The average American garage can hold up to four cars, but only about 20% of people actually use their garage for parking. So all the rest use it for storage.
The best garage storage system is sleek, functional, and organized. It should take up as little space as possible while also enabling you to expand and contract as the content of stuff in your garage changes, as well as make it easy to find whatever you’re looking for. To make finding the right garage storage system for your needs easier, we researched the top products on the market by poring through technical specifications and customer reviews. After hours of work, we narrowed it down to a list of the 9 best garage storage systems heading the Ulti-Mate UG22102B.
The Ulti-Mate UG22102B is a ten-piece package with a bamboo worktop and big storage cabinets to help you declutter rapidly. It comes with full-extension ball-bearing drawer slides that smoothly glide when you open or close the drawers. The drawers have a secure lock system to ensure the security of your items. This cabinet storage is among the best we’ve used since its adjustable hinges produce less noise. Also, this model comes with an upgraded bamboo worktop.
Thanks to its modular design, this product was our best cabinet storage system since it allows for unlimited expanding options. This storage system comes with a wire management system, particularly on the top cabinets, making it easy to access power outlets. It also has a wall mounting cleat that offers several installation options on the base cabinets. Most importantly, this cabinet storage system features 6-inch adjustable aluminum feet that keep it away from ground moisture, protecting your items from damage. Finally, it has 1-inch-thick shelves with a maximum loading capacity of 200lbs.
The Ulti-Mate UG22102B can be compared with the Wall Control 30-WGL-200GVB Pegboard Tool Organizer from our list. Both products can be mounted on the wall. However, the Ulti-Mate UG22102B comes with lockable cabinets, while the Wall Control 30-WGL-200GVB comes with shelves, bins, and hooks to help you organize your garage, making the former model a secure storage system. Also, the Ulti-Mate UG22102B is made from MDF and textured PVC laminate, while the Wall Control 30-WGL-200GVB is made from steel.
If you don’t need to reorganize your entire garage and probably looking for the best rail garage storage system since it’s easy to install, take a look at this pegboard from Wall Control which is a great organizational tool. The pegboard is constructed from galvanized steel, making it significantly stronger and capable of bearing more weight than traditional pegboards. Plus, mounting it onto the wall is simple, straightforward, and fast with the included hardware.
The pegboard itself comes with an array of shelving, bins, and hooks that allow you to begin the organization process, and it’s easy to purchase additional organizers later. The pegboard is designed with slots for both traditional ¼-inch peg hole devices as well as slotted openings to fit accessories sold by Wall Control. Users noted that the included accessories were not particularly helpful for complex organizational schemes and encouraged purchasing the boards alone and only the accessories you need afterwards. Since the pegboard is made of steel, you can also attach magnets to it to customize beyond the peg holes themselves.
Note that the pegboard is sold as two individual panels that are each about 16 inches by 32 inches, meaning that they can be placed side-by-side to form a single large pegboard or placed in different parts of your garage. However, they must be placed vertically given the orientation of the slots.
If you keep a lot of items in your garage that you rarely need to access, this overhead storage rack from Fleximounts is one of the best ways to use the space between your head and the ceiling that it otherwise wasted. The mount is constructed of heavy-duty steel and can hold up to 550 pounds, so you won’t have to worry that the system will come crashing down. Although the system takes some work to install since it requires a ladder – and ideally a helping hand – once it is up it virtually never needs to be adjusted.
One rack is eight feet long and four feet wide, which leaves a huge footprint for holding boxes. Plus, the rack hangs down up to 40 inches from the ceiling, which offers enough clearance to load tall boxes or multiple boxes stacked on top of one another. If you were looking for the best bike garage storage system, there is another advantage to the Fleximounts system: hooks can be added on around the edges of the wire platform after-market, allowing you to hang things like bikes, skis, and yard tools from the rack.
The rack comes with a 10-year warranty for peace of mind, but can last much longer without issues. The only downside to this system is that you need to be cognizant of driving your car under the rack if you load something onto the roof rack of your car. Also, if you have a massive garage lighting system installed, you might want to check the product dimensions beforehand.
This set of shelving combines Fleximount’s ingenuity with the usefulness of traditional wall shelving. What sets these shelves apart is the whopping 400-pound weight capacity, which means that you’ll be able to stack extremely heavy objects onto these shelves without worrying. Whether it’s a toolbox, an air compressor, or a garage fan, this storage system will handle it all. The shelves only jut out from the wall by two feet, however, which may limit the size of objects that you can put on these shelves.
