Very nice. I can appreciate your attention to detail (especially in the garage). Most people tend do disregard aesthetics when it comes to storage design.
I just got one of those fancy jack rod garage door openers so I have space above the door now (when the door is open / up) my garage length is 10' and most commercial racks are only 8'. these struts come in 10' so it's perfect!
Instead of the wood against the wall you could’ve put one of the thinner gauge Unistrut’s perpendicular to the wall, strolling through the perforated slats and holes into the studs of the wall and mounting the back unit strut just a little bit higher to compensate and then slid the wire shelf grating into the open “C-section” of the Unistrut to lock it in place.
Thank you Sir! for sharing your ideas and posting this very helpful video benefitting 100's of people like me. I subscribed hoping to see more of such ideas from you. May you have a blessed life.
That is very professional. Well done and thanks for uploading. Even the tube covers... some serious pride in your work. Seems like you can do it under any rafter, which I like as I have exposed rafters and don't really want to drill into the concrete block walls.
They’re #14s bro I watched back 3 times to read the box of screws lol Excellent job on the shelf install!! Shit clear tubing is a sweet addition I never thought of!!
I have the I-beam (don't know what they're called) type of ceiling joists, about 14" tall, over my garage. I'm leery about screwing lag bolts into the bottom of them, so I'm considering attaching something across the top of them in the attic (maybe just some unistrut), and suspending my all-threads from them. Or perhaps doing that, and then hanging a piece of unistrut from them at the drywall level in the ceiling, and then doing exactly as you've done. That way I don't have to worry about the all-threads moving around and damaging my ceiling drywall.
Yeah, much nicer look than the wood. And probably easier to install as well. My only problem will be that my shelf will be running parallel to the rafters. Could be tricky getting things where they need to be.
This is great. I have held onto a couple hundred feet of strut channel from a. Dumpster for a decade and finally have a way to use it! Only thing, how do you assemble? What order? I'm picturing starting with the ledger and strut in the ceiling. Then adding assembled lengths of rod hanging from the top. But then what? If the rod is locked up top you can't screw into the bottom but in the unistrut.and then once you have the rack done, you have to unscrew all the bottom sections just to add the shelf. I'm so confused.
Cool build. I'm wondering if you could have installed the lower unistrut hanging the other direction so you can hang other things from the lower portion? Also unistrut screwed to the wall base instead of wood and hang things from there? Is that a missed opportunity, or are there structural or physical limitations from doing so? Cool idea about the vinyl tubing over the threads; was that easy to install?
Vinyl tubing goes on fairly easy. I simply installed the unistrut for the look I wanted, you are correct about hanging stuff but you can still hang stuff the way i have it installed.
So the only thing keeping the shelf from falling is one spring strut nut at the end (bottom) of every rod? Are you using loctite or is there something stronger for this application or is the spring strut nut enough? Also what made you go with the smaller strut for the ceiling joist?
If you go check out the Unistrut Nuts you'll see how thick & strong they are & how they sit inside the Unistrut....these nuts are made to hold weight. On both ends I have washers & lock nuts where the all-threads thread into the uni Nuts so the unistrut Nuts cannot slide out on the very end of the strut. Ceiling strut has more anchor points into ceiling joists so no chance of bending/bowing....the bottom span is only held at 5 points with the all-thread to make max space....the thicker Unistrut will not bend or bow👌 This stuff will hold all your ceiling is supposed to safely hold which is usually around 600lbs.
Beautiful work. Boss I have a question that I know is probably dumb. But how do drill and make the top unistrut to hold. And with wich screws? Do you predrill first into your studs? What type of bolts are used to hold the top?
Did you have to use an entire section of unistrut on the ceiling or could you just use like a 8-12” section just where the all thread would be? I ask because it could really cut down on cost especially if making multiple shelves. Also did you cut the tubing and wrap the all thread or just feed the all thread through it? Awesome awesome idea!
