Garage wall cabinets, strong ones??

[lendaddy]

My garage is nearing completion and I need to pick out my cabinets and cupboards. I want lots of cabinets with doors and I want them off the floor 6" or so. The problem with this is strength requirements go way up. I went to Lowes and didn't see anything that really looked tough enough to throw a couple hundred pounds of tools in and not have the shelves/sides sag over the years. Even the "Gladiator" stuff at lowes is just 1/2" particle board construction which scares me over time. Am I over thinking this, are they generally just fine?

Thoughts?

[pwd72s]

I'd talk to a custom cabinet maker in your area. Have him make hell for stout cabinets out of thick plywood, adjustable height shelves...explain the load requirements. I looked at similar wall cabinets, also thought them flimsy...

Another thought? 10-12" off the floor. This allows more space for underneath storage. Stuff like the floor jack, jackstands, etc.

[lendaddy]

Good points. I have a buddy that is a carpenter so I could go the full custom route but would rather not bother if there is a pre-made solution.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by lendaddy

Good points. I have a buddy that is a carpenter so I could go the full custom route but would rather not bother if there is a pre-made solution.

You might talk to him...then compare prices. Hell, he might even cost less! Get something hell for stout for not a hell of a lot more than the store systems, plus the advantage of custom fit...

[gattaca]

One of the best cabinets for the garage is by Lista, which can be bought through Griot's Garage and other distributors. They can take the weight & abuse you may give it. You see these cabinets used in a lot of professional racing teams. However, they're quite expensive & a bit overkill. I've also heard that Baldhead Cabinets are good as well.

[fxeditor]

Originally Posted by lendaddy

. Even the "Gladiator" stuff at lowes is just 1/2" particle board construction which scares me over time. Am I over thinking this, are they generally just fine?

Thoughts?

Actually the Gladiator stuff is full steel construction. I put them in my garage when I rebuilt it a couple of years ago and am quite happy! If you go to their website http://www.gladiatorgw.com/ you can get a lot more info. here's a couple of pics of mine!

[89911]

You don't have to be Norm Abrams, but you would be amazed how strong some ripped and boxed 1/2" plywood thats glued and air nailed. Put a couple of hinges and knobs with some paint and your done. You can buy most of the wood for the price of one of those cabinets.

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by fxeditor

Actually the Gladiator stuff is full steel construction. I put them in my garage when I rebuilt it a couple of years ago and am quite happy! If you go to their website http://www.gladiatorgw.com/ you can get a lot more info. here's a couple of pics of mine!

Hmmm, you're right. I must be thinking of another brand? Those are crazy $ though, I just can't swing $450 for a cabinet.

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by 89911

You don't have to be Norm Abrams, but you would be amazed how strong some ripped and boxed 1/2" plywood thats glued and air nailed. Put a couple of hinges and knobs with some paint and your done. You can buy most of the wood for the price of one of those cabinets.

Looking more and more likely

[mcuozzo]

Heres an off the wall thought. Check your local craigslist or find a home that's having it's kitchen remodeled. On the NJ craigslist there are about one-two adds a month for someone giving away their old kitchen cabinets. Just pick em up, maybe repaint them and hang them.

A buddy of mine struck gold and got about 10 cabinets this way. Some were floor cabinets. He got a thick piece of mdf at a local home center and made a work bench out of two of them. Hung the wall cabinets over it and it came out great.

Another great thing about being in NJ/NY is that you can pick up metal storage lockers (the tall ones with adjustable shelves) about any time you want.

Good luck!

[Dantilla]

I installed upper cabinets, and between them screwed a 2x12 painted to match to use as a bookshelf. Screwed from inside the cabinets, just an inch or so above the bottom.

Upper cabinet, 30" 2x12, upper cabinet, another 30" 2x12, one more upper.

A 2x12 is plenty strong to hold all of my shop manuals (full set for 911, full set for 944, factory manuals for the non-Porsches, plus a few other things like Wayne's 101 projects, yada yada...) with no sagging after several years.

I didn't use cabinets for the lowers. Just a 3/4" plywood workbench, 4x4 posts, 2x6 perimeter, and one shelf half way up. I suppose some doors would look cleaner. Everything down below is in plain sight.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Dantilla

I installed upper cabinets, and between them screwed a 2x12 painted to match to use as a bookshelf. Screwed from inside the cabinets, just an inch or so above the bottom.

Upper cabinet, 30" 2x12, upper cabinet, another 30" 2x12, one more upper.

A 2x12 is plenty strong to hold all of my shop manuals (full set for 911, full set for 944, factory manuals for the non-Porsches, plus a few other things like Wayne's 101 projects, yada yada...) with no sagging after several years.

I didn't use cabinets for the lowers. Just a 3/4" plywood workbench, 4x4 posts, 2x6 perimeter, and one shelf half way up. I suppose some doors would look cleaner. Everything down below is in plain sight.

Sounds functional as hell...not that the Gladiator stuff in the above pic isn't gorgeous, but some of us can only afford function while skipping the beauty...

[lendaddy]

OK, the ones I was confusing for Gladiator of are made by Coleman and called TD2. A very big cabinet is $188 but is not inspiring for strength.

I think I'll have my buddy over this weekend for some beers and planning.

Here is the Coleman, it looks better in the pic than in person.

[gassy]

All those free 2x4's come to mind...

[89911]

I thing those coleman are really nothing but melamine covered particle board made to look like the Gladiator ones. I just recently had a garage built and I will get around to cabinets over the winter. My brother went all out Gladiator crazy in his garage, special ordering almost every cabinet they had. Even the plastic tracks to hang the units up is very expensive. He wouldn't tell me how much he spent. Nice, but I'll spend it elsewhere.

[fxeditor]

Originally Posted by 89911

I thing those coleman are really nothing but melamine covered particle board made to look like the Gladiator ones. I just recently had a garage built and I will get around to cabinets over the winter. My brother went all out Gladiator crazy in his garage, special ordering almost every cabinet they had. Even the plastic tracks to hang the units up is very expensive. He wouldn't tell me how much he spent. Nice, but I'll spend it elsewhere.

Yeah, you really can go crazy doing this stuff. The Gladiator cabinets I got were all off the shelf ones from Lowes. I think Sears has them too and also has a slightly larger selection. Those custom ones your brother got are REALLY expensive . Did he get the entire wall covered with tracks or did he just go for the single track units?

[azasadny]

My next-door neighbor makes his own high quality cabinets and he says the secret is to use 3/4" MDF, then veneer with anything you want.

[legion]

Just find some used kitchen cabinets that someone is tossing because of a remodel.

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by legion

Just find some used kitchen cabinets that someone is tossing because of a remodel.

I'm more concerned with large storage locker cabinets.

[TerryH]

I bought the Lowes cabinets (short and tall) for my garage and you're right the shelves sag with any substantial weight. The cabinets and hinges are nice though, and you could simply cut some 5/8-3/4 plywood and make your own shelves. Another option is to double up the existing shelving or add a center support.

Cheap and dirty as opposed to expensive and beautiful.