Because the shelves are sold as a two-pack rather than as a single long shelf, it is possible to place these shelves either side-by-side, stacked above one another, or around completely different parts of the garage. This flexibility also means that you can customize how high off the ground you want to place the shelves, and how much clearance you want to leave between the shelves and the ceiling.
The shelves are relatively easy to install and come with all needed hardware. Thanks to the heavy-duty steel construction, they are extremely durable and will last for years to come. Plus, they come with a 10-year warranty to guarantee the product.
When it comes to versatility, it doesn’t get much better than this wire rack shelving system from Seville Classics. The racks come loaded with 22 heavy-duty polypropylene bins, which can be locked to the shelving or easily pull out for access to the items inside. The bins are in three distinct size classes for loading them with different items in a variety of sizes. In addition, the bins come with a set of dividers to create even more organization and a set of labels to help you remember where you put everything.
The shelving unit itself is on four heavy-duty wheels that hold up well over years of use and can be locked down to prevent the rack from sliding when you don’t want it to move. The shelves can each hold up to 150 pounds, although the distance between the shelves is too small to place many large volume boxes.
The shelving is easy to assemble – and, if you ever need to, disassemble – so you can get started organizing quickly. The shelving is extremely durable thanks to the platinum epoxy finish that prevents against wear and rust, and the unit comes with a limited 10-year warranty against manufacturing defects.
Although it is one of the simpler and more traditional garage storage systems in our roundup, don’t underestimate this storage cabinet from Prepac. The cabinet is a whopping 32 inches wide and 65 inches tall, so it leaves plenty of space to store items. The cabinet only has three shelves, but a nice feature is that two of them can be adjusted in height so that you can customize how you stack items on the shelves.
The cabinet itself is made of composite wood, while all of the hinges and handles are made of metal. The cabinet is relatively stylish, and so would fit in well with a furnished garage or even a basement.
Since the design is relatively simple and the construction strong, this cabinet is also very durable and requires very little assembly. For peace of mind, it comes with a five-year warranty which makes it one of the best garage cabinets for the money.
This cabinet set from NewAge Products – our best-rated garage cabinet on the list – is the ultimate in garage storage systems, but it comes at an extremely high cost premium. The cabinet system includes 2 large lockers on either end, a set of 3 wall cabinets suspended about six feet in the air with opening doors, a tool cabinet, and a floor cabinet. The two lockers each have four large shelves with plenty of vertical space between them for storing large volume items and are lockable in case you want to keep anyone else out. The rolling tool cabinet is particularly useful since it can be brought out from under the garage cabinets and over to whatever project you’re currently working on. Also useful is the six-foot-long stainless steel worktop, which can serve as a full bench and the epicenter of your projects.
The availability of multiple cabinets, each with multiple shelves, allows for a huge variety of organizational schemes. For those who don’t have enough tools to fill the cabinets initially, this is a cabinet system that you can grow into and will keep organized as you go.
The quality of the cabinet system is evident in its appearance – it makes a statement about your garage. The cabinets are all made of 24-gauge steel and come with a limited lifetime warranty because the manufacturer is so certain of the cabinet’s durability.
When you are looking for the best cheap garage cabinets and cabinet systems, shelf units are also worth considering. This unit from Seville Classics is a traditional wire shelving unit with few special features, but just having shelves alone to work with can make a big difference in your organizational capacity. All five shelves are adjustable in height in one-inch increments, making it easy to diversify the height between shelves to fit in large volume items as well as smaller things. Plus, the shelving unit is on wheels for easy movement around the garage if you decide to change up the garage’s layout. Two locking brakes keep it from moving when you don’t want it to go anywhere.
If you were looking for the best metal garage cabinets, this pick is right for you. The shelving is very durable thanks to the high-grade steel construction and UltraZinc plating that prevents signs of wear and rust. Each shelf is rated to hold 300 pounds – putting the total weight capacity of the unit at an enormous 1500 pounds. Better yet, there are no tools required to assemble or disassemble the shelving. The shelving comes with a one-year warranty, but it is unlikely that anything will happen to the shelves for years to come.
This overhead system from Racor attempts to alleviate the fundamental issue with ceiling-mounted garage storage systems – it is difficult to get items onto and off of the rack. This system solves that by incorporating a puller system into the rack, such that the ceiling-mounted arms can lift and lower the wire rack from the arm tips to up to eight feet below the ceiling.
