So you bought a shed or built one to put all your stuff in but it seems that everything ends up in a pile in the corner and it is just as bad as when it was all in your garage. Well in an afternoon with a few tools you can put your storage in order and finally stop tripping over the lawn mower every time you need a rake or shovel.
How far you want to go with this project is up to you but because YouRepair is always budget minded we will resort to using some scrap lumber that we harvested out of a construction dumpster (with permission) and few dollars worth of odds and ends that we either had or got at our local building supplier.
The first thing to do is build some shelves. This will let us get our tools and planting pots and other small things out of the way and give us more room to store stuff.
Using 2x4s we build a frame for the shelves. First we nail the 2×4 onto the roof rafter of the shed and then toe nail it into a 2×4 we used for a bottom plate. Next we install 2x4s along the inside of our uprights to support the edge of the plywood that will be our shelves. We also install 2x4s on each side of our uprights to support the short edge of the shelf.
Once the frame is in place we start cutting our scrap plywood to fit the shelf area. Notice that we left out a few of the upper shelves in front of the window to create a work area and to provide easy access to the window.
As you can see some of our scrap lumber still has danger red paint on it but we will paint the shelves later.
Once we assemble the shelves we can paint them and start filling them with stuff.
You really don’t want to make a big deal out of this after all most of the items that will be on the shelves will cause scratches, dents, dirt to accumulate. If you have some tools that you want to store that run on gasoline you might want to line the shelf with plastic painters tarp material 10 mil should work great. It is also good to protect shelves where you store paint or pesticides.
Pesticides should be stored away from ground level so small children can’t get at them but don’t store them at or above your own eye levelbecause grabbing a can could cause a splash in your face and eyes. If needed you can always box in a shelf and put a lock on it so the kids won’t get to it.
Tool Racks
There are as many different ways to store your tools as there are tools to store but in your shed shovels, rakes, brooms and other garden tools often end up leaning in a corner and the one you need is always in the back.
To help cure this problem there are some great tool racks that can be attached to pegboard or directly to a stud that will carry your different items. You should probably stay away from the ones that have you hang rakes upside down with the forks sticking out at eye level. You don’t want to trip in the shed and end up with a rake stuck in the side of your head. So, hang the tools with the handle up and working end down towards the floor.
Because most of our tools already have open handles or holes we have drilled in the end to be hung on a peg we are using standard single post pegs. This is probably the least expensive way to get the job done but it works.
Pegboard is relatively cheap and its the only wood product we had to buy for this project.
Final Note
As you can see cost was a deciding factor for this project and we made use of a number of items we already had in the shed and would have just had to find a place for if we didn’t use them to build shelves.
You project should fit your needs and you might want to use a metal or plastic shelving unit already built. This is fine but remember that you need to secure it to the wall of your shed so it won’t tip over. Most items you will store on your shelves will be heavy and some may contain toxic chemicals so be careful.
As for making use of scrap lumber. This is a great idea if you get permission and most contractors will be happy to let you grab scrap out of their dumpster if you ask permission first. Whatever you save from going to the dump will reduce their tipping fee and it will also conserve resources. Ah forget all of that its free grab it if you have a home being built in your area.
The YouRepair Store Carries a variety of shelving and storage items for your next project.