Now that Pro Toolย Reviewsย hasย a new storage/workshop space, thereโs still the question ofย what toย do with all our โstuffโ. Of course, when we were browsing the building plans and even taking part in the erection, it seemed so big.ย But once weย moved in all the tools, boxes, shelves, andย personal belongingsโwe quickly realized just how space-limited a 2000 sq. ft. steel building can be. We needed a solution. That spurred us to write this How to Build Hanging Shelves article for our steel building. Using a suspended shelving and storage solution, we could relocate a lot of our materials, supplies, and products out of the wayโฆwayย out of the way.
What do you do when you have an all-steel building, including steel rafters, purlins, and girders, but you need more storage?ย Yes, I know, you take a trip to the localย Loweโs home improvementย store.ย But how do you most efficiently clear out space? Sure, we could go with industrial shelves on the floor, or we could build shelving from standard lumber.ย Those solutions still were not cutting it. There had to be something better.
And thenย weย looked up.
Planning Our How to Build Hanging Shelves Project
The realization was that we had a ton of space above our heads that would rarely be used by anything other than hot Florida air. Then, a light bulb moment occurredโletโs build suspended shelves! A few measurements later, afterย scratching some notes on the clipboard, we had a plan. It was time to use the Loweโs app and fill the virtual (soon-to-be actual) shopping cart with ourย needed items.
We decided to build a 6-foot deep shelf along the far gableย wall opposite our main 12ร14 Clopay commercial garage door and tie that into another shelf only 4 feet deep along theย west wall.ย The back of the shelves would be supported by the horizontal purlin that hovers around the 8 feet mark (from the concrete floor). The front of the shelf would be suspended; therefore, the support would come from allthread attached to the steel roof purlins. The fascia of each shelf would be 2ร6 pressure-treated lumber with the rest of the framing being constructedย out of standard 2ร4 pine. The decking would be 1/2โ OSBโafter all, we wouldnโt be walking around up there.
Building Using Modular Sections
It made sense to build these in a few different modular sections, install them independently, and then bolt them together using 1/2โ diameter bolts and nuts.ย Standard 24โ on-center 2ร4 joists seemed to be plenty strong enough to hold the anticipated weight load, along with the 1/2โณ decking screwed to the 2ร4 joists. Hereโs what our plan looked like:
Purchasing Materials to Build Hanging Shelves in Your Garage
It was time to go shopping, or at least finish our shopping by retrieving what we purchased. We hit the checkout button on the Loweโs app and used the โFree Store Pickupโ selection, so we could grab a quick bite, then head to our local Lowes to pick up all our goodies. Upon arrival, all our smaller items were boxed and readyโฆwe arrived a little too quickโฆso we had to help in selecting the lumber, at Lowes, from our list.ย We loaded up the Chevy, tied down the lumber, and attached the Lowes-provided red flag to the end of 12โ 2x4s and 2x6s hanging out the back of the pick-up truck. Hereโs a copy of our shopping list:
| Description | Loweโs Item # | Price (USD) | Qty | Extended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelworks 0.5-in x 72-in Standard (SAE) Threaded Rod | 44610 | $12.50 | 9 | $112.50 |
| Project Pak 25-Count 1/2-in-13 Zinc Standard Hex Nuts | 43647 | $6 | 2 | $12 |
| Hillman Group 25-Count 1/2-in x 1-1/4-in Zinc Flat Washers | 3093 | $7 | 3 | $21 |
| OSB Sheathing 7/16 CAT PS2-10 | 12212 | $18 | 10 | $180 |
| #2 Prime Pressure Treated Lumber (Common: 2 x 6 x 12) | 198476 | $13 | 2 | $26 |
| #2 Prime Pressure Treated Lumber (Common: 2 x 6 x 8) | 196037 | $8.50 | 2 | $17 |
| #2 Prime Pressure Treated Lumber (Common: 2 x 4 x 10) | 196453 | $7 | 4 | $28 |
| #2 Kiln-Dried Southern Yellow Pine S4S (2 x 4 x 8) | 6005 | $5 | 36 | $180 |
| #2 Prime Pressure Treated Lumber (Common: 2 x 4 x 12) | 196496 | $10 | 2 | $20 |
| Hillman Group 1/2-in- 13 x 4-in Zinc Standard Hex Bolt | 63331 | $1.50 | 12 | $18 |
| Grip-Rite 3 in x .120 Hot-Galvanized Ring Shank Nails 500 ct | 69262 | $24 | 3 | $72 |
| Total | $686.50* |
Engineering the Hanging Shelves for Our Shop
After picking up the materials it was time to build our hanging shelves. We unloaded the lumber andย accessories and set up the Bosch Axial Glide 12โณ Miter Saw for making our cuts. We quickly beganย cutting lumber and loaded ourย 3-inch framing nails into a Metabo HPT NR90AES framing nailer to assemble each suspended shelf frame. Once the first modular frame was completed, we then needed to provide a place for the 1/2โณย allthread to terminate on the shelf side (we already knew itย was going to be bolted to the steel roof purlin on the other end).
Using a 1/2โ Irwin Speedbor spade drill bit, we carefully madeย a comfortable hole all the way through the 2ร6 fascia board. This 1/2โ hole is where our allthread would pass throughโcappedย with a 1/2โณ nut and 1โ washer on the other end. We repeated this procedure every few feet, covering each location that had vertical access to aย roofย purlin.
Installing the 2ร6 Framing and Decking
Now we were ready to build the first section of our hangingย steel building shelves. The decking would follow after we had the framing for the hanging shelves in place. After securing the rear of the shelves to the horizontal purlins with some temp framing, we raised the front of the shelves, fished the allthread through the 1/2โ holes in the 2ร6 fascia, and then terminated it with a 1โ washer and ยฝโ nut. Realizing that the roof has a 12:1 pitch, it seemed like a good idea to cut some wood spacers that would have the same offset as the roof (~5 degrees). The spacer allowed the washer and nut to sit flat and spread the load evenly throughout the washer and nut.
Next, we quickly cut the length of our decking to the desired 6โ of the shelf depth, threw it up, and screwed it down with 2โ deck screws.
Adding Additional Supports
The more we looked at our new creation, the more we started to think that the allthread going through the 2ร6 alone didnโt give us the utmost certainty for the loadย or safety. After a few minutes of discussion and digging through some material, we ended up cutting 12โ pieces of 1-1/2โ x 1-1/2โ steel angle, drilled a 3/4โ hole in the angle, and used this to further support the bottom of the 2ร6.
After repeating this process a few more times, we eventually had our suspended shelves completed.ย We used our trusty Johnson 48-inch Bamboo level and then turned the 1/2โ nuts (left or right) to true-up the shelves and make all ourย suspended steel building shelvingย plumb and level.
Conclusion
We took about 2-1/2 minutes to marvel atย our new storage area that saved a ton ofย our floor spaceโฆthen we started filling those shelves with our junk. Did I say junk? I meant to say priceless jewels, tools, and personal belongings. Regardless, the suspended shelving idea is pretty cool, and the best part is that, for under $400, you can find everything you need to build this project at your local Loweโs store.
