wall thickness), compared to a metal corner, it has better elasticity characteristics (it is more difficult to bend), and is more resistant to torsion. Approximate dimensions for racks 50 * 50 mm or 40 * 40 mm, for cross bars 50 * 25 mm or 40 * 25 mm, respectively.
- Racks are made from a professional pipe, and crossbars from a corner. The thickness of the metal is 2-3 mm, the width of the shelf is 25 mm or more. Unfold the corner so that the flooring to be laid is like in a “nest”.
The flooring on the shelves is made from the same materials as for a wooden rack (board, plywood, OSB, chipboard), only sometimes non-standard options are added, which are used sharply with a wooden frame due to the high mass – sheet metal.
The board remains optimal for most regions – a reliable, not very expensive material. It is necessary to take sexual, without knots (with a minimum of knots) with a thickness of 21 mm or more. Treat with antiseptics, then paint.
Plus metal shelves – high reliability with a small thickness, cons – price, weight and “loudness”. They also need to be painted, but first they must be cleaned of rust, then go through with a rust converter and primer, then paint and preferably in two layers. Also, by the way, it is necessary to process the metal frame. Then the rack in the garage will not rust.
Features of the assembly of metal racks
Metal racks can be welded or bolted together. There are usually no issues with welding. If a corner is used, it can be overlapped – a difference of 3-5 mm when laying the shelves is invisible. If you wish, you can cut out the excess in one of the shelves, butt-weld, but trimming takes a lot of time, and you still won’t see much difference.
With the assembly of the frame for the bolted shelving, the procedure is as follows: first, the squares of the sidewalls and shelves are assembled separately, then they are twisted together. At least two bolts are desirable for each connection – for greater rigidity (less backlash).
If you assemble racks for a garage from a profile pipe with your own hands, the procedure is different. First, the sidewalls are assembled, short crossbars are attached to them. It turns out two rectangles with crossbars. Then they are connected by crossbars.
How to make connections, see the photo. In one case, welding is still needed – to weld the “heel pad”, in the other you can do without it – cut out the “ears”, bend and cling to them.
There is another way – special crab systems. These are metal plates with grooves molded to fit the profile. Pipes are laid in the grooves, then two plates are pulled together with bolts.
Such a connection is unlikely to withstand very large loads, but there is an undeniable plus – you do not need to drill a bunch of holes in the metal. In a profiled pipe, this is certainly easier than in a thick-walled corner, but it still takes a lot of time and effort.
By the way, the bolts are used M8 or M6, respectively, large holes are required for them. It is easier to first drill with a thin drill, then expand to the desired size with a thick one. But even with this order, you will need a solid amount of drills. So that they overheat less and break less often, put a jar of water next to it, periodically lower the drill there.
Layout, schemes, drawings, ideas
In the garage, you need not only a rack, but also a workbench and a stand for hand tools – all kinds of keys and other small things, which are many and it is difficult to come up with some specific convenient storage place.
The workbench can be made in the center of the rack. This is convenient – everything you need will be at hand, you do not have to constantly go to the shelves.
The workbench can be part of the system, or you can make two separate modules, between which you can install the required table. If you don’t like this arrangement, you can change the configuration – at least put it at an angle.
As for the tool stand. There is a factory option – a perforated sheet of metal with holders hung on it. The idea is very good, except for the price.
As usual, there are also a few DIYs (what a garage without them) on the same topic. The ideas are simple to implement, maybe not so elegant, but convenient:
- On boards, a sheet of chipboard, plywood, stuff nails under each tool. In order not to get confused where to hang something, circle the tool in place and paint over it with some color.
Everything is in order and in its place - For heavier equipment – large wrenches, etc. you can use a mesh on which to weld hooks from a drag. Attach the mesh to the wall.
Option for heavier and bulkier tools - Make a bar with holes cut in it, into which tools are lowered.
This DIY tool stand is easy to make.
And if desired, all this can be put on wheels – make the stand for the tool mobile. This is the case if in the warm season you prefer to work with the machine on the street.
Well, for inspiration … so that in general all the tools are in place))
