Tips For Choosing The Right Shelving Unit

Many people enjoy having an organized home. In addition to allowing them to store more items, an organized home also makes it much easier to find things as needed! However, organizing your home is a grand endeavor. It can cause a significant amount of frustration and confusion, as well as excitement. The benefits of planning your organization project are not to be taken lightly.

Finding the right shelving unit is a major benefit to good home organization. You will store many items, from books and electronics to food and even automotive parts on shelves! There are many shelving options out there, such as a heavy-duty storage unit and warehouse shelving units. You may need wire mesh shelving units or a great wooden bookshelf! Get familiar with some tips to ensure that you buy the right shelving unit for your needs. These tips will let you search for shelving units more effectively in no time!

Determine The Main Purpose

Of course, the critical factor in choosing the right shelving unit is to determine its main purpose! Thus, you have to consider if it will have to support lightweight or heavy items, boxes, books, and more. It is also worth evaluating if the shelving unit will be in plain view or hidden in a closet, pantry, or garage. You should also ask if the shelving unit is largely decorative or functional! These questions must be answered because they bring into focus the differences in cost, material, visual appeal, and functionality of different types of shelving units. For example, freestanding plastic shelves have an obviously different aesthetic than sleek glass shelving that is set on floating brackets. Wood-and-pipe shelves give off a rustic appeal, while wire shelves look industrial. However, both can carry a significant amount!

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Take Multiple Measurements

It is quite frustrating to choose a shelving unit only to find out that it does not fit into the designated space. This unit can be too big or even too small! This is why you need to take multiple measurements when you are choosing a shelving unit. The measurement should start with measuring the space in which the shelving unit is going to go! Be sure to consider the height, width, and depth of this space. Write these measurements down. Bring this information with you when you are shopping for a shelving unit. Of course, the measuring does not end here. You also need to bring your measuring tape with you to the store so that you can accurately measure the shelves in the store. Thankfully, you may be able to see measurements on boxes of the shelving unit pieces. Ask store clerks about these measurements and show them the ones you have already taken! Taking multiple measurements and double-checking them helps you avoid buying a shelving unit that is not the right size for your space.

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Decide On A Budget

There are many different options out there when it comes to shelving units. You can choose from plastic and metal shelving to wooden and even glass shelving! The range of options often gets overwhelming, including in terms of the range of prices. This is why it is important to decide on a budget for your shelving unit. The elements in your budget, of course, should include not only the cost of the shelving unit itself, but also the containers or liners you will use to store items on the unit. These accessories are often forgotten but can add up to a significant expense, especially if you have multiple shelves. A plastic sixty-four-quart latching tote with a lid can cost eight to fourteen dollars, and the average wire rack shelf can hold around twelve of those totes. This is equal to nearly 170 dollars in totes for a single rack! Thus, accessories are certainly not an expense to skip over when creating your budget.

When you are deciding on your budget, first consider what you can spend in total on shelves, liners, and boxes. Next, use the measurements you have taken to determine how much liner you will need or how many totes you will store in the space. Calculate the cost of those incidentals, then add ten percent because you will inevitably underestimate your expenses in this area. Subtract this incidental cost from the total available budget. You will be left with what you can spend on the shelving unit itself! However, if you will be ordering your shelves online, do not forget to consider shipping, special order fees, taxes, and installation services. If you will pick up and put in the shelves yourself, do not forget to include the cost of screws, straps, and hardware needed to properly and safely install them!

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Determine Where The Support Will Come From

Different styles of shelving units offer varied options for support. For instance, floating shelves are generally decorative and do not provide support for heavy items! Freestanding styles, like bookcases, often use straight pegs or small L-supports set into holes to support the weight of the shelves and anything stored on them. Shelf material matters, too, as each material has a different load capacity. Materials are often wood, glass, metal, plastic, or wire. Determine where the support will come from before buying shelving so you can then evaluate the total weight of what you can store on them. Of course, you can go the other way and determine what you need to store so you can then choose a shelving unit that will provide the needed support. You should also think about both vertical and horizontal support! Wall bracing can prevent or minimize tipping from such events as earthquakes or simple human clumsiness. Freestanding shelving units often have holes, brackets, or small strapping kits sold with them to improve safety.

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Weigh Style Versus Storage

When it comes to shelving, capacity matters. Storing objects is, after all, the main purpose for shelving units! However, when it comes to designing your home's living spaces, style matters too. Both come into play when choosing the right shelving unit for your space. You have to weigh style versus storage and find a good balance to fit your needs. Thus, even if you want to style your space in sleek glass floating shelves, that style can only store so much in both capacity and weight. Sometimes capacity is more important than appearances, like for large-capacity storage needs in a garage, closet, or walk-in pantry. In such cases, a utilitarian style like adjustable steel racks or a robust wall of wood shelves built from two-by-fours may be what you really need.