Tag: Garage Wall Storage

Garage Wall Storage

Posted on by

The Rise of the Spare Kitchen in the Garage

kitchen in the garage

The concept of a spare kitchen has traditionally been associated with luxury homes, but as residential living spaces become more multifunctional, the trend of installing a secondary kitchen in the garage is gaining traction among homeowners seeking to maximize their space. This article delves into the practicalities and benefits of creating a fully functional spare kitchen in the garage, a trend that’s reshaping how we think about home efficiency and entertaining.

Understanding the Spare Kitchen Concept

A spare kitchen in the garage is more than just an overflow area; it’s a complete setup that replicates the functionality of a primary kitchen. This auxiliary space often includes essential appliances, ample countertop space, and storage solutions, making it an ideal spot for meal prep during large gatherings, canning, brewing, or as a dedicated space for cooking pungent foods that could otherwise permeate the entire house.

Benefits of a Garage Kitchen

1. Entertainment Hub: A garage kitchen serves as the perfect entertainment hub, especially when the garage doubles as a social space for hosting parties, family get-togethers, or sporting events. It keeps the main house free of traffic and mess during large events.

2. Home Value Addition: A well-designed and constructed spare kitchen can add significant value to a property, appealing to potential buyers looking for versatile and functional spaces.

3. Versatility for Hobbies: For those who indulge in culinary hobbies like home brewing, wine making, or preserving, a garage kitchen provides a dedicated area to enjoy these activities without cluttering the main kitchen.

Planning Your Garage Kitchen

1. Space Assessment: Evaluate the available space in your garage to accommodate a kitchen setup. Consider the layout that best suits your needs and available square footage.

2. Appliance Selection: Choose appliances that fit the scale of your garage kitchen. Compact or multi-use appliances can save space while still providing necessary functionality.

3. Storage Solutions: Efficient cabinetry and shelving are vital to keeping your garage kitchen organized. Opt for durable materials that can withstand temperature fluctuations commonly found in garages.

4. Ventilation: Proper ventilation is crucial, especially in a confined space like a garage. Investing in a good range hood and ensuring adequate airflow will maintain a comfortable environment.

5. Utility Access: Ensure that your garage has the necessary plumbing, electrical, and gas lines to support a kitchen. This may require professional installation and adherence to local building codes.

6. Décor and Comfort: A garage kitchen doesn’t have to be purely utilitarian. Adding personal touches with décor, lighting, and comfortable seating can create an inviting atmosphere.

Legal and Safety Considerations

Before embarking on the construction of a garage kitchen, it’s essential to check local zoning laws and building codes. Safety is paramount, so all installations should comply with regulations, and the use of fire-resistant materials is recommended. It’s also wise to consult with an insurance agent to understand how a garage kitchen may affect your home insurance policy.

Conclusion

The addition of a spare kitchen in the garage is a smart solution for homeowners looking to enhance their living space. It offers the convenience of extra cooking space, acts as an alternative gathering spot, and can be tailored to suit various hobbies and activities. With proper planning, design considerations, and adherence to safety standards, a garage kitchen can become one of the most valuable and enjoyed spaces in your home.

Posted on by

PVC Slatwall Panels

pvc slatwall panels

The Benefits of PVC-Based Slatwall Panels

In the realm of modern storage and organization, PVC slatwall panels are becoming increasingly popular for their versatility, durability, and aesthetic appeal. These panels offer an ingenious solution to cluttered spaces, particularly in retail, workshops, and garages. This article explores the numerous benefits of PVC-based slatwall panels and why they are an excellent choice for both commercial and residential storage needs.

Durability and Longevity

Resistant to Wear and Tear: PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is known for its strength and durability. PVC slatwall panels can withstand significant wear and tear, making them ideal for high-traffic areas or spaces that require storing heavy items.

Moisture and Rot Resistant: Unlike traditional wood or MDF (Medium-Density Fiberboard) panels, PVC is impervious to moisture and humidity. This resistance to water ensures that the panels do not rot, warp, or swell, maintaining their structural integrity over time.

Versatility in Usage

Customizable Storage Solutions: PVC-based wall panels are equipped with horizontal grooves that can accommodate a variety of hooks, shelves, bins, and racks. This versatility allows users to customize their storage setup to fit their specific needs and can be easily reconfigured as those needs change.

