Organizing a storage system in the house is a responsible task, the correct implementation of which determines the safety of things and free access to them. Often the task is complicated by the limited space for placement. In this case, you can use various types of racks to organize a vertical storage system. Using the height of the room significantly reduces the required area for storing stored items and makes it easy to find the right box or jar. The 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 product detection. Similar systems are suitable for home use. In this article we will talk about the types of shelving, their advantages andshortcomings, as well as how to make a rack from a profile with your own hands with minimal time and money.
Destination
In the household, racks are used everywhere. It is convenient to store pickles prepared for the winter on even and durable shelves in the pantry; clothes and shoes that are rarely used or are a pity to throw away; technique; sets of extra bedding for guests; economic funds. Shelving on the balcony is a great place to place indoor plants. With the help of a 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 storing spare tires, tools, building and other materials. All things are in sight, which reduces the time of their search. With the help of shelving, the space of the dressing room is rationalized. A small space will fit more clothes, and they will always be neatly folded and in their place.
Shelf storage features
Shelving is made from various materials: wood, steel, aluminum. The main criterion for choosing a construction material is its strength and resistance to the expected climatic conditions of operation.
One of the features of racks is their versatility. The collapsible design can be installed in a room of any configuration without the involvement of third-party specialists. The number and height of shelves can be any, which allows you to install a storage system for specific needs. Add or removeshelves are available at any time.
The ease of design and assembly allows you to make a rack with your own hands with minimal time and money.
Shelving can be fixed or mobile. A variation of the first are structures that are attached directly to the wall. Mobile models may have wheels that allow you to easily change the location of the rack. Such designs are a great choice for a workshop or shop.
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 varieties of shelving structures, but today we will consider only those that are convenient for use at home: in pantries, dressing rooms, greenhouses, on loggias.
Shelving for home use is easy to assemble and consists of racks and shelves. The height and number of the latter are adjusted based on the needs and dimensions of the intended content. Home storage systems are used to accommodate loads of various sizes and weights, so they are most often equipped with non-tilted shelves with a flat, sometimes slatted surface.
The most popular and convenient for home use are racks of modular type, aluminum profile, profile pipe, wooden and drywall profile. You can purchase a ready-made storage system or make a rack from a profile with your own hands. Photo designsare shown below.
Modular
Modular shelving is widely used in warehouses, shops, archives and industry. They consist of a perforated profile and finished shelves. The metal shelving profile is supplied already cut into pieces of the required length. It is coated with paint, protective compounds or galvanized to avoid corrosion during operation and 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.
Modular rack 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 fittings and instructions are supplied. The assembly process rarely takes more than half an hour. The disadvantage of the model is its high cost.
Aluminum
Aluminum construction is strong and lightweight. They have an attractive appearance and are not subject to corrosion. Such racks can be found in stores as commercial equipment. Aluminum shelving 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 showcase a collection of rare items without overloading the interior.
The aluminum shelving is easy to move due to its low weight, however, under heavy loads, the guide profile of the shelves may bend. Another disadvantage is the high cost of the material.
Aluminum construction is best for dressing room and high humidity areas. It will not be difficult to assemble a rack from an aluminum profile with your own hands.
From profile pipe
Designs from a profile pipe are highly durable. From the pipe, you can make a rack of any desired configuration. However, it should be remembered that the higher the design, the less reliable it is. High racks require additional fixation to the wall.
Making a metal rack with your own hands from a round section 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 desirable to have some experience with welding in order to get a really strong, even and reliable design. Unfortunately, it is impossible to change, if necessary, the height and number of shelves in such a rack.
Shelving made from a profile tube is the perfect solution for a garage or workshop. It is possible to use such a design in a room with high humidity only after pre-treating the profile with a protective compound or painting.
Wooden
Wood is easy to work with and much cheaper than a metal profile. WoodenThe racks are strong and durable. From wood, you can make a structure of any size and configuration for a room of any shape. The work does not require the use of special tools or a welding machine. Making a wooden rack is quite simple with minimal carpentry skills. The best choice for a solid and not too bulky design would be to use a wooden beam with a section of 5 by 5 cm. Shelves can be made of slatted wood, plastic or MDF.
For all its positive qualities, wood is a short-lived material. It is susceptible to moisture, fungus, insects and rodents. Special impregnation and coloring reduces the impact of negative factors, however, in wet rooms, such as a cellar, a greenhouse, a loggia, a tree will become unusable after 3-5 years.
From a drywall profile
Assembling a rack from a drywall profile with your own hands is easier than welding a storage system from a steel pipe or making it from wood. For work, you do not need to use a special tool, have the skills of a welder or carpenter. The profile can be purchased at any hardware store at a fairly affordable price. The design of the drywall profile is light and durable. Galvanized steel has an attractive appearance, tolerates moisture well and does not require additional processing or painting.
Handmade drywall profile racks are suitable for installation in pantries, cellars, greenhouses,garages, dressing rooms, loggias. If you plan to store very heavy loads on the rack, be sure to install additional diagonal braces on the racks and shelves, as the profile is made of thin steel and is not designed for high loads.
How to make a rack with your own hands
Drywall profile is the most practical, durable and convenient material for making a shelving structure with your own hands, so let's consider the process of working with it in more detail.
In the beginning, you need to clearly define the rack configuration, take measurements and draw up a drawing. This work does not require jewelry precision, and the drawing can be schematic. The main thing is to know how long the profile cuts are needed and in what order they should be assembled.
The length of the rack shelves should not exceed one meter. If the load is expected to be high, it is better to make the shelves narrower.
For wide racks, additional supports will be needed, and stiffeners will be needed to strengthen the frame and shelves. They must be provided for when calculating the number of profiles.
The taller and narrower the shelving design, 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 can be added to the design for mobility. Such a rack is very convenient for working in a garage or workshop. The main thing is to choose the right fittings so that it can withstand the load.
If you follow our step-by-stepinstructions, making a rack from a profile with your own hands is quite simple.
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;
- metal scissors;
- roulette;
- pencil;
- self-tapping screws;
- screwdriver;
- shelf material;
- protective equipment: gloves and goggles.
Preparatory stage
At the preparatory stage for the manufacture of a rack from a profile, the profile is cut into the desired segments with their own hands. It is cut on both sides with scissors, then bent. The material can be cut easily and evenly along the fold.
Then prepare the connection points. The profile has a square section, it is cut at the corners and two opposite sides are bent at an angle of 90 degrees. The depth of the cuts must correspond to the width of the attached structural element.
Assembling the structure
Assembling a rack from a profile with your own hands begins with the manufacture of support racks. Two vertical supports are fixed to each other by horizontal crossbars. It turns out a kind of staircase. Each bent connection tab 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 underright angle. Otherwise, the rack will turn out to be skewed.
Assemble all support posts in the same way.
The next step in making a rack from a profile with your own hands is to assemble the structure section. Work is done from the bottom up. First fix the lower crossbars, then all the rest. The elements are connected at right angles. You can check the quality of work by measuring the diagonals of the sections, they should be equal.
Assemble all sections of the rack in the manner described above.
At the final stage, cut out and install the shelves. For their strong fixation, self-tapping screws are used.
The rack is ready! It will take its rightful place in the garage. It was quite easy 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. An important role in this process is occupied by various kinds of racks. They help to store a large number of things in a limited area, while all the contents of the shelves are in sight, which greatly facilitates the search. You can purchase ready-made designs or make a rack from a profile with your own hands.
