The garage is one of the most valuable parts of the home. Aside from parking, most homeowners use garages to store essential items.
Whether storing vehicle tools, bicycles, garden tools, or seasonal items like holiday decorations, excellent garage storage allows you to place items without compromising the space and décor.
If you’re a garage owner, this is what you need to know.
Investing in garage cabinets is the best choice because they provide money’s worth. Depending on their size and strength, cabinets can fit all of the essential items inside the garage, including power tools, yard tools, and small items.
What are the Other Benefits of Investing in Efficient Garage Cabinets?
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The most obvious benefit of a garage organizer is clean floor space. With cabinets in place, you can organize all of your items in a single place. Free up the garage space so you can park your car and walk around easily.
Enclosed cabinets keep your garage safe by storing tools, sharp items, and potentially dangerous accessories away from children and pets.
You can spend more time in and get more use out of your garage if it is cleaner and more attractive. Moreover, you can indulge in workshop activities without worrying about tripping on items.
You will also notice that your tools, sports equipment, and other items last longer when safely stored inside cabinets.
Best Garage Cabinet Ideas
The best garage storage ideas start from planning your garage layout, determining storage capacity, and choosing the right cabinetries. Here are some of the efficient ideas for you to try.
1. Determine the Garage Layout
Remove all the items from the garage to determine the layout. Decide where your cabinets will go and consider the frequency of use of items.
The garage wall is most appropriate for cabinets because this space is closest to the garage door. You can also consider placing cabinets are the rear of the garage. The rear part of the garage is most suited for less frequently used items, such as power tools and seasonal items. Make sure adding garage cabinets do not compromise the parking and movement space.
The minimum size of the one-car garage is generally 10x18ft or 12x20ft. You can hardly fit two cabinets on each side of the garage; hence consider adding cabinets on only one side of the garage wall.
2. Choose an Appropriate Cabinet Types
There are two types of garage cabinets: Custom-fit and modular.
Custom-fit cabinets are built to custom depths, widths, and heights. You can design custom cabinets as per your need. The advantage of installing a custom cabinet is that you can design it to fit any garage size or space. Garages with smaller widths can easily fit custom garages designed for lesser width.
A modular cabinet system is built from pre-made standalone units that are mixed and matched. You have less choice when it comes to modular cabinets because these prebuilt cabinets are made for specific purposes.
You can choose from any quality materials, including steel, solid wood, or medium-density fiberboard, for your garage cabinet.
3. Cabinet Material: Wood or Metal
You can choose a garage cabinet made out of plastic, wood, aluminum, and stainless steel. Wood and aluminum remain the two most popular choices for cabinets.
Metal garage cabinets are made from sturdy material that supports much weight for an extended period. Some metal adjustable shelves can hold as much as 4,000 pounds of bulky items, including car parts, machinery, metal tools, books, miscellaneous, etc.
The great thing about metal cabinets is that they don’t attract pests, insects, and moisture. They also resist temperature change.
Wood cabinets’ aged finish adds aesthetic appeal. They are durable, sleek, and often stylish.
The significant benefit of using wood over other materials is that wood ages well. A quality wood cabinet will enhance the look of your garage with minimum wear and tear. However, they are sensitive to weather and moisture damage.
4. Garage Cabinet Designs
You can find five different types of garage cabinet designs.
Wall-mounted Garage Cabinets
Consider wall-mounted garage cabinets to save floor space. There are many benefits to installing wall-mounted cabinets. You can easily clean underneath the cabinets, and they also make space appear less cluttered.
Depending on your taste, you can either install enclosed wall cabinets or wall-mounted storage shelves. However, there’s a downside to it. A wall-mounted garage cabinet isn’t suitable for storing heavier items.
Wall-mounted cabinets are a good choice for making the most of small storage spaces.
Free-standing Garage Cabinets
Freestanding garage cabinet is the most basic and popular type of cabinetry. You can install freestanding cabinets based on garage floor size. As they don’t attach to the wall space, you can easily unfasten them and move them anywhere you like. You can also store heavy items inside freestanding cabinets.
One downside to it is that you can’t clean underneath the cabinets, and you have to do a bit more bending to retrieve a range of items from the base cabinets.
Rolling Cabinets
Rolling cabinets are similar to freestanding cabinets, but the set of wheels make it easy to move them around your garage. They may be a part of the modular set, but most are separate from other garage storage systems
You can also consider installing custom-designed rolling cabinets and workbenches according to your need. It’s also easier to clean the garage floor by moving the rolling cabinets.
Overhead Cabinets
Overhead cabinets are more common as home interior units, such as overhead kitchen cabinets. However, you can consider adding an overhead cabinet in your garage. Make sure they’re lighter and are used to store lighter items. Add ceiling joists to hold the cabinets in place.
Complete Garage Cabinets
A complete garage cabinet includes five to ten pieces of garage furniture. This storage system often includes cabinetry (freestanding or wall-mounted), shelving, and workbenches that fit together to form an organizational system.
You can store almost everything from tools to lawnmowers. These are similar to modular cabinets, but they are sold as a bundle instead of individual pieces.
Features
Garage cabinets come with a range of features for security, efficiency, or aesthetics. Consider these features before buying your next garage cabinet.
- Enclosed or open –Enclosed cabinets come with a door that you lock for safety. It’s safer to install an enclosed cabinet when there are children or pets around. Open cabinets are more appropriate to store tools and equipment that you need to use regularly.
- Built-in lighting – You can install garage cabinets with built-in lighting on the underside or for additional illumination. Consider adding interior lighting that activates when the cabinet door opens.
Is it Expensive to Add Garage Cabinets?
Unlike popular belief, garage cabinets are an economical choice of storage. You’ll need to work within your available budget to determine the type and quality of the cabinets you can install.
A simple install of garage cabinets with one or more baselines made from inexpensive material will cost a few hundred bucks. It’s only when you’re seeking to install a complete garage storage solution with multiple decks and materials that the cabinets will cost over $5,000.
According to Fixr.com,
Most homeowners spend between $1,500 and $3,000, with a medium-sized garage organizer system costing around $2,500 when professionally installed.
The price of garage cabinets depends on the garage’s size, the storage required, manufacture, and installation. The cost for choosing custom-made cabinets usually runs higher than premade organizers because there is more labor and cost associated with creating custom cabinets.
If you’re short on budget, consider the DIY method of crafting your garage cabinets. You can assemble needed material and tools from any Handyman store for a few hundred dollars. For a more decorative and appealing design, consider spending something over $500.
Adding garage cabinets is entirely worth your money because cabinets work in all garage conditions. Ensure to choose garage cabinets that complement your garage’s overall look and color.