Building Some Shelves

[Jerry1]

I was going to post this is the "What We're Making" thread, but this is a "What I Want to Make" question.

I'm going to make some shelves. I'm open to better ideas, but I think what I have planned is a good solution. We're going to need some shelves for our basement and I'm thinking about building them. These are the classic shelves built with 2x4's and plywood. Example picture below.

One thing I don't like about the typical design is that they use strand board. Strand board is about a 1/3 of the cost of a sheet of decent plywood so it makes sense, but I don't like how rough it is. I'm thinking I could use 1/4" plywood instead of the common 1/2" and by fastening the plywood to the stringers, say every foot or so, that it would be sturdy enough for my needs. However, maybe it would be better to just do something like paint or epoxy coat the strand board. Looking for ideas.

Another thing that I'll take care of is that I've never liked how the typical design just screws the shelves into the supports. I like the idea of using a jack stand approach as shown in the other picture. Over kill?

I'm wondering about sealing them or using pressure treated wood for the support 2x4's. I don't expect the basement to ever get wet, but I was thinking about at least sealing the ends up a few inches with some water proofer I have left over from a different project.

So, how to make these a bit nicer but still build on a budget? And, are there any other ideas for a large amount of storage? Using stranded board and 2x4's, I've estimated that I can build a unit that has four 2x8 foot shelves. I'll probably be building two of them.

Thanks

 

[zinger1457]

You could attach 1/8-1/4 tempered hardboard on top of the OSB, it would give a nice smooth top and it's cheap. Could also paint the OSB, primer and a couple coats, but you'll still see some of the OSB pattern coming through.

 

[5Miler]

Or depending upon what you plan to store on the shelves, you could use termite poop (MDF).

 

[Flyfish1]

1/4 "plywood is pretty light stuff, and then you have to add a lot of stringers for support - not my first choice. I'd go 1/2" at least depending on what you are storing. I don't like the OSB personally. Go with a plywood with a nicer surface. More expensive but have you considered Melamine? MDF is nice - but doesn't like water and is heavy! You could go pressure treated for the legs, probably overkill , or just coat the feet with a sealant.

 

[target2019]

When I look at those shelves, very much like my basement, it reminds me of three times I had to modify them for important work on the house.

They weren't my choice, but the sets of wire rack shelves and carts were.

 

[Jerry1]

When I look at those shelves, very much like my basement, it reminds me of three times I had to modify them for important work on the house.

They weren't my choice, but the sets of wire rack shelves and carts were.

Why did you have to modify them. I could see having to move them, which wouldn't be easy but doable. I could see modifying them for my storage needs, like needing a bigger opening for tall stuff. But, work on the house??

 

[target2019]

Why did you have to modify them. I could see having to move them, which wouldn't be easy but doable. I could see modifying them for my storage needs, like needing a bigger opening for tall stuff. But, work on the house??

Look around. You know your house.

Builtin shelves with closet doors. Great idea until the overhead sewer pipe needs replacing.

How do you clean those shelves?

I've dealt with those wood shelves for 30 years. Lol.

 

[Ronstar]

My design is similar to yours. Except I doubled up the 2x4's that support the shelves. I lag bolted the posts to a horizontal 2x4 shelf support that runs the length of the whole shelving unit. Then added another set of horizontal 2x4's so that the shelf supports are flush with the posts.

I used 1/2" plywood. 24" deep. And I didn't seal or paint anything.

 

[Al18]

I don’t like the roughness of the strand board - those edges could cause splinters. I would pay the extra for 1/2 inch plywood. I would recommend using clear polyurethane for the bottom few inches of the shelf to protect the wood.

 

[imjustawarrior]

I did this many years ago. I looked at Youtube videos until I found one I liked. Here are a few things I did that may or may not help.

We had purchased a bunch of identical storage bins. I made the shelves to accommodate the bins efficiently.

I had Home Depot cut everything for me. They will do it for free. They have all the equipment to make the cuts. They did it for free. It made getting everything home much easier. I don't have a truck. I then just screwed everything together.

