Arthur K, Author at - Page 9 of 18

Posted on March 13, 2022February 12, 2024 by Arthur K

Garage Slatwall Options

Garage slatwall systems are becoming more and more popular in Australia. This is because storage decisions for homes (even new ones) are often underestimated. This article is about your “garage slatwall installation” and how much of your garage wall(s) you should consider covering with slatwall.

We receive calls every week from customers who have landed on our website and like the idea of a wall-panel garage storage system. It makes good use of walls that otherwise may only hold some hooks and maybe shelves. It looks great and is mould proof and provides many options regarding the types of accessories that can used, from baskets to hooks, brackets, bins, and bags.

The question many people have, however, is how much of my wall(s) should I cover with slatwall panels?

Measuring your wall area

The first step is to determine how much wall space you have. From this measurement, you can then start to work on how much wall space you want to apply slatwall panels to. This will be determined by how much you have to store and your budget.

Measuring your walls is as easy as width x height. Just use a measuring tape on all available wall areas. Consider the two side walls and the back wall.

How much slatwall area do I need?

If you are storing adult-sized bikes, ladders, large gardening tools, and water sports equipment like surfboards and canoes/kayaks, you will require one or even two walls.

Consider that adult bikes whether stored horizontally or perpendicular to a wall are about 2m in length and 60cm in width (handlebar width). Multiply this by the number of bikes you are storing, and you might quickly fill an entire wall with bikes.

Kayaks are long and need to be stored up high and out of the way.

Do I panel a full wall or part wall?

This is a decorating/design question rather than one about storage. Some people like the fact that their entire wall looks the same, ie it has the same look/texture from top to bottom. In this case, they will panel it all from the top of the skirting board to below the cornice.

From a storage perspective, it is not necessary to slatwall your entire wall. The area 1m from the skirting board (ie your floor) and say 30cm from your ceiling can be left as is. This is because you are unlikely to hang or store items that low or high. If budget is a consideration, this is a great way to reduce total panels and therefore material and labor costs.

There are some exceptions. Whilst I write this, I can also reflect on some homes we have installed StoreWALL in, which have paneled their entire wall and used much of it. In those high areas close to the ceiling, customers have installed shelving and stored items that are irregularly used. For those lower areas close to the floor, they have hung bags and baskets.

Working out your costs

Most people starting their slatwall journey are just after a simple quote that will give them some guidance as to how much the project will cost them. Knowing your wall’s dimensions helps. This information can then be used with our Panel Estimator to calculate the potential cost. Alternatively, you can also email us @ info@storewall.com.au these dimensions and we can quote you.

Below is an example of such an email:

Hi

I am interested in your product to instal on my garage’s wall in order to organise my tools including power tools (domestic not professional):

The following are the relevant measurements:

wall number 1 the right section on the photo:height: 180 cmwidth: 117 cm
wall number 2 the left section on the photo:height: 139.5 cmwidth: 149 cm

Regards

M

This is what the customer received from us:

Garage Slatwall Installation

Below are examples of full and part garage slatwall installations. Some of these have been completed by us here in Melbourne and some by customers in other states. Both approaches work and have given customers with enough wall space to manage their storage needs.

Storewall installation — Part Wall Installations

In summary, your garage slatwall installation is down to your personal design preferences and your budget. We can help guide you with both of these so that you make the best choice for your storage needs.

Posted on January 30, 2022June 10, 2023 by Arthur K

Mouldy Garage Wall

This article is not about how to fix a mouldy garage wall, rather it is about how to continue to use it so that you can store the many items sitting beside it on the ground taking up your precious garage floor space.

StoreWALL Wall Panels

StoreWALL Wall Panels are water resistant and mould proof. They do not obsorb water even if your wall does. Therefore if you have a problem with your mouldy garage wall, using StoreWALL panels over this wall does not mean our panels and your stored items will attract the mould.

StoreWALL’s panels are made from hardened plastic.

Physical properties PVC storeWALL

Density – Average 16 / cu ft
Decorative surface thickness .687″ (11/16′)
Modulus of rupture 27 mpa
Modulus of Elasticity – Average 29 mpa
Internal bond 100 psi
Water absorption – 0%
Linear expansion 0%
Thickness swell 0%
Moisture content – as shipped 0%
Formaldehyde emission 0.00 ppm
Flame spread 45
Fire classification IIB

Using StoreWALL on your wall over the mouldy section allows you to protect your stored items as our panels will not attract moisture and nor should our accessories holding your items. All of our accessories are powder coated and typically come with rubber tips providing additional protection for your stored items.

