# Lumber Storage - Calling all LJ's!



## JMatt (Mar 2, 2009)

I am working to finish my garage/shop conversion and I have all this dead space above my garage door. The area I have to work with is probably 18 inches high and approximately 15X8 feet. What I need is some good proven suggestions for suspending a rack from the ceiling. Above the drywall are 2X4 studs on 24 inch centers. They run from left to right as you can tell by the screws in the drywall.

So, what do you think? I was thinking about using 2X4's to build rectangular frames approximately 5 feet wide. That would let me stick some sheet goods as well as boards. My concern is that I don't want any of it to fail and come tumbling down on me, my tools, or the kids.

If you can draw it on a napkin or whatever, that would be great. I just don't want to jeapardize anything with this idea.

Left side:









Right side:









Thanks in advance!


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## papadan (Mar 6, 2009)

You already have the weight of drywall hanging there. With only 2×4s to hang from, I would be afraid to hang anything from them. How much room do you have above the drywall? If you have room up there, put in some cross braces to support lumber in that space and have an access panel. I know, should have been done before the drywall was installed.


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## DaveHerron (Jan 21, 2008)

If you do anything in the attic space do not cut your trusses. They are designed to carry the weight of the roof and ceiling and any added load caused by snow/rain. If you cut a truss to create a larger opening in the ceiling you shift the load to the next closest trusses on either side which may not be designed to carry the extra weight and you could end up with a sagging roof or ceiling. Never do it unless you have an engineer design, draw, and certify the alteration and you keep the documentation forever. If you sell your home and a home inspector notices that a truss has been altered, you may have to pay an engineer and contractor to fix the problem.

If you decide to hang a lumber rack from the ceiling, figure some way to spread the load across as many trusses as you can. I really don't recommend hanging lumber from the ceiling because of the weight. A single sheet of 3/4" MDF weighs close to 100 lbs if my memory serves.


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## JimmyC (Jan 31, 2009)

Matt,

i don't know about from the ceiling, but you have space on the wall above the door. A friend of mine bolted 2×4's to the wall and used angle iron (from an old bed) attached to it, to make a rack that holds a fair amount of wood.


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## EEngineer (Jul 4, 2008)

2 X 4's on 24" centers? Not a good recipe for load-bearing! No matter how much you spread the load, I think you'll end up with the ceiling sagging. I would first consider adding vertical members from each 2X4 to the roof trusses (which should be at least 2X6 to support snow load).


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## odie (Nov 20, 2007)

You crack me up. Here's my exact solution to your problem. I did the same thing your asking about, but I have only 8 inches of clearance. I used the plywood sides for strength and to line up with the trusses that I anchored the whole thing to. I attached lags to every truss.

In your case I would definitely beef up what you have in the attic. You could use plywood gussets to tie your rafters and joists together thus making a truss


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## 8iowa (Feb 7, 2008)

Another disadvantage to storing wood on the ceiling is that it takes up the space that could be put to better use for lighting. This is not a good trade off in my opinion.

I'm refurbing a small shed enclosure on the back of my garage to hold wood and I plan to have a modest size bin in my shop to vertically store and climitize the wood slated for current projects.


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## papadan (Mar 6, 2009)

I have one of those prefab plastic sheds that I use for lumber storage right outside my garage/shop.


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## pitchnsplinters (Dec 26, 2008)

Nice solution odie.


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## JMatt (Mar 2, 2009)

Thanks guys. This was more of an optimization idea rather than a necessity. I think I will skip this 'bright idea'. LOL! You guys are awesome. I'm reading some good stuff on storage with french cleats. Lots of possibilities in my shop.


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## hootr (Mar 28, 2009)

if you have wall space available there's a plan in Shopnotes magazine, issue #93, with 5- 15" shelves, french cleat hanger
built from 1 sheet 3/4 plywood
works great for me
i'll see if my daughter knows how to copy the article and e-mail it to you if you want
she's more computor literate than me

good luck 
Ron


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

Good luck on the storage design. My ceiling is 16 ' up and so i won't be putting anything there. But I did put hanging hooks on the wals and i use then to hold bandsaw blades, rope, air hoses, etc. I use an extension rod to reach them. Always able to be found.


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