Wide Range of Applications: From displaying products in retail stores to organizing tools in a garage, PVC slatwalls are adaptable to a multitude of environments and purposes.

pvc garage wall panels

Aesthetic Appeal

Sleek and Modern Look: PVC wall panels offer a clean and modern look that can enhance the aesthetic of any space. With a variety of colors available, they can be seamlessly integrated into any interior design scheme. Checkout our garage gallery for examples of Australian homes using StoreWALL’s garage wall panels.

Hide Clutter Effectively: By providing a designated space for each item, these panels help maintain an organized and clutter-free environment, which is visually pleasing and easier to navigate.

Space Efficiency

Maximizing Wall Space: PVC garage wall panels are an excellent way to utilize vertical space effectively, especially in areas where floor space is limited. By organizing items vertically, these panels free up valuable floor space. Think about ladders, bikes, tubs, and sports equipment. Off the floor and onto the wall makes good sense.

Easy Installation and Maintenance

Simple Set-Up: Installing PVC slatwall panels is relatively straightforward, making them a viable option for DIY enthusiasts. The panels can be cut to fit any space and are generally easy to mount.

Low Maintenance: PVC garage panels require minimal upkeep. They are easy to clean and do not need any special treatments or coatings to maintain their appearance and functionality.

Cost-Effective

Affordable Storage Solution: While offering a multitude of benefits, PVC slatwall panels are also cost-effective. Their durability means they can last a lifetime, and their flexibility reduces the need for additional storage furniture or systems.

PVC Slatwall Panels – Verdict

PVC-based slatwall panels present a compelling solution for efficient, durable, and aesthetically pleasing storage. Their adaptability to various environments, combined with the ease of installation and maintenance, makes them an ideal choice for both residential and commercial spaces. As storage needs continue to evolve, PVC slatwalls stand out as a practical, stylish, and economical option that meets the dynamic requirements of modern organization and display.

Posted on by

White Garage Wall Storage Panels

Over the weekend we completed our latest installation of White Garage Wall Storage Panels. After several months of discussion with Stephen in Chelsea, we organised the installation of StoreWALL Brite White Wall panels across the back wall of his double garage.

The back wall of Stephen’s garage was 8m wide (which included a door) and 2.4m high. It was a plastered wall backing onto a rear Hebel wall (most likely formed part of his backyard.

White Garage Wall Storage Panels

White Garage Wall Storage Panels – Garage Wall Design

Based on pictures sent through by Stephen, we designed a StoreWALL installation with 3 Brite White panels across the length of the wall to cover the 7000mm plastered area. With a 2.4m total height, we used 7 Standard Duty panels to reach a height of 2150mm.

Finding the Studs

I use two different battery-powered Stud Finders. They both deliver different results. They are both wrong a lot of the time. It is always easier to drill a few holes and then use 450mm or 600mm spacing to test if the next stud is where you expect it. You usually need to drill a few more holes to ensure you find the actual outer edges of the studs.

With Stephens garage, the studs were 550 or so apart but there were some different spacings as well.

Garage Wall Vertical Spacing

Stephen’s garage was about 2.4m in height. The wall had a 150mm skirting board. This left us a total wall height of about 250mm. We split this allowing about 125mm at the top and the same above the skirting board. This is where we started our first Installstrip.

With just over 7000mm in length we marked out where each wall panel would start and end, ie 0, 2438, 2439, 4876, 4877, 7000mm. The first and second panel landed in between two installstrips so they didn’t require any additional support. The third (last panel) started a little too far from its closest Installstrip. In this case, we added an additional installstrip using metal screw-in fasteners.

Stacked Wall Panel Formation

For most Installations I have completed for customers, I have opted for the brickwork design. I have always thought it looked the nicest. It does however come with some challenges when joining wall panels. The issue is that the joins show. Some just have a thin line, others have a heavier one. This can come from the cut that was made to the panel (factory or manual). It can also be due to an uneven wall.

For Stephen’s installation, I opted to try the Stacked Wall formation. We used a Wide Trim at either end of the wall and a smaller joining trim along the wall at the two points where the panels would join.

I can say that using the stacked wall formation is easier than making the brick pattern and the look is just as good. I think having the joining trims on either side of each panel also gives them a little more support.

The joining trim we used was about 3m in thickness. We allowed for this when laying out our panels.