Skip Home Depot, etc. and look on the internet for a Unistrut dealer - much cheaper, the standard lengths are 10' and 20' sections. There's also some other copy cat brands but I have never priced them, look up C-channel. If cost is an issue, can look at angle iron or square/rectangular tubing, but you would have to dig around to find a program to calculate the load specs. He fed the threat through the tubing. I have also seen PVC pipe and cheap metal conduit used. Ceiling strut lengths depends on how much you want to distribute the load between joists. If you feel fine splitting between 2 joists, shorter sections should be fine.
Very nice! Why did you use different size struts at the top and at the bottom? Can you use 1-5/8 on both? I can't seem to find 1-1/2 anywhere around me.
Thanks👌🏻 I talked about that in the video but the bottom one is the thicker stuff to avoid any possible bowing with all the weight on there just wanted to make it as stout as possible💪🏻 Got all my unistrut at home depot.
Can you describe step by step how you assembled the all-thread to the top and bottom channel once the top channel was secured to the rafters? Did you install the all-thread to the top channel, bottom it out at the top through the unistrut nut/spring, and then to the bottom channel? Then back the all-thread out at the top, while screwing it in to the bottom unistrut nut / spring to adjust the height? Also, it looks like the only nuts on the top of the bottom channel are at the ends, correct? (Meaning the three all-threads in the middle just go through a unistrut nut / spring)
You are exactly correct on the 1st question, thats why you need to cut the all-threads pretty close to exact measurement. Yesa bottom just has nuts on both ends to prevent chance of uni-strut nut sliding out of open end. Top has nuts all the way across just for max rigidness.
@@playdirtusa Thanks for the response! I'm planning mine now and really didn't expect you'd see my questions in time. My project has a couple of extra levels of complexity. For one, my garage has 14" wood I-beams which have plywood on top and drywall underneath. So I can't (choose not to) just attach that top channel to the ceiling joists with lag bolts. So I'm going to install a channel above the joists, then all-thread down to a second channel at the ceiling, then hang my shelves from that. The second complication is that I'm going to do two shelves, one underneath the other.
@@playdirtusa Another question. What technique did you use to cut the all-thread without mangling the threads? Two nuts screwed on ahead of time? Chamfer tool in a drill? Thread cutter?
Another thing I did differently: I used 1-13/16" strut at the wall to support my shelves rather than a 2X4. And I ran strut between the two horizontal shelf support channels every 24" along the way to support the wire mesh. I'm an engineer. I can't help myself...
Love the idea; thanks for posting! Lowe's also has a 2.6ft x 30" wire shelf (item 319522) for a dollar more than the one you used. Do you think it would work with this setup, or would the center of the shelf need additional support? Also , did you mount your decking 22" or 24" deep?
It is exactly 24" from the wall to front of my Unistrut....my panels are 24". If you have weight that sits solely on the shelf panels they sag a little but are strong enough to hold it, I'd say real heavy items would likely need extra support for those larger panels unless the weight is resting partially on the unistrut of course.
I'm going to do something similar to this with angle iron instead of wood and then do the rest with uni strut and 3/8 rod .Did you hit every stud all of the way down or did you go every other stud? When I did my pre drilling after I used a stud finder it felt like some of the spots that were like 3 studs didn't have that bite if you know what I mean do you think it'll be fine?
Sorry for delay. I did not hit every stud along the entire span. I did however hit every stud at or near where the all-threads hang tho! All my lag bolts bit in solid....was careful to get in or very near the center of them.
@@playdirtusaThanks for the response I was worried mine wouldn't hold but what you said gives me confidence. The last thing I need is a shelf crashing down and everything on it hitting a car in my garage lol
@@jmejam_jmejam_ I just hung on mine did some pull ups & hung/bounced on it saw it didn't budge & called it good! I think I mainly skipped a stud in between the all-threads. I can hang on it fully loaded with heavy stuff it doesn't budge.
