Jim - are your shelves going to be enclosed or are they just the boards that run horizontal? If enclosed have you considered using French cleats to suspend them?
1 - 16 of 16 Posts
I have a shed with 24 inch on center studs, anchored to 2x4s on the top. the place where I wanted my open shelves has a 60 inch, single pane window that has 2 inch foam insulation plugging it to keep heat in or out, depending on the season.
Attaching directly to the studs wasn't going to be enough, given the weight and the questionable nails used in the shed's construction.
My solution was to buy some HD, 1x4s and attach them to the top 2x4s and the studs, as well as to the window framing where possible. If you add insulation and dry wall, this will also work to reinforce the shelf mounts. I use screws to mount things like this so I can change my mind later.
I think that if you are storing really heavy stuff on those shelves, that you will want to reinforce the connection of the studs to the joists with metal straight or angle brackets
I just used simple metal sheving brackets since the shelves are not that deep. Another option would be to mount the long brackets with movable shelf brackets (found where they display the wire shelving systems), but they can interfere with storage since the brackets can be up to 3 inches high. The advantage is that you can re-space your shelves, although I bet you never will once you set it up.
French cleats are neat, but you'll have to make a lot of fitted parts to hang stuff up. Make sure you always cut cleats' mating surfaces to the same angle!
Here's two pictures of the open shelving in my little shop. I don't keep tool cases on the shelves since I have another place for those. The first picture is of the wire shelf construction 18 inches deep. The second picture is the 1x4 I described, which has a max depth of 12 inches. The top 3 shelves are just 9 inches deep.
Attaching directly to the studs wasn't going to be enough, given the weight and the questionable nails used in the shed's construction.
My solution was to buy some HD, 1x4s and attach them to the top 2x4s and the studs, as well as to the window framing where possible. If you add insulation and dry wall, this will also work to reinforce the shelf mounts. I use screws to mount things like this so I can change my mind later.
I think that if you are storing really heavy stuff on those shelves, that you will want to reinforce the connection of the studs to the joists with metal straight or angle brackets
I just used simple metal sheving brackets since the shelves are not that deep. Another option would be to mount the long brackets with movable shelf brackets (found where they display the wire shelving systems), but they can interfere with storage since the brackets can be up to 3 inches high. The advantage is that you can re-space your shelves, although I bet you never will once you set it up.
French cleats are neat, but you'll have to make a lot of fitted parts to hang stuff up. Make sure you always cut cleats' mating surfaces to the same angle!
Here's two pictures of the open shelving in my little shop. I don't keep tool cases on the shelves since I have another place for those. The first picture is of the wire shelf construction 18 inches deep. The second picture is the 1x4 I described, which has a max depth of 12 inches. The top 3 shelves are just 9 inches deep.
Attachments
I'd think the braces themselves would get in the way. Using 3 decent weight L brackets per shelf (every 2-3 feet) should be able to support a lot of weight and only take up an inch or so of vertical height.
Attachments
Jim, I found myself in the same need situation many years ago and now build everything in my basement that is made of lumber by hanging it from the floor joists above. No diagonal bracing has ever been required. This frees-up necessary space below the shelves and makes cleanup below a simple chore. Here are a few cell phone snapshots for clarity. I typically utilize plywood for the vertical (ends) that are attached to the floor joists above. Personally, I try to extend those end vertical boards at least 6" above the bottom edge of the respective joists. Most of the time, I add 2x2 nailers for attachment of the horizontal (shelves) members. My house was built in 2004, yet doesn't utilize floor or roof trusses - due to the complexity of the roof.
I use square-drive screws for almost everything and this works great for me!
Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia
I use square-drive screws for almost everything and this works great for me!
Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia
Attachments
1 - 16 of 16 Posts
