A garage is much more than just a parking place for your automobiles. Depending upon the family and the layout, the garage has become equal parts storage space, workshop, and meeting place, and the proper use of space in any of these pursuits is essential. At Garage Outfitters, were making the most of the space available at ground level and overhead with the finest in garage cabinets, garage flooring, overhead storage, garage accessories including storage containers, Handiwall, and more. Our garage storage solutions promote the peace of mind associated with knowing everything in your garage is in its proper place.

Were happy to say our cabinets set the industry standard in garage cabinet design and construction. Whereas others make their storage cabinets from particle board and cheap plastics, we use durable, environmentally thermo-fused plywood as our main building component. The result of our unique modular platform is functional and plentiful storage space that is great looking, durable, and affordable. Furthermore, our overhead storage units make additional space available that you might not have even known you had. Imagine items such as luggage, coolers, holiday decorations and more out of sight and out of mind until they are necessary instead of cluttering up your garage. And for avid cyclists, our mountable bicycle racks promote convenience and order in your garage.

On the surface of things, well make sure your garage floor is protected against the elements for years to come. Our garage floor coatings are available in a variety of looks and colors, and go the extra mile in coating and protecting your garage floor due to the fact that they are polyaspartic. Whereas normal epoxy coatings tend to chip, peel, and fade over time, our technologically advanced chemical coatings permanently bond with concrete, providing protection against cracks, stain, etc. and a pristine surface that will stand the test of time.

Simplifying your home life is simply a matter of making use of the tools available to you. Perhaps the most valuable, not to mentioned underused, tool in any home is space; often times because homeowners arent looking for it in the right place. Let Garage Outfitters show you how to make the most of the garage space at your disposal. Tools, balls, luggage, you name it by the time were through itll all have a home, and youll have the extra space you need to make your garage functional and orderly. Give your garage the makeover it deserves and the space you need, and set about simplifying your life.

If you have decided that a garage storage cabinet is the answer to clearing your work area and of unnecessary clutter, there are a few steps you should take before either building of buying one.

Deciding What Goes In A Garage Storage cabinet

First, before you can decide on the size of you garage storage cabinet, you need to settle on what tools or machinery will go into which shelf or drawer of the cabinet. You know better than anyone which tools you use most often and will want to keep within easy reach of your work area.

Your smaller hand and power tools will probably be most convenient if you put them in the part of the garage storage cabinet closest to your work area; the power tools should be kept on an enclosed shelf to keep them away from dust.

The small removable bits, drills, and blades which you use with you power tools can be placed in a drawer close to the shelves holding the tools with which they work; and you can also have separate drawers for hardware like nails, nuts and bolts, washers, and screws.

Specialty hardware like drawer pulls, or hinges can be stored in another area, especially if you do not do custom woodwork very often. You can buy dividers to keep each kind of hardware separated.

A garage storage cabinet with a section to hold wooden dowels of with taller sections to hold brooms, rakes, and other long-handled garden tools will also come in handy. If you use larger power tools like a mitre saw, one of your garage storage cabinet’s deeper compartments should the set aside for them. For ore info see http://www.garageplanshelp.com/Garage_Storage_Cabinet/ on Garage Storage Cabinet.

Types Of Garage Storage Cabinet

You can choose a free standing or mountable garage storage cabinet; having one of each will double your storage space without doubling the amount of garage floor space occupied with storage; and it by having a garage storage cabinet with sliding doors, you’ll again clear more of your floor space. But sliding doors will only allow you to access half of your garage storage cabinet’s contents at once, so decide whether easy access or floor space is your priority.

You can find garage storage cabinet in wood, metal, or even plastic. Clear plastic garage storage cabinets are great for letting you identify their contents without even having to open them, and many people use them for keeping things which they use regularly.

You need not limit the use of you garage storage cabinets to tools and outdoor equipment; they make great additional storage for clothing, home supplies you buy in bulk like paper products or laundry supplies. Anything which could be kept in an interior cabinet or closet can be put in a garage storage cabinet.

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.

There are many houses with a two car garage that have never had two cars in them. Instead of using that space to shield cars from the sun and harsh weather, the garage has become home to a collection of gardening and lawn equipment, tools, woodworking equipment, cast-off furniture and things that are no longer used, but are not throw away.

Finding items that are needed in a cluttered garage is a complicated process. Usually, it starts with edging between the stacks of boxes and miscellaneous equipment. If the home owner’s lucky, they may remember where this particular item was last, or which box it might be in. More often, it’s a process of elimination that involves knowing what went into the garage during which time period and playing ‘hot, hot, cold’ until that person what they’re looking for.

Garages used to be a place to store your vehicle. These days, garages have become an extension of the house. They’re used as catch-all storage units, workshops, laundry rooms, offices and outbuildings. If the garage mentioned before sounds familiar, here are some tips to help you get a handle on organizing your garage into a successful storage area for all the things you need.

Getting Back to Basics

Organizing your garage storage starts with having the right tools. In the case of organization, the tools of the trade include hooks, shelves, closets and storage bins.