1" corner brackets....bent them so the screw holes basically set flat down on the header board....close up at 3:40ish. www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-1-2-in-Steel-Galvanized-Corner-Brace/4461091
The all-threads are threaded into "Uni-strut nuts" inside the top uni-strut track, the track is secured to ceiling, the all-threads thread up thru the uni-strut nuts & just bottom out or almost bottom out at the ceiling, that's why you have to cut the all-threads pretty close to the exact length you need to make the shelving level.
@@cdubs1723 He attached the unistrut bar with lag screws (maybe 3/8" or 5/16" lags ) into his rafters/roof studs. the unistrut bars are sold in 10 and 20ft sections. a 3/8 lag on every rafter or long the length of one rafter will be super strong. I used 5/16 to predrill before using a 3/8 lag.
I like using unistrut for long runs and maintain vertical clearance, but this is overkill on cost. Instead of the metal shelves which you're flexing by hand, use plywood which is also solid bottom for smaller items. To make the plywood sturdier, let it hang over the front of the unistrut so there is a narrower span front to back - I've never had to run cross braces. Instead of the unistrut along the wall, a 2 x4 is fine. Instead of the unistrut bracket at the ceiling, run a vertical 2 x 4 or piece of unistrut bolted to the floor joist and the shelf unistrut (I prefer unitrut risers). Have flat faces where the unistrut pieces meet and at the floor joist. Use 2 bolts at the joist and 1 at the unistrut (will need to drill the unistrut). To access the floor joist above, make a cutout in the drywall and frame the outside with molding like an attic access panel. You don't need a lot of hangers with this - I ran mine over 10 ft between vertical supports - it isn't going anywhere, your only concern is warping. Where it is best used is down the middle and over the garage door (if there is space) on both sides of the garage door channel (4 pieces of unistrut). For over the garage door allow about 1/2" to 1" clearance between the door and unistrut because it might warp a little when loaded. Use heavy plywood for the shelf for less warping, overhanging he unistrut as before. Support the back of the unistrut to the ceiling joists as above but can drop lower (explained later). Can add middle support to ceiling joist if needed. At the wall run a 2 x 4 or if thee isn't space a 1 x 4 (can trim down width to fit above garage spring) screwed to every wall joist. Cut out a small hole in the drywall to extend the unistrut a couple inches into the drywall so if it shifts it will always be over the wooden support. Behind the garage door shelf, drop lower to 7 ft or slightly more than the garage door clearance (whichever is more) and continue the middle shelf to the back wall. Here you only need 3 pieces of unistrut. Lay the plywood shelves crosswise so each piece covers all 3 unistrut pieces. Complete the exterior walls by running unistrut across the back of the garage. You can rest on the other unistruts or buy plates to bolt the unistruts together. Add 1 downcomer in the middle. At some point in this you will probably need to step up the shelf to get round the garage door, supporting he sides the same as the step down in the middle. Paint the bottom of the shelf white so it blends in with the garage ceiling. In a 20' x 20' garage, running 2 ft down the sides, with 8 ft across the middle and above the garage door, you will end up with over 250 square ft of shelving (about the same as a 16' x 16' room) in an area of the garage you weren't using before, with none of the floor used or blocked, and very few downcomers blocking access to the shelves. These shelves can carry a LOT of weight with the bolted downcomers from the ceiling trusses, and the wall supports drilled into each wall strut, and unistrut forming the span. Added note - use up all of the space to the sides from the wall to the edge of the garage door. Notch around the garage door channel at the front of the garage. if you are a little over 2 ft wide, cut the plywood crosswise (4 ft wide section of plywood) to save on materials. Can make the back wall shelves up to 4 ft deep for more shelves. Mount the unistrut with the holes down like he did in the video. This makes a nice place to hang things, particularly from the middle shelves. You will probably have to notch the shelf around the garage door opened. Run a board along the edge of the shelf by the garage door opener channel so you don't push anything into it when loading the shelves. if the light is blocked, buy a light socket screw in outlet, and plug in a light fixture under the shelves. You may have to move the ceiling lights, and add ceiling lights, to the open space between the overhead shelves - 4 tube florescent fixture, 2 bulbs each, are great for working.
