If you are making shelves for your garage for the first time, one aspect of your job would be determining which wood type is best for making garage shelves. Of course, the garage is more often reserved for parking cars. But it can also provide good storage space for your tools, clutters, and other seasonal decorations.
Most garages, however, don’t have cabinets and shelving to store tools and other items. Hence, it will help if you build cabinets and shelves to transform your garage into a multipurpose storage space. Having shelves and cabinets can also help you position your valuables and tools above the ground and help you organize your tools and other items neatly and safely.
Manufactured Garage Shelves Vs Custom-made Shelves
You have two options regarding garage cabinets and shelves. You can either purchase manufactured garage shelving or engage in DIY shelving projects. Manufactured garage shelves and cabinets are usually wrought in metal and plastic. However, if you opt for manufactured shelves and cabinets, you typically get limited by the options available. Besides, their designs might not fit precisely into your garage. Moreover, they might be expensive.
On the other hand, if you opt to engage in DIY custom storage, you only need power tools and a good design. Plus, it will be best if you learn the basics of cabinetry. Moreover, you need to choose the suitable wood for your garage shelves and cabinets. However, making your garage cabinets and shelves can be taxing, and you need to spend time to accomplish this task.
Top Wood for Building Your Garage Shelves
If you decide to engage in a DIY garage shelf and cabinet project, you need to buy wood for your project. Given the myriads of wood types in the market today, you might get confused about which wood to use. To narrow down your options, you can check out the following most recommended wood for garage shelves and cabinets:
Hardwood Plywood
When selecting wood for your garage shelves and cabinets, it will be best to choose the wood that is sturdy and solid. One such wood is the hardwood plywood. Hardwood plywood is solid and sturdy. Besides, it is moisture-resistant and dimensionally stable. Plus, it is versatile and easy to work with. Moreover, it is not expensive but is beautiful.
Layers of wood glued together under tremendous pressure at a right angle make up the hardwood plywood panels. You may find hardwood plywood constructed entirely of plies. You may also buy hardwood plywood with a composite core like MDF or particle board in between the outer faces.
Hardwood plywood is often preferred over solid wood because it is cheaper than solid wood while providing sufficient strength for various applications. Besides, it comes with a real hardwood veneer face which you can finish for enhanced aesthetics and durability. You can indeed make elegant garage cabinets and shelves using hardwood plywood panels.
Pallet Wood
You might not want to spend much on your garage shelves. After all, you will only use them for storage of tools and clutters. In such a case, you can use pallet wood which is indeed an inexpensive option. You can get several pallets and disassemble them. Afterward, you can use their boards to build those garage shelves.
How to Select the Suitable hardwood Plywood for Your Project?
Your choice of hardwood plywood will usually hinge on the function and appearance you would like your shelves and cabinets to have. Hardwood plywood, of course, can provide your cabinets and shelves with that elegant look. Besides, you’ve got a wide array of options when it comes to hardwood veneer faces. You can choose the veneer-face wood species type that could bring out the best look for your cabinet and shelves.
The composite core materials, however, of hardwood plywood include MDF, classic core, particle board, etc. Yet, most homeowners opt for the veneer core because it offers better moisture resistance compared to composite choices.
You can also choose from excellent face veneer species, including maple, birch, and red oak. Moreover, you can brighten up your garage by using light-colored staining treatments. In this way, you can easily find the items you have stored on the shelves or drawers, especially if there is a lack of lighting.
Furthermore, you can order additional face treatments like “First Step.” This pre-primed option for your panels will be painted afterward. You should also apply a clear UV coating for that extra sheen and uniformity as well as protection for your panel surfaces.
Conclusion
When selecting wood for your garage shelves and cabinets, you don’t need to be fancy with your choice if you want better durability. Besides, if you want to be more pragmatic, you would want something that could be easily fashioned out into shelves and cabinets. If such is the case, you can opt for OSB boards or reclaimed wood. Moreover, you won’t need to buy other tools besides your saw and drill.
It will help if you learn more about joineries when making those shelves and cabinets. You can use, for example, biscuit joints or screws and glue to enhance the sturdiness of the joints. But before you even cut the panels, ensure you have a definite plan, including the measurements and dimensions of the shelves and cabinets you would like to build.