When it comes to garage storage ideas, there are many things that you can do. Listed below are standard items that you will need to make your storage needs a breeze. After you have read through this list, you will have a better understanding of what types of storage options are available to you.

Wire Racks:

These are basically shelving made out of wiring. They are light weight, and come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them can even be hanged from the ceiling, or walls.

Pulleys:

If you have something heavy you need to hang, such as a kayak, or maybe a small boat, lawn mower, then using a pulley system will get it up and down with ease, and keep it sturdy, so that it doesn’t fall down.

Platforms:

If you have rafters in your garage, and I am sure you do, then you can build small platforms all over the place up there. They look like shelves, but are designed for larger objects, and increase floor space. You can use just a standard ladder to get up and down from these platforms. These are great if you have a detached garage.

Wall Boards:

Usually made from peg board, and are used to hang tools on. Usually power tools of some sort. They are light weight, and very inexpensive, so you won’t break the pocket book when buying them.

They will keep all sorts of things that you can hang up out of the way, and easy to find. It is a good idea to hang small things that you will use on a regular basis here.

Storage Bins:

These are bins, that are usually heavy duty, to store things in. Rubbermaid is a famous brand that makes them. Most of the times they either have a lid, or are a draw system for easy access. It all depends on how often you might need the things you put in them. If you think you might need to get at them quickly, then get the ones with drawers. They are still stackable, and make for easy storage.

Bike Hooks:

These are hooks designed to hang from either the rafters, or ceiling to hang your bike on. They are very easy to put up, and there are some out there that make it beyond easy, and just clip your bike in, and it holds it there in place.

Screw Storage Cabinet:

This is pretty self explanatory, you store nails, and lose screws in here. They have a ton of draws, and you can store other small objects in them as well. Most of the time it is see through draws, so that you can see what is inside, without having to open up all the draws to find what you are looking for.

Now that you have read through this list, you now know all the garage storage ideas that are available to you. All you have to do is plan out which ones are going to work best for you, and how you are going to go about implementing them. Remember through, always have a plan, and check it twice before you start.

If these ideas have wetted your appetite, to get to grips with your garage. Then garage storage shelves could be a great option plus using garage overhead storage could get your garage looking organized once more.

Author: Mat Claybourne
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Make PCB Assembly

Garage organizers make great gift ideas because they come in such a large variety of styles, colors, price ranges, and options. With the holiday season fast upon us, who isn’t looking for great gift ideas? Right, we all are. Consider these ideas and see if they help you find just the right thing for that special someone in your life.

Overhead Garage Organizers – These are sweet! Think about how much stuff you have that could easily be put up out of the way and forgotten about. Since it is stuff that is really only accessed one or two times every year anyway, you might as well. My favorite recommendation is the overhead platform. This is a spiffy contraption that allows you to load boxes and other items on a flat platform that is then hoisted up to the rafters. I put all my holiday decorations and keepsake boxes on there, lift it up out of the way, then basically forget about it for a year. Another popular option are bins that live on tracks that are mounted overhead. Same idea. Just load up the bins and put them up out of the way. Works great for items that only have to be accessed occasionally. Cabinet Garage Organizers – What can I say, these are the perennial classics of garage storage. These cabinets are available in so many configurations and styles that you are certain to find ones that would make great gifts. Most people really like metal cabinets because they are attractive and don’t require any maintenance other than maybe a squirt of lubricant on the hinges every couple years. Lots of space for storing tools, sandpaper, garden related items, or other items that you don’t want to look at on open shelving. Just load it up, close the doors and forget about it. Bins – These garage organizers are perfect for active families with lots of items to keep track of. All those sport balls, ski boots, roller blades, and other items that so often just get kicked to the side can now be stored in dedicated bins. These are great because they can easily be mounted on the wall at various heights to accommodate everyone in the family. Think how nice it would be to not have to trip all over soccer and basketballs every time you go into the garage. I can tell you from personal experience, this is a gift that anyone with kids would love! Fishing gear racks – Now here’s a novel idea. How about a place to store fishing gear in a way that will keep the hooks where they belong, the rods upright and unbroken, and reels clean and neat. Yep, fishing gear racks to the rescue. I can’t think of many things more irritating in the garage than a pile of fishing gear that keep falling all over itself, getting entangled and broken. These little racks mounton the wall and just plain solve the problem.

As you can see, garage organizers would make a great gift for almost anyone. Being able to keep things stored up out of the way where they can be easily accessed and kept clean and in nice condition is a good thing. The gift of garage organizers is a gift that just keeps on giving, and that’s an even better thing!

