Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
justretired_gw

Garage organization

justretired
15 years ago

Hi

Not sure if this is the correct place to post this but I will try. Our spring project is to totally organize our garage. The first thing we will do is to take everything out and put wallboard up on the 2 walls that have none. We plan to do lots of sorting (keep/throw/donate/yard sale). We will also paint the floor. What we really need help with are ideas for storage, tool hanging etc. Pictures (that would be great) or descriptions would be welcome.

Thanks in advance.

JR

Comments (6)

  • sylvanarrow
    15 years ago

    Don't forget the ceiling when you're looking into storage. Lots of season items can be put on racks up there.

    Some pictures of some overhead storage shelves in the blog link below.

    Here is a link that might be useful: overhead garage storage shelves

  • justretired
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks for the link, Sylvanarrow. We will for sure need to use every square inch! We are lucky in that our garage rafters were wallboarded creating an attic. However, we have to be careful what we store up there because it gets extremely hot in the summer. We worry about a fire......

    Still snowing where I live so the project has to wait. Hoping for sunshine and warm weather!!!!!!!

    JR

  • neesie
    15 years ago

    Remind yourselves to be ruthless. When we did a major cleaning we found stuff that we had been storing for so long! When we looked at it, it was a no-brainer to toss or recycle. My hubby originally wanted to build a pole barn on our acreage (for thousands of dollars!!!) and I convinced him that we really needed to be ruthless with the cleaning of the garage instead.

    We didn't buy any special organizers but DID replace some metal shelving with plastic. I know it sounds strange but the metal shelving (the kind that is about 6 feet tall and freestands on the floor) made rust spots on the floor. My hubby did take the time to prep the floor nicely and painted & sprinkled it to give it a nice terazzo effect. The plastic shelving units are much like the metal but won't rust. We divided our "stuff" into: plumbing, electrical, car maintenance, pool and gardening. Some areas needed more storage than others. Many a jar of rusty nails was thrown out! We called a friend to get their washing machine that we stored for three years (sheesh!) and I sold my grandmothers sewing machine for a song on Craigslist because I couldn't bear to put it in the trash.

    In the end we got familiar with the stuff that we kept and where we kept it. I wouldn't be adverse to getting nice organnizers in the future. When I see shows on professional organizing they do warn people not to buy organizing containers until they have sorted through their stuff first. When you know what you have to "keep" then you should figure out what container best suits your needs. We'll be tweeking our garage again when it warms up! Good luck with your project!

  • justretired
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks so much for your good ideas, neesie. Yes, we will have to be ruthless. When we are both in the mood for a project my husband and I can be pretty good about discarding unneeded or unwanted items. I am SO in agreement with your statement that it takes a good purging to get reacquainted with one's "stuff" and where we kept/will keep it!

    Also-great advice about waiting to buy containers, shelving etc. until we see what we have left after all is sorted etc. That is my favorite part, the actual organization so I would probably have gone out and bought a bunch of stuff that would have to be returned or exchanged.

    One more thing-can you tell me about your experience with painting the floor. Would power washing be enough prep or did you do something else? Also, was the paint mixed with sand or some abrasive so that it does not get slippery? We were in a garage this winter that was newly painted and dangerously slippery! We will not want to repeat our work-want to get it right the first time!

    Thanks.

    JR

  • ccintx
    10 years ago

    Bob,

    Do you have photos of how you store your screw drivers and pliers with PVC pipe?