How to Build Cheap Shelves For Garage Storage

Welcome to the Cuban Redneck DIY website. As you may have already heard me say on several videos, there seems to be a lot of demand for my Redneck Cuban Recipes, so I have decided to have those videos and anything non DIY on Tuesdays and hardcore DIY stuff on Friday!

This blog entry and video are all about the garage shelves I recently build! As I mentioned in the video description, there is a high probability that if you make one of these garage shelves, your wife will ask you to make another one. But don’t worry and the design is very simple and the cost very pocket-friendly. The cost per eight-foot stretch is about $20. The design is nothing new but not something associated with shelves, especially one purposely made for a garage. With that said, I don’t see why you could make or use these for your office space, closet, and even laundry room.

As many of you looking to make some DIY garage shelves out of plywood and 2X4s may have experienced sticker shock once you arrive at your local Lowe’s or Home Depot! Yes, the price of wood is up over 300%. In an effort to further erode the US economy and stick it all of those home builders and contractors, Biden doubles the tariffs of lumber coming from Canada. That why this video on shelves for garage storage has gotten so much attention.

One of the main reasons I make so many DIY projects is that I often pay good money for things, and then I bring them home just to be disappointed at the build quality of the poor engineering. I understand that there are things that, when made to professional tooling, come out better. However, making your own allows you to build shelving that meets your exact needs. In the case of shelves for garage storage, some of the pros include lower cost – Usually, buying the materials for your garage shelves should be cheaper than buying a pre-made one. Just make sure you do everything right the first time and avoid cutting corners.

With that said, and given the current cost of wood, the main focus of this build was to lower the price to something that is affordable while maintaining the build quality. To do this, we have to choose an alternative cut of wood to plywood and 2X4s and minimize the amount of material!

Many in the woodworking business consider white pine to be junk wood! But for centuries, it was the wood of choice but everything from furniture to homes building. White pine, like all woods, has pros and cons. The biggest cons are that it is fragile and has a tendency to warp. It is also prone to scratches and dents. On the other hand, it is cheap, easy to tool, and takes on paint very well!

I addressed the “fragile” with the design! By crossing the grain in a different direction and using the shape’s strength to my advantage, I built a garage shelf that holds five bins weighing in at about 35 lbs. on average without stressing or distorting the frame. Aside from pine being cheap, I further reduce the cost by avoiding a solid deck! The alternative board method is a proven concept on multi-million dollar yachts swimming platforms. It offers a considerable cost-saving without sacrificing strength.

Please watch the video, and I hope this garage shelves build technique offers the cost-saving and solution you were seeking when you Google “Garage Shelves DIY. ” My name is JC, and this is the Cuban Redneck DIY Channel.