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Where did you leave your bandsaw? If finding tools in your garage feels as harrowing as embarking on an Amazonian expedition, it may be time to tidy up. You have many options, but for reliability and affordability, shelving is the way to go.
Garage shelves can help move junk off the floor and organize your equipment. Say goodbye to the days of searching through storage bins just to find the right screw. Working in a messy garage is frustrating and time consuming, but with a few easy-to-install shelves, your garage can become an efficient, well-organized workshop.
Shelves offer many possibilities, as you can store anything you like on them. From tools to gardening supplies to Christmas lights, a well-made shelf can hold up anything, no matter the weight. Try garage shelves today to keep your equipment organized and up out of the way of accidental damage.
In This Article
- 3 Best Wall Mounted Heavy-Duty Shelves
- 3 Best Ceiling Mounted Heavy-Duty Shelves
- 3 Best Freestanding Heavy-Duty Shelves
- What To Know Before Buying Heavy-Duty Garage Shelving?
3 Best Wall Mounted Heavy-Duty Shelves
Wall mounted shelves are the most common kind for a reason: they are easy to access and do their job well. Start getting your garage in order now with these wall mounted shelves.
1. Fleximounts Floating Wall Shelves
These floating shelves are perfect if you do not have a lot of wall space in your garage. You can find small pockets of space in your garage and place these shelves there at any height you want. In each pack, you get two shelves which can be placed together or apart, giving you flexibility. They are also extremely easy to install. It is always nice to work with a buddy but these, you can install alone.
The Fleximounts Floating Wall Shelves come with a buckle design, making them sturdier and more stable than other shelves on the market. The unique design prevents the metal from bending or breaking and keeps your stuff safe. The heavy-duty steel, combined with that unique design, means that each shelf can hold up to 200 pounds of weight — great shelves for large, heavy items.
All of the hardware to attach the shelves to the wall is included, and you have the option of attaching then to wooden studs or concrete. The shelves come with installation guidelines and a template so that you do not have to guess where the screws go. Place the template on the wall, mark your spot, and attach your shelves. You will have your things stored in no time.
2. Fleximounts 3-Tier Adjustable Floating Wall Shelves
A great option for limited space. These shelves come from Fleximounts, so you know that they are going to be tough, strong, and durable. They may look a little daunting when you get the pack as they are completely adjustable and customizable, but you will be surprised at how easy they are to install. It only takes one person to have these up on your wall and your items safely stored. You will find the included template and installation directions easy to follow and understand.
The patented design means that you can adjust the shelves without any additional hardware. The adjustable nature of the shelves makes it great if you have objects in a variety of sizes. If you need to adjust them, simply take the items off, move the shelves, and replace the items. It really is as easy as that.
The heavy-gauge steel construction not only makes these shelves hard to damage but also makes them strong enough to hold 100 pounds per shelf. Strict testing has been carried out to ensure that these shelves are going to last.
You can easily install these Fleximounts Adjustable Floating Shelves on wall studs or a solid concrete wall — a great shelving unit which benefits from being adjustable.
3. Orasant Heavy-Duty Steel Wall Shelves
Steel is one of the most durable, rigid materials, making it ideal for shelving — particularly for heavier loads — if expensive. Orasant heavy-duty steel wall shelves are some of the strongest yet affordable, featuring thick hollow alloy steel bars. The wall shelves can withstand up to 1,600 lbs. of load, including heavy tools, storage boxes, and parts.
The shelves slot into the brackets without screws and fold for easy storage when not in use. Unique bi-directional inserts hold these shelves firmly on their brackets, ensuring they don’t slip out due to pressure. When installing this set, you can adjust the brackets according to your wall studs. There are two styles available — floating wall shelves and ceiling shelves.
The floating wall shelf pack includes two shelves, each measuring 6 ft long x 2 ft wide. In contrast, the ceiling pack features one shelf measuring 8 ft long x 4 ft wide. The ceiling shelf can be mounted above kitchen counters, in garages, closets, or bedrooms, and bears up to 1,200 lbs. of load. Both the ceiling and wall shelves feature a matte black finish, which gives them an industrial loft-style look.
3 Best Ceiling Mounted Heavy-Duty Shelves
Storage space clears up room on the floor for living space, but why take up any floor space when you could hang your stored items from the ceiling? These shelves are compact and let you store your items out of the way.
