Shelves in the cellar made of various materials. How to make cellar racks with your own hands

Features of arranging a cellar for storage

Cellar shelves are made as separate sections installed on the walls of the storage room.
Such designs are easy to install and use. It is customary to choose the width of the rack depending on the volume of installed cans, taking into account a small margin. In order for self-made shelves in the cellar to serve for a long time, you need to make them no more than 70 cm in length, otherwise they will sag. During the production of special shelving and installation of shelves, it is necessary to maintain the ability to access the wall part. This will simplify the process of summer drying and preventive work in the underground area. Before you can make shelves in your jar cellar, you need to make a supporting structure.

First of all, a transverse horizontal frame is made; for this, marks are made on the racks indicating the height of the shelves. The bars are cut to a width of 60 mm and a length equal to the length of the future shelves. The strength of the future structure and the load that the shelves in the cellar will withstand depend on the chosen width. The installation of shelving involves cutting out nests or grooves corresponding to the size of the bars. After this, the structure can be assembled and secured. As shelving, shelves made of wood or plywood are placed on a frame made of bars.

Important! Before arranging and placing shelves in the cellar, all material should be thoroughly treated with an antiseptic solution. Otherwise, rapid rotting of the racks is possible.

Advantages of a rack storage system

It is not expensive. Unlike cabinets with walls and doors, the rack has a more affordable price with the same capacity.
It's comfortable. It is easy to place many things on the shelves and adjust the position of the shelves themselves depending on the items stored.
It's reliable. The shelves can withstand weight loads of up to 100 kg, and when the structure is built up, it can be reinforced with additional racks.
It's aesthetically pleasing. Instead of things piled in a corner or a pile of boxes, install a shelving unit to keep things organized while keeping the items you need within easy reach.
It's universal. The design is suitable for storing any items - from file folders to jars with homemade ingredients.

Dimensions. They affect the capacity of the storage system and how much space it will take up. For example, there are models with dimensions 1800x600x1800 mm, 2000x1000x400 mm, 2500x1000x500 mm. Pay attention to the shape - the structure can be extended in width or height.

Number of shelves. The prefabricated rack can be supplied complete with 3 – 4 shelves. Additional ones are purchased separately along with reinforcing elements, if the extension is provided for in the design.

Maximum load per shelf. Can range from 100 to 350 kg. Depending on what items you plan to store, choose the appropriate option.

How to assemble it yourself

To assemble the wooden version yourself, you must first make a design drawing indicating the dimensions. And only then, depending on the purpose of this piece of furniture and the intended design, you can begin to select the appropriate material.

To make the drawing accurate, it is recommended to correctly measure the place where it will stand. If this is a structure for storing canned food or tools, then it is better to give preference to simple and reliable forms. More often it is done to the full height of the wall. While the width of the shelves will depend on its contents. The length of the shelves also depends on what will be stored on them. If these are heavy items and you need to withstand a large load, it should be no more than 0.9 m. Whereas for light items, the length of the shelf can be about 1.5 m.

Material selection

Shelves can be made from a variety of materials, be it metal basement shelving, plastic shelving, or even concrete shelves. The rest of the article will discuss the most popular materials for manufacturing, as well as how to create the required basement microclimate.

Wood

Coniferous wood, kept in good conditions, can last a long time. Since cellars have high humidity, and any type of wood swells easily, after a certain time they can rot and collapse.

If you watch a lot of useful videos about the basement and the necessary materials, you can understand that deciduous tree species will last much longer than others. However, not a single species for making shelves in the basement will last the required time without being treated with special solutions to combat mold and mildew.

Chipboard or plywood

Basement equipment made from this material, unfortunately, will not be able to withstand too much load. The manufacturing features of such shelves come down to the load that they can withstand, so you should use material such as plywood or chipboard sheets only for small containers.

Important! Wood, including chipboard and plywood, are highly hygroscopic and therefore vulnerable to the effects of humidity and dampness in the basement. For this reason, treatment with special liquids is required.

Metallic profile

This design option is the most practical and reliable, despite the fact that the metal is highly susceptible to corrosion. Theoretically, corrosion of each shelf should ultimately lead to its unusability, however, practice shows that this happens for a very long time, so much so that you don’t even have to worry and safely choose a metal corner for mounting racks and shelves made of steel. For durability, the shelves can be treated with some kind of anti-corrosion coating.

Durable plastic

When making shelves in the cellar, some people choose plastic ones instead of wooden ones, which have good accessibility and ease of installation. The low weight and strength of the structure attracts many, but it is important to understand that temperature changes together with excess humidity will ultimately lead to a loss of strength of the material and final unusability.

Concrete

This is a durable and reliable material that allows you to make a structure for a very long time. The downside is the difficulty of working with concrete: you need to calculate everything in detail, since after that it will be impossible to make corrections. Concrete shelves allow you not to think about how much the food and its bones that will be stored on them weigh.

Brick

Brick shelves are made in accordance with all bricklaying standards during house construction. The advantages are durability, strength and an excellent addition to the interior. The only downside of brick is that without special skills it is very difficult to make such a shelf yourself.

Slate

Flat slate is extremely rarely used for making shelves in the basement, but you can cut out the elements necessary for the shelf from it, and then assemble them together as a construction set. The material does not withstand heavy loads, but such shelves can be strengthened by welding strips between the fastening corners across the entire width, maintaining an interval of half a meter.

