When it comes to home storage, floating wall shelves are incredibly versatile. They can be added just about anywhere, from the garage to your living room, bathroom, bedrooms or kitchen. Line the shelves with storage baskets to conceal clutter, or display decorative items, childrens toys, or books. The options are virtually endless. Plus, floating shelves can be finished in a multitude of ways to accommodate any decor. Use a bright paint color to contrast the wall and have a modern pop, or use a classic wood stain to create a rustic, traditional feel. Creating floating wall shelves is such a simple carpentry project, that even a novice can tackle it.

All you need for this project is wood, a tape measure, sandpaper, a leveler, a jig saw, L brackets, varnish, and wood stain or paint and paint brushes. When you are ready to go, simply follow these instructions:

First you must determine the shelving dimensions. The standard thickness for a shelf is 1, but you can create shelves of any length or width, depending on your needs and the space you have. Once you have determined the dimensions, measure the wall space with your tap measure, transfer the measurement to the wood, and then cut the wood to the required length using the jig saw. Use the sand paper to smooth out the jagged edge left behind by the jig saw. This will give your shelf a clean, smooth finish. If the wood is jagged on other edges, smooth those out as well. Stain or paint the entire shelf before attaching it to the wall. Wood may require more than one coat of paint. Be sure to let the paint dry completely before applying a second coat. Once the paint or stain is completely dry, apply varnish. This will give the shelf a protective finish that minimizes day-to-day wear and tear. If you want the shelf to be glossy, apply a second coat of varnish. You should gently sand the shelf between varnish coats to ensure a smooth finish. Attach the L brackets to the shelf first. I recommend spacing them every 24 for a stronger, more stable shelf. Now attach the shelf to the wall. I recommend using a leveler to ensure the shelf is perfectly even.

How Self-Storage Can Help Your Business

Lately more and more small and large businesses have turned to self-storage over warehouses for their storage needs. There are a few different reasons for this switch including more flexibility, better security, better maintenance policies, and more accessibility. With so many different facilities operating, and the various features each facility offers, businesses need to inform themselves on what to look for in a self-storage company as well as what to do to prepare the contents for storage. Preparations vary according to the items being stored and the length of time of the storage. This article will discuss the various features of self-storage as they pertain to small and large business owners looking for a better solution over the typical warehouse facility.

Warehouses allow people to rent a certain amount of space, or a unit, to store inventory, office supplies and equipment, just about anything a business owner would need storage for. The disadvantages to warehouse storage include limited accessibility, lack of security and maintenance and lack of space options. Warehouse storage can be adequate for items of little value and are not made of materials that are hazardous or likely to attract moisture or pests. If the company is not overly concerned with the security or condition of the items (for example a large supply of cardboard boxes for shipping) than a warehouse may be a viable solution.

However, most businesses do care about their supplies, even those that are of relatively little value. For this reason it is best to use a self-storage facility, which will better protect your company’s items from theft, harsh temperatures, rodents and insects. Warehouses are typically only accessible to customers during normal business hours whereas many self-storage facilities allow renters 24-hour access to their units. Warehouses usually hire a security guard or two to walk around the building periodically, while self-storage companies post guards, use perimeter fencing, security camera and theft-deterrent lighting. To gain access, individuals are usually required to scan a card, or punch in a code on a keypad. Some self-storage facilities have even added thumb print or hand print verification scanners for better security.

There are many possible uses for self-storage facilities for business owners. Business self storage is much safer for storing inventory than renting a warehouse. Your inventory will have less chance of getting stolen, or damaged at a facility with high security, climate controlled environments and protection against vermin. Excess office supplies may not seem important or valuable enough to rent a storage unit for but as any business owner knows, every supply costs money and you would have to find a place to store it somewhere. Finding yourself in the position of having to replace a large bulk of supplies, even inexpensive supplies like paper or file folders, that have been damaged by water, heat or rodents, can add up to hundred of dollars better spent elsewhere. If just one accident like this is prevented, the difference in cost between a warehouse and a self-storage unit has been refunded.

Self-storage containers can be helpful for storing excess office equipment during a move from one office to another. With the correct precautions, even sensitive electronic equipment can be stored for as long as you need. In the event that a seasonal item does not sell as well, you can store the excess inventory in the self-storage unit until the following year or until your business has a clearance sale.

By purchasing office supplies, such as printer paper, in bulk your business can save money. Use the self-storage container to hold the excess supplies until you have need of them. You can also store past documents that need to be saved but do not need to be kept close at hand inside a self-storage unit. Possibilities include tax documents, past employee files, and outdated contracts that may still require service or fall under the limits of legal action.

The majority of indoor self-storage facilities offer climate control, which prevents the unit from becoming colder than 40

The two commonly used types of storage are container storage and self storage. Container storage predominantly offers a storage option with limited sized outdoor containers, sometimes stacked and only accessible by prior arrangement with the need of a fork lift truck, often surcharged. BusinessStorage offers companies and individuals a larger variety of sizes from lockers to large tailor made individual units, or multiple units to meet exact requirements. The units are situated within a larger building offering individual self contained rooms. The larger storage facilities offer a choice of units located on different floors utilising lifts and wide industrial staircases, all with goods handling and distribution equipment such as pallet pump trucks, sack trucks and trollies for ease of access at no extra charge to the individual or business.

