Wally’s Workshop

Here’s a quick, easy, and cheap method for making use of the wasted space near the ceiling in your garage (above where your garage door lives). This system could also be used in shops, basements, or garden and tool sheds. The only limit is your imagination.

Take a trip to your nearest Home Depot, (or Lowe’s or whatever), and buy a dozen (or two) ladder hooks. They are basically ‘J’ shaped, but the bottom is flat instead of curved. The hooks are normally used to store ladders, but we are going to use them to hang storage rack “supports” from the ceiling. I’ve generally seen them priced at about a buck apiece, but sometimes you can find them at Big Lots or “dollar” stores for about half that.

While you’re at it, pick up a few 1×4 or 2×4 boards (you’ll see why in a minute). Hint: at most warehouse-type stores (like Home Depot and Lowe’s) you can get the boards real cheap in the “cull” bin.

First, find the underside of a truss (or joist) in your garage ceiling. Generally, if your garage ceiling is drywalled, you can find the trusses by following the tape lines. If your ceiling is painted over, you may need to use a stud finder. (Or use the hunt-and-peck-with-a-hammer-and-nail system).

Next, drill a hole in the truss where you want to start your storage rack. I suggest starting at least a foot out from a wall, but it really depends on the length of items you want to store. Use a drill bit roughly half the circumference of the screws on the ladder hook. If your bit is too small it may be difficult to screw the hook into the hole, and if it’s too big the hook will be loose and your rack may fall.

Now, find another truss parallel to the first truss and repeat drilling and screwing in a hook. The distance between hooks is going to depend on the available space above the garage door and between the garage door rails, and how much support you think you’ll need. Make sure you’ve mounted the second hook the same distance from the wall as the first hook.

Finally, set the 1×4 (or 2×4 for additional strength) on the flat part of the ladder hooks so that the hooks are each suspending one end of the board. There. You’ve finished the first part of your storage rack. At this point you should have two ladders hooks screwed into the ceiling supporting one long board. That is one “rung”, or row, of your storage rack. Make sure your board is long enough to extend a few inches past each hook - for safety’s sake.

To finish the rest of the storage rack, you’ll need to move further down the trusses and repeat the previous steps. The distance will depend on the length of the items you wish to store as well as the amount of support you need. For long boards you may be able to get away with six or seven feet, for shorter items you may reduce the distance and install multiple rows. I have one rack made up of three rows about two feet apart. I can use it for boards any length between 3′ and 8′. Again, it’s up to you.

You ahould secure the support boards to make sure they don’t slip out. You can wrap wire around the hook and board, or cable ties, or duct tape, or even screw some “C” shaped pipe hanger into the underside of the boards. Remember, this is “open” storage, so you’ll want to take every precaution to avoid accidents.

Now, let your imagination run wild. I’m sure you’ll find that using this easy strage-rack system will help you find a home for a bunch of your hard-to-store items. Have fun!