- Get rid of useless clutter.

Use the two year method. If there is something in your garage that you have not used in two years, chances are good you will never use it again. Spend a day sorting through the clutter in your garage and deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. Once you’ve got it all sorted, pack it into your trunk and take it to the recycling center, thrift store or have a garage sale. When you’re done, you’ll have a far better idea of just what you have to tackle.

- Start with a plan.

Measure your space before you start buying so that you have an idea of how much space you have to work with. There’s no sense in buying shelves and storage boxes that won’t fit the space you have available.

- Decide on storage options that suit what you have to store.

Vertical storage is a great space-saver. That means getting boxes and equipment up off the floor whenever possible. Invest in storage shelves that turn your wall space into storage space. Hooks are another way to get things up off the floor. Specialized hangers that hold handles of gardening equipment are a great way to get hoes, spades and rakes out of that tangled and dangerous mess in the corner.

- Invest in utility cabinets to hold smaller items.

Need somewhere to store those jars of nails and screws, extra glass coffee pots and other things that you’re holding onto? Utility cabinets with adjustable shelves will let you arrange your important clutter in a way that makes sense for you. While you’re at it, pick up an inexpensive labeler so that you can label shelves and make it easy for others to keep your space neat, too.

- Collect and Organize tools.

If you use your garage as a workshop, organize with tool boxes and tool chests,

and a workshop table that’s designed with storage in mind.

- Step back to the past.

for an excellent and very low cost method of storing tiny screws, nails and other

essentials. Mount a board above your work space and nail baby food jar lids to the

board. Screw the jars into the tops and voila! Neat, easy to find, and up out of the

way.

- Don’t waste the space above your head.

There are a variety of ways that you can turn unused space overhead into useful

storage space. One of the easiest is with a set of overhead metal hangers that hang

from the ceiling joists. They’re ideal for big and bulky items like lengths of

plywood. Look for specialized hangers for things like bicycles and sports

equipment.

- Make use of garage rafters.

The second way that you can use overhead storage space is to make use of the

garage rafters. Just slide board over them to provide ‘floor’ space and you’ll have

created a ready-to-use attic to store things like Christmas decorations up and out

of the way.

After you have taken the time to research, find, and rent a storage unit it is now time to start moving your extra belongings into it. Before you start throwing things from the back of your car into your storage unit stop and think about the mess you might make. If you do not take the time to properly organize your new storage unit you will only be creating a large clutter of items that you will later have to clean up. Getting your storage unit started out in the right direction will save you a lot of time and energy in the future.

The first step to organizing items in your storage unit is cleaning the unit out. This might seem ridiculous but it will make all the difference in the world. Remember, unless your storage facility is brand new people have probably used your storage unit before. It is not uncommon for items to get left behind in an old storage unit and if you do not take the time to clean up you will be mixing your property with the junk left by others.

Even if there is no property it is usually in a new storage unit owners best interest to clean the storage unit carefully. This will help you avoid putting your boxes and containers down on spills, dirt, and other messes. The best way to clean a new storage unit is to carefully sweep out all dirt and dust the walls while removing any insect nests or spider webs. When possible try to vacuum the floor and then place protective covering over the floor that will help keep your items safe.

Once your new storage unit has been thoroughly cleaned out you can begin placing larger furniture items and appliances inside of the unit. Always make sure that none of the furniture or appliances are leaned against the wall of the building. Try to keep at least an inch of empty space around the walls of your unit. This will help the air circulate which will help keep your storage area fresh. When all of the furniture and large appliances are in the storage unit cover them carefully with plastic or furniture covers that will help protect them from the elements.

The boxes placed in your storage should all be approximately the same size. This will make it much easier for you to stack boxes initially and then re-stack them later if you ever have to move or remove any items from storage. Make sure all of your boxes are carefully labeled in a detailed manner. You never know when you are going to be taking everything out of storage or are going to need something from storage and without labels you will be playing a very frustrating guessing game. The labels should be on all sides of the box so that you can easily see what you are looking for without having to shift boxes and furniture out of your way.

When you start stacking boxes in the storage unit try to stack them on top of the furniture and appliances whenever possible. This will help you get the most use out of your space. Avoid stacking the boxes too high because you do not want to get injured by falling boxes that have been placed too high for anyone to easily reach. If you are organizing a storage unit that is on your property or you already plan to be accessing frequently place the boxes in a manner that makes them easy for you to access.

After you managed to store everything that you planned to in the storage unit write down a basic inventory list of the number of boxes, furniture items, and appliances that are stored in the unit. Keep this information in a safe place along with any storage insurance policy you have purchased and the contact information for the storage unit company. This information does not have to be extremely detailed but if you do want a detailed list that includes the contents of each box then start keeping an inventory list when you are packing instead of waiting until you move everything into your storage unit.

Owning or renting a storage unit is a great way to get your home in order while keeping track of some of your favorite belongings. With only a little bit of effort and determination you can make sure that your storage unit stays as organized and well maintained as your own, newly uncluttered, home.