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Best garage organization systems/tools?

4,001 Views | 17 Replies | Last: 10 mo ago by GrimesCoAg95
TheWoodlandsAg
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How do you all have your garage organized with tools, hobby equipment, etc?

Anyone willing to share the pictures and/or organizational equipment that you used to keep the garage from looking like chaos?
BenTheGoodAg
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AG
I've shared some pics here before, but it always seems to be slowly evolving for me. I think a big part of your answer depends on what you're trying to manage. I like a lot of tools, and I keep upgrading my woodworking stuff.

For material management, I use these storage racks (Link) and they've been great to make the scraps more usable and accessible. Much better than stacking on the ground.


For tools, I like a mix of pegboard, toolboxes, cubbies, and more and more small parts containers. I used to keep a lot of consumables in the toolboxes, but more and more, stuff goes in a small parts container. If I need electrical parts (staples, wirenuts, etc), I just grab the container and go. Same for sprinkler parts, or pex plumbing, or wood screws, etc.


In this area, I used to store a lot of power tools against the wall, ie jointer, table saw, band saw, etc. I built a little lean-to on the side of the house, and keep the powers tools I use less often out there and roll them in when I need them. I recently upgraded to this cabinet saw, and I like this set-up because I can use it more easily without wheeling it out for about 95% of the cuts I need to do. Next big project is to build a mobile outfeed table.


A couple other things - we've got 5 kids, so we constantly go through clothes. Almost all the totes on the top shelf are for hand-me-down clothes. Next to the door, I've got three rows of pegs to hang shoes on. The area by the door used to be a huge mess with all the shoes. There are a couple of filing cabinets to manage their sports equipment as well. Bikes go outside - sorry, not sorry, kids.
malenurse
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AG
I don't think anyone is going to be brave enough to post pics of their garage after seeing Ben's set up.
The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But, it's still on the list.
BenTheGoodAg
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Lol thanks. They should be. Lots of people have shared good ideas on here and I've picked up several from others.
Malachi Constant
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AG
Love that garage!
tgivaughn
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AG
WOW!!!!!!!
Ten words or less ... a goal unattainable
Aggietaco
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AG
No pictures, but I have some similar themes as Ben. Labelled totes up top on shelving for items that aren't used regularly (ie. I have separate totes for paint supplies, drywall tools, electrical tools and loose wire, plumbing tools, a few car parts totes, a few camping equipment totes, etc), a few wire shelving racks with more commonly used items and combustibles, and the tools boxes.

The best thing I did for my tight 2 car garage that houses 2 full sized vehicles was to build a shed out back. I keep my wood stock on similar racks to Ben, my larger mobile tools, lawn equipment, lawn tools, kids toys, and cooler collection there which helps to keep the garage tidy. I also added a plastic shed from Costco last year to store all of the bikes and scooters outside of the garage but still decently secured.
htxag09
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AG
Looks like you just have the old school pegboard sheets, that correct? I struggle with if the convenience of the newer systems is worth it.....

What's the best way to mount the pegboard to the wall? And any accessories/tool holders you recommend?
rao11010
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Don't mind the messiness, needs to be cleaned up. I really like the Proslat wall. Gives me endless ways to organize different things. Tool cabinets are from Saber and were very easy to put together.



dudeabides
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AG
Like rao11010, I'm a Saber cabinet and ProSlat wall fan. I like mounting "2-door base" cabinets up high and regular wall cabinets underneath them. This works great if you have 10' ceilings or taller.

Here's some picts from my previous house (...cabinets cleaned up well despite years of abuse).




Here's a pict of a portion from my current house. The garage/workshop is a work-in-progress at this time. More cabinets and slat wall will be installed soon.
BenTheGoodAg
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AG
Yep - just the regular pegboard you can buy at Lowe's/Home Depot in 4x8 sheets. I like the white version because it brightens up the area a lot. I don't think there's anything wrong with some of the other systems, like the track which looks good in both the above users' photos, but I think it depends on what you're trying to hang.

As for mounting, I just cut some scrap 3/4" (actual 21/32") plywood strips and attach them to the drywall at the studs. That provides the stand-off you need but it does usually cut out a vertical column of holes. I've used both plywood and lumber, but definitely drill pilot holes if using a piece of stud that small or it'll split.

As for tool holders, with a few exceptions, I've just bought combo packs but mostly a bunch from estate and garage sales when I could find them over the years. They're still really plentiful, so one of the benefits of the system. The only two specialty ones I've stocked up on are these style screwdriver holders (Link), which I prefer over ring-style, and the some drill holders (Link).
spike427
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AG
We are trying to figure out better bike storage. Primarily, we need bikes to be accessible by our kids, so they can get them out and put them up without me having to help. Does this storage allow for that? How much space does the biggest bike take up from the wall? Thanks!

These garages are all gorgeous!
bam02
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AG
We remodeled our kitchen and laundry room, and I was able to reuse about 30 linear feet of cabinets in the garage. One section I turned into a workbench with cabinets above it and then I have about 10 feet of cabinets on another wall. I keep all my tools in thereand there's plenty of storage left over. They were great but they are not as cool looking as the pictures above because they are just old oak cabinets from the early 90s.
OlRock
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I don't have pictures right now, but I mismatched several IKEA pieces. Pieces like drawer chests, shelving units hung on the wall and their table tops on the drawers. I have been satisfied with the durability of the drawers so far, and nothing has fallen off the walls yet. I do go out of my way to take care of them though.
aston158
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Did you just remove the wheels from those craftsman toolboxes and set them under your workbenches?

Thinking about doing something similar, and was looking at those at Lowe's tonite, those suckers are not cheap. You've got quite the collection.

Impressive setup to say the least.
bam02
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Here is a pic of my messy workbench area made from cabinets salvaged from our kitchen remodel. Not pretty but I love the storage.
BenTheGoodAg
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Thanks! Yes - that's what I did. Most of those were bought during the Sears era, but they're the exact same.

If I had to do it over, I would have considered US General a lot harder. I'm not going to buy a lot of Harbor Freight stuff, but I think their toolbox quality is pretty comparable. The big benefit IMO is you can get a cabinet in similar width with more drawers that are shallower.

Prices for all of them have gone up a lot.
GrimesCoAg95
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I have craftsman boxes as well. I did buy a harbor freight cart, and it is good quality especially for the price. The HF stuff usually includes drawer liners too which is nice.
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