Quick and Easy Garage Shelving

Is your garage overflowing with tools, holiday decorations, and random items you can’t find a place for? An efficient garage storage system makes all the difference. But rather than spending hundreds of dollars on metal or plastic shelves, why not build your own garage shelving out of lumber? Here’s how to tackle this weekend project without spending a fortune.

Why Build Your Own Garage Storage?

You could always buy pre-made shelves, but building your own storage solution often results in a superior product. Here’s why:

• Custom fit: You can build the shelves to fit precisely where you need them, whether that’s a small corner or an entire wall. You can also customize the shelf height and width based on the items you plan to store.
• Strength: Do you have heavy tots, paint cans, or other bulky items? DIY wood shelves make for heavy-duty garage storage. Simply buy thick plywood or OSB sheets to ensure they’re sturdy enough to hold it all.
• Affordability: Building shelves from scratch often costs less than buying pre-made units, especially if you already have the tools you need for the job.
• Satisfaction: Who doesn’t love looking at something they built with their own hands? It’s not nearly as fulfilling if you just set up pre-made shelves.

Materials

You don’t need much to build a basic set of wooden garage shelves, and you probably have a lot of these materials lying around. Here’s what you need to get started:

• 2x4 lumber
• Plywood or OSB sheets
• Measuring tape
• Saw
• Wood screws
• Drill
• Level
• Anchoring brackets or direct fasteners

Step-by-Step Guide to Building Shelving for Your Garage

1. Measure your space so you know exactly how much wood you need. Measure the height, width, and depth of the area you want to use for storage.
2. Cut your 2x4s to size with a saw. These will form the frame of your shelves, so be sure to cut enough pieces for the number of shelves you want.
3. Attach the 2x4s together using wood screws and a power drill to form the skeleton of the shelving unit. Make sure everything is level as you go.
4. Attach plywood or OSB sheets to the 2x4s to form the shelving surfaces.
5. Anchor the shelves to the studs in your garage wall with sturdy brackets or direct fasteners.
6. Load your shelves with everything from paint cans and power tools to gardening supplies and holiday decorations.

Stock Up on Lumber and Hardware

Ready to get building? Howe Lumber has the wood, tools, and supplies you need. As a family-owned, full-service lumber supplier, we’ve been helping DIYers like you tackle home improvement projects since 1965. If you don’t have a good transportation method, we offer local delivery to get your lumber to you fast. Contact us online or stop by our lumberyard in East Brookfield, MA, to see how we can support your next project.