Portable Garage Storage Shelves
Recently, one of the band members at my church reached out to see if I could come up with something that they could store their equipment in when the church was being used for events. As we started to firm up the design I realized that this would be great for so many other applications including portable garage storage shelves. It was a super simple build that cost only about $125 (not including the 1×6 siding) and could easily be customized for so many different purposes. Some of the other ideas I came up with were,
- Storage for lots of totes – Add another shelf or two
- Storage for outdoor/hunting – Add a clothes rod
- Mudroom Lockers – Add vertical dividers and hooks
- Workbench – Move shelf to 36″ off ground, add peg board, lights, power strip, etc.
Whatever you do make sure to customize it for your needs and post a photo in the comments to give everyone else ideas!
We ended up cladding the sides and back of our unit in 1×6 pine so that it would be stored with the open side against the wall and look nice from the back.
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Full Project Video
Wanna see how it all came together? Check out the full project video below and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube so you won’t miss future videos!
Required Tools
Materials
- Qty 2 – 3/4″ x 49″ x 97″ MDF
- Qty 17 – 2 x 4 x 8′
- 2″ Brad Nails
- 2-1/2″ Wood Screws
- Wall Control
- Storage Bins
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Dimensions
Cut List
How to build a Portable Garage Storage Shelves
Questions? Comments?
As always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to comment below and especially don’t forget to post pictures of your customized garage storage shelving in the comments! ENJOY!
Do you have a link to the totes you used?
Those are my favorite storage bins by far. You can find them here
Thanks! Love this plan!
Another vote for those bins. I think I’ve got 20 or so of them in the shop. Only downside is that they do get brittle in the MN cold. Shattered the corner of one learning that the hard way.
I used the 17gal bins. Just realized I linked to the larger ones.
Excellent design.
Thanks Steven!
I have been thinking about storage using just boxes. Then, I was thinking about a big box about your dimensions with smaller boxes inside for a physical move to another location. You provided a timely solution. Thanks for the plans. I think I may need 6 or 8 units for my household goods and shop tools “after a reduction.” lol my problem was a need for rodent control too while they were built and waiting to be moved.
That is perfect. These bins will keep the rodents out too!
I am planning to build the garage unit, but it will be in a shed that isn’t enclosed, can I use the mdf or something different. Thanks for your assistance in this matter
If you think it will get wet then you might want to use something different. If just a little moisture here and there, OSB would probably hold up a little better. If it will see direct rain, use treated boards for the frame and treated plywood for the tops
I am very happy with these plans and the way my workbench turned out. Pictures attached.I used a melamine board for the benchtop and the lower shelf. The lights are linked together on the top. My tools are on the back side of the pegboard. I have an extension cord in the back that the lights and the power strip plug into. This works perfectly for me in my garage. My saws are on wheeled bases and I can set this up near the saws so everything is close at hand. I can also store some long pieces of trim on top. I still have one side to add something to when needed. https://uploads.disquscdn.c… https://uploads.disquscdn.c… https://uploads.disquscdn.c… https://uploads.disquscdn.c… https://uploads.disquscdn.c…