I didn't really plan on going this far with refurbing the garage but after delays with the workshop floor I thought I'd put a few shelves up.......
Original state of my garage
Now, after new resin floor laid and shelving fitted
'Sky Storage' of GRP ST205 Track Toy parts!
Shelves were spec'd to maximum width 230mm compared to the old narrow 150mm shelving. Result much more practical storage
The shelving I used was the German 'Element 22' system available from most DIY outlets. The great advantage in this system is that you can move the shelf brackets up or down on the twin slot rails. The shelving was white melamine furniture board (chipboard). This is easy to keep clean and also keeps things bright. The only downside is that the load bearing capacity isn't great so you really can't risk spanning more than about 50cm. Even at this width you have to be careful to avoid putting really heavy weights such as cans of oil or large toolboxes.I suppose you could go with solid timber shelving but that can be quite expensive. Even with using the cheaper shelving the whole exercise has cost around £400. On the plus side the Element 22 components can be re-used elsewhere should I move.
There is just enough room to fit my ST205 in the garage with the shelving at the height shown. I could fit 150mm shelving below the current shelves but they are of limited use when they are that narrow. Also, that would mean there would be nowhere to park my GRP doors! Anyway, as you can see I still have spare shelf capacity
One thing that has made a huge difference to the storage capacity is going as high as possible witht he shelving. I remember when the Aussie Autospeed web site did the series of articles on building a workshop that they mentioned how important it was to go for height in whatever workshop you choose to build. I can see the sense in that now.
I had hoped to also complete the new workshop storage over the Christmas New Year break but unfortunately I had to put this on hold as there are problems with the resin floor that need to be corrected before I start building the storage system. Hopefully this will be resolved soon as I'm keen to move my equipment back inside out of the weather.
I don't really plan on doing any serious work in the garage anyway and there's not enough room thats what the workshop is for.
