Custom garage shelves

 

Custom Garage Shelves

Like most other houses in our builder grade, track home neighborhood, our home has a TINY 2 car garage. But we have a suburban (5 kids) and lots of DIY tools, so shelves were a top priority for that husband. And me, so I don't have to scrape my windshield.

So here's your tutorial on how to make custom shelves for your garage!

The best part of these shelves is that they don't sit on the floor. Translation: more space for parking. Those industrial type shelves you can buy are super expensive and take up space. These shelves can go all the way to the ceiling, in any measurement you want. That husband used to be a framer by trade, so he understands all the logistics to measuring/leveling/constructing. I was super helpful. He taught me how to use a chop saw this weekend, so I'm feeling pretty important now. 

The pictures in the tutorial are from the second set he built on the left of the garage. They measure 57 inches across. The picture above is from the first shelves he built on the right side. They're a little longer, so you'll see 3 supports underneath each shelf, rather than the 2 supports on the tutorial. There's no specific measurement for how often you need a support. But the span for just the 2 supports is fine (based on that husband's really professional 'testing method'. He claims it proves how sure he is of his work. Whatevs. I quit telling him to not do anything stupid shortly after marrying him).

Tutorial

Start with a level. Hold it where you want your actual shelf to sit. Draw a line. It doesn't need to be as long as the shelf. Just the length of the level will do. 

Measure your piece of wood that will go under the shelf to support the back. We used a ripped (translation- cut length wise using a skill saw, or a table saw if you have it. We don't, but that husband says he's a real life table saw. That's how skilled he is. He also said it's called a skill saw because it takes so much skill to use well. So he wasn't going to teach me how to use it. That marital argument lasted a while until I used the chop saw. I think I'll pass on the skill saw for now. Large tools kind of scare me. I'd probably cut my foot off. Snaps for you if you use a skill saw. I'm just the idea person.)

BUT, if you can't rip a 2 x 4, you can purchase wood already that size (a 1 x 4?) Or use a full 2 x 4 turned flat against the wall.

Either way, use your nail gun to put nails along the wood. Make sure to get the nail into the studs. This is easy to do in the garage because you can see the drywall mud lines and screws where they secured the drywall to the studs (translation: studs are the wood used to build the garage walls).

You can also see that husband measuring the distance between the bottom shelf and the top of the now secured wood support. He measures a lot. He always says to measure twice and cut once. I think he just feels important using his favorite tape measure (a fat Max, if memory serves) and pretends to measure things while he's thinking about what to do next.

Now use your level against the edge of the wood support to draw a line against the wall. This will be where the shelf sits, so you will secure the angled support against this line.

Take a 2 x 6 and cut it like a trapezoid (not that husband's words, but I do shapes and colors all day with my kids, so...). 

The support doesn't need to go all the way to the edge of the shelf, and it's actually better if it doesn't. 

He just held a 2 x 6 up and guestimates a length. Then set the short piece of wood on the chop saw. Line up the end with the area where the blade cuts. Adjust the bottom lever to 45 degrees. Then cut the angle. Move the lever to the opposite side, then cut the angle however far down the board you want it to be. I think they were like 27 inches, and he had some fancy word for the long angle measurement vs the short angle, but I wasn't paying attention. What I DO know, is that after you cut one brace, then you lay it on the remaining 2 x 6 and draw lines along the angle. Then you have a bunch of pre measured brackets and you can cut along the line. 

Now use your nail gun to secure the wood brace to the wall. Line it up with the line you drew, and slide it back until it is flush with the wall. Nail into the studs.

The shelf. We lucked out because my husband is in construction and was demolishing this old house and got these old shelving pieces for free. But he said you could use particle board or mdf or whatever you want. He left it the depth it already was and then cut it with a skill saw at 57 inches (same length as the ripped 2 x 4 supporting the back of it). 

He checked it with a level on top after he set the shelf on the back support and angled brace, then used the nail gun to secure it. Shoot nails from the top of the shelf down into the brace and back support. 

Now take the other angled brace and hold it under each the other end place the level on top of the shelf and push it flush with the wall. Push the top against the shelf until the level shows level (translation: the bubble is in the middle of the lines) and secure the brace with nails. To do this, shoot nails at an angle from the side of the wood into the wall. (note- he didn't put the angled brace all the way at the end of the shelf. Instead, he lined it up with the last stud in the wall. NEVER secure the nails just to drywall- the shelf will most certainly fall.) Lastly, shoot nails from the top of the shelf into the top of the angled brace.

Voila! Now lean against your shelf to make sure it's secure. Not really. Don't do that. That husband is skilled, but our interactions often remind me of the 100 times a day I tell my toddler not to climb onto precarious things. But who am I to argue with his handy work?

Now I can park in my garage! Literally my only contribution here was using the chop saw and agreeing that each shelf was, indeed, level. I hope your own shelves turn out great! We welcome any questions or comments, but not suggestions (kidding! we love suggestions and requests for project tutorials).

-amber and that husband