The system is rated for up to 250 pounds, which is impressive given that your stuff will be held in place by four steel cables. However, the platform itself is only four feet by four feet, which does not leave much space to work with. Thus, you will either need to buy multiple racks, which quickly becomes expensive, or you will be limited in the amount of stuff you can store with this system.
The raising and lowering system on this rack is also not ideal, since there is no easy drop-down cord you can pull on or button to press that raises and lowers the platform. Instead, you need to turn a metal hook with an included metal rod, which can be slow even when turning the rod with a drill.
Despite these limitations, the rack is relatively easy to install into the ceiling with a ladder. Although it is well-constructed, it only comes with a one-year warranty.
A garage storage system is a big purchase, not because of the cost involved, but because the entire organizational scheme of your garage will hinge on your choice. De-cluttering is a significant effort, so you want to be sure that the organization system you choose will work for what you need and last for years to come before undertaking the project. Here, we’ll introduce some of the most important features to look for in determining which garage storage system is right for you.
Garage storage takes a lot of different forms. Of course, you can store your appliances in your house, basement, or even a separate portable garage. However, it’s much more convenient to install a handy storage system right inside of your garage. The most common solutions are traditional shelving, wall-mounted pegboards, overhead hanging shelves, and cabinets.
Traditional shelving typically comes in the form of a wire shelving rack, and these systems have several advantages. They come in a number of different sizes – both in width and in height – and it is typically possible to customize the number of shelves or rearrange their heights to accommodate tall items. In addition, many shelves are on wheels, so they can be moved around the garage as needed.
Wall-mounted pegboards are a great organizational method for smaller items like tools. The advantage to pegboards is that since they lie flat against a wall, they take up virtually no space in your garage. In addition, unless you cover your pegboard in bins, it is usually easy to spot whatever you’re looking for from across the garage. Just make sure you’ve taken all of the existing wall-mounted objects into consideration. If you have a garage fan, or a wall-mounted garage vacuum, it might be tricky to find a spot for a considerable pegboard.
[wpsm_box type=”green” float=”none” text_align=”left”]The downside of pegboards is that they won’t help with organizing your large boxes and things that need to sit on a solid surface.[/wpsm_box]
Overhead hanging shelves are a great storage option because they utilize the dead space between your head and the ceiling. Essentially, these create storage that frees up floor space in the garage.
[wpsm_box type=”red” float=”none” text_align=”left”]The downside to hanging shelves, however, is that you’ll typically need a ladder to lift things onto or off of the shelving and often even to spot whatever it is you’re looking for.[/wpsm_box]
Cabinets are among the most popular storage systems and offer a ton of versatility since they typically have many drawers of varying sizes, as well as shelves and sit-on-top or underneath storage space.
[wpsm_box type=”blue” float=”none” text_align=”left”]Cabinets can be tricky, though, since they are typically very large and heavy and typically cannot be expanded to meet growing storage needs.[/wpsm_box]
How much stuff do you have? Once you’ve settled on a type of storage system, determining how big that system needs to be is the next big decision you’ll need to make. This is especially important for cabinet systems, which cannot be expanded without buying another whole system later. For shelving systems, typically you can start by buying a few units and adding more as you need them.
If you plan to be placing heavy tools or loaded-down boxes on your storage racks, weight capacity is an important concern. While many systems are designed to hold up to hundreds of pounds, it is always better to err on the side of caution and opt for a system that is too burly rather than too lightweight and could break under the strain.
What materials your storage system is made out of directly affect its weight capacity, durability, and the weight of the system itself. Steel is a typical material for garage storage systems because it is extremely strong and durable without being excessively heavy, although it is possible to find cabinets or shelving that are made from wood or other materials as well.
The last thing you want is to bring a new storage system home only to find that it takes you an entire weekend to assemble. Good storage systems should have clear instructions and tool-free or simple assembly processes so that you can move on to organizing your stuff quickly.
The things in your garage likely aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, so neither should your storage system. Having a storage system that can withstand the beating of loading and unloading stuff onto it and around it is critical. In addition, multi-year warranties guaranteeing that your storage system will last not only through the initial organization, but for years to come, can provide peace of mind for your purchase.
A garage storage system is an essential tool for clearing out the clutter in your garage, freeing up much-needed space for your car and your projects and making it easy to find the stuff you’re looking for. The best garage cabinets and storage systems are easy to use and keep organized while also being durable and large enough to accommodate everything you need to store. Also, don’t forget to get a WiFi garage door opener and an alarm to keep your belongings safe. Our roundup highlights eight garage storage cabinets and other systems that are sure to meet the needs of your garage reorganization.
