I always enter my home through the garage. I'm always sweeping the floor to keep dust and dirt under control. And I always find something to clean or tinker with on my 1976 Corvette Stingray.
And speaking of cleaning, I do have a small selection of car detailing supplies but until now, I kept them on a big shelf which was not conducive to handiness or organization, so I decided to do something about it.
Another thing that always bothers me is wasted space in the garage, even though I am fortunate to have a spacious 3-car garage. However, for reasons unknown, it appears I am always running out of space, as I am sure everyone else is when it comes to garage real estate.
I kept my detailing supplies on one of the shelves shown in the background. And, while convenient, they were hardly organized, mainly due to the size of the shelves which—although great—are intended for commercial storage. So I needed something smaller.
As the photo above shows, the sheer depth of commercial shelving is not ideal for a home garage as a lot of stuff tends to gravitate toward the rear portion of the shelves and ends up being forgotten.
My solution was to use inexpensive shelving units such as those found at home-improvement centers, and utilize wasted floor and vertical space for my automotive cleaning and detailing supplies.
I was using the wall area shown above, as a place to hang posters and signs. And while it looked good it really was wasted space.
The 6-cube shelves I found at the local Walmart were the right size and only a foot deep. This allowed me to utilize the wasted floor and vertical space in an effective way. All I had to do was relocate a few decor items.
As you can see, I only bought three shelving units. That's all they had in stock. But I like the way they look and I can use the top of the one on the left as a small counter for items that do not fit in the cubicles.
Alternatively, it also gives me room to add an additional 6-cube cabinet if I ever need the extra storage, something that's always a good possibility.
This new arrangement allows me to know exactly what products I have in stock while keeping them organized and clean. And the shelving units are very affordable at only $29.99 each. Yes, you have to assemble them, but it is super easy.
I am very pleased with how nicely this storage solution worked out. And it goes to show you that you don't really need to spend a ton of money to make your garage space more productive. And, as a bonus, I think they look great.
By the way, these units are also available in white.
In hindsight, I could've built a base out of 2x4s. That would've raised the units a couple of inches off the floor, and maybe given them a more "finished" look.
However, fabrication always looks great on paper until you start sawing lumber and making a mess of things. Plus, in order to give it a nice finished look, you have to paint the base. So yes, a lot of work but doable and something to keep in mind.
I did remove a portion of the baseboard in order to get the units as close as possible to the wall. I will also secure the top with a couple of small brackets for added safety.
Thank you for following my '76 Vette Blog!
Product Links... (#sponsored)
• The Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine, by Mike Phillips
• 6-Inch Dual-Action Car Polisher with Variable Speed
