The organization of the storage system in the house is a responsible task, the preservation of things and free access to them depends on the correct implementation of this. Often the task is complicated by the limited space for accommodation. In this case, you can use various kinds of racks for organizing a vertical storage system. Using the height of the room significantly reduces the required area for placing stored things and makes it easy to find the right box or jar. Ergonomics of such systems has been tested in practice by shops and warehouses, where the technological process and the profit of the enterprise depend on the speed of detection of goods. Similar systems are suitable for home use. In this article we will talk about the types of racks, their advantages and disadvantages, as well as how to make a rack from a profile with your own hands with minimal time and money.
Appointment
In households, shelving is used everywhere. On flat and strong shelves in the pantry it is convenient to store pickles prepared for the winter; clothes and shoes that are rarely used or sorry to throw away; technique; sets of extra bedding for guests; household items. Shelving on the balcony is a great place to place indoor plants. With the help of the rack structure, the useful area of the greenhouse can be increased several times by using the height of the structure. The rack is indispensable in the garage and workshop for the storage of spare tires, tools, construction and other materials. All things are in sight, which reduces their search time. With the help of shelves, the space of the dressing room is rationalized. In a small space, more clothing will fit, and it will always be neatly folded and in place.
Features of rack storage
Shelving is made of various materials: wood, steel, aluminum. The main criterion when choosing a construction material is its strength and resistance to the expected climatic operating conditions.
One of the features of shelving is their versatility. The collapsible design can be installed in the premises of any configuration without the involvement of third-party specialists. The number and height of shelves can be any, which allows you to set the storage system for specific needs. You can add or remove shelves at any time.
The simplicity of construction and assembly allows you to make a rack with your own hands with minimal time and money.
Shelving can be stationary and mobile. A variety of the first are designs that are attached directly to the wall. Mobile models can have wheels that make it easy to change the location of the rack. Such designs are a great choice for a workshop or store.
The disadvantage of this system is the lack of doors, which allows dust and dirt to accumulate on the shelves and their contents.
Types of structures
There are a large number of types of rack structures, however today we will only consider those that are convenient for use at home: in pantries, walk-in closets, greenhouses, and loggias.
Shelvings for home use are easy to assemble and consist of racks and shelves. The height and quantity of the latter are adjusted based on the needs and sizes of the intended content. Home storage systems are used to accommodate goods of various sizes and weights, so they are most often equipped with shelves without a slope with a flat, sometimes trellised, surface.
The most popular and convenient for home use racks of a modular type, from aluminum profile, from profile pipe, wooden and from gypsum board profile. You can purchase a ready-made storage system or make a rack from a profile with your own hands. Photos of the designs are presented below.
Modular
Modular shelving is widely used in warehouses, shops, archives and industry. They consist of a perforated profile and finished shelves. The metal profile for the shelves comes already cut into pieces of the required length. It is coated with paint, protective compounds or galvanized to prevent corrosion during operation and to extend the service life. Shelves can be made of metal, plastic, chipboard or MDF. The length of the shelves, as a rule, does not exceed one meter. This size is convenient to use and maintains high strength. The height of the shelves can be adjusted.
The modular shelving can be installed in a room of any size and configuration. The height of the structure is limited only by the height of the ceilings. It allows you to "increase", if necessary, the height of the rack and increase the number of shelves. The rack is easy to assemble, and all the necessary accessories and instructions are supplied. The build process rarely takes more than half an hour. The disadvantage of this model is its high cost.
Aluminum
Aluminum structures are durable and lightweight. They have an attractive appearance and are not subject to corrosion. Such racks can be found in stores as commercial equipment. The aluminum rack will look great not only in the utility room, but also as a partition in a studio apartment or loft interior. Complementing the design with glass shelves, you can demonstrate a collection of rare gizmos without overloading the interior.
The aluminum rack is easy to move due to its light weight, but under heavy loads the guide profile of the shelves can bend. Another disadvantage is the high cost of the material.
The aluminum structure is best suited for the dressing room and rooms with high humidity. It is not difficult to assemble a rack from an aluminum profile with your own hands.
From a profile pipe
Structures from a profile pipe are characterized by high strength. From the pipe you can make a rack of any necessary configuration. However, it should be remembered that the higher the design, the less reliable it is. Tall racks require additional fixing to the wall.
Making a metal shelf with your own hands from a circular profile is not an easy task. The process is complicated by the need for precise pipe cutting and subsequent welding. It will be impossible to do without a special construction tool and a welding machine. In addition, it is advisable to have some welding experience in order to get a really solid, even and reliable construction. Unfortunately, it is impossible to change, if necessary, the height and number of shelves in such a rack.
