How to Build Garage Storage Racks

Other than perhaps the basement, there's no area of a house more likely to get piled with junk than the garage. Because the garage is expected to hold the family cars in addition, that can make for some serious clutter. Here's a way to build a heavy-duty wall shelving unit that will help you form some semblance of organization in your garage.

Things You'll Need

• 9 2-by-4-by-8s
• Box of 3-inch galvanized nails or wood screws
• Cordless drill or hammer
• Plywood (for shelving)
• 1-1/2 wood screws for attaching shelves

Instructions

1. Find a good wall for the storage rack. The above listed 2-by-4s are merely for a 4-by-4 storage rack. In order to build a bigger rack, more wood will be required. The best way to ensure that your storage rack is going to be longstanding is to have a portion of it affixed to the wall, preferably by screws. That means open wall space.

2. Build your frame. Start by cutting your 2-by-4s so that you can make three rectangles of the same size. Many times, the width and depth of your storage rack will depend on the area you are working with and what works best in that space. Just make sure that all three of your rectangles are screwed or nailed together and are the same size.

3. Attach four of your 2-by-4-by-8s to the outside of the three rectangles. The rectangles will become your stabilizers for the unit as well as supports for your shelves. If you want more shelves, you can either build more rectangles or attach additional supports to the wall-mounted structure.

4. Stand the skeleton shelving structure on end so that it stands 8 feet from top to floor. Place the shelving unit against the wall that you've chosen for the unit, making sure that the unit is level and not overly wobbly.

5. Screw the unit to the wall. There are two things that will provide stability to your storage rack. One of them happens when you attach the unit to the wall. Screw the 2-by-4 supports to the wall into the frame boards/studs beneath the drywall, otherwise the rack can pull off the wall without any trouble. You should have no problems lining up at least one of your 2-by-4 supports to the internal frame boards. If you need more area to attach with, you can attach at your rectangles, slipping a properly cut 2-by-4 between the rectangle and the wall, attaching to the wall first and then to the shelf frame.

6. Add your shelves. Your rectangles create great support ledges for putting shelves on. Measure the size from front to back and side to side and then cut the plywood to fit. You can then screw the plywood down to the supports with small 1-1/2 inch wood screws. If your rack is fairly large or you plan on putting a lot of weight on a shelf, add additional supports through your rectangles before you put your plywood on. Ideally, you should do this before you attach the rectangles to the 2-by-4s.

Tips & Warnings

• 2-by-3s can be used as substitutes to 2-by-4s. If you want a higher shelf, use 2-by-4-by-10s or even 12s if you have that high of a ceiling. Always use screws when attaching your shelving unit to the wall. There's less chance of the unit pulling off the wall.