Shelving for Your Basement

by Gillian Markson | More from this Blogger

23 Jun 2006 05:03 PM

If you are using your basement predominantly as a storage room for your home, then it is important for you to have ample accessible storage space. Most people choose to invest in sturdy shelving when storing items in their basement. Good shelving combined with the proper shelving accessories (such as plastic storage containers) can create a clean and mildew-free storage environment for all of your items.

Here are some tips for basement shelving:

1. Assess your usage and wall space. Many people find that shelving for all walls is too much, whereas shelving combined with pegboard or trunk storage create the perfect combination of storage space. Shelving, while very helpful for storing items, can be limiting, as it also removed all wall space and forces you to place items within a pre-determined height, depth and width space. Therefore, determine what kind of items, in general, you will be storing in your basement. Then, you can get a better idea as to whether these items require shelving (or will fit on shelves) or whether these items need to be stored where there is more vertical or depth of space.

2. Shop around for the most appropriate shelves. You can purchase a huge variety of shelves that come in all heights, levels, widths and depths. Once you determine your storage system, you will have a better idea of what kind of shelves you need. Make sure that when you go to purchase your shelves, you know how high your ceilings are and how high you need the space between the two shelves to be. While many shelves are adjustable, some are not.

You will also want to make sure that the shelves are deep enough so that you can place items on the shelves and they will not fall off. Shelves that are too shallow do not hold all of the items you would like for them to hold, while shelves that are too shallow might not hold the size of items that you want.

3. Invest in good shelving accessories. Most good shelving units will come with a variety of add-ons and accessories. These bonuses include options such as a hanging system, storage boxes and adjustable heights. Make sure to invest in a shelving unit that provides all of the add-ons that you need. Again, you will need to assess your usage before investing in shelving to make sure that you invest in the unit that you will use the most.

4. Buy shelves that match your installation requirements. Shelves come in many sizes and shapes. They also come with a variety of installation options. Some shelves are free-standing, which means that once you set them up, they will stand on the floor and you will never have to do anything more to them. While these shelves are quick and easy to assemble, they are generally not very safe. They can be easy to tip over if someone, such as a child, tries to climb on them. They will also possibly tip under the weight of heavy items. Make sure that you investigate all options, such as bolted shelves and shelves that are screwed directly into walls before making a big investment into shelving for your space.

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