Garage Storage: Backdoor Storage Center

Five easy options for five kinds of garage clutter

If you have an attached garage, the door to the house is probably a dumping ground for shoes, sports gear, jackets and all kinds of other stuff that you don’t have space for indoors. These five cabinets can eliminate that mess so you don’t have to walk through an obstacle course to get in the house. Each cabinet is a simple box that has been customized to solve a different storage problem. Build one or all five.

You can build, install and load these cabinets in a weekend. The only power tools you’ll need are a drill and a circular saw. But a table saw and a sliding miter saw are handy for ripping and crosscutting the plywood, and a brad nailer helps tack the cabinets and drawers together before you drive the screws.

Each cabinet requires one sheet of plywood or less. We used birch plywood, but you could use oak plywood or even MDF. For the pantry cabinet, you’ll need 1/4-in. plywood for the drawer bottoms. All the materials are available at home centers.

We designed these cabinets with economy and speed in mind. Here are three tricks we used to cut costs and assembly time:

• All the cabinets are 11-7/8 in. deep x 24 in. wide x 72 in. tall, which simplifies and speeds construction.
• We sized all parts to use the plywood efficiently. The sides, for example, are just under 12 in. wide (11-7/8 in.), so you’ll get four from a 4 x 8-ft. sheet.
• We eliminated the cabinet backs, saving time and materials. Just be sure to handle the cabinets gently— they’re a bit flimsy until they’re screwed to the wall.
• We applied the finish before assembly. After you cut the parts to size, sand everything with 120-grit sandpaper and apply a coat of wipe-on poly or other clear finish.

Box assembly tips

These cabinets are surprisingly easy to build. The illustrations tell you most of what you need to know. Here are some tips for smooth assembly:

• If you don’t have a table saw to rip the plywood, use a saw guide and a circular saw (Photo 1).
• Use a shorter saw guide or a sliding miter saw to get straight, square crosscuts.
• Drill 1/8-in. pilot holes to prevent splitting. Keep screws 1 in. from edges.
• If you have a brad nailer, tack parts together to make drilling easier. But don’t rely on brads alone—you still need screws. If you don’t have a brad nailer, use clamps (Photo 2).
• If your cuts were slightly off and the top, bottom and sides aren’t exactly the same width, don’t worry. Just make sure the front edges of the box are flush.
• Attach the screw strip to the top before attaching the side pieces.
• Attach hardware (drawer slides, shelf standards) to the sides before building the box.
• Screw the top, bottom and any fixed shelves onto one side before attaching the other side.

Hanging the cabinets

Install a 2x2 cleat on the wall for the cabinets to sit on. You’ll need 24 in. of cleat for each cabinet. Keep the cleat at least 8 in. above the floor so you can sweep under the cabinets.

Snap a level chalk line on the wall for the cleat (measure down from the ceiling if your floor slopes!). Attach the cleat at the chalk line by driving a 3-in. drywall screw into each stud. Set the cabinets on the cleats. Place a level alongside the cabinet to make sure it’s standing plumb and square. Then drill pilot holes through the screw strips and attach the cabinets to the wall with 3-in. drywall screws (Photo 3). Screw adjoining cabinets together by driving 1-1/4-in. drywall screws through the side near the top and the bottom.

Sports gear cabinet

Wet clothes cabinet

Shoe and boot cabinet

Open-shelf cabinet

Pantry cabinet