Power Outlets

Stephen’s wall had two power outlets. One was a power switch beside the door, at the beginning of the first panel. The second was a 4-gang PowerPoint at the beginning of the 3rd and final panel along the wall.

You can manage power outlets in 2 ways.

  • You can screw the outlet over the panel. To do this, you can cut a hole in the panel at the location of the outlet. The hole needs to be large enough to pass the power outlet through it.  Once you pass it through the hole, you can use longer screws to screw it back into its original bracket in the wall.
  • You can cut around the power outlet. Using a multi-tool or a jigsaw, you can cut a hole large enough so that it fits around the power outlet. This means you don’t need to unscrew it. You might want to use the joining trims to create a border around it.

For Stephen’s wall, we cut around the power outlet and added trim on the top and bottom of the hole we cut so that it framed it.

Labour Effort

In total, we installed 21 panels for this wall. It took two of us (myself and 15y/o child) about 7-8 hrs to complete the wall. We installed over 32 installstrip, each with 12 screws.

Posted on by

Easy Garage Storage

Cleaning up your garage with a garage wall storage solution doesn’t necessarily mean you need to renovate your entire garage lining each wall from top to bottom with wall panels. Easy garage storage can be as simple as 2 Slatwall panels on your wall taking care of a handful of annoying items that are lying around.

Garage Gallery

If you look through our Garage Gallery you will notice the breadth of StoreWALL installations we have in Australia. Most of these have been sent in directly by our customers and are rather large with at least one main wall covered.

You will also see a handful of Easy Garage Storage installations that only contain 1 or even 2 panels on a garage wall. Some of them are focused on gardening gear, others on gym equipment.

Easy Garage Storage

Installing a couple of panels is super easy. At StoreWALL, we sell our 1219mm panels in small bundled packages which include the panels and some basic accessories. We also sell them as single individual panels so that you can design your own easy garage storage solution.

Take as an example the below picture which was sent in over the weekend. Cynthia in Balmain NSW purchased:

  • 2 x Standard 1219mm Brite White panels
  • 2 x Standard Duty Installstrips
  • 1 pack of screws (plastered wall)
Easy Garage Storage

The installation of this pack would have taken her less than an hour. Installstrips were added on either end of each panel and one in the middle. 24 screws in total would have been used.

Easy Garage Storage – Accessories

The accessories selected by Cynthia included:

  • White Ledge Shelf
  • Two small bungee hooks – one is holding the ironing board, the second the gardening lopper.
  • Two Heavy Duty tool Hooks – holding about 6 gardening tools from forks to spades.
  • Vertical Tool Hook – holding the vacuum cleaner.

Easy Garage Storage – Single Panel

The second example is from Perth where the client used several single panels each installed separately on sections of his brick wall.

Easy Garage Storage - power tools

In the above example, the client in Perth used 2 Heavy Duty Cradle Hooks to hold his two Whipper Snippers. He also had a Heavy Duty Utility Hook to hold is blower and several foldable chairs.

Easy Garage Storage – Gym

Our final example is also from Sydney. This client used two 1219mm Brite White panels to store his gym equipment. This included 2 shelves to hold a range of mats. Alongside this he had several hooks to hold handheld weights and a Heavy Duty Utility hook to hold a medicine ball.

Easy Garage Storage - gym
Posted on by

Blueboard Garage Walls

This week we completed a StoreWALL installation in a new home with Blueboard Garage Walls. In fact, this is the second such installation this year where the material used for cladding the customer’s internal garage wall was not plaster but a cement sheet material.

Garage Cladding

The first instance was in a new home in Sandringham which had used an external cladding similar to this James Hardie Matrix product. The client had used it to clad much of the house’s exterior and then continued it into several storage rooms.

StoreWALL was tasked with installing StoreWALL panels in each of the storage rooms, paneling from floor to ceiling.

See below for some pre and post installation photos.

Garage Cladding
Storewall garage wall cladding
Storewall garage wall cladding

Whilst installing StoreWALL was no different from the process of installing on a plastered wall, the effort required was considerably more. This was because the surface we were screwing into to attach the installstrips was much harder. The thickness of the cladding material was about 8-10mm but it really put our impact driver to the test.

I avoided pre-drilling in most cases but occasionally it was necessary.