A profile pipe rack is an ideal solution for a garage or workshop. To use such a design in a room with high humidity can only be pre-processed profile with a protective compound or painted.
Wooden
It is easy to work with a tree, and it costs much cheaper than a metal profile. Wooden racks are strong and reliable. From a tree, you can make a structure of any size and configuration for a room of any shape. Work will not require the use of a special tool or welding machine. To make a wooden shelving is quite simple with minimal carpentry skills. The best choice for a solid and not too bulky design would be to use a wooden bar with a cross section of 5 by 5 cm. Shelves can be made of wooden slats, plastic or MDF.
With all the positive qualities, wood is a short-lived material. It is susceptible to moisture, fungus, insects and rodents. Special impregnation and coloring reduces the degree of influence of negative factors, however, in humid rooms, such as a cellar, greenhouse, loggia, the tree will become worthless after 3-5 years.
From profile for drywall
It is easier to assemble a rack from a profile for drywall yourself than to weld a storage system from a steel pipe or make it from wood. For work, you don’t need to use a special tool, have the skills of a welder or a joiner. The profile can be purchased at any hardware store at a fairly affordable price. The design of the drywall profile is lightweight and durable. Galvanized steel has an attractive appearance, perfectly tolerates moisture and does not require additional processing or painting.
Do-it-yourself racks made of drywall profile are suitable for installation in pantries, cellars, greenhouses, garages, walk-in closets, and loggias. If you plan to store very heavy loads on the rack, it is imperative to install additional diagonal struts on the racks and shelves, since the profile is made of thin steel and is not intended for high loads.
How to make a do-it-yourself shelving rack
A profile for drywall is the most practical, durable and convenient material for making a rack structure with your own hands, so we will consider the process of working with it in more detail.
At the beginning, it is necessary to clearly determine the configuration of the rack, make measurements and draw up a drawing. This work does not require jewelry accuracy, and the drawing may be sketchy. The main thing is to know how long profile cuts are needed and in what order they should be collected.
The length of the shelves of the rack should not exceed one meter. If the load is supposed to be high, it is better to make the shelves narrower.
For wide racks, additional supports will be needed, and stiffening ribs to strengthen the strength of the frame and shelves. They need to be provided when calculating the number of profiles.
The higher and narrower the rack structure, the less stable it is and can tip over under uneven loading. Therefore, it is important to provide additional fastenings to the wall or ceiling.
Wheels for mobility can be added to the design. Such a rack is very convenient for working in a garage or workshop. The main thing is to choose the right accessories so that it can withstand the load.
If you follow the step-by-step instructions prepared by us, making a rack from a profile with your own hands is quite simple to make.
Preliminary calculations and a drawing diagram of the future design will help determine how many profiles will be needed for work and what size the shelves will be.
Materials and tools
To make a rack from a profile yourself, you need to prepare the following tools and materials:
- drywall profile;
- scissors for metal;
- roulette;
- pencil;
- self-tapping screws;
- screwdriver;
- material for shelves;
- protective equipment: gloves and glasses.
Preparatory stage
At the preparatory stage of the manufacture of the shelving from the profile with your own hands, the profile is cut into the desired segments. It is cut from two sides with scissors, then bent. By bending, the material is cut easily and evenly.
Then prepare the junction. The profile has a square section, it is cut in the corners and bent two opposite sides at an angle of 90 degrees. The depth of the notches should correspond to the width of the attached structural element.
Assembly assembly
Do-it-yourself rack assembly from the profile begins with the manufacture of support stands. Two vertical supports are fixed among themselves by horizontal cross-pieces. It turns out a kind of staircase. Each bent connection petal is fixed in the support with two self-tapping screws. Thus, the cross member is fixed with 8 self-tapping screws. The connection is strong and reliable. At this stage, it is important to ensure that the elements are fixed at right angles. Otherwise, the rack will turn out to be skewed.
Similarly, collect all the support posts.
The next step in the manufacture of a rack from a profile with your own hands is the assembly of a section of a structure. Work is carried out from the bottom up. First fix the lower cross members, then all the rest. Elements are connected at right angles. You can check the quality of work by measuring the diagonals of the sections, they should be equal.
In the manner described above, all sections of the rack are assembled.
At the final stage, cut and install shelves. For their strong fixation, self-tapping screws are used.
The rack is ready! He will take a worthy place in the garage. It was quite simple to make a rack from a profile with your own hands, and now it will take its rightful place in the house and will testify to the mastery of the owner.
The order in the house largely depends on the proper organization of the storage system. Of considerable importance in this process are various racks. They help to store a large number of things in a limited area, while the entire contents of the shelves is in sight, which greatly facilitates the search. You can buy ready-made designs or make a rack from a profile with your own hands.