With StoreWALL sitting between your mouldy wall and your stored items, you can still store them anywhere on your wall that you like.

Installing on a Mouldy Garage Wall

Installing your StoreWALL panels on your mouldy garage wall will typically first begin with the installation of our Installstrips. These metal brackets are made from heavy duty galvanised steel. They will not rust nor change shape due to moisture build up on your wall. I have had installstrips sit outside for years installed on an exterior wall with no change to them.

When installing our Installstrips, you will need to ensure they are screwed into a hard and secure section of your wall. If the mortar between your bricks has been affected by the moisture build up and is soft or brittle, then I would avoid screwing into the mortar as much as you can. Instread screw into the actual brick which will be hard and more secure.

When installing StoreWALL with Installstrips, it’s the installstrips that will carry most of the weight of your items, so it’s important that they are secured correctly to your wall. Watch the video below for instructions.

There are many reasons why your wall might be attracting moisture which is not drying up. Getting the problem fixed is important but if you have tried this and can’t solve it, covering the wall with StoreWALL will at a mimimum make it usuable. This will ensure that your stored items are safe and secure off the ground where they may be a hazard to you and your vehicle.

Posted on December 18, 2021July 15, 2023 by Arthur K

Pegboard Versus StoreWALL

StoreWALL panels are regularly compared to Pegboard solutions offered by many Hardware and even Homeware stores. To help you better understand the differences, I completed my own Pegboard Versus StoreWALL comparison.

Bunnings sells several Pegboard solutions, both MDF and in a metal finish. The metal finish Pegboard is from Pinnacle which also supplies a large range of shelving at Bunnings. I decided to buy a Pegboard as well as some accessories so that I could test drive storing a range of power tools.

The below video review takes a look at how the Pinnacle Pegboard is installed and how its PowerTool accessories work.

The video review also takes a look at StoreWALL and what is on offer in terms of PowerTool storage.

Pinnacle Pegboard

Pinnacle’s Pegboard comes in several sizes, the smaller 900mm x 450mm panel is about $39. I also purchased a packet of the Heavy Duty Tool Clips which includes 4 pieces for about $13.

The Pegboard is installed with a few screws using pre-drilled holes on the Pegboard. There are 8 holes in total (2 at each corner). You could drill additional holes if you needed to and in locations better suited to your wall. The Pinnacle Pegboard does not come with fasteners. So you will need to source these yourself.

I am a little concerned about how well 4 screws will go holding up the actual pegboard, particularly if the total weight of what is being stored starts to climb over 10kgs. The Bunnings website doesn’t seem to provide a weight rating for it.

The Pinnacle Pegboard looks sturdy, it is powder-coated black. Being a pegboard, the vast number of punctured holes allows you to add accessories anywhere on the wall.

If you read the reviews on the Bunnings website, they are generally positive. I think most people are just happy to find something they can install themselves and clean up their garage. There are concerns about the powder coating being easy to scratch. The biggest concerns however are that some users found the pegboard complicated to mount securely to their wall.

Pinnacle Heavy Duty Tool Clip

The Heavy Duty Tool Clip is a very lightweight accessory that is attached to the Pegboard with a couple of teeth at the back of the accessory. Two plastic screws are also provided to secure it to the Pegboard. I was able to install the screws and secure them to the Pegboard but screwing them all of the way was difficult. Reading the reviews on the Bunnings site, some people have commented with similar experiences.

The accessory itself is usable but it is stiff and you will need your Pegboard to be firmly fitted to your wall so that you can securely attach and remove your accessories. Whilst there is no max weight that each accessory can hold, it seems strong enough to support your typical impact drill set.

Pegboard Versus StoreWALL

In the video review, I also include a review of two of StoreWALL’s PowerTool Accessories. There are in fact many more which I will cover in a separate video. The two in the video include:

PowerTool Hook
450mm PowerTool Storage Rack

When it comes to durability and fit for purpose, I don’t think you can really compare what StoreWALL offers to a Pegboard. Pegboards are OK for lightweight items, but as your requirements start to grow, the lightweight nature of the Pegboard solution starts to limit what you can use it for. Pegboard Versus StoreWALL is not a fair comparison.

