Get that Garage Organized!

Storage and organization make the garage a project-friendly workplace

Is your garage a disorganized black hole where tools and supplies mysteriously disappear for months on end? Is it a cluttered obstacle course with mountains of precariously stacked boxed, crates and athletic equipment? This is the sad case with many garages across the country but it doesn't have to be that way. Today homeowners have an endless array of storage and organization options, including shelves, hangers, racks and cabinets, which can transform your garage into a neat an orderly work space for home and auto projects. Here's a few suggestions that will get more off the floor and streamline the work space!

Tomorrow's Pegboard Today

The traditional upgrade from the nail-in-wall approach to garage storage has been pegboards made from press board panels. The problem with press board is that the material has a tendency to warp, swell, crack  or fray when it absorbs moisture. It also stains easily from oils and dirty fingers.

Additionally, one of the installation hurdles of press board pegboards is that they require wooden slats or cleats installed behind the board. When the solid press board is mounted flat to a wall, there is no clearance behind the board to thread a hook or tool carrier through the holes. Therefore, the 3/4" inch thick slats or cleats are required to hold the pegboard off the wall, providing adequate clearance for tool hooks to be mounted. In response to the shortcomings of the old press board design, a variety of manufacturers offer alternative pegboards made with sturdier material that eliminates those problems.

Products such as Alligator board from Syr-Tech is a unique metal pegboard manufactured to the highest standards from heavy-duty, 20 gauge steel. Stronger and durable than ordinary pegboard and is compatible with standard pegboard hardware and quickly and efficiently organizes garages, workshops, utility rooms and more.

Easy Wall Storage

From slat-wall systems to homemade shelves, if you can get your gear off the floor and make it more easily accessibly, then you'll find a lot more usable space. One such idea might be the Racor GaragePro Universal Rail Storage System. This is a handy nine-piece kit that provides superior strength and flexibility of storage options for use in limited space. The Garage-Pro starts with two 24"in rails that can be hung separately or combined to create 4 ft. of storage. It has adjustable hooks and a shelf that is placed on the rails and easily moved when needed. The rails have a built-in bubble vial to aid in installation, as well as a course of screw holes on top and bottom to mount in both studs and drywall. The rails can hold a combined weight of 100 pounds and the system expands as you add further components.

Ceiling Storage Solutions

A knotted mass of extension cords is too often the tangled web we weave in the garage. These necessary evils pose a tripping hazard, snag tools, and generally stay in the way when they're being used, and when they're not. The new RoboReel Power Cord Reel takes away a lot of those associated headaches. The RoboReel Power Cord Reel is the world's first extension cord with its own computerized brain. With the push of a button (on the reel or the end of the cord), the cord automatically retracts 50 feet of heavy duty 12 gauge power cord in less than 20 seconds at a controlled speed. For ladder storage, the Racor LadderLift does exactly what it sounds like. The "number one" pain-in-the-neck storage problem in the garage is where to put the large heavy ladder. The new Ladder Lift is an easy way to store any ladder overhead and free up garage space. Ladders can weigh up to 150 lbs, so it not easy to lift them onto wall hooks. The Ladder Lift uses a rope and pulley system along with a fixed hook that is mounted on the ceiling. Homeowners can easily light and lower a 150 lb ladder up to 12 ft. by simply lifting the ladder onto the fixed hook, attaching the strap to the bottom of the ladder and pulling the rope with an 8:1 mechanical advantage.