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How to build garage shelves by attaching Pine to the walls?

julian27845
Getting Established

How to build garage shelves by attaching Pine to the walls?

Hi, I'm going to build some shelves and storage in my garage, it's a single car garage but it has a very high ceiling.

I'm thinking of something like the below image, I would get some pine timber (i'm thinking 45x90mm, as long as possible) and set them up as posts, two on the concrete side, two on the gyprock side, and two in the centre, i only need the shelves to be about 50cm deep to be able to still fit the car in

 

I need to know the best way to attach the wood to both the concrete side and the gyprock side, which screws and which drill bits do I need to get

 

Also just some general advice on the design, which wood would work best for this and any other tips

 

Cheers, Julian

 

Screenshot 2024-12-02 155932.pngScreenshot 2024-12-02 155940.png

 

EricL
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: Garage Shelves (attach pine to garage walls)

Hello @julian27845 

 

Thanks for sharing your question about your garage shelves. If you are anchoring into the concrete wall, I suggest just putting a single piece at the bottom of the shelf, it won't be necessary to put legs on it. You can do the same thing on the other side on the condition that that you drill into the stud frame of the gyprock wall. The actual floor support that's needed is the centre of your shelf which also serves as the support for the other shelves going down.

 

For the concrete wall, I suggest Ramset 12 x 125mm Hex Nut Dynabolt and for the gyprock side, I suggest Zenith 10G x 100mm Gold Passivated Countersunk Rib Head Chipboard Screws - 50 Pack. You'll need a masonry bit the same size as the Ramset Dynabolt and for the chipboard screws, you'll need a timber drill bit that's slightly smaller than the body of the screw itself. It's more practical to purchase full drill bit sets rather purchasing on a per piece basis. In this manner you can change sizes immediately.

 

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.

 

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

 

Eric

 

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Dave-1
Community Megastar

Re: How to build garage shelves by attaching Pine to the walls?

Good Evening @julian27845 

I like your thinking :smile: For some reason garages just need that type of storage!

The wall that the door is on, is that a gyprock wall with studs?

 

Im actually thinking that you only need to fasten the shelves to the studs in that wall. The stands you have designed will lock it solid and the fastening of the shelves to the wall will stop it falling towards the car.

 

Some long timber screws through your post against the wall into the stud itself will hold it nicely. (think of how bookclubs are suggested to be secured so it cant be pulled forward) One thing I realised is that with time no matter how strong you think the timber of the shelf (the thin bit that you place things on) will sag, better to put more noggins across thn less to stop that future sag.

 

If you want to make it even more secure you could put in some right angled brackets for the posts nearest the car but really I dont think it will need them with the attachment to the studs.

 

Dave

 

 

Re: How to build garage shelves by attaching Pine to the walls?

Thanks both, I have a follow up question, I like the design in this video where they attach a long piece of timber to the back wall as the frame, and then he attaches "spacers" which do a couple of things, they help keep all the shelves level, and they also take a lot of the weight

 

My question is if I go out and buy 3m long 90x45 pine timber, would it work ok if I attach two of these end to end against the back wall to make a 6m tall shelf (I really want to take advantage of the high ceiling), so I would basically make a 6m frame against the wall, then attach the spacers all the way up to the top, this should work ok for the back, but i'm not so sure how this would work at the front, since the x2 3M pieces won't have the wall to support it, I would have to figure out a way to get them attached strong so they balance ok on top of each other, what do you think? or is there another way I can build a shelf like this as tall as possible?

 

Cheers, Julian

 

Link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeMjxGD6UvY

 

Screenshot 2024-12-04 090434.png

Re: How to build garage shelves by attaching Pine to the walls?

Good Morning @julian27845 

:smile: Watched the video and yeah that shelf looks solid, Tho I wouldnt build it that way it sure seems to be strong enough. :smile:

 

As to the long span I would suggest a nope, every time I have seen a set of shelves, even purchased ones with a long span they have a sag. Bugs the living daylights out of me lol If you do go the way the shelf in the video has been built you could always put a front leg in the middle type deal. I really wouldnt go for spans over 1.6m, 1.8m max as there will be a bow at some time during its life, you know when you have those weighty things that need to be off the floor and there is an empty spot on that shelf so you shove it there, forget about it and a year later you look and go mmmmm...

 

I built a shelf very much like yours in my old place on sloping soil under the house. I had 4 vertical posts 70mm by 35mm Non structual pine with cross beams between the 500mm legs that the rails 70mm *35mm non sytructual pine rested on. These I bolted together (back in 2007 I didnt know of torqued drivers) I think I used particle board across the width and a bit of an overhang each side plus width wise as well. The over hang was 300mm at either end of the timber. The bolts I put through were 10mm size I think and I did 2 diagonally per join. There was no lateral movement. I did fasten the top of the back posts to the joists under the house as well. 

 

It stood for 3 years before I sold the house and could still be standing today :smile: 

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