One of the advantages of the surface however was that the density of the panel created a very strong grip for our screws even where no stud existed. This was helpful when we needed to add additional installstrips.

As a cladding surface, this James Hardie product seemed a great alternative to plasterboard.

Blueboard Garage Wall

This weekend we completed our latest installation in a new home in Kew. The garage was under the house this time and the walls were built with studs at 600mm centers and covered with Blueboard which was then lightly rendered. The render gave that cement feeling to the wall. It also made it a little hard to drill through.

blueboard garage walls
Blueboard Garage Wall

In fact, drilling through the Blueboard was quite difficult. I found instances where I actually needed to pre-drill the hole first in order to screw through it. The cement finish actually blunted several of my drill bits in the process.

The wall pictured above was only one corner of a very large underground garage. The dimensions of the paneled area were 3.6m (W) x 2.7m (H) and 3.3m (W) x 2.7m (H). We left about 10mm under the bottom panel and about 25mm above the top panel. Being a corner, we needed to also ensure that the panels on both sides of the wall lined up nicely.

We were lucky with the larger wall to have one of our panel joins actually land on a stud. In this case, we ensured that the panels shared an installstrip. For the second join, we added an additional installstrip that both panels could share. The density of the blueboard garage wall created a strong grip for the screws.

There is no limit to how StoreWALL Garage Wall Panels can be used. No matter the garage wall surface, be it Plasterboard, Brick, Blueboard or Cladding, StoreWALL can be hung on it to create a great storage area for you.

Posted on by

Maximising Your Garage Walls

maximising your garage walls

Double garages have always been at a premium even when I was young and every home was on its own block. Today, houses are bigger on smaller blocks and the garage sits inside the building. A double garage is still at a premium and maximising your garage walls has become ever more important.

If you are building or have just built your new home, your garage walls (atleast 2 of them) will be shared with the inside of your home. This means you are usually starting out with 2 or 3 empty white plasterboard walls, and one exterior facing wall made from brick or your chosen exterior surface.

The challenge for you now is maximising your garage walls so that you can fit as much as possible whilst keeping it all nice and tidy.

Maximising Your Garage Walls

The typical first step for most households when decking out their garage is to seek out shelving (aluminium shelving). Shelving offers a great way to stack as much as possible into your garage utilising most of your available vertical and horizontal space. Aluminium shelving ranges in price from $150 for a 2m x 2m x 0.5m frame with 4 shelves. These are easy to put together yourself and can hold a max 400kg.

I have three of these shelves in my garage and they do keep everything off the ground and reasonably tidy. What I found with mine is that I ended up stacking lots into each shelf to use up the space which in some sections made it a little hard to pull things out when I needed them. I ended up using containers to store most of the storage which helped but then concealed much of the contents.

A slatwall garage solution is a great compliment to a new or old garage. Unlike garage shelving, slatwalls make it easy to access those garage items that you regularly. Whether it is tools or sporting equipment, having a garage solution that offers easy access is really important. In addition, slatwalls from StoreWALL offer a really nice finish to your garage walls. The weathered grey colour will blend in with your concrete driveway and provide a clean look and feel.

StoreWALL Slatwalls

StoreWALL slatwalls are complimented with a huge range of accessories to ensure you can maximise your garage walls. Whether it is baskets you need for sporting equipment or paint cans or hooks for tools or wood, StoreWALL offers it all. There are over 25 hooks to choose from catering for all of your small and large items.

Using shelving to store your tools doesn’t work. You can’t effectively hang your tools on a shelf. You can keep them all in a container but that doesn’t cater for all tools nor everything else usually kept in a garage.

I have one wall dedicated to tools and it holds several handsaws, a silicone gun, gardening saws, power cord extensions and several hammers. I also have several smaller shelves with cans used for degreasing as well as putties and several gardening oils.  Storing these items in a big shelf is not really suitable.

Then you have sporting goods. We use tote bags and baskets for the soccer balls, training cones and the roller skates and blades. There is also another basket for all the other balls and racquets that have accumulated over the years.

Hanging Bikes

Bikes are a real challenge no matter the size of garage. I was a a friend’s the other day and saw that his 8m garage wall was used to hold 3 bikes (hung horizontally on hooks). The bikes looked like works of art on the wall. They were high enough not to interfere with anything else, but they really didn’t;’t maximise the garage wall. One wall for three bikes is not a great use of space. StoreWALL’s bike hooks allow you to hang your bikes both horizontally and vertically so that you can maximise your garage walls.

