Storage Room Shelving

The house we moved into has a very nice storage room. The drawback is that the previous owner built rather inefficient shelving for the room. It is a combination of 2x4, 2x3, 2x2 and particle board lumber. I am pretty sure that during any significant ground shaking, most of my food storage will end up on the ground.

I am planning on removing the existing shelving and building a much stronger setup anchored to the walls.

I will likely use dimensional lumber and plywood bearing mostly on the walls to reduce posts that interfere with larger storage bins.

Basically, I want shelves that will still be standing if and when the rest of my house collapses!

In our previous house, I built a system using industrial pallet racks that would have likey held the garage roof if the walls gave out. Unfortunately I don't have that kind of space in our current home.

Before I get going, I wanted to see if anyone on this site has expereince with other shelving materials. I have searched quite a bit and have found a lot of cheap metal shelving and flimsy particle board concepts that I do not like.

Any thoughts?

If my dad gave a damn about temporal things anymore, he'd be interesting to talk to. In our Seattle house, he had these mega shelves hanging from huge chains in our store room. We had a flooding issue occasionally, so everything was off the floor. You could put horses on those shelves. He always had to do things ... umm... "differently." :)

I'm not saying he's not caring *at all* about temporal things - he still has a few years of storage. He's just not extreme anymore. :l0 (20):

We found really heavy duty adjustable shelving at Costco. The first year it was called "Gorilla Shelves" and last year another name. I could walk up this stuff and it would hold my weight. It is usually carried in their stores this time of year.

Ironyak--sounds like you have the problem well thought out. You sound as handy as my husband. Good luck.

I like the steel shelving. The trouble is that it will not fit very efficently in the space I have.

Wood is the most "customizable" but to make it sturdy, you waste a lot of vertical room with 2x4's.

I'd love to build the shelf rails out of steel to maximize the head room but the cost becomes quite prohibitive.

I will likely go the lumber route since I want to get it done and off my mind. I'd like to know if anyone has plans/ideas for lumber shelves with as few vertical supports as possible.

I have a lot of boxes of 6 #10 cans. I merely set up pallets and then stacked the boxes up on the pallets. No need for shelving for the bulk of it.

For all the variety of stuff that comes in small amounts, we have an old really big tv shelving unit. The kind you spend $150-ish at Walmart, or get from the thrift store for $40, or at the side of the road for free.

About two weeks ago I just completed the gutting a 1/2 bath and installing shelving. I used 2"X2" on the walls as rear braces, 1" plywood for the shelving and 1"X1" for the front self supports and facing. Total cost of materials was about $350.

This holds our year's supply, and we've got enough room to double it.

You can use 2x6s for support under 3/4 ply for the shelves and you can spread the vertical 2x4s out quite a bit.