@@dusbus2384 Thanks, but I couldn't even find pictures of where I installed in my previous home (for some reason I don't take photos of where I live at the time), currently in a rental until I can build a custom, and the custom will have a metal building workshop and garage so not a lot of carryover. For cost and load capacity easier connections, I am looking at using chain for the down comers instead of rod in the new shop. Since vertical height isn't an issue, I will be using 2x6 for the long span across the front and decrease the number of downcomers - no C-channel this time. I was surprised I couldn't find a good bracket to wrap the 2x6 (or even 2x4) to connect the downcomer to, so I will use Unistrut C brackets - lots of useful brackets on the unistrut site, most of the imitation C-channels make the exact same brackets.
Sorry for delayed response, I didnt keep track of cost had too many projects going on plus cost wasnt an issue on this for me. Majority of cost was Unistrut tho, the shelf panels are fairly cheap.
Yes. That's why its important to cut the all-thread very close to the correct length for your shelf height & leveling, so when you're doing the final leveling on the shelving with the all-threads, you are threading out of one unistrut nut & into the other. I made mine so the all-thread is completely threaded thru both unistrut nuts for max strength. I had to thread the all-thread all the way up into the ceiling nuts until the all-thread hit the ceiling, then backed it off threading down into the bottom unistrut nut, it's a little tricky & why the other people took the easy route & ran the all-thread thru the bottom unistrut & put a washer/nut below which doesn't look as nice & provides snag points.
Love the clear tubing over the all-thread. Such a simple and elegant solution. Thanks for sharing this info.
Brother, I have been burning brain cells for a year looking for exactly what you have accomplished. Awesome job, thanks for the great work.
Thank you! GL on yours👌🏻
Amazing job. Clean, well thought out, well executed, inexpensive, immensely practical. Just wow. A real gem of a video
Very nice. I can appreciate your attention to detail (especially in the garage). Most people tend do disregard aesthetics when it comes to storage design.
Thx! Lets just say my garage floor is cleaner than most peoples' home floors😁
Thank you for this video. This afternoon I just finished an even more-over-engineered version of this handsome and sturdy shelf.
Post it up Id love to see it!
I just got one of those fancy jack rod garage door openers so I have space above the door now (when the door is open / up)
my garage length is 10' and most commercial racks are only 8'. these struts come in 10' so it's perfect!
Very clean. I like the grate shelves that don't collect dust and loose items.
Thx👌🏻
Nicest shelving idea I've seen. Clean, Sturdy, Excellent. Would love to see the build process. Thanks for sharing
Instead of the wood against the wall you could’ve put one of the thinner gauge Unistrut’s perpendicular to the wall, strolling through the perforated slats and holes into the studs of the wall and mounting the back unit strut just a little bit higher to compensate and then slid the wire shelf grating into the open “C-section” of the Unistrut to lock it in place.
brilliant shelving without heavy shelves of wood. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Sir! for sharing your ideas and posting this very helpful video benefitting 100's of people like me. I subscribed hoping to see more of such ideas from you. May you have a blessed life.
That is very professional. Well done and thanks for uploading. Even the tube covers... some serious pride in your work. Seems like you can do it under any rafter, which I like as I have exposed rafters and don't really want to drill into the concrete block walls.
Thanks! Hope it works great for your needs too👌🏻
They’re #14s bro I watched back 3 times to read the box of screws lol
Excellent job on the shelf install!!