If you have exposed studs, you can make use of those.

 

[pb4uski]

I think it depends on what you are going to store on them. I built some for DW years ago for storage inside the knee walls of her sewing loft and used 1"x3" strapping across the framing with a gap between each piece of strapping. In her case it was to hold plastic bins of sewing material so the load wasn't very heavy. Also, the strapping was a lot easier to handle than plywood or OSB. If I remember right I attached the strapping to the framing with a brad nailer and the longest brads that it would handle. Could have used screws and countersink them a little.

 

[Jerry1]

I think it depends on what you are going to store on them. I built some for DW years ago for storage inside the knee walls of her sewing loft and used 1"x3" strapping across the framing with a gap between each piece of strapping. In her case it was to hold plastic bins of sewing material so the load wasn't very heavy. Also, the strapping was a lot easier to handle than plywood or OSB.

I think there will be a number of bins - mostly filled with Christmas stuff, boxes filled with canning jars (a lot empty but some full - she’s got a lot of jars). So, I think I need to plan for the higher load which would probably be canned (home canned) goods. The next heaviest load would be store bought canned goods. The there’s the extra glassware and dishes that are pretty heavy. The bins will be mostly lighter stuff.

 

[pb4uski]

The picture looks like each shelf is 8' long and 2' wide with a middle vertical support. If you are placing heavy bins on it you should probably add 2x4 bracing between each 48" span no matter what shelving material you use.

If you do that, then either 1x3 strapping with 3/4" gapping or 1/2" OSB should carry the load easily. Remember, 1x3 is 3/4" thick and solid wood where 1/2" OSB is only 1/2" thick, so the strapping is 50% thicker.

Or you could use lighter shelving material like 3/8" OSB with supports 16" on center.

 

[Jerry1]

A quick calculation indicates that the strapping would fall between strand board and plywood in terms of cost.

 

[pb4uski]

So what would be smoother or nicer, OSB, strapping or plywood?

 

[Jerry1]

So what would be smoother or nicer, OSB, strapping or plywood?

It would go in that order - OSB, strapping then plywood. One issue I'd have with strapping is the groves between the boards. Not sure about that. Still, worth considering.

 

[tizod]

Versus adding protection on 2*4, build it onto plastic moving pads. It may allow you to slide it (if you ever must - mine I've never had to) to get at back wall or pipes. And keeps it off the concrete. If they ever fail, no big deal, put shim under it. In fact the composite/nylon shims at one end are good if you need to level it and don't get it right on the cuts (something this size, likely no issue!). I use these shims on the bottoms of my outdoor stairs to keep them off the concrete block. And readjust them as the block sinks.
As for top - use plywood. With the weight you are adding it supports it, keeps rigidity, and all the other methods require reinforcment to equal plywood - so just pay up front and make it easy. I did round the outer edges with a router. I also dont think you need too much extra brace -maybe 1*3 in centers if you keep long span.

 

[triangle]

I was going to post this is the "What We're Making" thread, but this is a "What I Want to Make" question.

I'm going to make some shelves. I'm open to better ideas, but I think what I have planned is a good solution. We're going to need some shelves for our basement and I'm thinking about building them. These are the classic shelves built with 2x4's and plywood. Example picture below.

One thing I don't like about the typical design is that they use strand board. Strand board is about a 1/3 of the cost of a sheet of decent plywood so it makes sense, but I don't like how rough it is. I'm thinking I could use 1/4" plywood instead of the common 1/2" and by fastening the plywood to the stringers, say every foot or so, that it would be sturdy enough for my needs. However, maybe it would be better to just do something like paint or epoxy coat the strand board. Looking for ideas.

Another thing that I'll take care of is that I've never liked how the typical design just screws the shelves into the supports. I like the idea of using a jack stand approach as shown in the other picture. Over kill?

I'm wondering about sealing them or using pressure treated wood for the support 2x4's. I don't expect the basement to ever get wet, but I was thinking about at least sealing the ends up a few inches with some water proofer I have left over from a different project.

