These DIY storage shelves are a really simple solution for storing your stuff easily and without breaking the bank.
We all have things we need to store and keep organized so we can find it when you need it. I've found that storing your things in tubs on simple storage shelves made with 2 x 4s and OSB is the easiest and most efficient way to keep you storage accessible.
Being organized saves you money, because if you can't find your stuff when you need it, you will go out and buy another one...
We all have things we need to store and keep organized so we can find it when you need it. I've found that storing your things in tubs on simple storage shelves made with 2 x 4s and OSB is the easiest and most efficient way to keep you storage accessible.
Being organized saves you money, because if you can't find your stuff when you need it, you will go out and buy another one...
So, how do you store your stuff?
Here are some tips on how to store your stuff:
1. Assess Your Space and stuff to be stored.
When organizing a room, I assess what is kept in the space. This means measuring everything. 2. Build storage shelves to fit your stuff
This storage room had two storage shelves in it before, but the shelves weren't spaced correctly and stuff got piled up.
The shelves didn't fit the stuff we needed to store and things got piled up
Mr. DIY took these shelves apart and reused the wood and OSB to make another shelf that fit our stuff. That's living frugally. (I know having all this stuff isn't living frugally, though)
Mr. DIY took these shelves apart and reused the wood and OSB to make another shelf that fit our stuff. That's living frugally. (I know having all this stuff isn't living frugally, though)
3. Store your stuff in containers with labels to make it look more organized
I store almost everything in 18 gallon Sterilite (made in America) plastic tubs or totes. Most of my stuff fits in these plastic containers. There are also clear containers if you would like to see what's in them.
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| Sterilite 18 gallon totes with lid |
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| Sterilite 66 qt clear view totes with lid |
Mr. DIY reused all of the materials from the old shelving units and bought some extra 2 x 4's to make a 3rd shelving unit.
Even if you had to buy all of the wood, these shelves are still a cost effective way to store your stuff. Have you seen the price of sturdy shelving?
Even if you had to buy all of the wood, these shelves are still a cost effective way to store your stuff. Have you seen the price of sturdy shelving?
Here's how we made the shelving:
These shelving units are simple to make. He just used two 8 ft long 2 x 4's and cut two more 2 x 4's down to 24" for the ends. The total length of the unit is 8ft, so the long 2 x 4's have to be cut down a little because you are adding the short 2 x 4's to the end.
He screwed them all together as you see in this photo. Screws are so much better to put shelving together because this allows you to take them apart if you have to rework them another time. It would have been much more difficult to take apart the old shelves to make the new ones had he used nails.
Mr. DIY used torx head, 3" self tapping deck screws.
He screwed them all together as you see in this photo. Screws are so much better to put shelving together because this allows you to take them apart if you have to rework them another time. It would have been much more difficult to take apart the old shelves to make the new ones had he used nails.
Mr. DIY used torx head, 3" self tapping deck screws.
Mr. DIY then screwed 1/2" thick OSB to the 2 x 4 frame. He made 3 of these for each unit.
Then he attached 2 x 4's on each corner to complete the unit. The shelves are spaced the height of the plastic storage boxes we have plus 1 1/2 to 2" extra space.
These shelves are super easy to make and are inexpensive, as far as shelving goes.
He made this shelving unit a little shorter so that the plastic storage containers could be double stacked on the top shelf. I organized this shelving unit to hold my girls childhood toys, books and clothing they wanted to keep. The clear boxes on the bottom right hold their artwork and school mementos.
The shelving unit on other side of the room holds Christmas and seasonal decorations. The armoire holds hunting clothes and heavy winter coats.
We found the Ikea Armoire on Craigslist.
We found the Ikea Armoire on Craigslist.
It's such a good feeling to get all of my storage organized and
If you don't have a basement and are limited on space, store stuff under beds, high up in closets, space under sofas, your garage and attic .
UPDATE:
At our new house, Mr. DIY splurged a bit and installed cabinets to store most of his tools. You can see the post HERE
Mr. DIY Also installed a rail organizing system HERE
At our new house, we have a high crawl space instead of a basement, so Mr. DIY built a different shelving system to store our stuff. You can see it HERE.
Where do you store your stuff and how do you keep it organized? Leave me a short comment (or a long one) - I read every one!
Pam
We took a Craigslist Armoire and transformed it into lots of storage for our oldest daughter.
You can see the details by clicking HERE
Disclaimer: The above post is how we made our shelves. We don't take any responsibility for any errors or results obtained from using this information. When using power tools, use safety equipment.
*this post contains affiliate links, which means, I'll make a small commission should you purchase something from one of these links.