Shit clear tubing is a sweet addition I never thought of!!
lol
I have the I-beam (don't know what they're called) type of ceiling joists, about 14" tall, over my garage. I'm leery about screwing lag bolts into the bottom of them, so I'm considering attaching something across the top of them in the attic (maybe just some unistrut), and suspending my all-threads from them. Or perhaps doing that, and then hanging a piece of unistrut from them at the drywall level in the ceiling, and then doing exactly as you've done. That way I don't have to worry about the all-threads moving around and damaging my ceiling drywall.
A lot of great ideas here. I'm going to do this in my utility trailer.
Great idea, well executed plan looks great.
Yeah, much nicer look than the wood. And probably easier to install as well. My only problem will be that my shelf will be running parallel to the rafters. Could be tricky getting things where they need to be.
Run some short pieces of unistrut across your rafters spaced at the intervals you want your all-thread supports hanging & you should be good 👌🏻
@@playdirtusa yeah, that should work.
Looks great, nice work! You could market those.
Like the storage idea and will use similar. Have to wonder why we keep all the crap instead of downsizing
I have my garage down to only that which I use....cant stand clutter!
Well done! First Class Craftsmanship.
1-5/8" unistrut height
13/16" half strut height
Nice.. doing same here but 14 foot ceilings.
Beautiful work!
Thanks👌🏻
Well done. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you!
I use unistrut a lot, but this is a great idea 💡
Very nice work! I will replicate!
This is great. I have held onto a couple hundred feet of strut channel from a. Dumpster for a decade and finally have a way to use it! Only thing, how do you assemble? What order? I'm picturing starting with the ledger and strut in the ceiling. Then adding assembled lengths of rod hanging from the top. But then what? If the rod is locked up top you can't screw into the bottom but in the unistrut.and then once you have the rack done, you have to unscrew all the bottom sections just to add the shelf. I'm so confused.
the algorithym found me! Thanks for posting!!
very nice clean
Perhaps if the bottom unistrut was installed with the open channel down, it would be easier to just use regular nuts for the all threads?
Thats not the look I wanted but if that works for you all the better👌🏻 GL on yours!
Could also be easier to slip in and attach bike hanger hooks etc.
Nice Looks great.
Great idea ,,I been trying to make some shelving and this is it !
Those cabinets look great too do you mind sharing some info on them ?
Thank you
I have 2 videos on my channel specifically all about the New Age cabinets.
Nice job but did you considered using the shorty uni-strut? (13/16 height)...
Top notch!
Cool build. I'm wondering if you could have installed the lower unistrut hanging the other direction so you can hang other things from the lower portion? Also unistrut screwed to the wall base instead of wood and hang things from there? Is that a missed opportunity, or are there structural or physical limitations from doing so? Cool idea about the vinyl tubing over the threads; was that easy to install?
Vinyl tubing goes on fairly easy. I simply installed the unistrut for the look I wanted, you are correct about hanging stuff but you can still hang stuff the way i have it installed.
Great post. Im looking fo the shelving you used. what is the style wire shelving you bought? Im having trouble finding it at lowes.
Direct links to everything in the description at top.
Great job thankyou
So the only thing keeping the shelf from falling is one spring strut nut at the end (bottom) of every rod? Are you using loctite or is there something stronger for this application or is the spring strut nut enough? Also what made you go with the smaller strut for the ceiling joist?
If you go check out the Unistrut Nuts you'll see how thick & strong they are & how they sit inside the Unistrut....these nuts are made to hold weight. On both ends I have washers & lock nuts where the all-threads thread into the uni Nuts so the unistrut Nuts cannot slide out on the very end of the strut. Ceiling strut has more anchor points into ceiling joists so no chance of bending/bowing....the bottom span is only held at 5 points with the all-thread to make max space....the thicker Unistrut will not bend or bow👌 This stuff will hold all your ceiling is supposed to safely hold which is usually around 600lbs.
Pro level! Thanks
Beautiful work.
Boss I have a question that I know is probably dumb.
But how do drill and make the top unistrut to hold. And with wich screws? Do you predrill first into your studs? What type of bolts are used to hold the top?
