Selecting Storage Cabinets For Your Garage
Why Raw Materials are Vitally Important to the Longevity & Durability of your Cabinets
Every garage is meant to be a safe haven for cars, boats, gardening and lawn equipment, sports gear and other home valuables that are stored in it. At least, it should be. But the garage is a harsh environment, subjected to more extreme fluctuations in temperature and humidity that can wreak havoc on storage cabinets and the personal items that are stored inside them, particularly in tropical climates or near water, where the humidity in the air is higher (living near the ocean is particularly detrimental to certain items because it is also laden with salt, which is corrosive). Moisture
can easily creep up from damp concrete floors and during severe storms it can often be the garage that is flooded first.
You will also need a place to sort, organize and store your tools so that they do not get lost and allow you to easily find them when you need them. Shallow drawers, which are short in height, are a good way to organize fasteners (nuts, bolts, screws) and small hand tools (like socket sets, screwdrivers, hammers, pliers, etc.) as well as protecting tools with sharp edges that otherwise might be dulled if they were mixed with other tools. Portable or electric power tools represent their own unique challenges. It might seem obvious, but keeping electric power tools in a dry space will protect them against being damaged or ruined by humidity. Generally heavier and bulkier, they are best organized in tool chest storage cabinets with full-extension drawers for easy access.
There are also certain items such as automobile fluids, pool chemicals, cleaners, and paint that can be very corrosive and damaging to cabinetry. And bulky items like Rubbermaid boxes, 5-gallon buckets and seasonal items (like Christmas, for example) that require strong wide (ideally four foot wide) shelves capable of heavy-duty storage for these items without fatigue or failure and behind a closed door, are preferred to open shelving, so that everything remains dust-free.
People are passionate about working on their hobbies–whether it is a gearhead who enjoys tinkering around on their cars, to a woodworker, a gardener, or hunters and fisherman—and having a durable, easy to clean work surface that will stand up to heavy use and be resistant to chemicals and staining will allow you a place to enjoy work on projects and pursuing your passions.
Before you select a cabinet material and countertop surface, research the pros and cons of each material. Choosing quality materials that will make quality construction possible is the first step toward assuring that you have chosen garage cabinets that will ultimately meet with your expectations and desires.
Garage cabinets and countertops are built from a variety of different raw materials, including wood, aluminum, steel and stainless steel, each having different strength and durability characteristics that affect the life expectancy of the product and make them the best choice for their application.
A well thought out decision requires preparation. With proper preparation and research, you can avoid making a decision that you later regret if your cabinets do not meet your expectations. That is not always the case however with the myriad of choices consumers are being presented.
By comparing the features and benefits of the various materials that are available, buyers can find the right garage cabinets to meet their needs. Our
next articles will help provide some background to help assist you with making good choices.
Authored by Chad Haas, Founder of VAULT