If you are keen on maximising your garage walls, do some research into slatwalls as a compliment to whatever shelving you might also require.

Posted on by

Storage Lessons

storage lessons

The internet is littered with information about storage options and ideas on organizing small spaces. Reading through much of this information myself on a daily basis I have accumulated a few key Storage Lessons that are worth considering as you review how to take on your next storage challenge.

Storage Lessons 1 – Make Better Use of Overhead Space

Look around your neighbourhood and you can’t miss the number of new homes being built. Not only are they popping up everywhere they are also much bigger than your average home (square feet) but they are also being built with higher ceilings. Higher ceilings makes your rooms look bigger, adds more light into each room but also gives you greater options for overhead storage. By thinking vertically, you can make much better use of this storage area. Think about your kitchen and laundry where storage is at a premium. Extend it to your garage. There are plenty of storage options built specifically for the garage ceiling.

Storage Lessons 2 – Bigger Storage Bins are Not Always Better

Picking the right range of storage containers can be challenging. Size, colour, shape and quality need to be considered. You would naturally think that bigger is better but this is not always the case. Bigger bins can sometimes cause more problems than they solve. Two medium bins can be carried by one person, while a huge bin requires two people. You need to keep weight in mind.  The last thing you need is to struggle and potentially spill the bin or worse still hurt yourself trying to access it.

Storage Lessons 3 – The less you use it, the less you should see it

Professional organisers talk about systems when it comes to working through your mess. A key principle they all abide by is “the less you use it, the less you should see it”. Items that you are likely to only use once a year or even less should be placed in rooms or locations that are harder to access. They should not be the first things you see when you enter your storage area. If you are using shelves, place them on the top shelf at the back. The flip side to this is regularly used items need to be close at hand and easy to grab. This applies equally to your garage storage and even kitchen. If your family likes to make smoothies for breakfast, why have the blender in the back of the cupboard.

Storage Lessons 4 – More on Setting Up Systems

Australian homes are typically high pitched with some storage capacity available in the roof. Most people however avoid the roof and simply don’t like going up there. When I look at the roof in my home I can easily stand in the middle section but I have never made any use of this area. Make better use of this area is not difficult nor should it be expensive. Yes it does get dusty but storage bags and containers of various sizes are available which can protect your items.

These areas can be set aside for very specific storage purposes that maybe you won’t need for several years. Placing them in the roof means you know exactly where they are when you need them. An example could be your wedding dress or specific clothing items you have set aside for your children. It might be years between visits but having a specific place for these items makes it easy to remember where they have been placed.

Storage Lessons 5 – Space Saving Ideas

Every inch counts and so when you are looking at storage solutions you need to place and measure your area carefully. If you are using shelves, ensure they are placed close together. Having adjustable shelves also allows you to ensure that all space is used up. If you have 40 or 50mm above the tallest item on each of your shelves, then that is wasted space. Multiply this by 3 or 4 shelves and that is 120 to 160mm of unused space.

Storage Lessons 6 – Storing Food

Whilst Australians don’t generally purchase food in bulk it can make sense with regular items that you don’t want to have to visit your local supermarket for mid week. If our regular breakfast cereals are on sale I will usually purchase 4 or 5 of them and store them in the garage so they are available. Same applies to pasta, flour, canned and bottled sauces, laundry detergent and other cleaning items.

The biggest challenge with storing food however is ensuring you are eating the older items first. It’s important to rotate older food to the front if you’re buying and storing in bulk. Get into the habit of sorting your food by expiration dates.

Storage Lessons 7 – Store less stuff

Your yearly hard rubbish collection is a great time to review your storage options and what you have stored. If there are items you have kept specifically in the hope that the kids might play with it again, it might be time to give them away. Another tip is if you have forgotten that you even had one of “those” that is another trigger to probably consider giving it away. If you don’t even want to remember you have it in your home, it’s probably time to re-home it.

Posted on by

Wall to Wall Storage

wall to wall storage

If storage is at a premium in your home and there isn’t much room left for even a cupboard, a great alternative is to consider – Wall to Wall Storage. This week’s post offers some useful storage solutions so you can store, locate and use your favourite items when you need them.

