How to Make Garage Shelving

Garage shelves can create hundreds of square feet of organized storage space. Though you can spend more than $100 on a heavy-duty shelf console, you can build your own wall-mounted garage shelves for a fraction of that. One nice thing about garage shelving is that since garages aren't generally public spaces, you can make cosmetic mistakes without worrying what guests will think of your furniture. This, plus the simple nature of the job itself, makes garage shelves a good first foray into do-it-yourself furniture.

Things You'll Need

• Stud finder
• Hammer or nail gun
• Power drill with screwdriver bits
• Power saw
• Level
• 3 plywood sheets per shelf, 1/2 by 12 by 12 inches
• 1 plank per shelf, 1 by 12 by 96 inches
• 9 nails per shelf, 1 1/2 inch long
• 9 screws per shelf, 3 inches long

Instructions

1. Knock the walls, test with a nail or slide a stud finder across the wall to find the studs in the section of your garage wall where you intend to hang your shelves. In many garages, the studs are exposed.

2. Cut all three 12-by-12-inch plywood squares in half along the diagonal with a power saw, creating six triangles with two 12-inch-long sides.

3. Set up two triangles at 90 degrees to each other. Two 12-inch sides should press together, with the other 12-inch sides level with each other. Nail them together with three evenly spaced nails, driven through the face of one triangle into the edge of the other triangle with a hammer or nail gun. This forms the wall bracket you'll lay your shelf on. Repeat this step twice more so you'll have three brackets.

4. Mount one bracket on the stud farthest to the left. Place it against the stud with one triangle flush against the stud and one projecting out from the wall. Screw it in place with three evenly spaced screws and a power drill with screwdriver bits, driven through the plywood and into the stud behind.

5. Mount the second bracket two studs to the right of the first bracket, using your level to make sure it's even with the first. Use three screws as you did with the first. Mount the third bracket in the same manner, two studs to the right of the second.

6. Lay the plank on top of the brackets. A standard, 8-foot plank will overlap the outside brackets by about 10 inches on each side. You don't need to secure the plank to the brackets. Gravity and the weight of the items you store on it should be enough to hold it in place.

7. Repeat steps 2 through 6 to build additional shelves.

Tips & Warnings

• If you plan to store particularly heavy items, such as books and tools, consider adding two extra brackets mounted on the studs you skipped.

References

• Gene Brick, Furniture Hobbyist, Hillsboro, Oregon
• "Step-by-Step Basic Carpentry;" Ben Allen; 1997