Storage in our house has been a little hard to come by. Not because the house is small - it is actually huge compared to our last place - but because there is no garage or shed and the basement is finished with only one small storage room. That one small room, of course, became a hazard of leaning and stacked boxes. I considered buying those fairly inexpensive utility shelving racks, but wanted something that maximized available space. Plus those utility shelves aren't that cheap anymore.
One of my favorite handyman sites -- Ask the builder posted these fantastic instructions for shelves. I liked this option because for a cheapskate like me it meant buying a minimum amount of lumber.
The design of these shelves is simple -- you nail or screw an 8 ft 2x2 to the studs of a wall, then you front a piece of plywood with a 2x3, screw the plywood to the cleat, and support with 2x4s on the side. The link above will give you far more details.
My shelves, pictured, are made from
- 1 4x8 sheet of OSB, cut at 15 7/8" x 8 feet long
- 3 8ft 2x2s
- 1 10 ft 2x4 cut in half
And that's it. $26 in materials not counting screws. Hard to complain.
Look simple enough to do! How are these holding up with stuff on them? Do you consider these very sturdy?
ReplyDeleteThanks! - 1916home.net
The shelves are holding up great. I ought to post a picture of them full. After building, the wife and I laid on them like bunkbeds, they felt solid and firm.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't go longer or wider without a central support, but the design as shown is great.