Shelves

[Stock R]

Anybody want to share their knowledge/experience on where I can get some decent but relatively cheap shelves for storage? My house is a mess right now and I really need some shelves just to put away random things in both the basement and garage.

I like the ones from Costco (the metal ones) but they are a bit pricey. Are those my best bet or is there a better deal elsewhere?

[damean2]

What width, depth and weight rating are you looking for? I'm guessing aesthetics aren't your primary concern?

[Stock R]

What width, depth and weight rating are you looking for? I'm guessing aesthetics aren't your primary concern?

I'm not looking for any particular size. Just something to put tools, paint cans, boxes, etc on. So relatively big with a decent amoutn of shelves.

And no, I don't really chare about aesthetics as long as they're sturdy.

[bizzyseller]

Ikea has $29 a shelf (comes with 4 adjustable)

Made of solid wood. Very sturdy. Been using them for years. They aren't very pretty looking, but do a great job. Good for storage areas and garages.

Can't link... don't have flash...

[Stock R]

Ikea has $29 a shelf (comes with 4 adjustable)

Made of solid wood. Very sturdy. Been using them for years. They aren't very pretty looking, but do a great job. Good for storage areas and garages.

Can't link... don't have flash...

I actually just saw those at ikea yesterday. The $29 one is a bit shallow. The deeper version is $39. At that price range though, I might just spend another $5-10 and get a metal one that'll leave me splinter free.

[mart242]

Buy good ones. I repeat, buy good ones.

I bought the metal ones from home depot (5 shelves, with mdf shelves. 3' wife, 18" deep) and they are pure garbage. Flimsy and almost impossible to move because the horizontal pieces keep popping our from the vertical ones.

I bought 3 "gorilla" shelves from costco and one of their "industrial one" (the 170$ shelve). Wow. I should have bought that before. Really sturdy. The big one is great because it's 24" deep and 6' wide.

[Kreez]

Build good ones. I repeat, Build good ones.

[Keigotw]

Anybody want to share their knowledge/experience on where I can get some decent but relatively cheap shelves for storage? My house is a mess right now and I really need some shelves just to put away random things in both the basement and garage.

I like the ones from Costco (the metal ones) but they are a bit pricey. Are those my best bet or is there a better deal elsewhere?

Ikea AS IS Department
you can get shelves @ 50% off

[mart242]

Yeah, I was going to build some but we've got another kid coming in 3 weeks so I'm rushing to finish things. I would not have had time to do them.

I would have saved quite a bit of money though..

[Kreez]

... but we've got another kid coming in 3 weeks

Grats! All health, happiness and harmony to you and your family! Including the newb.

[Dustbunny]

What I did was buy the cheap Ikea version (probably the ones mentioned) and turned them sideways. I use three of them like this, spaced out along one wall (so narrow side against the wall instead of the wide side) with wider boards (like two 1"X 10" X 8'/shelf or whatever fits to fill the space) resting between them on the Ikea shelves. So in essence the Ikea shelves act as holders for the board instead of as shelves themselves (if that makes sense). Anyway, that gives me shelves as long as my boards and as deep as the Ikea units (so instead of having shelves that are 3' X 1', they are 6' X 3'. So 3 units, some extra boards I found around (they don't have to be pretty, just strong), and I have 4 levels of shelves that stretch about 13' and are 3' deep. I use the sides of the units (that are facing out) to hold hooks and wire baskets (~ $2 at Ikea) for the smaller hardware and things like tape, cords, or whatever. It sure stores more that way and now I have room to place bigger things on the shelves without worrying about them tipping over.

I agree those lighter metal shelving units are a waste of time. They are just too flimsy to hold a lot of weight. Some of the plastic units that just pop together are actually more sturdy.

[calmman]

I would suggest you to build yourself. It is quite easy. I've build 8 shelves and they look quite nice, although they are not for living room or reading room. You can first measure the size, then go to Home Depot to have them cut the boards for you. All you need do next is to mark the holes to drill and screw them together. The key is to make accurate measures so the shelves are level and sturdy and the screws don't show up. You don't even need glue. It only takes a couple of hours to build one.

[Stock R]

I would suggest you to build yourself. It is quite easy. I've build 8 shelves and they look quite nice, although they are not for living room or reading room. You can first measure the size, then go to Home Depot to have them cut the boards for you. All you need do next is to mark the holes to drill and screw them together. The key is to make accurate measures so the shelves are level and sturdy and the screws don't show up. You don't even need glue. It only takes a couple of hours to build one.

That's what I did at my parents house in Toronto. 2x4's and plywood along with a whole buttload of screws. I figured for my own place I wanted something a little more refined?

[calmman]

That's what I did at my parents house in Toronto. 2x4's and plywood along with a whole buttload of screws. I figured for my own place I wanted something a little more refined?

You can buy hardwood/softwood board (sand and paint it), or particle board with wood veneers. And use screw head cover on particle board or wood filler for the hole on wood board. And the finish will be quite nice. I thought you want to put the shelves in basement or garage so the appearance doesn't really matter?

[Stock R]

I thought you want to put the shelves in basement or garage so the appearance doesn't really matter?

I think my definition of "appearance" was a bit vague :P I meant more they didn't have to look like they were from the set of some TV car show or renovations show, but I didn't want to them to look ghetto-esque either.

I ended up buying 2 $40 GNC shelves from Costco to give them a go. Setup was extremely easy (5 mins each) and they are pretty sturdy. They're not as big as something I would've built myself, but considering I spent basically 0 minutes making them, I feel like the cost difference might be justified. If I like them, I may buy more but I'm going to kepe looking for different models.

I may build my own in the future, but currently it's a bit hard since I've been tight on time trying to run around town setting up the house. Not to mention it's hard to fit 2x4's and plywood/mdf inside a hatchback :P

Thanks for the help guys. If you find any other deals on shelves, bump this thread up pls.