Advantages of Prefabricated Metal Shelving

The principle of connecting parts on a metal rack

Metal collapsible shelving is used in homes, offices, shops and warehouses.

Their popularity is due to such advantages as:

Easy to install and dismantle. In order to assemble a metal collapsible rack, you do not need to attract specialists and pay them money. You can do everything yourself, and even in the absence of relevant experience.
Ability to withstand heavy loads. By itself, metal is difficult to damage or bend. The average load on one shelf is calculated from 90 kilograms.
Affordable price. Especially considering the fact that all assembly and installation work will be carried out independently. The raw materials for manufacturing are very cheap, as are all the necessary components.
Durability. Few materials can compare with metal in terms of durability. The only difficulty you should be wary of is direct contact with water, but this can also be avoided if you use special polymer dyes.
Good aesthetic qualities , especially considering that the design and project will also be developed independently.

Adjustable brackets are installed on the racks of some shelving models. This feature allows you to set the required height distance between the shelves.

When choosing a rack, you need to take into account such product parameters as:

Dimensions
Form,
Number of shelves
Color and design,
The metal from which it is made is
Coverage quality.

The strength of the structure and its ability to withstand heavy weight depends not only on the quality and type of material used, but also on the thickness of the beams, the shape of the pallets and shelves, and the distance between the supporting posts.

Racks must not only withstand the weight of objects placed on them. They must be resistant to chemical and mechanical influences. You can find out what load the rack is designed for by reading the documentation that is always attached to such products.

Advice! It is better to purchase racks with a safety margin. If you are going to store items with a total weight of about 100 kg on the shelves, then the rack should be strong enough to withstand all 125 kg. This will ensure a long service life and help prevent the possibility of shelves collapsing and destruction of the entire structure.

Types of structures

The manufactured structure can be of several types, each of which should be considered separately.

Team

The “constructor” principle works here, that is, the shelves are assembled according to parts. They are easy to install, functional and mobile, but they are not able to withstand heavy weight. The material for such a structure can be anything - wood, plastic, slate or plywood, but most often a metal profile or square pipe is used. The material is cut into pieces of the required length to prepare the shelf parts, namely:

columns;
cross jumpers;
connecting supports;
slats for shelving.
The resulting parts are attached to each other by welding. They can also be connected using corners, but in this case the structure will already be collapsible (the next type).

Collapsible

These structures resemble prefabricated ones, but differ in that they require the possibility of disassembling and reassembling the racks. For example, they can be disassembled for drying, disinfection and preparation of storage for storing vegetables. The collapsible model can be made from any materials, but plastic is most often used. As a rule, parts are sold unassembled. So, a home craftsman will only need to select a structure of the desired size and shape, and then assemble it in the cellar, securely fastening all the parts together using hinges, corners and bolts. This design will also be durable and reliable.

Monolithic

Such shelves cannot be disassembled and, unlike prefabricated structures, are not mobile, that is, they cannot be rearranged. Most often they are made of brick or concrete. In this case, the entire structure is mounted immediately in the place where it will stand in the future. Collapsible structures are in great demand, since in this case the shelves can be pulled out, washed and disinfected at any time.

Radial

Such racks can be semicircular or rounded. They are most often located in the corner. This is convenient because there is more free space for moving and storing boxes of vegetables.

Options

The most popular material for making shelving is wood. Thick bars will allow you to easily build a strong rack on which all the cans can be conveniently placed. The advantages of this material include accessibility and low cost. Working with such material is quite simple; it is enough to have only basic knowledge. The downside of such racks is their fragility. Due to the impact of moisture on the racks, they deteriorate very quickly and require regular repairs.

Angle steel racks are more durable and reliable. However, this material is subject to corrosion, which cannot be ignored when choosing material for shelves. When making racks from steel angles, you may have to use welding, and this is not always available. The same applies to steel shelves.

Shelves made of multilayer plywood or chipboard. These shelves are suitable for storing small cans. A tub of pickled tomatoes will bend the shelf, and maybe even break it. This material is also afraid of moisture and does not have a long service life.

Concrete shelves are positioned as the most durable and durable. These shelves will last your home for generations. Making such shelves will require a lot of time and physical effort. But the result is worth it.

Another available material is plastic. Shelves made of it are impervious to the microclimate of the room, but have their own disadvantage - they cannot withstand heavy loads.

What tools and materials will be needed

To make shelves for storage in the cellar with your own hands, all you need is a classic carpentry set of tools.

screwdriver or hammer;
screws or nails;
file or saw;
sandpaper or grinder;
measuring instruments (ruler, tape measure, pencil or marker for marks);
soldering iron (for working with metal).

As for materials, this point is individual for each master. The fact is that you can make shelves in the cellar with your own hands from any repair surplus forgotten in the garage. Wood, metal profiles, plastic window sills - to create a storage space you can resort to various tricks. If the owner purchases new materials for the project, then it is necessary to build on preferences, available money and the properties of the source material.

As many experienced craftsmen admit, the most suitable material for a cellar remains plastic and its derivatives. Durable and durable, it is not afraid of moisture and cold. The high cost and rarity of source materials can, however, frighten the owner.

How to make a rope rack with your own hands

These stylish shelving units are easy to make: just attach the shelves to ropes and hang the structure. The only problem is that they are not very stable: if you touch them carelessly, things can fall down. To avoid this, place the shelving away from aisles or additionally attach the bottom shelf to the wall.