StoreWALL’s panels are a lot thicker and sturdier than your Pegboard (both MDF and Metal). Our installation options using the StoreWALL installstrips provide for greater weight capacity and therefore the ability to store even your heaviest PowerTools ie Hammer Drills, Power Saws, and even bigger items such as Chain Saws.

Furthermore, the video clearly shows the difference in our range of accessories. Our Hooks are Industrial grade, built for heavy items. They will not leave your wall and last a lifetime.

The other key thing to remember with pegboards is that they aren’t designed for storing your larger items like ladders, chairs, hoses, bikes or anything that is actually more than 20cm in length/height. Your investment in a StoreWALL wall panel definitely is.

So what’s the catch? There is a price difference. $52 buys you a 900mm x 450mm Pegboard and 4 Heavy Duty Tool Clips. One StoreWALL panel will set you back about $66. The PowerTool Hook or Rack are about $40 each. Yes, there is a difference in the investment you will need to make with StoreWALL. However, this investment will last a lifetime.

Posted on November 19, 2021June 10, 2023 by Arthur K

Power Tool Storage Rack

This month we added yet another new Shelf to our catalogue, the Power Tool Storage Rack. This new shelf is specifically designed to store multiple power tools and be used on your StoreWALL wall panels. It can also be used with many other slatwall and garage wall panel systems.

WALL MOUNTED POWER TOOL RACK

This Power Tool Storage Rack was originally designed to be screwed onto your wall. However, we have converted it into a versatile Rack for your slatwall installation allowing you to attach it to most slatwall systems available in Australia. Load your power tools onto the rack and have them easily accessible on your wall when you need them.

SUPPORTS UP TO FOUR POWER DRILLS

This new Rack has been designed to hold up to four power tools. Use it to store your driver drills, hammer drills, impact drills, and any other drill type you may own.

FREE YOUR WORKBENCH

StoreWALL is everything about making better use of your wall space. Our new rack is designed to utilise the unused space on your wall, freeing up your workbench and work area. Keep your expensive power tools free from kid’s hands by hanging them on your wall.

SUPER DURABLE STEEL

Our new Storage Rack is made super durable from powder-coated steel, which will resist rusting and last for years.

DESIGNED FOR SLATWALLS

Designed to work with your StoreWALL Panels. Simply slip it into your StoreWALL groove. Move it around your wall as you need to. No need to drill messy holes in your walls. Let your slatwall system do the work for you. Our Storage Rack will work with most slatwall systems on the market, including the StorEase system sold by Bunnings.

Note this shelf is not fitted with StoreWALL’s CamLok but like several of our other shelves, has a lip allowing it to be easily and securely fitted into the slatwall groove.

Power Tool Storage Rack Dimensions

457mm (width) x 229mm (depth) x 6.4mm (height)

Power Tool Storage Ideas

Our Power Tool Storage Rack is one of many accessories StoreWALL offers for your power tools. Also check out our Power Tool Hook, Vertical Tool Hook, and our Tool Organiser. These accessories are also designed specifically to help you with your Power Tool Storage ideas.

Posted on October 16, 2021February 14, 2024 by Arthur K

Brick Wall Shelving Solution

Most garages in Australian suburban homes will have their main wall built with brick. If you are lucky enough to have a double brick wall it will be a flat continuous wall. If not, you will have piers along the length of the wall. Finding a suitable brick wall shelving solution to make the most of this walled area can be challenging. Many may also turn out to be rather inflexible as a long term storage option.

Brick Wall Shelving Solutions — Garage brick wall with piers

Garage Shelving Solutions

Visit your local Bunnings or Mitre10 Hardware store and you will find lots of different types of brackets which you can install on your brick wall in order to fit it with shelving.

Brackets can be spaced within each of the piered sections of your brick wall allowing for taller and smaller items to be stored on the shelves.

This particular bracket is from FlexiStorage and is sold at Bunnings for under A$15. Specifications say that two of these can hold 60kgs. Bunnings also sells floating shelving made from MDF which can be used with these brackets.

