DIY - Basement Shelves with video

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

Basement storage is king to keep the sanity in that part of the house. Building a set of shelves was not only an economical project, but it also brought order to our basement. 

Last year I tweaked the area in the basement where the boys have their computer room. My son had asked for a new computer table and after building it, I had to give the entire space a clean-up.

The picture below is how neat that small man cave looked afterward.

However, what I didn't show you was the area where I put all the other things that I took out of there.

DIY - Pipe Desk

Well, all that stuff... mostly cables and electronics that belong to my husband, were shoved off just five feet away and stacked in the big pile you see below.  Yikes!

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I promised Mr. RLC that I would build some shelves for all those items, but he first needed to sort them out and get rid of stuff he didn't use any longer.

A couple of weeks ago he did so and then it was my turn to build his shelves.

This is a very economic project for the amount of storage space you get. And let's not even talk about how sturdy is this entire unit.  I bought better materials,  instead of buying the $3.50 studs I got the ones that cost $5.48, and that brought the numbers around $130 for me.

The materials for a 10-ft. x 6-ft. x 2-ft. shelf: 

(12) 2 x 4 x 10'
(5)  2 x 4 x 6'
(3) 4' x 8" - ½" OSB cut lengthwise in the middle - You will only use 2½ sheets.
2½" Self-tapping, flat-head Screws (I used these ones that were left from building the deck)
1" flat-head screws

The Tools:
Dewalt Cordless drill/driver and impact combo kit + drill bits
Dewalt Cordless circular saw
Angle Square
Measuring tape
Clamps
Mallet

The cutting list:

You can get each of your OSB sheets cut by half, lengthwise, at The Home Depot.
Since my shelves were 10 feet in length, I also needed to cut four - 2-feet sections of OSB to add to the 8-ft I had for each of the four shelves.

You also need to cut four - 2 x 4 x 10' in 21-inch lengths.

They will be the side and middle bracing support for the shelves.

So, let's put those shelves together!

You can check this quick video about this project, if not, you can continue reading below.

1. BUILD EACH OF THE SHELF FRAMES

Each shelf frame consists of two - 2 x 4 x 10' and five - 2 x 4 x 21"

Make a simple frame out of two 10-foot and two 21" pieces. Securing them at each corner with two-2½" screws.

2. MAKE SURE YOUR FRAMES ARE SQUARE

Measure diagonally from corner to corner and ensure both measurements are the same. If they're not the same, the rectangle is not square and you have to pull the sides to one side or the other until both measurements are the same.

3. INSTALL THE MIDDLE BRACING

Ear Muff 

Mark the position of the middle supports at 2½-ft., 5-ft. or center, and at 8-ft.

I made the mistake to install the last support at 7½-ft. but I had to move it to the 8-ft mark because that's the point where both pieces of plywood connect. They both needed underneath support.  Moving those supports was easy though.

A cordless impact driver is key to an easy build! I didn't do pre-dills. Well, the self-tapping screws also played an important role here. But, those are long screws that were driven nicely thanks to the driving and hammering force of the impact driver.

4. DETERMINE THE SPACING BETWEEN SHELVES

Once you're done building your shelf frames decide the spacing you're going to give each shelf. It's all about your needs.

I decided to leave a big space on the lower shelf because the mister wanted to store heavy equipment on it.

5. MARK THE POSITION OF EACH SHELF ON THE POSTS

Milwaukee Performance work gloves

I marked the location I wanted for each shelf on the five posts.

For the two front posts, I made those marks on both sides.

And don't forget to write down which is the top part.

6. PUT THE SHELVES TOGETHER

It's time to put together the whole thing.
I waited for the mister to come home to tackle this step, I thought it was going to be more difficult or way too heavy for me, but it wasn't. Anyways, it was good to work as a team.

We first placed the two lower shelves, front sides facing down.
Then, we started attaching the three back posts (two in each corner and one in the center), following the measurements for the shelves on each post.

Once those three back posts were attached to the two lower shelves, we pulled up a bit the whole structure and slid the front posts.

They were attached from the back with two 2½" screws.

We continued installing the two remaining shelves in the same manner.

There was one shelf where the last corner to be attached was difficult to align to the mark on the post. We used a long clamp to bring it to its proper place.

Four screws were driven at each intersection.

7. Finally, BRING THE ENTIRE FRAME UP & INSTALL THE OSB SHELVES

I thought this was going to be such a heavy structure! Ha, I was wrong. Though, it was good to have help bringing this baby up.

And then, the OSB planks were set in place.
I used 1" screws to attach them to the frame. If later on, I want to disassemble this shelf, it's going to be easier removing screws rather than nails.

- Two more 2½" screws were driven on the front part of each shelf.

And it's DONE!!

I went ahead and painted the frame with Rust-oleum charcoal chalked paint.
Love it. :)

12-Gallon flip-top clear plastic tote

And hey, look at all that storage!

Guess who was super happy sorting cables and old gadgets for an entire day! :D

Haha, yep. These are the mister's treasures!

How boring! :D

I was driving him nuts telling him to get rid of old CDs and DVDs and Blackberry cables...
He needs to save them just in case. 🙄

Anyways, that's his storage!

For more Home DIY ideas check these out:

Build-ins in the Dining Room

DIY - Wooden Door Mat

Setting a Bedroom in an Unfinished Basement

I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with me to participate in the promotional program described above (the “Program”). As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

*This post contains affiliate links.*

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