Are you wasting valuable project time sifting through boxes, trying to find the perfect tool or your favorite color of paint? Are your paint supplies buried under piles of rubble? Do you find yourself searching for hours in the pantry for supplies? Solve this problem by adding open storage shelves to your pantry, garage, workshop, or garden shed.
Open shelves offer the versatility of access from all 4 sides. If you have a few items that need additional protection from dust, you can configure your assembly with door and drawer cases. Storage drawers can be a great place for tools, valuables, or other small items. Adding drawers to an open storage shelving unit can increase the storage space by as much as 50 percent, as compared to open shelves alone.
Shelf Unit Storage
Most drawers are designed to have 100 percent extension capability so you can access those hard to reach items located in the back of the drawer. Add dividers to each drawer so you can organize your inventory and separate small parts. With capacities as high as 200 pounds per drawer you can load them up with heavy nuts and bolts and other hardware.
Add an open storage shelf to any closet in your home to create a great place to store shoes, books, sweaters, and archive your winter or summer clothing when out of season. Place a shelving rack in your home office to store supplies like paper, folders, and boxes. Lest we forget the pantry, with your new storage shelves installed you can buy in bulk and have a place to store cases of soda, paper towels, and family sized packages of food goods. Keep a supply of bottled water on the shelf for that next emergency or power outage.
Wine connoisseur's can take advantage of the weight capacity of heavy-duty shelves to store cases of their favorite vintage and increase the storage capacity in their wine cellar. Use your skill saw to add an open wine rack to the upper 2 shelves so you can display your preferred brands.
For industrial applications, heavy-duty shelves are available with storage capacities as high as 3000 pounds per shelf. These high-capacity units are excellent for storing heavy dies, large castings, or heavy tools and equipment. For home use, this style of shelving can handle multiple bags of sand, fertilizer, or concrete.
The shelves of these robust shelving assemblies are constructed of 14 gauge and feature a four-sided, 2 inch deep channel for added strength. These heavy-duty shelves also feature a formed channel support on the underside to limit deflection under heavy load. The vertical angles of these shelves are a stout, 13 gauge steel.
Most metal shelving is protected by a durable powder coat finish. This coating not only looks great but it will stand up to harsh conditions for long periods of time. Typical sizes range from 18 inch deep x 36 inches wide x 72 inches tall up to units that are 24 inches deep x 72 inches wide x 96 inches tall and everything in between.
Our Top 10 Open Shelving Tips:
For the safety of sensitive or valuable loads, anchor the top of your free-standing open shelving unit to the wall of your garage or shed. Separate the upper and lower sections of a 60 inch wide storage rack to create a heavy-duty 10 foot long work bench. Your new workbench will include storage space below for tools and supplies. Add heavy-duty casters to the four corners of your open shelve storage unit to create a portable workbench or cart. This is a great idea for maintenance personal or for automotive work. Exchange the casters for oversized wheels and your open shelve storage unit becomes a garden cart with all of your garden tools and supplies at your fingertips. For aesthetics, cover the front of the shelves with a color coordinated curtain. This will also reduce the dust that may otherwise accumulate on the shelves. Add stacking bins on a few shelves to increase the storage space. Add a backboard to the pantry shelves so you don't push items off the backside of the storage unit. You can also build a raised shelf for the rear storage area to improve the visibility of canned goods. Consolidate similar items in wire baskets or bins to keep your storage space organized. Add "S" hooks to the front of the shelves to hang garden tools, pots and pans, or shop tools. Place 2 shelving units back to back to create a deep space for larger items.