If you’re looking to organize your garage, here are my favorite simple DIY garage shelving ideas for smart storage! My own garage has become a dumping ground for everything from decor to power tools and at this point I can barely see the garage floor. To create more storage space I’m rounding up the best garage DIY projects so you don’t have to look further for inspiration.

Currently I have one overhead ceiling mounted storage by Fleximount which I love but that alone isn’t enough to keep the garage clutter free. To have enough room for storage, the best solution is to think vertically. If you have limited space in your garage (don’t we all?), a great way to have an organized garage is to install or build deep shelves that go from floor to ceiling. The long shelves will give you plenty of room for plastic storage bins or or even seasonal heavier items.

The projects I rounded up range from different levels of expertise. If you can build a simple wood frame or basic plywood shelves, these DIY project ideas will be a great option for you. I’m not one to read popular mechanics so I thought a comprehensive list of projects would be helpful for you guys too. So grab your tape measure and stud finder, we’re going building!

What Material Do I Need for DIY Garage Shelves

If you need help building a toolkit for simple DIY projects like a garage shelf, I’ve shared my beginners toolkit essentials here. A circular saw is a great addition to this toolkit, although I’ve gone without one all these years. A quick trip to home depot is all you need to get started for most projects. Some 2×4 lumber (long boards), wood screws, and particle board – you are good to go. For your plywood sheets or particle board, I recommend going with 1/2″ thickness boards. For much heavier items 3/4″ boards would be the best option.

What Prep Work Should I Do Before Starting Garage Organization

This, I repeat, this is the WORST part of any garage organization project. The prep work is the absolute worst and that’s what made me put this off for so long. I got a small 5×5′ storage unit close to my house and moved over some seasonal items and furniture and bigger things like doors (not sure why we even have them). When I tell you I couldn’t see the floor, I really had no easy access to either end of my garage. Highly recommend getting a storage unit while you sift through your belongings and come up with a design plan. The good news is once you have created enough floor space you can start measuring out your space starting from the garage door all the way to the back.

Having all measurements and a rough layout on paper is super helpful to have. Depending on where you want to build your own garage shelves, mark out wall studs in that wall using a stud finder. Trust me, get this out of the way because knowing stud locations will help with your design plan as well. Now grab your tool cases, let’s make a trip to the hardware store and grab our supplies!

Wait, jk, hold off on going to the hardware store before you know exactly what you’re building! Sorry, I got ahead of myself.

Affordable DIY Garage Storage Projects

This is what you guys came for and without further ado, let’s look at some clever storage ideas that you can build for your garage.

Garage Tool Organization with Wall Control Pegboard

Kicking off the list with this beautiful rainbow colored garage tool organizer with wall control pegboard! Amber Oliver created this fun heavy duty pegboard to get her power tools off the floor and onto the wall. She used Wall Control pegboards in a variety of colors and wall mounted shelves for an easy project. The best part is, these panels already come in different colors so you don’t even have to paint them yourself! She also installed a power strip on the side of her workbench to create a charging station for her tools.

DIY Wall Mounted Yard Tool Organizer

We all have those clunky yard tools that keep toppling over and are just a nuisance to keep organized. This DIY wall-mounted yard tool organizer by Charleston Crafted is a great project to store your outdoor lawn and garden tools. All you need is a pocket tool making system like Kreg Jig, some wood glue and common wood studs to build this. To be honest, if you aren’t familiar with using a Kreg Jig or making pocket holes, you could totally just screw the 2x4s into each other with self-tapping screws and call it a day.

Rolling Scrap Wood Cart Storage

As a DIY-er I always have a bunch of scrap wood lying around that I find so hard to tidy up. Here is a great project again by Charleston Crafted for how to build a rolling scrap wood cart. She shares step-by-step instructions and woodworking plans so you can easily make your own storage cart for scrap wood. This holds a ton of weight and has horizontal racks for long boards and small cubbies for smaller items. It even has a section for storing large plywood sheets! I can totally see myself needing this in my garage.

Storage Solutions from Hardware Organizers to Paint Storage

Bless’er House never fails to impress with her beautifully designed spaces and her garage is no less. While there aren’t many DIY garage organization projects here, there are 11 garage organizers you can buy to get started. Not everyone wants to make their own garage shelves, so this is a great resource for those of you who don’t want to go the DIY route. From practical and functional storage solutions for paint cans, spray paint and sporting equipment, this post is an organizer’s dream.

