.svg "bostongarage")
If your garage is like a typical American’s, it is chock full of stuff. You enter and wonder where you can walk, much less how to find the things you need. The floor is covered in clutter, with a handful of plastic storage bins in the corner from the last time you tried to organize. There is probably a space in your garage that is almost completely bare, free for a wide variety of storage options. That area spans the garage walls and ceiling. When you truly optimize all the surface area of your garage, you may be surprised how much you can fit in an organized fashion.
Start With Overhead Storage
Even if you already have a few hooks and whatnot on the walls, you probably do not have anything on the ceiling. This is prime real estate, and you should use every inch of it as part of your garage makeover. Consider the many benefits of overhead storage:
- it gives you a place to put bulky but lightweight items
- you finally have a spot for those holiday decorations that occupy the floor
- larger bins fit comfortably, where they might take up too much space on the wall
Overhead storage is fairly easy to access, depending on the height of your ceiling. It hangs from the joists in the ceiling to provide very sturdy support for the storage. All you have to do is take a stepladder and put stuff away or get it out whenever you need to. You can place all kinds of lightweight items in overhead storage, such as decorations, outdoor patio cushions, camping gear, empty luggage, seasonal sports equipment and more. Put your skis and snowboards up there during the summer and bring them down during the winter. You can switch out the bins a few times a year, cycling out the gear you want and keeping the stuff you do not need right now out of your way.
Garage Wall Organization Options
With the ceiling space well-organized, you can turn your attention to the walls. While you can certainly select one type of garage wall organization, most people use a combination. Divide your garage up into a handful of zones, and then consider the storage that you need for each zone.
- Slat wall: For the ultimate garage where everything is easy to grab and go, you should consider getting slat wall storage. Slat wall is a series of sturdy panels that are attached to your garage walls. On each panel are slats that you can slide in all kinds of garage wall storage accessories. These include hooks, baskets and shelves. The slats are lined up to make sliding in and out very simple. Slat wall is ideal for tall items like rakes, because you can build them up to the ceiling. You can easily change out the accessories to rearrange the organization of your garage without a lot of extra work.
- Garage cabinets: Many people opt to add garage cabinets to their organization system. When combined with slat wall, custom cabinetry allows you to hide some of the things in your garage, while it still looks tidy and professional. The best part of the custom garage cabinets is that they are made precisely to your specifications, and are sturdy enough to hold some really heavy items. You can choose colors that match your home and garage décor, and get the right sizes for the types of things you want to store in them. You might select small drawers for hand tools and bits, or large cabinets to store your lawn equipment.
- Shelving: Garage shelves are an excellent compliment to cabinets, for the stuff you want to display or reach on a regular basis. Use shelving to show off some of your completed projects from your woodworking space, or to have a space to put instructional guides that you refer to frequently. The shelves are as strong as the cabinets, with colors and styles to match.
- Pegboards: Nobody enjoys rifling through a large toolbox to find what they need every day or a few times a week. For the hand tools you use most often, a pegboard may solve your problems. You can install a pegboard to fit in-between slat wall or cabinets, perhaps above your workbench or table. Arrange the pegs to provide a place for your hammer, cordless drill, and the wrenches you are always looking for.
- Hooks: You probably do not have nearly enough hooks in your garage. Sure, they hold up your ladders and hoses, but what else can they do? Just about anything. Hooks come in all different shapes and sizes. You can use them to hold up bikes, skis and snowboards. Select small hooks for tools, and larger hooks for rakes and shovels. The best part of a hook is that it keeps large pieces of equipment that would otherwise be on the floor. When they are on the wall, your family members have no excuse not to put things away, and you can stop worrying that the kids will trip over clutter during the winter.
Your garage is a rich mine full of space that you could use for extra storage. Finally, you can put things away and not be afraid that the neighbors will see your messy, cluttered garage. Just take advantage of overhead storage and garage wall storage like slat wall, garage cabinets, shelving, pegboards and hooks. To see how storage for your garage can really change your life, contact us today for a free garage wall organization consultation.