Sounds like the perfect solution. So what’s wrong with it? Nothing really. However, once these brackets are drilled to your wall, your storage options are limited to shelving. Try hanging Rakes and Blowers on a shelf.

What happens if 3 years down the track you need more wall space for storing bikes? These brackets will need to be removed. Your storage needs are fluid, ie they change and sometimes rather quickly.

Brackets solve the shelving problem. Fixing them to your wall also makes them kind of permanent and not very flexible when you have limited garage wall space.

Another option is a separate standalone shelving unit that is not fixed to the wall. This will work as long as you can find the width suitable to the space between your piers. A separate unit is also easy to move around the garage.

Shelving is necessary in every garage but it isn’t the only storage solution you will need.

Brick Wall Shelving Solutions

The picture of the brick wall above is from a customer in Melbourne who recently installed StoreWALL in his garage. His main garage wall was made from brick, with Piers separating 4 sections of the wall. The distance between each Pier is between 1200mm and 1500mm.

This customer had the following list of items to store on his wall:

Lawn edger with drive head unit
Blower
Handheld Hedger
Brush Cutter Attachment
Hedger Extension
Pole saw
Extension Pole
Charger & Batteries
Electric Pump
Ladder
Rope/Extension Lead
Broom
Sports Balls

To help him better understand which accessories would suit his items, I invited him to visit us in Mount Waverley and to bring a few of these items with him. We tested them out using StoreWALL’s accessories and this helped him select what he needed.

StoreWALL Brick Wall Shelving Solutions

The customer decided to use StoreWALL Panels for two of these brick wall sections. We cut up 3 cartons of Barnwood Grey 2438mm panels. Four 2438mm panels were cut in half to 1219mm giving him 8 panels at 1219mm. A further 7 panels were cut to 1420mm. He used most of the panels on the two outer sections of the wall. The remainder was used in a separate shed.

The picture shows just how much he was able to fit on these two wall sections. The left section holds some 14 items. The section on the right holds some 13 items. Much of what he had to store was not suited to shelving. However, I am told he is looking to add two cupboards in the middle sections for items that can be stored on shelves.

You can learn more about installing StoreWALL on a brick wall by watching our video.

Wall to Wall Shelving

StoreWALL’s Wall Panels can also be used for shelving. See the picture below of an installation also completed in Melbourne. The requirement was shelving across the length of both walls. One was brick, the other plaster.

In the example above, we installed a Standard Duty Wall Panel across the length of the wall and then hung 254mm brackets and MDF floating shelves. StoreWALL’s brackets come with our exclusive CamLok locking mechanism which allows them to be fixed to our wall panels but also moved as and when needed. Moving them does not involve any messy damage to your wall.

The customer in the picture above was looking to use the shelving for household food and cleaning items. The wall panel area below the shelf could then also be used to hang all sorts of gardening and items that would normally be found leaning in the corner, or even lying on the floor.

Whilst the picture above had only part of the wall paneled, you could also achieve a brick wall shelving solution with a setup like the one below.

Flexible floating shelves — StoreWALL Shelving

In the case above, StoreWALL brackets are coupled with StoreWALL floating shelves and lined vertically on the wall. Our brackets come in two depths, 254mm, and 381mm. Each bracket is fitted with StoreWALL’s exclusive CamLok locking mechanism.

StoreWALL sells a range of PVC and metal floating shelves to suit your needs which can be fixed to the brackets. You can also create your own floating shelves.

Deep Metal Shelves

StoreWALL’s 600mm deep metals shelves can also be used with most modern slatwall wall panels. The wired metal shelves are 600mm deep and 900mm in length. They offer a great option for storing those large tubs and plastic bins that everyone has in their garage. Best of all, they are super cheap and under $80 each. Combined with StoreWALL’s wall panels, these shelves are one of StoreWALL’s many brick wall shelving solutions.

Posted on October 2, 2021June 10, 2023 by Arthur K

Best Way To Store Bike In Garage

Bike use in Australia has exploded in the past few years. Some of this surge in use is linked to the limited exercise available whilst being in lockdown for Covid-19. With so much more bike use, and more bikes being owned in every household, the challenge of storing your bikes is ever more relevant. StoreWALL offers you several options when it come to the “best way to store bike in garage”.

