Step-by-Step Way to Build Cabinets in the Garage

Measure and Develop Design

• Measure the floor space you can allow for the cabinets. If your garage is rather small, use an entire wall from floor to ceiling for storage cabinets. Consider installing cabinets along an additional wall from waist level to the floor. Install a workbench counter space on top of the waist-high cabinets. Sketch your garage interior and make notes about items you need to store. Build heavy-duty shelves in lower cabinets for weighty items such as electric saws or paint cans.

Assemble All Materials

• Purchase cabinets and lumber to construct framing that will hold them to the wall. You will need to screw two-by-four lumber boards into existing wall studs. Use metal supports and concrete nails for attaching cabinets to concrete or cinder blocks. Talk with a block mason for ideas on ways to deal with concrete or blocks, because the walls can crack. For typical wooden studs already in place, use four-inch stainless steel flat-head nails and four-inch stainless steel flat-head screws, plus a claw hammer and electric screwdriver. Attach heavy-duty hinges and hardware for the cabinet doors.

Fine-Tune Layout Further

• Install bottom cabinets to garage framework at least six inches off the floor in case of water spills. A garage area can possibly floor at some point, too, so allow this space to protect your stored items. Under the toe space of six inches, consider adding support boards or angle iron to help hold up cabinet weight. Design placement of all bottom cabinets on two separate walls the same height off the floor for a uniform look.

Install Pre-Made Cabinets

• Refinish and paint existing recycled cabinets before you secure them to the wall. Use an electric screwdriver to install decorative hardware and doors. Use a carpenter's leveling tool to secure each row of cabinets and make sure they line up for visual appeal. Use shims of wood to raise or lower cabinets in places. Make the cabinets align for visual appeal, rahter than just forcing them level. You want the cabinets to be pleasing to the eye, not just meet requirements for being level in terms of gravity.

Build Cabinets from Scatch

• Use half-inch plywood to construct cabinets from scratch. Build them in sections without doors. You can add doors after you construct the framing. Install the basic framework box of the cabinets directly to the two-by-four studs you've secured to the walls. Nail plywood over the framing to enclose the cabinetry. Install particle board or plywood shelves back inside the storage sections. Make the doors out of plywood or buy pre-made doors. Install a pegboard to hold tools above a counter space.