Easy DIY Garage Shelves with Slide Doors

Gowthami from Our Home in Making is a truly talented DIYer who made her own DIY Garage shelves with sliding doors. We’ve all seen garage shelves but very few have doors to cover up all the stuff. This step-by-step tutorial makes it easy for a beginner to start their own garage shelving project. You could take this project one step further by painting the doors and adding some pretty hardware to make it look even more elevated. Cluttered garage, who?

Modern Builds Wall Mounted Garage Shelves

And now let me talk about my favorite tutorial for how to build your own wall mounted garage shelves. This project by Modern Builds is what I am following for my own garage shelves. The best part is it has a video tutorial as well so if you’re more of a visual learner you’re good to go. He makes it super simple for beginners to understand how to build a frame and how to install it by yourself without an extra hand. In fact, if you follow me on Instagram you know that I, a tiny 5 ‘1, not very strong woman was able to hang these huge 8′ frames by myself because of the tips shared by Modern Builds. Even I was impressed by myself. The top shelf was the hardest to install but by using 8’ supports to help stabilize the frame, I was able to install it all by myself. The bottom shelf was obviously the easiest because I didn’t have to lift it up too much. Anyway, a great project to try, precise instructions and woodworking plans.

Aesthetic DIY Garage Cabinets plus DIY Bike Racks

Oof, now this one’s a beauty and you can’t even tell this is a garage. Sara Le does an absolutely incredible job at creating an organized and beautiful garage. From the checkered garage floor tiles to the arched wall bike storage, it’s a designer’s dream space. On her Instagram highlights you can find all the instructions for how her husband built the custom garage cabinets, added doors to them and so much more. He started off by building basic shelf frames just like the tutorial by modern Builds. Then they added simple doors, stained them and added hardware to make them pop. You could hide all your wood saws, your hand tools, power tools, all of that clunky stuff in these cabinets and no one would ever know! Best DIY garage award anyone?

DIY Miter Saw Station and Build in Garage Cabinets

Another aesthetically pleasing garage is this one by Jenna Sue Design who built her own DIY Miter Saw Station. With built-in garage cabinets to match, this is the perfect solution for a woodworking junkie who also likes beautiful spaces. The best thing about this project is that it shares precise plans, a complete space layout, a cost breakdown and a list of all accessories used! She grouped similar items together on the pegboard, and the end result is a perfectly sorted garage.

Glamorous Garage Workbench and DIY Pegboard for Tools

Another absolutely gorgeous garage workshop is this stunner by Ursula Carmona. Not a beginner level makeover but you could attempt doing the smaller projects like that wall-mounted lumber racks or even the scrap wood storage. She built her own cabinets to have easy access to supplies and a clutter free garage. I love the idea of building a frame around the pegboard to make it look like decor on the wall. Painting everything with a coat of black paint makes it look even more elegant.

Easy DIY Garage Storage Shelves 

Okay this might be the OG of DIY garage storage shelves that are floating shelves. I have seen this project made and remade so many times it’s definitely a classic. Similar to the shelves by Modern Builds, this project by Ana White holds heavy loads and is a great basic tutorial. These wall-mounted shelves are basic but so sturdy. If you’re looking for a beginner friendly project, this one’s a great way to go.

DIY Power Tool Organizer and Battery Station

Now that we’ve seen an array of wall mounted shelves, let’s talk about storing all your workshop tools and power tool batteries. I definitely will need some kind of solution like this for all my tools. Pine and Poplar shared her plans and easy to follow instructions for making this power tool organizer and battery station. You can customize the layout according to the tools you have and make your own version!

Wall Storage Cubbies for Sports Equipment

If you’ve got kids, this wall storage cubbies idea is SO cute! Okay even for adults, it’s just an easy diy project that is so beginner friendly that you could involve the kids over the weekend! All you need are some pre-made wood crates and wire shelves. You could even assign a cubby to each kid and have it be their sports storage or even homework supplies station. Adding shelf supports under the cubbies makes them even sturdier and you could use the top of the shelves for extra storage. A better choice for a starter project, these wall storage cubbies will be a hit for sure!

I am so pumped for my garage makeover project that I’m currently working on after going through this comprehensive list of projects. I hope you found these DIY garage shelving ideas helpful as well! Follow me on my instagram so see my build my own easy DIY garage shelves! If you’re new to DIY, I know how overwhelming it can sound to hear about a bunch of new tools and I highly recommend getting started with your first beginner’s toolkit! Having everything you need accessible makes it so easy to start your first project. Check out my toolkit essentials here.