I am not sure when it all started, maybe in 1986 with Lionel Richie’s hit song, “Dancing on the Ceiling”. Perhaps a young child looked up and dreamt about dancing or walking on the ceiling, and though they may never have actually done that, they did realize that the ceiling had potential for other uses, like storage. Maybe someone discovered the use of ceiling space before then, I really don’t know. But I do know that there are a multitude of garage overhead storage options available today.

These options come in a couple of different forms. From shelves that hang, bolted from the ceiling, to pulley systems that you can use to lower and raise a shelf, to special tracks which allow you to hang everyday storage bins. But regardless of what type of garage overhead storage system works best for you, they all have some of the same basic advantages. Here are five reasons why you may want to use your ceiling space for storage.

Whether you own or rent a home, if you have a garage, you have space that you already “own”, so we should utilize all out space in the most efficient way possible. All garages have ceilings or rafters, so it makes sense to use them. Sure, if you have rafter, you can balance some items above them, such as skis or sleds, but a hanging shelf will hold a lot more stuff in a wider variety of shapes and sizes. Many people have so much stuff that they don’t know what to do with, that they go and rent a storage unit. If you already have a garage, this does not make sense. As mentioned above, you are already paying for your living space, why pay more to store your stuff elsewhere? If you can store items in garage overhead storage instead of paying for self storage, you will save money. After all, most garage overhead storage systems can be paid for with the cost of only a few months worth of self storage. Another great advantage of garage overhead storage compared to a storage unit, is that you can access your things at any time without leaving home. Sure, it is not as quick to access as a regular shelf, but it doesn’t take that much effort – definitely quicker and easier than traveling to a storage unit. > If you are like I have been, your indoor closet space is filled to capacity and beyond! Get things like keep sakes and seasonal items out of your closets and into garage overhead storage. They are the perfect storage solution for items that only have to be accessed occasionally. Finally, the best reason to use garage overhead storage is to free up your garage so that your car can fit inside! So many garages become a catch all, that only 32% of people with a two car garage can fit one car inside, and 25% of two car garage owners can’t fit any car into their garage! Winter is coming quick, and you know that you don’t want to have to scrape the frost and snow from your car. Reclaim your garage now, and overhead garage storage is the perfect solution for part of this problem.

So, regardless of the type of garage overhead storage system that you use, it is easy to see that there are reasons why almost anybody would benefit.

Need fast and simple solutions for your garage organization problems? Here are seven tips to help you get that garage in order and organized for good.

Hanging Racks

Getting racks that you can hang from the rafters of your garage works great for a variety of items. This garage organization solution works especially well for bikes. It keeps them from taking away valuable floor space while still keeping them easily accessible.

Hooks

Hooks are a great solution for many garage items. Long handled items that have a hole in the end work well to hang on hooks. If you use tarps or any sort of cover for your car or grill, hanging these things on hooks in the garage when they are not in use works very well.

Pegboards

This is one of the best garage organization tips that there is. Pegboards are the most flexible and inexpensive garage organization tools that there is. You can easily change how your garage is organized just by changing where you put your pegboard holders.

When you do get it organized exactly the way you want, take a picture of it and hang the picture up next to the holders. Do this for every section of the garage that has pegboard holders. It works best to do this for each section of the pegboard rather than taking a picture of the entire thing.

Shelves

The best way to use shelves in your garage is for storing containers and smaller items. Make sure that whatever shelving you install will be able to handle the weight load of what you are going to put on it.

Keep sharp and dangerous items off the floor

This is one of those garage organization tips that seems obvious but which is not always easy to follow. Making sure that things like rakes and hoes get put in their proper place is important for safety. When these items end up on the floor, you can have an unpleasant surprise if you are not watching where you are walking. Always put back items in their proper place that are potentially dangerous.

Secure hazardous items

This is another one of those garage organization tips that has to do with safety, always an important topic when you are dealing with garage storage. Anything that is toxic to humans or animals should be kept in a secure area that small children and pets cannot reach. Things like paint, weed killers, bug sprays and gas all belong in this category. If you have pets that go in the garage and they can climb, this means putting these items in high cabinets that you can close. If you have children, it is always a good idea to let them know at a young age what is and is not dangerous in the garage.

Wall Tool Holders

These work well for weed trimmers, shovels, rakes, garden equipment and brooms. Having a wall tool holder not only helps keep these items organized but it also means that they stay off the floor.