Used 1/4" lag bolts I believe to screw Unistrut to ceiling & yes pre-drilled holes to avoid splitting wood rafters & lag bolts screw in much easier👌🏻
Lowes is out of stock of the grids, is there any other store I can get them from?
+1 all I can find is closetmaid, not sure if it's strong enough if I only need 16in depth
Did you have to use an entire section of unistrut on the ceiling or could you just use like a 8-12” section just where the all thread would be? I ask because it could really cut down on cost especially if making multiple shelves.
Also did you cut the tubing and wrap the all thread or just feed the all thread through it?
Awesome awesome idea!
Skip Home Depot, etc. and look on the internet for a Unistrut dealer - much cheaper, the standard lengths are 10' and 20' sections. There's also some other copy cat brands but I have never priced them, look up C-channel.
If cost is an issue, can look at angle iron or square/rectangular tubing, but you would have to dig around to find a program to calculate the load specs.
He fed the threat through the tubing. I have also seen PVC pipe and cheap metal conduit used.
Ceiling strut lengths depends on how much you want to distribute the load between joists. If you feel fine splitting between 2 joists, shorter sections should be fine.
Slid all-thread through tubing👌🏻 Used entire run so I had options where to space/place all-threads along the span👌🏻
Very nice! Why did you use different size struts at the top and at the bottom? Can you use 1-5/8 on both? I can't seem to find 1-1/2 anywhere around me.
Thanks👌🏻 I talked about that in the video but the bottom one is the thicker stuff to avoid any possible bowing with all the weight on there just wanted to make it as stout as possible💪🏻 Got all my unistrut at home depot.
7/8” and 1-5/8” unistrut
Amazing
If I wanted to make a free floating panel about 4’x8’, how much weight do you think it can hold? I will use a electric hoist.
Did you use any lubricant to slide on the clear tubing?
No
If you need lube, your a size too small with the clear tube
🎉🎉🎉
nice thank you for sharing
Can you describe step by step how you assembled the all-thread to the top and bottom channel once the top channel was secured to the rafters? Did you install the all-thread to the top channel, bottom it out at the top through the unistrut nut/spring, and then to the bottom channel? Then back the all-thread out at the top, while screwing it in to the bottom unistrut nut / spring to adjust the height? Also, it looks like the only nuts on the top of the bottom channel are at the ends, correct? (Meaning the three all-threads in the middle just go through a unistrut nut / spring)
You are exactly correct on the 1st question, thats why you need to cut the all-threads pretty close to exact measurement. Yesa bottom just has nuts on both ends to prevent chance of uni-strut nut sliding out of open end. Top has nuts all the way across just for max rigidness.
@@playdirtusa Thanks for the response! I'm planning mine now and really didn't expect you'd see my questions in time. My project has a couple of extra levels of complexity. For one, my garage has 14" wood I-beams which have plywood on top and drywall underneath. So I can't (choose not to) just attach that top channel to the ceiling joists with lag bolts. So I'm going to install a channel above the joists, then all-thread down to a second channel at the ceiling, then hang my shelves from that. The second complication is that I'm going to do two shelves, one underneath the other.
@@playdirtusa Another question. What technique did you use to cut the all-thread without mangling the threads? Two nuts screwed on ahead of time? Chamfer tool in a drill? Thread cutter?
Another thing I did differently: I used 1-13/16" strut at the wall to support my shelves rather than a 2X4. And I ran strut between the two horizontal shelf support channels every 24" along the way to support the wire mesh. I'm an engineer. I can't help myself...
Another question: what's the deal with that gas pipe?
Love the idea; thanks for posting! Lowe's also has a 2.6ft x 30" wire shelf (item 319522) for a dollar more than the one you used. Do you think it would work with this setup, or would the center of the shelf need additional support? Also , did you mount your decking 22" or 24" deep?
