A few weekends ago I decided that we needed to add some extra storage in our garage. There are some fancy and expensive options available at Bunnings or places like Howards Storage World for storage and shelving solutions for the garage. Since I was after a simple shelf I figured that I should be able to do it for cheaper than what was on offer there.
In the end I built a 3.6m long shelf that is 44.5cm deep for only about $120.00. Other than the shopping time it only took about 2-hours to put it up, which was nice.
The shelves consist of 2 x 1.8 metre long x 44.5cm wide x 14mm (I think…) melamine shelves and 6 x 40cm x 50cm galvanized brackets. Each bracket is anchored to a wall stud with 3 x screws, and then attached to the shelf with 4 x short screws.
The two 1.8m sections are also attached to each other using a 10cm x 40cm piece of timber screwed to each section at the bottom of the shelf to give it a bit more strength at the join. This should give it a bit more strength at what is probably the weakest point of the shelf.
I should be able to store about 30kg per metre, based on what I’ve read about the melamine and the brackets.
This shelving model is pretty easy to add to in 1.8m sections, and it can be very easily modified based on the size of wall being used and the depth of shelf needed.
Although the melamine already has an edge on the front of it, I’m going to finish it off with a piece of 19mm x 38mm timber that was left over from the builders. I’m going to put that on the open side and along the front of the shelf. It should make it a bit more resistant to chipping than the melamine is, although I will have to paint or varnish the timber edge to give it a finished look.
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Hi
Could you please let me know from where I can buy the melamine boards and brackets for this cheap price.
I am in Brisbane
We got our shelves and brackets at Bunnings in Townsville. They had the best selection and price that I could find.
I wonder if how strong it can hold. Not bad for an extra storage with just $120.
Rigette Saycon
Web Master
Charlotte Overhead Door
Thanks! I’ve been looking for a while now to turn some of my unused garage space into storage. I had some high-minded ideas about building a separate storage room but these shelves look to be much more efficient – and easier!
That’s awesome savings you got there! Just my 2 cents worth, you better know exactly what kind of things you’re keeping in storage because those supports look really flimsy…
Walls make a great area which you can fully utilize to maximize storage space. At home, we fix similar racks and additional shelves too in order to place any item at all that you could think possible. However, for those much heavier objects, we only place them on shelves which are more stable and can withstand more weight as compared to the racking which are often supported by bolts alone.
I agree that the shelves really don’t look very sturdy here and there’s probably a way to give them a little bit more of a boost. We don’t want the things you’ve placed on top for storage to come tumbling down one day! Better get them reinforced!
http://supercheapselfstorage.com.au/facilities/sydney/northern-beaches/self-storage/cameron-robertson/