Bike Storage Solutions

The challenge with bike storage is that it needs to be easy for everyone. This includes your 5 or 10 year old child who will ride their bike for 10 minutes at a time leaving in the yard most of the day. It needs to be easy to access your bike (amongst the others owned by your family members) and it needs to be easy to return it as well. When your household owns 3 or more bikes, storage is problematic because bikes are not small and take up a lot of room. Even a mid sized bike for a 10 year old is close to 2m long, 1m in height with a handlebar width of atleast 40cm.

Bike Storage Hooks

If you are looking for a standalone hook for your bike(s) then you might be best to jump to this bike storage article I wrote a little while ago which explores the many bike storage solutions available on the market today. Alternatively, just search “Bike Hooks” and you might be pleasantly surprised at just how many options exist.

This article is focused on what StoreWALL can do for you and how its many bike hooks can provide your wall and garage for that matter with more space for your garage items as well as storing your precious bikes.

Best Way To Store Bike In Garage

The best way to store bike in garage is the one that allows you to easily and safely retrieve it and return it. All the while not taking up all of the room in your garage so you can’t store your vehicle or other garage household items. Bikes don’t need to take over your garage!

If I take my bike as the typical bike, its measurements are: 1700m length, 1070mm in height and 620mm in depth.

The storage options when using StoreWALL are to hang the bike:

horizontally on the wall, which will consume about 1.8sqm of wall space
vertically (hanging flat up against the wall) on the wall, which will also consume about 1.8sqm of wall space
perpendicular on the wall, which will consume about 1sqm of wall space but .66sqm of garage floor space
perpendicular on the wall, but then swing it so that it sits flat up against the wall when I need to.

Bike Storage Brackets

StoreWALL allows you to store your bike(s) horizontally on your garage wall by using our 381mm Metal Brackets or even our Angle Rack Hooks. StoreWALL’s 381mm brackets can be placed to support the frame of the bike and or the seat. Each bracket extends 381mm from the wall and can have padding added to prevent any scratching of your bike frame. See photo below of what this looks like on your wall.

Depending on how high you place your brackets and bike, horizontal bike storage could be a very easy way to access and return your bike to the garage. Could this be the “best way to store bike in garage”?

Best Way To Store Bike In Garage — Horizontal Bike Storage

Bike Storage Hooks

StoreWALL’s Heavy Duty Universal Hook or even Cradle Hook can be used to hang your bike vertically on your wall. These hooks can be used to grab the rim of your front tyre and then hold the weight of your bike. You can have the bike hang fully off the ground or have the bottom tyre resting on the ground.

Similar to the Horizontal storage option, vertically hanging your bike takes up quite a bit of wall space. It however doesn’t encroach into the garage floor area allowing you to more easily also fit a vehicle.

In terms of bike access and return, this option is easier for an adult than it is for a child as it can require you lifting the bike upright but also slightly off the ground.

So depending on your available wall space, this could be the “best way to store bike in garage”.

Bike Storage Hooks (Perpendicular Storage)

Perpendicular bike storage is by far our most popular way of storing bikes on your StoreWALL garage wall panels. The StoreWALL J (Bike) Hook allows you to hang your bike upright against the wall with the front tyre supported by the StoreWALL J Hook.

The J hook wraps itself around the rim of your tyre holding it firmly against the wall.

If you don’t want the rear tyre pressing up against the wall, you can use a second hook ie Wide Hook to place it into.

In order to remove and replace your bike it will need to be lifted upright and then positioned correctly on the J Hook.

Perpendicular storage frees up space on your wall but uses up valuable floor space. However, careful planning of where you situate your bikes could help you minimise the impact on your floor space allowing plenty of room for easy entry and exit of your vehicle.

Bike Storage Hooks (Swivel)

Whilst Perpendicular storage is our most popular bike storage option, StoreWALL has gone one better by improving the on our popular J Hook. The StoreWALL Rotating Bike Hook is the J Hook on steroids. It allows you to swing your bike left or right so that it sits perpendicular but also flat up against the wall.

So even if you have limited options on where to actually place your bikes in your garage, having them sit upright and flat on your wall now offers you many more options and better access to your valuable garage space.

In terms of access on and off the Rotating Bike Hook, this option is the same as J Hook in that the bike will need to lifted upright and positioned correctly on the hook so that it can be secured.