Wall to wall storage focuses on solutions that use the height and width of your wall to store and manage your items. Rather than adding additional storage that sits in front of the wall reducing the overall space in your room, wall to wall storage is all about using the wall as the base and then adding accessories to manage your items.

The range of solutions is almost endless and best of all these ideas are not entirely about storing light weight items like shoes and kitchen accessories. Some of the options can hold over 20KGs in weight. Check them out you will be surprised.

Floating shelves

Floating shelves are a great idea for within the home. There are so many varieties today no matter your style of home. Use them in your kitchen to store those essential items, like spices and key everyday ingredients. Floating shelves can create the illusion of space and blend nicely with your walls. They are a simple wall to wall storage option that can be used anywhere within the home or even outdoors. Common styles include box (square) shelves as well as “U” shaped shelves (basically the box without the top cover).

Magnetic Strips

Magnetic strips can be a great storage solution for the kitchen as well as the garage. Use them to store kitchen accessories such as knives and scissors as well as metal measuring spoons. Go one step further and extend them to your garage. Depending on the strength of the strip you can hang tools such as pliers, screwdrivers, knifes and even spanners. Having them hang off the wall means they don’t clutter the bench nor hang around the floor. Magnetic strips come in all shapes and sizes (as well as colours). Some tapes are heavy duty with a Pull Force of 450 g/cm².

Pegboards

I am not the biggest fan of Pegboards but they are very affordable and can accommodate all sorts tools and items found in your garage. Used within the house they can hold keys, bills, reminders and most light weight items. This form of wall to wall storage is ideal of kraft rooms and art studios. Pegboards are very affordable and really easy to find. What I don’t like about them is that the hooks don’t lock in at all which makes them rather unreliable for heavier items.

Chunky hooks

Visit your local hardware store or storage retailer and you will find a large range of hooks. Hooks can be used to hang all sorts of tools and even ladders. They need to be fixed to a wall or something sturdy so that they can manage the weight. Hooks can be used in your bathroom and laundry for you towels and bags. They can also be used throughout your garage for pretty much anything light or heavy.

Used within the house, hooks can store your larger jackets, hats, scarves and school bags. A key part of using hooks is ensuring they are properly fixed to the wall so they can handle their specified weight.

Slatwalls (like StoreWALL)

wall to wall storage

We couldn’t go past wall to wall storage ideas without mentioning Slatwalls. Slatwalls can be cut to size and used anywhere within the home or the garage. The best thing about this horizontal storage solution is that it is fully customisable and can be kitted out with hooks, tubs, shelves, tote bags, brackets and baskets, depending on your needs. Once your needs or ideas change, simply take the accessories off and rearrange them. It takes minutes. StoreWALL slatwalls are PVC based and are water and dust proof.

Wall to Wall Storage – Wire baskets

One of the more popular slatwall accessories are wire baskets. Now you don’t necessarily need slatwalls for this idea but it can make moving them around really easy. Used in the kitchen, wall-mounted wire baskets can help you store fruit that doesn’t normally sit in the fridge or vegetables like onions, potatoes and garlic which or normally stored in the cupboard.

Wire baskets in the garage can store paint cans, boots, boxed items plus much much more. Once securely mounted, baskets provide visibility and ease of access. Being solidly built they can also store heavy items. The StoreWALL range of wired baskets can hold a maximum of 56KGs (see Heavy Duty Deep Basket).

Wire baskets come in a flat shallow form as well as at different depths.

Railings

A simpler alternative to slatwalls are Railings. Wall-hung rails are both practical as well as visually pleasing particularly when used to hang copper cookware or pots and pans in a traditional kitchen. This form of wall to wall storage is really simple to setup can generate considerable space in a very small area.

Hanging Rack for Your Boots

wall to wall storage

By far one of the biggest nuisances in every home are the loose shoes hanging around the doorway or in your clothing cupboard. Loose shoes are a major hazard and having them lie around can see them easily lost as well as damaged. Wall-mounted shoe storage systems will make your shoes easily accessible as well as allow the prettier ones to be out on display. An open-air storage system ensures your shoes are kept dry, mould and odour-free.

I hope our range of wall storage options have given you a few ideas so that you can make better use of spare wall areas whilst also cleaning up the mess beneath them.