So, how to make these a bit nicer but still build on a budget? And, are there any other ideas for a large amount of storage? Using stranded board and 2x4's, I've estimated that I can build a unit that has four 2x8 foot shelves. I'll probably be building two of them.

Thanks



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View attachment 55529

Agree that you should not use pressure treated inside your garage. Instead seal the end grain with wood harder or something to prevent the wicking of moisture. If you are ambitious could alternatively hang the shelve unit from the ceiling and wall in order to not have that outside vertical post intruding into your floor space.

If you don't like the look of the screws you could first drill a shallow hole with a larger diameter and after counter sinking the screws come back and glue a wooden plug over the top. That would still be visible unless painted, but mostly hide them. Or you could use pocket hole screws along with a slightly different design (maybe similar to your second photo), or get fancy and use half-lap joints glued and screwed from the inside.

There are many designs posted on youtube. It is just a matter of your experience level, tools you own, and how much time and effort you want to put into the project. I also agree that regular plywood or even MDF could be better choices than OSB if properly supported.

 

[joesxm3]

I built shelves like that 15 years ago and used nice $40/sheet 3/4 inch plywood.

I had 8 foot horizontal 2x4's and three vertical 2x4's, so 4 feet apart. For the strong shelves I put in a cross piece 2x4 every 2 feet. That was bottom and middle shelves. The third up shelf and the top did not have the cross spans and just put little blocks on the 6 verticals. The third shelf was ok for really light stuff but it sagged in the middle with medium weight stuff.

I image the finished plywood I used is cost prohibitive now. But they are nice shelves. At times I would use a floor jack to lift them up and put two furniture dollies under them so I could roll them around while heavily loaded with stuff.

 

[Hyper]

From your pics and wanting something a bit nicer use the OSB, smooth side up. Daddo the outer horizontal 2x4 a 1/2" with a table saw or router so the edge of the OSB sits down into the 2x4 concealing it for a better look. I wouldn't worry about the wall side as it'd not be seen. Just remember the horizontal 2x4 will be 1/2" lower in the back.

 

[MTB4me]

I’ve used these units from Costco in my basement and my outdoor shed. They can handle up to 300lbs, the shelf heights are easily changeable, and the racks are easily moved, even when loaded. You might want to compare your costs for wood shelving against a solution like this.

Loading…

www.costco.com

 

[ERD50]

I've built shelves like that, and found 1x4s to be plenty strong enough. Use 2 on each corner to form a leg with strength in each direction.

Consider those cheap stamped corner braces to attach the cross supports, those will add strength against 'racking'. I'd go with OSB, maybe a bit of wood trim on the front edge to avoid splinters there?

This tool is great for determining support and distance between supports. Their defaults, IIRC, are for finished furniture quality shelves, where even a slight bow can be caught by the eye. For basement shelves holding odds and ends, you won't be so critical.

The Sagulator – WoodBin

 

[ERD50]

I’ve used these units from Costco in my basement and my outdoor shed. They can handle up to 300lbs, the shelf heights are easily changeable, and the racks are easily moved, even when loaded. You might want to compare your costs for wood shelving against a solution like this.

Loading…

www.costco.com

+1 When we moved into our present home, I went almost exclusively with wheeled shelves like that. Menards had them a bit cheaper. I really like the fact that you can roll them out to clean underneath, and I can pack a bunch more stuff in the same space. For example, I can place one right under the pull down stairs to the attic. They'd get in the way of the stairs, but I can just roll them over a few feet while I use the stairs. Same in a storage room in the basement. I have them 'tight packed' there,but I pull one out at a time, like drawers, to get to what I need. Just so much more flexible than wood shelves. Wood is not cheap, I bet the wheeled shelves end up being economical.

 

[SnowballCamper]

I did some wood shelves a few years ago in our storage room, but since then I've gone with various models of shelving units depending on what was going on the shelf. It's been way more convent for me.

 

[Texas Proud]

I am just curious why you do not just buy some steel shelves from you favorite box store or Amazon?

I have those in my Garage and like them... easy to assemble...