Steadyrack Brackets

Steadyrack Bike Brackets are a very popular Australian designed bike bracket. StoreWALL has designed a backplate which allows you to now install your Steadyrack bike bracket to your StoreWALL wall panels. Therefore, if you have already invested in Steadyrack brackets and prefer them to the StoreWALL options you can continue to use them on your wall panels.

Best Way To Store Bike In Garage - steadyrack — Steadyrack Bike Bracket

We hope the many bike storage options offered by StoreWALL will meet your personal needs. If they don’t we are sure your local bike shop can also help you with more options.

Posted on August 30, 2021June 10, 2023 by Arthur K

Heavy Duty Garage Storage

StoreWALL is so confident about the quality of its Heavy Duty Garage Storage Solution that it decided to put it to the test by hanging its own staff on the wall.

I can’t say I have ever seen a Slatwall Garage Storage System supplier go to such extreme lengths to prove the overall strength of its solution.

Both these gentlemen from StoreWALL in the US would weigh about 80kg each. They are both sharing a 762mm Heavy Duty Metal Shelf. The wall panels they have installed on this wall are the StoreWALL Brite White Heavy Duty Panels.

However, the test didn’t stop there. This guy decided to do a workout by using two Heavy Duty Cradle Hooks to do chin ups.

Strongest Wall Panels — Chin Ups on your Wall Panels

StoreWALL’s range of wall panels allow you to store pretty anything and everything on your walls. Our range includes the Basic Duty, Standard Duty and the Heavy Duty. The key differences between the three include:

Basic Duty

Our entry level panel, installed by screwing directly into the panel and onto your wall. Colour range is limited to White and Grey. Panels sizes are 304.8mm (H) x 1219mm (L). All StoreWALL accessories will work with this panel. Max holding weight per 2438mm panel is 75lbs or 34kgs.

Ideal for your home garage storing everything from gardening tools to bikes.

Standard Duty

Eighty percent (80%) of our customers in Australia purchase Standard Duty. Installed with Standard Duty Metal Installstrips to provide you with a stronger wall and a much cleaner finish (no drill holes in your panels). Panel sizes include 304.8mm (H) x 1219mm (L) and 304.8mm (H) x 2438mm (L). Panel thickness is 16.7mm. Big range of colours, from Whites to Dark Greys and even timber looking finishes. All StoreWALL accessories will work with this panel. Our entry level panel, installed by screwing directly into the panel and onto your wall. Colour range is limited to White and Grey. Panels sizes are 304.8mm (H) x 1219mm (L). All StoreWALL accessories will work with this panel. Max holding weight per 2438mm panel is 250lbs or 113kgs.

Ideal for your home garage storing everything from gardening tools to bikes and heavier shelving needs.

Heavy Duty

This is our premium wall panel. Installed with Heavy Duty Metal Installstrips to provide you with a stronger wall and a much cleaner finish. Panel sizes include 381mm (H) x 1219mm (L). Colour range includes Brite White, Weathered Grey and Global Pine. The Heavy Duty panel is slightly taller than the Standard Duty equivalent, it is also slightly thicker (17.7mm). The Metal Installstrips are slightly wider. Combined, these differences allow it to hold more weight than both the Basic and Standard Duty Panels. All StoreWALL accessories will work with this panel. Our entry level panel, installed by screwing directly into the panel and onto your wall. Colour range is limited to White and Grey. Panels sizes are 304.8mm (H) x 1219mm (L). All StoreWALL accessories will work with this panel. Max holding weight per 2438mm panel is 300lbs or 136kgs.

Ideal for your home garage storing everything from gardening tools to bikes and heavier shelving needs. This is also our recommended option if you are looking to build a home gym and want to store weights or heavy balls on your wall.

Wall Panel Performance

The table below provides a great summary of the panel range and its overall strength. Note that the holding capacity is per 8 foot or 2438mm panel. It also assumes that the weight is spread across the panel with a number of accessories.

Posted on August 5, 2021June 10, 2023 by Arthur K

GarageSmart Storage System

Several weeks ago I had an enquiry by a customer in Melbourne who had recently built a new home with the GarageSmart Storage System installed in his garage.

