Garage Cabinet Ideas

[sandy]

My garage needs to be "redone". While I can finally, again, fit two cars in it, it's still loaded with "stuff" much of which should probably be tossed. Anyway, i now have ugly plastic shelves which are against the rear wall of the garage. What I'd like is to put up wall mounted cabinets with doors and adjustable shelves. I want them mounted high enough that the car hoods, or bikes, generator, etc. can fit under them.

I'm not sure whether to use european style or face frame. The width available is about 21 feet, so I was thinking of making 7 cabinets, each 3 feet wide. If I do face frame, then, I can "split" each with a center stile, but still have full width shelves. I could, alternatively, do euro style with a fake style attached to one door in each cabinet.

I'm not sure about cabinet height, depth, or door style, although I am thinking of using plywood for the cabinets and hardwood for the doors (either natural or stained, rather than painted).

Has anyone done anything like this? Any plans out there? Pitfalls to avoid?

 

[Sparktrician]

I'd offer the suggestion to consider the location, then select materials based on resistance to humidity to prevent delamination, should you choose plywood.  I'd further offer the suggestion to use a set of full-width french cleats to use in mounting the cabinets.  This would permit you to slide them right-left as needed.  You might consider putting the french cleats at 12", 30", 48", 66", and 84" AFF, then build your cabinets with mating cleats spaced at 18" intervals.  Done right, the bottom cabinets will be off the floor allowing you to sweep under them and protect them, should you choose to hose down the floor.  The system of french cleats would permit you to make several sizes of cabinets with a standard cleat spacing and place them at various heights as needed, or build full-height cabinets to store tall objects.  As for the material for the french cleats, I'd suggest using some glulam beam material for its strength and resistance to warping in a humid garage.  By all means, use GRK RSS screws to mount the cleats to the wall, as well as mounting the mating cleats to the cabinets.  As for locking the cabinets to the cleats to prevent them from being accidentally dislodged, a single screw through the cabinet back, and BELOW the fixed cleat will prevent dislodging, but also allow the cabinets to be slid left-right as needed.  Good luck! 

[smile]