Garage Tool Storage

pana37

hi guys well i better get round to finally sorting out my garage storage for some tools. Im always looking for the most common tools in the toolbox. i was thinking getting some wood panel and screwing that onto the wall and fix some screws to hang the tools

anyone done this?
would be grateful if someone would post up some pics

thanks in advance

moonrakerz

If you Google "shadow boards" you will get lots of ideas

olias

I'm assuming you mean small hand tools or light weight garden tools? Rather than just using screws, have a look in your local poundshop. They usually do a pack of assorted size and shape hooks that will be better for different size and shaped tools. From memory, you get a fair few in a pack (maybe a dozen or more) and they appear reasonably robust. They are usually in one of those packs where they are shrink wrapped against a card base. You are correct though, attaching the hooks to a wooden batten or battens is the easiest way to do it.

Obviously the above is only meant for lightweight tools. If you intend to hang lawnmowers, ladders etc then you would need more robust fittings preferably attached straight to the masonry wall.

Olias

pana37

olias wrote: »

I'm assuming you mean small hand tools or light weight garden tools? Rather than just using screws, have a look in your local poundshop. They usually do a pack of assorted size and shape hooks that will be better for different size and shaped tools. From memory, you get a fair few in a pack (maybe a dozen or more) and they appear reasonably robust. They are usually in one of those packs where they are shrink wrapped against a card base. You are correct though, attaching the hooks to a wooden batten or battens is the easiest way to do it.

Obviously the above is only meant for lightweight tools. If you intend to hang lawnmowers, ladders etc then you would need more robust fittings preferably attached straight to the masonry wall.

Olias

Hi thanks for your reply
i want to use it for hand tools not gardening tools

ormus

mine is like this. pegboard is pretty useful stuff.

pana37

wow thats amazing! where did you get the board and hooks from?

Nilrem

We use (for wall storage) a combination of:
Oriented Strand Board with Hooks/long screws.
Some plastic pegboards
Some Magnetic strips (Aldi do a set with 2x 45cm bars, and a pair of magnetic trays on a regular basis for about £8).
Twinslot shelving.
Drawers/tool chests.


The OSB with hooks is great for things like clamps.
The Pegboards are good for assorted smaller tools.
The magnetic strips are ideal for screwdrivers and things like scissors/wire cutters, and you can find the one you want and pull it off in seconds.

It's also possibly worth putting up some adjustable shelving (the twin slot sort), if you've got space and a suitable brick wall, as those are very handy for things like packs of screws/fittings.
Avoid the plastic "storage bins" that you get as a set of 9-18 on plastic backs, as unless you're just putting very light items in them they aren't really strong enough, and they are a pita to see what's in them (we've got some, but they are relegated to holding things like rawlplugs, small candles and tape of various sorts).

What I would suggest is definitely putting things that are used most often at easiest to reach location, and to if possible label any boxes/units and keep the labelling up to date.

We've ended up with pretty much every storage option in our garage, all used for different things as we've discovered what works best for us over the years, for example we've ended up with multiple tool boxes, often with many similar/duplicated tools, but customised for specific tasks like plumbing so when we need to do plumbing we can grab one box and get on with it, and another for electrical work (the task specific boxes have things like plumbing fittings as well as the tools).

Ultimately I'd suggest sitting down, looking at what you've got to store/are likely to be storing, how much room you've got, what you're likely to use the most and go from there - expect to reorganise several times before you get to a system that works well for you.

One final tip - get a decent torch, and some spare batteries (an AA maglite and Duracell batteries are great for this*), and put them by the garage door as no matter how good your lighting in there, you will always find that there is a corner where it's too dark to see, and sods law is that will be where a particular small tool is when you need it. It's also always handy to have a decent torch in a place you can find it quickly when needed.



*I'm mildly obsessed with having torches (with batteries!) handy - it comes from having to grope around in the dark when trying to do jobs for friends too often (it's amazing how many people don't have a torch, or have a torch but with a dead bulb or no batteries).

moonrakerz

pana37 wrote: »

wow thats amazing! where did you get the board and hooks from?

Ah - he didn't say that was his, he said like his......... his piece of peg board is a foot square :rotfl::rotfl:

googler

How do you prevent the tools going rusty, since they're out in the open, and the UK doesn't really have a dry climate........?

ormus

WD40 is a good rust preventative too.