Upon initially talking to him I wasn’t quite sure what system he had on his walls. The gentleman was looking for some bins and our Rotating Bike Hook. When people tell you they have an existing slatwall system, it can mean so many different things. Whilst the majority of PVC based slatwalls have very similar spacing between grooves, MDF slatwalls can be quite different.

I have had several customers purchase hooks from StoreWALL and have had Garagetek walls panels. However GarageSmart was a little unknown to me.

The gentleman’s home was about 30mins from me so we arranged a time for him to visit and show me an accessory so that we could try it on a StoreWALL panel. Idea being that if his hooks work on StoreWALL panels, then StoreWALL would work on his.

GarageSmart Storage System

Garage Smart is a local Melbourne business. I am sure they provide a good service to their customers and many of them would be happy with the product they have received.

On inspection of the hook that the gentleman brought with him, it seemed to fit quite well into a StoreWALL panel and so he placed an order for a Rotating Bike Hook, some bins and a shelf. I offered to deliver it to him later that day.

The thing about PVC slatwalls is that much of the product in Australia is the same. It looks very similar to the StoreWALL Basic Duty range and is installed with screws directly through the panel. So no Installstrips. StoreWALL offers 3 ranges of panel, Heavy Duty (installed with Heavy Duty Installstrips), Standard Duty (installed with Standard Duty Installstrips) and Basic Duty (installed with screws through the panel). 80% of our customers purchase Standard Duty.

When I visited this gentleman to deliver the hooks we ventured into his garage and it looked great, really nicely organised. A section near the garage door was dedicated to several bikes which he wanted to hang upright (perpendicular). This is what the Rotating Bike Hook was there to solve. We tested it on his wall and it fitted perfectly. With the CamLok locking mechanism his bikes where not going to leave that wall until they needed them.

Locking Mechansim

I took a closer look at one of the GarageSmart Hooks that was already on the wall and noticed that it used a unique locking mechanism. You can see it in the photo above. There was a Lip locking the Hook into the upper groove of the panel (similar to StoreWALL) but nothing to grip the lower groove. The lower section just rests on the panel. The challenge with this approach is with heavy items. There is just not enough gripping the panel to safely secure your items. This is why CamLok is so unique and why the gentleman was looking for a better bike hook.

Needless to say, the gentleman’s garage looked great and he returned and purchased 3 more Rotating Hooks the next day to complete his bike rack.

If you have the GarageSmart Storage System and are looking for alternative accessories to use, you can be confident that StoreWALL’s accessories will work for you.

Posted on July 25, 2021June 10, 2023 by Arthur K

Why You Don’t Want MDF Slatwalls

If you are a retail store, MDF Slatwalls are ideal. If you are a residential home owner looking to better manage your garage storage issue, then there are several reasons why you don’t want MDF slatwalls.

MDF Slatwalls for Retail Stores

Buy them, use them. They are affordable and come in various colours (painted MDF board). The businesses around Australia who sell them also sell specialised accessories for retail stores which can be used with these slatwalls.

Why You Don’t Want MDF Slatwalls

Detailed below are several reasons why using MDF slatwalls designed for a retail store are a bad idea when you are looking to add slatwall to your home, garage or workshop.

Price works

MDF Slatwalls are affordable at about $60ex for a 1200mm x 1200mm piece. Straight away there is a certain appeal here that you can cover your garage wall with the panels and you are done. Buying them and installing them on your wall is one thing, getting good value out of them once installed is another.

MDF Slatwalls are Not Water Proof

They are not water proof nor moisture proof. If you have an old garage which may get exposure to moisture, MDF boards are not your friend. They may be painted and can be repainted but MDF will absorb the moisture over time. The shape of the board may change and it may also start to develop mould.

Painted Finish

MDF Slatwall is MDF board that has been painted. If you are planning on hanging tools or bikes on your wall, the painted finish will wear quickly. The walls will dent easily (showing the inside board) and the paint will chip.

Groove Spacing

Typical slatwall groove spacing is 100mm. See below picture of what the groove looks like. The challenge with 100mm spacing is that most popular garage storage solution providers do not offer accessories that will work with this spacing. The 100mm spacing is designed for an accessory that has a top L shaped lip only and no lower locking mechanism.

The only StoreWALL accessories which will work are our Bins and our Metal Ledge Shelf. All other accessories carry CamLok which works on a 75mm groove spacing. Similar limitations apply if you are considering using Bunnings StorEase and other popular garage storage solutions. They all offer a very similar groove spacing.