It is exactly 24" from the wall to front of my Unistrut....my panels are 24". If you have weight that sits solely on the shelf panels they sag a little but are strong enough to hold it, I'd say real heavy items would likely need extra support for those larger panels unless the weight is resting partially on the unistrut of course.
Can you add a link to the wire shelves at lowes and the plastic tubing
Shelf panels - www.lowes.com/pd/edsal-2-ft-x-24-in-Chrome-Wire-Shelf/3219991 / Tubing - www.lowes.com/search?searchTerm=clear+plastic+tubing
I'm going to do something similar to this with angle iron instead of wood and then do the rest with uni strut and 3/8 rod .Did you hit every stud all of the way down or did you go every other stud? When I did my pre drilling after I used a stud finder it felt like some of the spots that were like 3 studs didn't have that bite if you know what I mean do you think it'll be fine?
Sorry for delay. I did not hit every stud along the entire span. I did however hit every stud at or near where the all-threads hang tho! All my lag bolts bit in solid....was careful to get in or very near the center of them.
@@playdirtusaThanks for the response I was worried mine wouldn't hold but what you said gives me confidence. The last thing I need is a shelf crashing down and everything on it hitting a car in my garage lol
@@jmejam_jmejam_ I just hung on mine did some pull ups & hung/bounced on it saw it didn't budge & called it good! I think I mainly skipped a stud in between the all-threads. I can hang on it fully loaded with heavy stuff it doesn't budge.
What clips did you use to secure the wire shelving to the header?
1" corner brackets....bent them so the screw holes basically set flat down on the header board....close up at 3:40ish. www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-1-2-in-Steel-Galvanized-Corner-Brace/4461091
Love it.
Wow , very nice, I am not sure I could still do the Pull Ups. “Yustacould”
Impressive
sir, can you plz tell, where did you buy the material
or what to call each part, if I have to buy. I am in Canada.
@@gurufix1769 The links to the parts are posted in the header of this video. Everything was procured thru Home depot & Lowes.
how are the all threads mounted or secured into the rafters?
The all-threads are threaded into "Uni-strut nuts" inside the top uni-strut track, the track is secured to ceiling, the all-threads thread up thru the uni-strut nuts & just bottom out or almost bottom out at the ceiling, that's why you have to cut the all-threads pretty close to the exact length you need to make the shelving level.
@@playdirtusa Thanks. It looks great. Going to pretty much copy you but i want better racks.
PlayDirtUSA what is the top strut mounted with? Lags with a washer into rafters?
@@cdubs1723 He attached the unistrut bar with lag screws (maybe 3/8" or 5/16" lags ) into his rafters/roof studs. the unistrut bars are sold in 10 and 20ft sections. a 3/8 lag on every rafter or long the length of one rafter will be super strong. I used 5/16 to predrill before using a 3/8 lag.
What was the project cost and for what dimension of shelf?
Sit down before you price out unistrut today. It's gotten stupid like everything else. #FJB
I like using unistrut for long runs and maintain vertical clearance, but this is overkill on cost. Instead of the metal shelves which you're flexing by hand, use plywood which is also solid bottom for smaller items. To make the plywood sturdier, let it hang over the front of the unistrut so there is a narrower span front to back - I've never had to run cross braces.
Instead of the unistrut along the wall, a 2 x4 is fine.
Instead of the unistrut bracket at the ceiling, run a vertical 2 x 4 or piece of unistrut bolted to the floor joist and the shelf unistrut (I prefer unitrut risers). Have flat faces where the unistrut pieces meet and at the floor joist. Use 2 bolts at the joist and 1 at the unistrut (will need to drill the unistrut). To access the floor joist above, make a cutout in the drywall and frame the outside with molding like an attic access panel. You don't need a lot of hangers with this - I ran mine over 10 ft between vertical supports - it isn't going anywhere, your only concern is warping.
