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I was thinking about buying a "bin warehouse" or two for the basement of the house I am buying. (See attached photos of the "bin warehouse" if you have never seen one!) Then I realized that the big plastic bins that I bought at Wal-Mart for general storage (especially for bedding sets, since I have a LOT of them) are literally about 1" too wide (20.5" wide instead of 19.5").
So, I was wondering if anyone has built a simple shelving system for plastic bins in their garage or basement? It doesn't seem like it would be too hard ... just 2x4s and plywood platforms, right? Or am I kidding myself and there's something hugely complicated about it that I'm not figuring?
I assume that I would attach the back of the "frame" to studs. Each "section" would be about 22" wide by 18" high by 30" deep. The plastic bins don't have anything heavy in them (i.e., no books or magazines) so I would probably stack them 4 high.
It is a very simple project for someone that: 1. has the tools, and 2. has the skills to use them.
I have made similar racks, one to hold file boxes for my business, and the other to hold the recycling bins.
I made the file box rack out of 2x4's and plywood, because the boxes are heavy. I built the recycle rack out of 2x3's and used slats for the top.
This would be a very simple project for a carpenter, handyman, or really anyone that has a skill saw and a hammer. I use an air nailer because it's faster, and I have one, but you could use screws or just a hammer and nails.
Because its 30" deep, and will have a pretty big footprint, you probably don't need to secure it to the wall studs, but it wouldn't hurt. Kind of like wearing a belt and suspenders.
Wouldn't waste the money!
The bins are more than capable of supporting themselves 4 high. Especially if they aren't "loaded"!
So, it takes an extra minute to get the bottom one- Big Deal!-
I have two stacks in my storage room- everything is labeled, easy to find, and really no bother if I have to dig (one stack is 4 high, the other 5 high)
K'ledgeBldr, you're right, it's not THAT hard to get to the bottom one when they're stacked 4 high, but I like the idea of adding label holders (like you see on some file cabinets) to the front of each slot and impressing my friends with how organized I am, lol (I will also label the bin itself with a photo of contents if it's bedding, but I like label holders for their neat look). The basement is huge (compared to what I have now, which is no basement at all!) so even storing 24 bins 6x4 it won't make too much of a dent in the floor space.
And I fibbed saying I would build it ... I would HELP a handyman build it as I like to see how things work/go together.
Thanks for the replies! Barking Spider, would love to see photos of the ones you've built if you have any! (One of the closets in the house I'm buying has a huge closet where 1 wall is slots for bankers' boxes -- that's how they sized them! My first thought was "sweaters!" but I do sometimes need file storage so may use some of those slots for files. Photo attached!)
The metal industrial shelving is that adjustable (ie in terms of width, shelf spacing, etc.)? I haven't seen any that would work so would love a link or photos if you have them. Thanks!
Karen, here are the photos of mine. The recycle center was made with 2x3's and 2x2's, no plywood. The file storage was 2x4's and plywood because of the weight. I included close ups of the corner details.
Both of these were very quick builds. I use a chop saw and a air nailer, and it goes very fast.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Barking Spider, those are great -- you look so organized!! I think my shelves would end up looking like your bankers'-boxes' shelves -- I think my bins will weigh less than your boxes so it should work out. And mine will be ~30" deep so they may very well not need to be attached to the studs.
Dokie, I like those ties, but using those for the shelves could get VERY expensive. I will ask my handyman what he thinks.
Thanks again for the replies! I will post photos this summer after the shelving is built!
-karen
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more shelves!