1. Fleximounts Adjustable Overhead Garage Storage Rack
This is a great storage option to protect your items, keep them away from the floor, store them up and above any moisture, and out of reach of those who should not be touching them—a great way to protect items which are not in regular use.
The Fleximounts Adjustable Overhead Storage Rack is 96” x 48”, giving you a generous amount of storage space, and you have options when you are installing it. You can have it hanging down from the ceiling at various heights. Install it with 22”-40” inches of space, depending on what you need to store. Simply attach the storage unit to your beams with the included hardware and hold almost anything you want.
The heavy-duty cold-rolled steel is durable and tough. Looking at the material, you get a feel for how safe it is, and you will be impressed that the storage unit can hold up to 600 pounds of items and equipment. The hardware and the metal have gone through strict tests to ensure that you get a reliable product. The integrated grid design keeps the metal light so that you are not adding to the overall weight, and strong so that you can add the weight you need to.
This is an easy to install option for your garage which will help to protect your storage items.
2. SafeRacks Rack Package with Accessory Hooks
At a massive 96” x 48”, this shelf will be the only storage space you will need in your garage. You can adjust how low the shelf hangs, anywhere from 12”- 45”. Hanging at the lowest it can go, the shelf can easily fit most storage bins and luggage. Installation is breeze too, coming together in under an hour (and with a dedicated help line available just in case).
Rest assured that your stored items are secure, as the shelf can hold up to 600 pounds. The support beams are industrial grade steel with a C-channel design, offering better strength than I-beams.
The SafeRacks Rack Package is also easy on the eyes, with no excess bits and bobs dangling off of it. The powder-coated paint job gives it a rugged look and helps it fit in with your garage décor, particularly since it is available in plain white or a darker tone like hammered steel.
3. MonsterRax 4×8 Overhead Garage Storage Rack
Keeping your garage uncluttered has never been easier than with this large, ceiling mounted garage storage rack. A little bit of DIY installation (with MonsterRax’ full support center only a phone call away), and suddenly you will have all the storage space you could want and need. The base of this rack is 4 feet wide and 8 feet long, and the depth is adjustable anywhere from 12 to 45 inches, depending on which option you buy. This means that each rack provides up to 256 cubic feet of storage space, and you can even buy them in packs of 2, turning your garage ceiling into over 500 cubic feet of previously inaccessible storage space.
Made from industrial grade alloy steel, and fastened to the ceiling with grade 8 case-hardened lag bolts, each MonsterRax Overhead Garage Storage Rack can hold up to 500 pounds of your belongings. The rack is powder coated in your choice of white or hammertone gray, and is scratch resistant, water resistant, and rust resistant. Whether your home is full of junk or treasure, the MonsterRax is a neat and user-friendly way to store your clutter.
3 Best Freestanding Heavy-Duty Shelves
Sometimes a single shelf does not cut it. It is time to look at a freestanding shelving rack, able to hold more weight in an even more compact form than other shelves.
1. DeWalt 3 Shelf Steel Wire Industrial Storage Rack
The biggest benefit of investing in a freestanding shelving rack is you get multiple shelves for a total weight capacity that beats out individual shelves any day. With this heavy-duty shelving rack from DeWalt, each of the three shelves holds 1,500 pounds for a total capacity of 4,500 pounds.
This DeWalt Industrial Storage Rack stands at 4’ tall, so it can hold all your equipment at a convenient height. Each shelf height within the rack is adjustable, so you can customize the shelving for what suits your garage best.
A freestanding rack also comes with some safety concerns, but this shelf addresses them all. You can screw a bracket into the wall behind the shelving rack to prevent it from tipping over. It also has nylon feet with fiberglass reinforcement for extra grip without damaging the floor. Each shelf is support by beams running underneath to prevent deforming under heavy loads which might add undue wear to the shelves.
2. Rasybee Heavy-Duty Adjustable Garage Storage Shelves
Upright, floor-placed shelving is best for bigger objects and even heavier loads, such as car parts, liquids, and large tools. Rasybee heavy-duty adjustable garage storage shelves make tidying up your garage or room a breeze. Featuring open, height-adjustable shelves that can be arranged in configurations of up to five tiers, they’re ideal for bigger items.