It’s becoming a joke these days that a garage is used for almost anything except storing a car. Most people store their sports equipment and other large items and also use their garage as a workshop. Some have even put a home office or a gym in the garage space. If it has reached the point where you cannot fit your car in your garage, maybe you should think about putting in some shelves for additional storage.

Garage shelves can be obtained either site built or prefab. If they are site built, you will have to fit them into your existing space but you can adapt them to your needs with equipment you can find at your local home center, lumber yard or hardware store.

Basic garage shelves can be built out of 3/4 inch plywood of 1x or 2x lumber, simply set on heavy duty shelf brackets. The brackets should be attached to the studs with long screws and the shelves should be attached to the brackets. This is necessary because of at he weight. For additional strength, a brace can be added at each stud.

Floor supported shelves are very stable and are made by running vertical 2X4s every 50 inches and placing them on the floor, then attaching them to rafters or ceiling joints at the top., Then, 2X4s are run horizontally between the uprights and particleboard is used for the shelves. Usually 19-25 inch deep shelves are used and the 2X4s are placed on 25 inch spacing. The advantage of this is you can change the spacing to accommodate larger items.

If you are storing small items, it is better to attach a series of 1X2 strips to the inside edges of 2 adjacent studs. Then, cut some 1X4 and 1X6 lumber and fit them between Th studs and slip them on top of the 1X2s. This creates some small shelves that can be adjusted for small items such as cans, jars, bottles; you may want to organize your screws and nails in these jars and bottles.

For really durable, heavy shelving, choose steel shelving. Plastic shelving may be alright if you are storing things that are light weight, but if you have heavy items, you should choose steel. The disadvantage of steel is that you cannot cut it to size to suit your needs, but have to pick from the standard shelves. These do come in different widths, depths and heights, so you can find the ones most closely suited to your needs.

You should make sure that the prefabricated shelves you choose can be adjusted. AT least two different levels of adjustment between the framework is desirable. Make sure the pins are heavy duty and have a bar in place to prevent them from working loose.

Finally, make sure your prefabricated shelves can be attached to the wall for security against tipping. If you are going to use the shelves for heavy items, this is really an important feature.

The garage. This is an effortless area to forget about once you park your auto in it and go inside your home. This is likewise why it inclines toward gathering items. This is also why it tends to be less complicated to undertake this problem area in lumps. Which is also why particular garage storage ideas, tips and methods are oftentimes the most assistive.

Never commence a garage coordinating project that you are not able to complete that day. Because it is so effortless to just close the garage, you may not possess the nonstop reminder of it which you would if it were rooted in the middle of your kitchen. Have your coordinating labors in the garage small and viable. If all you have is 1 hour per week to tackle your garage, make sure that you have got a task which you can in reality complete in that 60 minutes.

Larger is not of necessity better when it comes to garage storage ideas. You might not require some large garage organizing scheme. Consider what you possess and what you in truth need before you purchase any organising materials. Often some nice containers and some good shelving may do the trick.

Labels are a wonderful aid in the garage. Oftentimes there are umpteen things stashed away in the garage that are only utilised seasonally. Because of that, it might be easy to block out where something is. That is where tags enter in. If you have cupboards, tag the things that are in them. You might not recollect where you put those lawn chemicals in the spring when you want them unless you tagged that cupboard in the fall when you stacked away them. If you employ containers, even clear ones, it is constantly good to tag those too. That way you can be sure that you can get what you want when you need it. A word of warning about tags in a garage: be certain that you set tape or something over the tag so that it does not break away or get too soiled to see what is in it any longer.

Do not blank out about the rafters. If you have items which necessitate extended storage, the rafters in your garage can be a good place. Simply make sure that the things you stack away up there are not ones that will get broken by heat or moisture. If grime is a concern, be certain to wrap up the items in plenty of garbage bags or acquire a sealable plastic bag to maintain them free of dirt.

In mygarage, I have open framing, where each rafter is a 2×10 and spaced about 3 feet apart. I want to add plywood sheathing to top of the rafters to create a storage area and a drop down ladder. My concern though is that the rafters are about 3 feet apart. Each rafter is about 26 feet long. Can someone give me detailed explaination on how they would go about making sure the rafters support enought weight? If I need to add rafters, should I use engineered wood? I have searched and searched for ideas on the net to no avail. I need some help! Thanx!

Exist gable roof with 2×8 rafters 16" oc. 2×10 joists 16" oc -24′ span.