# Wire shelving ideas needed



## ScottC (Apr 6, 2010)

I have several of these wire shelf sets, the type available at big boxes and many others. They are 6' tall by 4' wide and about 16 or 18" deep. These are the kind that come with 4 poles and the clips that you attach and then slide the shelf down to the height you want.

They are nice shelves but they take up floor space as is. My garage shop has 10' ceilings and some good unused wall space so I would like to go vertical with these and get them off the floor.

So I'm looking for ideas how to mount them. Walls are finished but I have the studs identified. I would like them to be fairly solidly attached and not just hang or sit there.

I think I need some sort of bracket or mount to do this but I don't know what yet. I'm also not opposed to cutting the poles down to 3 or 4' either.

Does this make sense? Has anyone done something similar? I'm mostly trying to keep the shelves instead of building more cabinets or other shelves and gain floor space.

Thanks!


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Run Unistrut horizontally on the wall, at least two places, one near the top of the shelves and one near the bottom of the shelves. 
Then attach the vertical pipes of the shelf assembly to the Unistrut channels using appropriate pipe straps. Measure the diameter of your pipes and use the pipe strap sized for the nearest standard pipe size.
You probably should also run a rod or cable from the bottom of the front pipe to the top of the back pipe with a turnbuckle to adjust the length to keep the assembly from sagging in the front.

Or, just sell the things on Craig's list and get you some wall mounted shelving.

NOTE: You have to attach the vertical pipes and not the shelves because they depend on gravity to hold together.
Unless you want to just remove the pipes and clips completely, flip the shelves over, and attach them to standard "L" bracket, shelf supports.


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## stevepeterson (Dec 17, 2009)

Those shelves are amazingly cheap for what you get. I stacked 3 sections of tubes together to build a 9' tall shelf. You can also pick up additional tubes in 2' or 4' lengths to build different sizes. The standard configuration leaves the shelves a bit too close together for most of the boxes that I want to store.

I placed a 2×2 behind the top shelf to bolt it to the wall. Just use a lag bolt and a fender washer. This lets me position the shelf anywhere I want and it gives me a 4' area to hit the studs.


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## JBrow (Nov 18, 2015)

Scott,

If your shelving system is designed to be supported by the floor, then an idea to free up floor space is to build a sturdy platform off the floor on which the shelving unit sets. A simple wooden frame attached to the wall, covered with ¾" plywood, and further supported with diagonal bracing would elevate the shelving unit. However, the diagonal bracing running from the front of the platform to the wall and needed for additional support, could get in the way.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

If you do what Steve is suggesting, attaching the top shelf to the wall, the whole thing will come apart when you get it loaded. The pipes are designed to sit on the floor, or casters like mine, and support the shelves which are dropped over the pipes from the top. The connection between the pipe leg and the shelf is a wedge in a cylinder. If you attach the top shelf to the wall all the shelves below it are trying to pull the pipe out of this connector. And they will.


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## Kazooman (Jan 20, 2013)

JBrow is correct. Those shelves are designed to have support from the floor on all four legs. Simply attaching the back legs to the wall with unistrut will not provide any support for the front legs. The fixtures that attach the shelves to the legs are not designed to provide enough strength to support them just from the rear. However, by the time you build a platform the cost would be well on the way to purchasing some shelving designed for your application.


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## ScottC (Apr 6, 2010)

Thanks for the replies! I don't think I would try to mount the entire 6'. At best, I would trim them down to 3' and go from there. I'm leaning towards the platform method to mimic the shelves sitting on the floor and then just secure the back posts to the walls with straps.

I would try to sell maybe 2 of the sets on CL, but honestly don't feel like dealing with it. I'd rather do something with these. Another thing I have thought of is to build a box and then just use the shelves and ditch the poles.

Thanks again.


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## nailbanger2 (Oct 17, 2009)

6 replies to wire shelving and projects go without any. This place aint what it used to be. Sad.


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## stevepeterson (Dec 17, 2009)

> If you do what Steve is suggesting, attaching the top shelf to the wall, the whole thing will come apart when you get it loaded. The pipes are designed to sit on the floor, or casters like mine, and support the shelves which are dropped over the pipes from the top. The connection between the pipe leg and the shelf is a wedge in a cylinder. If you attach the top shelf to the wall all the shelves below it are trying to pull the pipe out of this connector. And they will.
> 
> - crank49


I built the entire shelf free-standing with the pipes on the floor. The bolts are just to keep the unit from tipping over. The top shelf is merely being held against the wall, rather than being held up by the wall.


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## jerryminer (Jun 15, 2014)

I would consider drilling a hole through the top of each pole and hanging from the ceiling with some chain. You could run a couple of screws into the wall to stabilize.


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## CameronRobertson (Jul 29, 2013)

I have been storing mine in a "floating" vertical chain by using a pole and some bolts. They are handy as of now because I have not been storing many heavy items inside. However, as time goes by and when I might ever need to store something heavier, I might need to figure something out that is more solid and durable. I think the ceiling is a good area to explore too but the storage system needs to be really strong.


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