You can also assemble the shelf parts into two or more separate smaller shelves to use as a worktop. With an upgraded two-layer leg construction and connectors, the steel shelf frame is both stronger and easier to put together. The manufacturers claim it takes around 10 minutes to assemble, providing gloves and a mallet to make the job easier. Not only the frame but also the shelves themselves are made from steel, with two steel support bars each.
This means they will last for a long time — especially compared to particle-board shelving, which tends to dampen and warp. The set comes in a pack of one shelf or a bundle of two, which can save you money. Each measures 16.5″ deep by 32″ wide and 63″ tall. As far as load goes, one single shelf can bear a whopping up to 4,000 lbs. load, preferably distributed equally.
3. Dkeli Commercial Grade 6 Tier Storage Shelves
If you keep your car in your garage, you might not have the floorspace for a warehouse of storage racks. Fortunately, shelves like these ones from Dkeli are available with wheels. When the car leaves for the day, you can wheel out these shelves for access to your stored equipment, and it is just as easy to push them back up against the walls at the end of the day.
Each shelf can support up to 350 pounds of weight on their wire-mesh beds, and with six shelves, the whole rack supports 2,100 pounds of weight. The Dkeli Storage Shelves are also easily movable to different heights thanks to their snap on installation, which also makes set-up straightforward.
The rack is durable steel, available in either a black powder-coat or a chrome finish. This is one shelving unit which works great in a garage but is also good-looking enough to use inside your home, maybe in the kitchen or in an office.
What To Know Before Buying Heavy-Duty Garage Shelving?
We want you to have the best garage shelving for your budget, so here are a few things to take into consideration. Look for these features in a shelf when adding a storage rack to your garage.
Type
There are many options out there when it comes to picking the perfect heavy-duty garage storage unit. There are a few different styles and types, including free-standing and mountable, and the perfect storage option will depend on what you need out of it. Let’s take a look at some of your options.
Standard shelves are just that. They are free-standing units which will sit on your garage floor and store all of your stuff. Most garage shelving units are standard shelves. They are the most robust of the shelving units but do not offer much more than just a bare frame and storage shelves.
Wall mount storage options mount to the wall; it is as simple as that. The great thing about this storage option is that you can use them in spaces where other shelving units cannot go. You can have these as high as the ceiling or as low as the floor. The only thing you need is some studs to attach the shelves to. They are great for keeping your items off of the ground or out of reach, but they cannot take as much weight as other storage options.
Overhead storage options mount to the ceiling of your garage and hang down. They are supported by the beams of the roof and come with the advantage that they take up a lot of dead space in your garage, space where you would not normally store anything. They are able to hold a lot of weight but they can be difficult to install.
Capacity
If you are looking for a durable and reliable storage option, you need to make sure that the shelves can hold what you need them to hold. Just because a shelf is large, it does not mean that it can hold a lot of weight. Calculate the amount of weight you need the shelf to hold and then add in some wiggle room. Storing too much weight on a shelf which cannot support it will result in damage to the shelf, and that is exactly the opposite of what we want from a durable storage unit.
Size
Along with the capacity, the size is an important consideration. A shelf is not necessarily strong just because it is big, but you still might need a combination of the two. Look at the amount of stuff which you need to store and base the size of the shelf on that (taking into account the capacity too). You should also think about the number of shelves you need. Do you have a lot of small items or a few large items? You may need lots of space, but not many shelves or you might need the space and the shelves.
Durability
It goes without saying that a heavy-duty garage shelving unit should be durable. This has a lot to do with the materials and construction. Look for shelving units which come with warranties. The longer a manufacturer guarantees their product for, the longer it should last. And, if it doesn’t last, then you can get a replacement for it or have it fixed for free.
You should also look at the material used to construct the shelves.
Metal shelves are your go-to if you need to store a lot of bulky and heavy equipment. They are strong and easy to take care of. They are also great if there is a chance of moisture in your garage.
Wire shelves give strength while still remaining light. The only problem with them is that you cannot store very small items on them as they could slip through. They are great for items which may attract moisture as they let the air flow around them.
Wooden shelves are not as strong as metal, but they are more affordable. They also have a more natural look which may better match your garage interior. They are great for lighter equipment, and you can patch and repair them easily by yourself.
Wheels
If you are low on floor space, a wheeled shelving unit can be extremely useful. The ability to bring it out and store it into a corner means you can shift your storage layout anytime. With that in mind, if you have a set layout with no plans to change, a shelf without wheels is the better option.
