I need ideas for oganizing my half of the garage. Besides needing a second standing tool chest, I guess you could say it's a minor disaster. Here are the major categories: Automotive tools (inc. ramps, stands etc), auto detailing (chemicals, compounds, electrical polishers etc.), lawn care and garden (fertilizer, chemicals etc), camping/hurricane gear (stoves, coolers etc.), pool maintenance (chemicals, parts etc), large tools and lawncare (chainsaw, line trimmer, hedgecutters inc. a crapload of lawn chemicals etc), carpentry tools (horses, saws), and then everything else. But most of it are in those categoires.

The problem is I don't have any imagination when it comes or organizing. After looking on the internet I'm not terribly impressed with all the wall organization hardware products because they didn't generate any new ideas in my head, and it leaves me more confused than when I started researching the problme.

Do you guys have any unique or homemade solutions that work better than the commercial garage organization products ? Also any ideas on HOW to organize it. Any pictures of your situtaion may help tweak my imagination for my own garage, I know most of you guys on the great Sigforum are A+ rated in garage organization.

My wife makes labels for my tool drawers. Not only does it help me to find what I'm looking for, it also inspires me to put the items back when I'm done with them.

Do you have a pegboard for hanging stuff?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mark123,

I'm not grade "A" at organizing, but what I've done that helps is to store all yard stuff in the shed. Fertilizer, grass seed and other chemicals are stored in plastic bins w/lids. I keep all my tools in the garage where I'm pretty much using them most if not all the time. I also use racks/shelves like Lowes and home depot sell along with more plastic bins.
My real solution would be another separate garage from my attached garage, but...

Check out garagejournal.com it's a great source of garage related information

How much space do you have to organize? I have 9’ between trusses. Use industrial pallet racking to store stuff. Allows stacking thing like pallet loads 6’ off the floor. All racking was bought used, recycled. Some can be used for high storage and a lower level makes a serious workbench. I have marine engines, lawnmowers and lumber stored up and out of the way.My barn, by the way, is 30’x 72’.

I picked up a few used kitchen cabinets from the habitat for humanity reclaim store and hung them on the wall.

I took a board, put a 1x2 inch lip on 3 sides and fixed it across the top of them ss a shelf to store bigger things like gallon jugs of oil or lawn chemicals.

Rolling toolboxes will fit under it or hang extension cords/ hoses or stuff under them.

How about a couple metal shelving units from HD coupled with an assortment of plastic stackable storage boxes. Sort your stuff by use and buy boxes corresponding to your size needs. Obviously your tools will be better served in another tool chest.

How is the other half organized? Can you get ideas from that?

flashguy

A few years ago I needed to empty the garage completely and that provided a great chance to organize everything so it was easier to find. Large plastic boxes / bins as you see at hardware stores for a few bucks turned out to be great for organizing items. Categories I used included auto, detailing, gardening, electrical hoses, woodworking, and safety. It's now much easier to find things.

I also converted one wall to have french cleats on it and then built hangers for any tool that didn't fit in a standing tool chest or storage bin. Stuff used frequently also went to the wall just above a work bench. With french cleats completely across the wall, it's easy to move stuff around so it's convenient.

+1 on garagejournal.com for having great examples and ideas.