We have about 20 bays of metal shelving in two basement storage rooms. The more I built the more clutter we saved. But that’s not the point of this post.
The boxed metal ones have about 100 nuts and bolts to assemble the uprights, shelves and braces. The first one takes about an hour to assemble. After that they take about half an hour to build, if you have an electric screwdriver or nut driver and a large work table. Building them on the floor kills the back. The finished 5 shelf, bay is about 5 1/2 feet tall by 3 feet wide and 15 inches deep. They are labeled as 6 foot bays, but if you don’t overlap the uprights, they will be flimsy and twist.
As no concrete basement or garage floor is level, you will need spacers under the feet of the bays to level them or they may pitch forward when loaded. I cut 4 inch squares out of 1/8 inch hardboard. Heavy items should always be stored on the bottom shelves.
The metal (tin plate really) shelves are not all that strong, dent easily, and prone to rusting. I added painted plywood on the shelves Penny uses for her potted plants to keep the rust at bay. When the two bays of metal shelving in the garage began to rust; she told me take them apart and put them out at the curb. Being tight, I took them apart, spent hours wire brushing the rust off, straightened the dents, spent $30 on a gallon of rust paint, hours painting them, put them back together, and they look like _ _ _ _ .
She showed me some plastic ones at Wally Mart. One bay was the same price as my gallon of paint and less expensive than a metal one. I bought a couple for the garage. They tapped together with a rubber mallet in a couple of minutes. They are stronger than the metal ones in every way and won’t rust. They are 6 feet tall, by 3 feet wide and 17 inches deep.
In the spring I take everything out of my garage so I can spray wash winter’s road salt and sand off the floor. You can pick up the plastic shelves and move them without them twisting like the metal ones. Because they won’t rust or peel, I wash them with the spray washer and let them dry in the driveway.
If you move to a new house, unlike the metal ones these are easy to disassemble. Just tap them apart with a rubber mallet. The shelves stack square and the uprights and feet fit between the shelves. A couple of turns of hockey shin pad tape at each end will hold a stack together.
A bay of either type will hold 10 (38 liter) plastic storage containers. I only use 8 and store long items across the top shelves of adjacent bays. Plastic storage bins are preferred because cardboard boxes will gather moisture from the air, smell and deteriorate after being stored for a while. Plastic bins can also be used to store tools and other heavy items, and are easily washed when dirty. They are waterproof when capped and can be stacked without crushing when being moved.
Penny prints computer labels for her storage containers. They can be removed with a cotton ball moistened with denatured alcohol (methyl hydrate) or WD-40 when the contents are changed seasonally. The dollar deodorizers some people hang from their rearview mirrors can be taped to the inside of the lid, to keep clothes smelling fresh during storage.
The boxed metal ones have about 100 nuts and bolts to assemble the uprights, shelves and braces. The first one takes about an hour to assemble. After that they take about half an hour to build, if you have an electric screwdriver or nut driver and a large work table. Building them on the floor kills the back. The finished 5 shelf, bay is about 5 1/2 feet tall by 3 feet wide and 15 inches deep. They are labeled as 6 foot bays, but if you don’t overlap the uprights, they will be flimsy and twist.
As no concrete basement or garage floor is level, you will need spacers under the feet of the bays to level them or they may pitch forward when loaded. I cut 4 inch squares out of 1/8 inch hardboard. Heavy items should always be stored on the bottom shelves.
The metal (tin plate really) shelves are not all that strong, dent easily, and prone to rusting. I added painted plywood on the shelves Penny uses for her potted plants to keep the rust at bay. When the two bays of metal shelving in the garage began to rust; she told me take them apart and put them out at the curb. Being tight, I took them apart, spent hours wire brushing the rust off, straightened the dents, spent $30 on a gallon of rust paint, hours painting them, put them back together, and they look like _ _ _ _ .
She showed me some plastic ones at Wally Mart. One bay was the same price as my gallon of paint and less expensive than a metal one. I bought a couple for the garage. They tapped together with a rubber mallet in a couple of minutes. They are stronger than the metal ones in every way and won’t rust. They are 6 feet tall, by 3 feet wide and 17 inches deep.
In the spring I take everything out of my garage so I can spray wash winter’s road salt and sand off the floor. You can pick up the plastic shelves and move them without them twisting like the metal ones. Because they won’t rust or peel, I wash them with the spray washer and let them dry in the driveway.
If you move to a new house, unlike the metal ones these are easy to disassemble. Just tap them apart with a rubber mallet. The shelves stack square and the uprights and feet fit between the shelves. A couple of turns of hockey shin pad tape at each end will hold a stack together.
A bay of either type will hold 10 (38 liter) plastic storage containers. I only use 8 and store long items across the top shelves of adjacent bays. Plastic storage bins are preferred because cardboard boxes will gather moisture from the air, smell and deteriorate after being stored for a while. Plastic bins can also be used to store tools and other heavy items, and are easily washed when dirty. They are waterproof when capped and can be stacked without crushing when being moved.
Penny prints computer labels for her storage containers. They can be removed with a cotton ball moistened with denatured alcohol (methyl hydrate) or WD-40 when the contents are changed seasonally. The dollar deodorizers some people hang from their rearview mirrors can be taped to the inside of the lid, to keep clothes smelling fresh during storage.
