Shed Shelving: Control Your Shed Space

Let’s talk shed shelving. Whether it’s for work or play, your new steel shed is meant to improve how you manage your space and help you stay on top of things. It’s not going to do this if it becomes a bit of a haphazard mess. Maximised shed functionality needs maximised organisation, and one feature that helps you stay on top of the chaos is your shed shelving. They help optimise your available space, freeing up floor space and keeping your shed a clutter-free zone.  

Let’s take a look at some of the things to think about when choosing your shed shelving. If you have any questions, you can always speak to a Stockman Sheds designer and they’ll be happy to answer them. For now, let’s take a dive into shed shelving. 

Planning Your Shelving

Whether your new shed is built or yet to be built, you’ve probably given a bit of thought to the shelving. If you haven’t, let's get those cogs turning! Here are a few things you should consider when you’re planning the size and style of your shelving. 

Size of Goods Going on Shelves

The size and weight of what's going onto the shelves will dictate the type you need. If it’s a workshop shed and you’ll be housing industrial gear, power tools, or raw materials for your trade, you’re going to need some pretty heavy-duty shelves. Nobody wants a shelf full of paint to come tumbling down! If it’s only smaller or lighter goods you’ll be dealing with, you can go a bit more light weight on the shelving. 

Safety Considerations

In any kind of home or work space, safety is paramount. If you’ve got yourself a solidly constructed shed, don’t let the team down and go with cheap shelving. Reliable, strong shelves that have been properly installed are the go. Anchor them to the walls properly, and if you have young kids use safety locks and keep dangerous items out of their reach. Avoiding overloading is a good policy to adhere to too!

Height Off the Floors

The universally accepted height for the lowest shelf seems to have been unofficailly set at 18 inches off the floor. This provides enough space to sweep and clean under there and gives you visuals on any critters looking for a new place to call home! It also provides a bit of extra storage space underneath the shelving. 

Height from Ceiling

If you build the top shelf too close to the ceiling, you’re losing out on a whole shelf worth of storage space. Have a think about what you want to be storing up there, and make sure you have ample room to do so. If it’s too cramped on the top shelf, it can make the whole shed feel cluttered. 

Accessibility

This is especially important in a working shed. The tools you use most need to be easily accessible - the middle shelves work best, so you’re not regularly bending over or stretching upwards. You’ll enjoy a more efficient workflow if your regular tools are within easy reach. 

Choosing the Type of Shelving

Freestanding Shelves

Freestanding shelves are popular in a shed that needs frequent reconfiguring on the internals, because their location is flexible and you can move them around as required. You might find they take up a bit more floor space than other shelving options though. 

Wall-Mounted Shelves

If you’re looking to maximise your floor space, wall-mounted shelves are the way to go. They also offer sturdy support for heavier items, making them a popular choice in industrial sheds. If you’ve opted for a quality Aussie shed, the walls will definitely be able to support the wall-mounted shelving. Just make sure you invest in the right brackets and fasteners so that the safety of the shelving is never compromised. 

Modular Shelves

If you’re after the utmost in flexibility, modular shelving is the way to go because they can be adjusted and expanded as your storage needs change. You can change the height and the amount of shelving while adding custom accessories too. 

Overhead Shelves

If you have a bunch of stuff you rarely use but need a place to store, stick in some overhead shelves. Perfect for a bit of extra storage without detracting from your floor space. Just be careful when taking things down off them! 

Corner Shelves

Don’t let corners go to waste! Put that dead space to use with corner shelves. They’re ideal for smaller items that you use regularly and need within arms reach. 

Shed Shelf Materials

We’re going to be straight up here, we’re steel people. Our sheds are made from Australia’s finest - Bluescope Steel, and we feel that any other material isn’t worth the expense. Sure, wooden shelves add some rustic charm, and plastic might be lightweight and water resistant. But if you want tough, durable shelves that will last as long as your Stockman Shed, go steel. 

Other Storage Brainwaves

There are a few other clever tricks out there to improve your shed's storage capabilities. These are three of our favourite at Stockman: 

Peg Boards

If you’ve got free wall space, put up a peg board to hang your tools and smaller items on. Everything is nicely visible and accessible, and its easy to spot if something is missing. Here’s a power tip - draw pencil outlines on the board beneath each peg illustrating the item that normally hangs in that spot.

Tool Racks

A tool rack is ideal for longer handled tools like your brooms, shovels and mops. They can be neatly stored where nobody will trip over them, and easily grabbed when needed. 

Mezzanine Floor

A mezzanine floor can be an absolute game changer if you shed ceilings are high enough to accommodate it. It’s perfect for big and bulky items you won’t need to access on a daily basis. 

Hints on Keeping Your Shed Organized

Your shed is built, the shelving is in place. You’re committed to keeping it an organised, zen and chaos-free area! Here are a few ways you can do that:

1. Create Zones: Don’t just chuck everything where it fits best. Divide your shed into different zones matched to different categories of items. One section for the fishing gear, one for the camping stuff. One for the power tools, one for the sports equipment. Stick at this and you’ll be able to find what you need quicker and easier. 

2. Mobile Workstations: These are a cool way to make the most of the floor space in your shed. Workbenches with wheels allow you to move your projects around, so you can always be close to the tools you need. 

3. Colour Coding: Coloured bins or labels make it easy to identify where things belong, and helps you find what you’re looking for fast. 

4. Regular Decluttering and Maintenance: This is one we could all do a bit better at, but life is busy, right? Making it a regular habit to declutter your shed and reorganise your shelves keeps the shed looking Schmick, but also makes you feel good about yourself. Sounds like a win-win! 

There you go. There’s a lot up above to take into account when it comes to your shelving, and hopefully it helps you transform your shed into an organised and efficient space. If you’re looking for reliable steel sheds Toowomba and all around South East Queensland, get in touch with Stockman. You can hit us up here or give us a ring on 0493 791 972.