I know I said that I’d post this yesterday and it’s now Thursday evening here on the East coast, but we got our one day a year of winter weather and it totally threw me off. I decided it was more important to snuggle with the puppies and play computer games than to write a blog post and also, I thought yesterday was Tuesday.
Let’s get to it. The biggest part of my storage solution for the craft room is the track shelving I installed in the closet with a bit of help from Kyle. Maybe one day I’ll learn how to take a photo that’s not crooked.
My original plan for this space was the super trendy pipe and wood shelving that I’m sure you’ve all seen a million times, but as much as I love the look, I just didn’t think it was worth it to put in here. Instead, I went with track shelving. I normally hate track shelving because it seems so flimsy and unstable but I think the double brackets make it feel sturdier.
Let’s talk about how I put the system together. The installation was mostly easy – find studs, drill pilot holes to make sure I actually found the studs, screw tracks into wall. Of course, I got halfway through before I realized I needed longer screws (Home Depot trip #2) to make sure the tracks were securely in the studs. I hate drywall anchors and I feel much safer having these tracks secured into studs, especially since I went with 2x shelving. I say mostly easy because I think I hit a couple of knots and I ended up throwing a tantrum and dropping the driver which then bounced off the floor and put a hole in my newly painted wall. Lesson learned: don’t throw tantrums. It’s not cute when you’re two and it’s certainly not very attractive when you’re almost 27 (yiiiiikes, I’m getting old). I used 2×12 lumber for the shelves for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted them deep enough to store vinyl. I haven’t loaded the shelves up with my records yet, but I wanted to make sure I had the option. Second, I’ve seen a lot of shelving units in the blog world where people use 1x or 3/4 melamine and the shelves look insanely saggy – of course they’ll all tell you it’s just the way they’re photographing but I don’t buy it. The 2x is thick enough that I don’t have to worry about the shelves sagging in the middle – I also added one more track than I had originally planned to make sure everything was thoroughly supported.
So why did I go with the track system instead of my original plan of pipe? First and foremost, I wanted something very simple to install. I’ve never put together a shelving unit with pipe and I’m sure it doesn’t take a rocket scientist but the whole “track in wall, bracket in track, wood on bracket” process just seemed as simple as it was going to get. I like my projects like I like my meals – quick and easy. Of course, I don’t do the cooking in our house so every meal is easy for me.
Anyway, I also wanted something flexible. Pipe shelving is stationary – once it’s in place, that’s pretty much it. I want to be able to add/move shelves if I need to and the track shelving is perfect for that. I also think that pipe shelving can look very visually heavy and with the dark walls and wood shelves, I thought it might be a little too bodybuilder on steroids for my taste.
If we ever need to convert this back to a functional closet, All I have to do is pop the brackets out, remove about 20 screws, patch, and paint.
The baskets and paper trays hold all of my craft and office supplies. I want to get more baskets and get rid of the paper trays but for now it works. I also want to build or buy a paper box. We run a small side business making paper goods and it would be nice to have all of my paper separated but accessible. Right now, it’s all piled together in the paper trays. The peg board is home to my crafting tools and foils – I haven’t decided if I’m going to frame it out or leave it as is. I’ll probably leave it as is because it’s functional and I’m lazy. I tried to utilize the whole space and added some hooks to the other side to store all of my gift bags.
So, that’s that. The shelving has saved me from a black hole of crap and craft supplies not to mention now I don’t have to worry about tripping over something and breaking my neck…except for my own feet which is totally possible. Oh and in case you’re wondering, no I did not find Jimmy Hoffa’s body under all of the crap I cleaned up in the craft room. Let’s take one more look at the before and after just for good measure.
Oh hey, if you’re wondering why I didn’t take the shelving unit further down, it’s because I’m planning on putting a work table in that space that I can easily move in and out when I need to. I think I picked one I like from ikea but I also might build one since Home Depot is 5 miles from the house and ikea is more like 100 miles. We’ll see…
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