Overhead garage storage rack: buy vs build, and how to hit the joists
Difficultymedium
Time2 to 3 hours
Cost$150
The 4x8 steel kits ($120 to $180) hold 500 to 600 lb and go up in two hours; building one from 2x4s and plywood is about the same cost and heavier. Buy the kit unless you need an odd size.
The job is finding the joists. Use a magnet to find the drywall screws, then a long 1/8" bit to confirm. Lag screws must go into the center of a joist or truss bottom chord; a lag in drywall or the edge of a joist will pull out under load eventually. Trusses: do not hang from the middle of a long span without checking; attach near the ends and keep loads modest.
Clearance: measure the open garage door track height first. Put the rack where the door is not.
#overhead-storage#ceiling-rack#garage#joists#lag-screws
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Can confirm, the cheap part is the one that fails. Replaced mine twice before reading this.
Should be the same procedure, the part moved slightly but the steps match.
Bookmarking. I have exactly this problem and was about to pay someone.
Bookmarking. I have exactly this problem and was about to pay someone.
This is the kind of post that makes this place worth it.
Would this work on the older model? Mine is about ten years older than the one shown.
Should be the same procedure, the part moved slightly but the steps match.