Installing garage shelving is a handy way to store items generally used outside as well as items that are unsavory to store indoors like paint thinners and other noxious chemicals. Garage shelving is available in regular and heavy duty applications and can be wall or ceiling mounted. Using specialty brackets to hang items like bicycles and wheel barrows will help reduce the floor clutter in your garage.
Before selecting a garage shelving system to install, take an inventory of what you intend to store. If your storage is limited to lightweight cans, jars and a few odd pieces of sports equipment, a couple of simple, lightweight shelves mounted to the wall may be all that you require.
If your storage plans include bicycles, wheelbarrows, automotive supplies, lawn tools and more, you likely need to install a more extensive garage shelving system with brackets specially designed to hold some of the more cumbersome items.
Installation Process
The installation processes for some of the most popular garage shelving systems are described below.
Wall Mounted Garage Shelves
The first step in the installation process for wall shelves is to measure your garage space and determine approximately where each shelf or bracket will be placed. Once you have scoped out the general location of a specific shelf system or bracket, find the nearest wall stud using an electronic sensor or by knocking on the wall. Once you locate a wall stud, move across the room in a straight line in the direction the shelf will be placed and find a corresponding stud to the inside of where the shelf’s opposite end will be. The standards will be secured in these locations
Measure the distance from ceiling down to establish the points on the wall where the shelf standard will be secured with screws on each side. Mark those places with pencil.
Drill a hole at each mark and insert a wall anchor. For drywall, use plastic wall anchors; for cinderblock use lead anchors. If your drywall walls are thick enough and you are sure you will never want to remove the shelves, you can substitute butterfly bolts for the wall anchors.
Place the shelf standards against the wall and screw into place. Insert the shelf brackets.
Place shelves on the shelf brackets.
Ceiling Mounted Garage Shelves
The actual installation of ceiling mounted garage shelves is much like the installation of wall shelves. However you will first need to check your ceiling to make sure it is sturdy enough to handle the weight of a ceiling mounted shelf. Placing a ceiling mounted shelf against a wall allows for the option of securing the shelf bottom to the wall to take some of the load off the ceiling.
As with wall mounted garage shelf systems, you will want to screw your shelving into the stud. Use heavy duty mounting hardware designed for ceiling mounts.
Bike Brackets
The simplest bike brackets for hanging bikes on garage walls are secured with two screws to a single stud in the garage wall. Other bicycle storage systems mount to the ceiling much the same as a ceiling shelving system and allow you to lower the bicycle using a pulley.
Installing garage shelving systems will increase your usable garage space and make your garage easier to navigate.
Sources:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=pg&p;=Organize/homeorg_garage.html&ln;=ho; http://www.tidygarage.com/; http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-install-garage-shelving/index.html; http://www.home-garage-help.com/garageshelving.html; http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,550857,00.html; http://www.doityourself.com/stry/safely-install-your-garage-ceiling-shelf; http://www.garagedooropenerguide.com/garage-loft-storage.html.