Where it is best used is down the middle and over the garage door (if there is space) on both sides of the garage door channel (4 pieces of unistrut). For over the garage door allow about 1/2" to 1" clearance between the door and unistrut because it might warp a little when loaded. Use heavy plywood for the shelf for less warping, overhanging he unistrut as before. Support the back of the unistrut to the ceiling joists as above but can drop lower (explained later). Can add middle support to ceiling joist if needed.
At the wall run a 2 x 4 or if thee isn't space a 1 x 4 (can trim down width to fit above garage spring) screwed to every wall joist. Cut out a small hole in the drywall to extend the unistrut a couple inches into the drywall so if it shifts it will always be over the wooden support.
Behind the garage door shelf, drop lower to 7 ft or slightly more than the garage door clearance (whichever is more) and continue the middle shelf to the back wall. Here you only need 3 pieces of unistrut. Lay the plywood shelves crosswise so each piece covers all 3 unistrut pieces.
Complete the exterior walls by running unistrut across the back of the garage. You can rest on the other unistruts or buy plates to bolt the unistruts together. Add 1 downcomer in the middle.
At some point in this you will probably need to step up the shelf to get round the garage door, supporting he sides the same as the step down in the middle.
Paint the bottom of the shelf white so it blends in with the garage ceiling.
In a 20' x 20' garage, running 2 ft down the sides, with 8 ft across the middle and above the garage door, you will end up with over 250 square ft of shelving (about the same as a 16' x 16' room) in an area of the garage you weren't using before, with none of the floor used or blocked, and very few downcomers blocking access to the shelves. These shelves can carry a LOT of weight with the bolted downcomers from the ceiling trusses, and the wall supports drilled into each wall strut, and unistrut forming the span.
Added note - use up all of the space to the sides from the wall to the edge of the garage door. Notch around the garage door channel at the front of the garage. if you are a little over 2 ft wide, cut the plywood crosswise (4 ft wide section of plywood) to save on materials. Can make the back wall shelves up to 4 ft deep for more shelves.
Mount the unistrut with the holes down like he did in the video. This makes a nice place to hang things, particularly from the middle shelves.
You will probably have to notch the shelf around the garage door opened. Run a board along the edge of the shelf by the garage door opener channel so you don't push anything into it when loading the shelves. if the light is blocked, buy a light socket screw in outlet, and plug in a light fixture under the shelves.
You may have to move the ceiling lights, and add ceiling lights, to the open space between the overhead shelves - 4 tube florescent fixture, 2 bulbs each, are great for working.
Make a video. I’ll watch it
@@dusbus2384 Thanks, but I couldn't even find pictures of where I installed in my previous home (for some reason I don't take photos of where I live at the time), currently in a rental until I can build a custom, and the custom will have a metal building workshop and garage so not a lot of carryover.
For cost and load capacity easier connections, I am looking at using chain for the down comers instead of rod in the new shop. Since vertical height isn't an issue, I will be using 2x6 for the long span across the front and decrease the number of downcomers - no C-channel this time. I was surprised I couldn't find a good bracket to wrap the 2x6 (or even 2x4) to connect the downcomer to, so I will use Unistrut C brackets - lots of useful brackets on the unistrut site, most of the imitation C-channels make the exact same brackets.
Cost of build?
Sorry for delayed response, I didnt keep track of cost had too many projects going on plus cost wasnt an issue on this for me. Majority of cost was Unistrut tho, the shelf panels are fairly cheap.
Did you use Uni Strut nuts on the ceiling uni strut?
Yes. That's why its important to cut the all-thread very close to the correct length for your shelf height & leveling, so when you're doing the final leveling on the shelving with the all-threads, you are threading out of one unistrut nut & into the other. I made mine so the all-thread is completely threaded thru both unistrut nuts for max strength. I had to thread the all-thread all the way up into the ceiling nuts until the all-thread hit the ceiling, then backed it off threading down into the bottom unistrut nut, it's a little tricky & why the other people took the easy route & ran the all-thread thru the bottom unistrut & put a washer/nut below which doesn't look as nice & provides snag points.