We recently worked with a client in Queensland who had MDF slatwall in their garage and purchased some StoreWALL accessories. We removed the Camlok for them and the accessories worked great for lighter items. Not ideal for heavy items like bikes. See photo below.

Lack of Accessories

The final and most important reason why you don’t want MDF Slatwalls is the limited range of accessories and the lack of a locking mechanism. Whilst accessory pricing might be cheap ie $1.50 for a metal single hook, simple hooks are all you will end up with.

The reason for this is that Slatwalls are made for Retail Stores to display merchandise.

Looking through the accessory range of a popular slatwall supplier, they offer a good range of single hooks, hooks for balls, hooks for clothing and some baskets. These accessories are not designed for a garage.

Compare this to the StoreWALL range. We offer industrial-grade accessories to hang all of your gardening tools, brackets for shelving, hooks and shelves for your heavy power tools. We also offer custom hooks for your bikes, shelves for your boots and baskets and totes for everything in-between. These are all designed with StoreWALL’s unique CamLok locking mechanism.

CamLok ensures that once the accessory is on your wall and locked in, it will not move until you unlock it.

Client Case

A week ago I had a customer order 15 accessories ranging from bike hooks to tool hooks. The customer was a hotel which seemed to have had slatwall installed in a section of the basement. When I enquired if they already had StoreWALL panels, they sent me a picture of what they had and a measurement of the groove spacing. Turns out it was MDF slatwall with 100mm spacing. I refunded the client’s money and advised that they should look at some of the MDF Slatwall suppliers for accessory options.

I have also had customers who are in the process of building a new home and have added slatwall to the design of their garage walls. Builders look at these requirements and simply buy MDF slatwall. The poor customer eventually realises that MDF slatwalls are not what you need for your garage.

Posted on June 29, 2021June 10, 2023 by Arthur K

Garage Clean Up

I recently went through a house move and as many have written before, the exercise was long and tedious. Cleaning out the home was part 1, the garage clean up was part 2.

An important part of this clean out was identifying what was to be taken with us and what could be either thrown out, given away or sold.

Once we had done this, we also had to put a value on each item we thought could be sold and work out how and where to sell it. This was not easy.

Facebook Marketplace

Of the few things I have sold in the past, they have all been via Ebay. I have generally found the sales process very long with very few bites. In all honesty, Ebay is such a huge marketplace and if your item isn’t from an in-demand category, getting attention is difficult.

A friend of mine who also went through the same home and garage clean up process, told me that he had used Facebook Marketplace and that it worked quickly and easily.

I gave it a go and listed bookshelves, bedheads, wooden shelving, plates, a fridge, statues, gym equipment, lights and even the kitchen. Over a 3 month period I have sold pretty much all of it. The same items were also listed on Ebay and Gumtree. The Kitchen was the only item I successfully sold via Ebay. Everything else went via Facebook Marketplace. Most of the interest was via Facebook.

Giving Things Away

I generally found that if you want to give things away, it worked a treat. I gave our 20 year old fridge away within 24hrs. With everything else, you need to work on a price that has flexibility. People will ask you to half it, so ensuring you factor some of this in allows you to reach a reasonable price that also moves it on.

Another thing to look out for is that you will get plenty of enquiries. Some of these people will not be serious and will waste your time. I had one guy promise to pickup a bookshelf in 2 days and never arrived. When I tried to contact him, his Messenger was off and I couldn’t. In that time I had several others asking to collect it and I had told them it was sold. Very frustrating.

From what I understand, unlike Ebay they also don’t take a commission on these items which helps a little.

Large Furniture

The fridge I mentioned earlier was from our garage. I also managed to give away some old work out equipment and an old bed head that was in our garage. It all went within a few days of it being listed.

One of the challenges with larger furniture is how it is collected. In one case, the person paid me an extra $50 to deliver the book case them.

Council Drop Off

Monash Council offers an ability to drop off items such as used paint cans, car batteries and even empty gas bottles free of charge. You can also leave mattresses (for a small fee). I plan to take advantage of this to finish off my garage clean up.

So with a little research and preparation the home and garage clean up process can be made much a lot easier and successful.