Self Storage facilities are usually easily located in heavily populated areas, along major roads and near to retail and business parks. Ideal for business clients as an alternative to owning or leasing expensive industrial units with long leases.

The ideal space maker for businesses, self storage offers businesses the flexibility to manage their own space by swopping between unit sizes as and when required, with the option of short and long term periods of hire via a straight forward license agreement. The individual storage units themselves are lockable and secure with the occupier holding the key. Some self storage facilities offer the option of retaining a key to help with the receiving and despatching of goods on the occupiers behalf. All self storage companies offer extensive security measures such as PIN codes / swipe card entry systems, monitored closed circuit television and police monitored alarm systems, and some even with 24 hour seven days per week security patrols.

As the industry has grown over the years it has developed its own advisory watch dog and governing body, the Self Storage Association United Kingdom. All members of the Self Storage Association have to meet the associations criteria and use their approved license agreement. With the help of the Self Storage Association and the Financial Services Authority there are now insurance options available for the customers goods whilst in storage.

Self storage can now offer small businesses and individuals a complete safe, secure and flexible storage solution

In the current economic climate it is becoming increasingly difficult to sell your property quickly whilst achieving the highest price possible.

Therefore homeowners are realising the need to make their property more appealing to a larger market, what appeals to you may not to prospective buyers. Recent television makeover programmes all refer to the negative effect of clutter in the home and its impact on a house sale. Staging your home is become an important factor in activating a property sale.

To help prospective buyers visualise your house as their home the use of household self storage unitscan provide a clean, safe and secure temporary home for your larger non-essential belongings to create the feeling of space in a balanced and harmonious home. With the flexibility of household storage items can be manoeuvred around the house sale / purchase process i.e. prior to selling self storage units can be used to declutter, after the sale other items can be added in conjunction with the removal. Once settled in your new home items can be taken out at your leisure. The size of your unit can be reduced at anytime during the process also reducing the costs.

Where just decluttering and using a self storage unit is the answer, some cases may require more aesthetical work such as decorating or full / part renovation. Once again household self storage rooms can house your belongings whilst the work is undertaken keeping them safe and clean out of harms way. Money spent wisely on redecorating, renovating and storage very often results in an increase in the market value of the property, which vastly out weighs the costs incurred. By achieving the optimum price for your well presented home, and maybe negotiating a reduced purchase price on a poorly presented house can maximise the benefit, making all your work and planning worth while and cost effective.

A further advantage of using household self storage; to enable you to obtain the home of your dreams, and as an alternative to moving, extending your property can be the solution. Should you be in need of space for a growing family, an en-suite bathroom, extra bedroom, loft or garage conversion, could provide the space you need.

During the planning process and before any work is undertaken, the first step within the home should be to remove any un-needed or delicate household belongings. It is not always convenient or practical to move items from one room to another as you go. Therefore the use of self storage units is a perfect and practical solution. As work is completed items can be removed and returned to the home as needed. In some cases i.e. a loft conversion, the permanent loss of storage space in your home can become an issue if there is no alternative space available. Self Storage can offer you the required space, very often long term storage periods can be agreed at discounted rates offering excellent value for money.

Which ever route you take moving or renovating, the benefits of using self storage during the process have become invaluable and certainly worthwhile considering.

In the current economic climate it is becoming increasingly difficult to sell your property quickly whilst achieving the highest price possible.

Therefore homeowners are realising the need to make their property more appealing to a larger market, what appeals to you may not to prospective buyers. Recent television makeover programmes all refer to the negative effect of clutter in the home and its impact on a house sale. Staging your home is become an important factor in activating a property sale.

To help prospective buyers visualise your house as their home the use of household self storage units can provide a clean, safe and secure temporary home for your larger non-essential belongings to create the feeling of space in a balanced and harmonious home. With the flexibility of household storage items can be manoeuvred around the house sale / purchase process i.e. prior to selling self storage units can be used to declutter, after the sale other items can be added in conjunction with the removal. Once settled in your new home items can be taken out at your leisure. The size of your unit can be reduced at anytime during the process also reducing the costs.

Where just decluttering and using a self storage unit is the answer, some cases may require more aesthetical work such as decorating or full / part renovation. Once again household self storage rooms can house your belongings whilst the work is undertaken keeping them safe and clean out of harms way. Money spent wisely on redecorating, renovating and storage very often results in an increase in the market value of the property, which vastly out weighs the costs incurred. By achieving the optimum price for your well presented home, and maybe negotiating a reduced purchase price on a poorly presented house can maximise the benefit, making all your work and planning worth while and cost effective.

A further advantage of using household self storage; to enable you to obtain the home of your dreams, and as an alternative to moving, extending your property can be the solution. Should you be in need of space for a growing family, an en-suite bathroom, extra bedroom, loft or garage conversion, could provide the space you need.

During the planning process and before any work is undertaken, the first step within the home should be to remove any un-needed or delicate household belongings. It is not always convenient or practical to move items from one room to another as you go. Therefore the use of self storage units is a perfect and practical solution. As work is completed items can be removed and returned to the home as needed. In some cases i.e. a loft conversion, the permanent loss of storage space in your home can become an issue if there is no alternative space available. Self Storage can offer you the required space, very often long term storage periods can be agreed at discounted rates offering excellent value for money.

Which ever route you take moving or renovating, the benefits of using self storage during the process have become invaluable and certainly worthwhile considering.