I have heard it countless times. People live their lives and one day, they find out they have become their father or mother. I am currently 37, and this newly built house has seemed to mesh all the generations I am randomly supposed to discover myself in, all into one season of life. For one, I have gone from my thirties to becoming my late grandfather tending my snail vines as I cultivate a living barrier between my yard and the canal behind us. I am literally working with these vines daily.
Another generation I found myself recently stepping into is becoming more like my dad. My dad is the original garage junkie. You could eat off the floor… I bet in most cases his floor would pass a health inspection way before most restaurants’ tables would. But without going too much into that, my dad would have been proud of me this week. I purchased the Pro Series Steel Wall Mounted Shelving System from NewAge Products and these things are amazing. They were even enough to make my dad a bit jealous.
The best wall mounted shelves for a garage storage system hands down are the Pro Series Steel Wall Mounted Shelving System from NewAge Products. From the Aircraft-Grade steel frame to its versatile installation options, it is near overly detailed instruction manual, to the easy installation process, and up to 600 lbs. weight capacities – This storage system is a must-have for any garage.
I felt bad, the box was delivered on Halloween about 6:30 in the evening. I was just leaving to take the kids trick-or-treating, and we were four or five houses down when I saw the truck pull up. My four-year-old daughter is obsessed with unicorns and since daddy otherwise did not have a costume, the last 90 minutes leading up to Halloween, I became a unicorn, magical horn headband and all. As I left the kids with the wife and a couple of our friends, I ran back to get the package. Yup… a unicorn galloped back home so I could get the shelving in the garage so no ghouls, princesses, or superheroes would trip over it while the evening festivities. Embarrassed on the situation, and hoping that the low light aided me in not looking like a complete fool, I opened the garage door so the driver could cart the package in.
Initial Research on Steel Wall Mounted Shelving
When I was researching different wall mounted shelving systems for the garage, there were several options with several different buildouts. One I looked at was metal shelving, like the kind you would typically see in a laundry room or closet but sturdier. There were also steel floating shelves that had the modern aesthetic but brought the concern of not being able to hold the weight of the things I was planning to store. Lastly, there were several models of shelving that had support struts above the shelf to help support the weight, but the struts were small and would put a lot of torque on the wall stud if there were to be any weight on the wall-mounted shelving system.
My dad turned me onto NewAge Products. I researched their product offerings and really grown to like their Pro Series Steel Wall Mounted Shelving System. I ended up purchasing both the 2’x8’ and the 4’x8’ bundle that they had. My initial thought was to stack them, but if I decided to change my mind, it was not going to be a big deal to split the shelving units. My initial thought was to reduce the distance between the shelves, but after we ordered them my wife found different storage containers that she liked more which made me lower the shelves from the ceiling. I have been extremely impressed with these wall-mounted shelves. But let me break it down so you can make the decision for yourself.
Steel Frame of the Pro Series Steel Wall Mounted Shelving System
The steel frame on this shelving system is no joke. I did not see a gauge in the directions or the description, but I am going to guess the majority of it is 18-gauge Aircraft-Grade steel since the other items in their Pro Series are all made out of the same 18-gauge material. We purchased the 2’x8’ and the 4’x8’ bundle, and the box weighed nearly 135 lbs., which impressed me. The outer frame of the shelf is thick, 2’ or 4’ L-shaped steel perimeter beams. If you purchase an 8’ long shelf, the 8’ front perimeter piece is made up of two 4’ L-beams and a large front perimeter bracket. Lastly, even with the shelving grid install, the perimeter frame provides a 1” lip to prevent stored items from falling from the wall-mounted shelving system.
Versatile Installation Options of the Pro Series Steel Wall Mounted Shelving System
Rather than metal struts that several competitors provided, Pro Series Steel Wall Mounted Shelving has support cables that will allow more versatile installation options. The cables can be installed either on the vertical wall, above the shelf, on another above shelf, or on the ceiling overhead. The cable span can allow shelving heights of 18” to 57” which provide several options depending on what you previously determined to store on the shelving unit.
Nearly Over–Detailed Instruction Manual
Like the normal male, I think instruction manuals are generally a waste of paper. I do not need them because, in my own mind, my general prowess with grown-up puzzles like this one, is far superior to anything that has been developed for the masses in multiple languages. . . My pride aside, for this project, I have to say, for these wall mounted shelves, I ended up using the directions. And for the few times that I veered away from said directions, I ended up having to repent of my mistakes and redo some of the installation steps because I put the cart before the horse.
There was nothing hard, or really wrong when I veered from the directions, but it did set me back a few times. It generally was things like put this carriage bolt in now rather than the next step. Or you should only add half of the bolts rather than all at one given point in time. Once I slowed down and actually took the build in steps, I was really impressed with how thorough the instructions actually were and how versatile the installation guide was based on unique wall and joist situations.
Easier Than Expected Installation for the of the Pro Series Steel Wall Mounted Shelving System
Like the instructions, the installation was also easy and straight forward. I was initially expecting to have to put the shelf together or at least the frame, before installing it on the wall. That is actually not the case. With the way that these wall mounted shelves are manufactured, you can put them together piece by piece up on the wall rather than trying to manhandle the entire shelving system in one go.
You start with the initial mounting brackets, which the instruction manual explains in detail for how to mount them to the wall. Once you have the brackets up, the frame is assembled piecemeal on the wall. Once you have the back and side frames up, you install the cables to suspend the shelf from either the wall or the ceiling. Once that is complete you can add the front portion of the frame and drop in the shelf grid.
Capacity Limits
In general, the capacity limit for the Pro Series Steel Wall Mounted Shelving System is 600 lbs. Come to think about it, nearly all NewAge’s shelving product line has a weight limit of 600 lbs. From what I was able to determine, when reading the instructions for once as I mentioned before, is that there are a few configurations for this shelving system that can hold a total of 900 lbs. The way they were able to accomplish this was by having two 4’ long shelves that were connected together have had a third suspending cable installed in the center, rather than having one that spans 8’ on end. If you are looking at a weight limit like that, I would be concerned about the wall studs or the ceiling joint that is trying to suspend that kind of weight. If you are concerned about the weight limit your garage ceiling can handle, click here to check out our article on the topic.
Pros and Cons Summary
If you have read any number of my articles, you might have determined that I am a bit of a fanboy with this company’s products.
Pros
- Great instruction manual.
- Easy setup and installation.
- Sturdy construction.
- 1” lip around the frame.
- Versatile installation options.
Cons
- Grid installation brackets are not secured to the frame causing the grid the ability to shift a tiny bit.
- Smallest being 2’ shelf depths can cause placement issues.
- The 2’ shelving does not come with an adjustable turnbuckle for the ceiling/wall mounts for the suspension cables to connect to. I went and purchased a few of these separately, I liked the idea of being able to level the shelf and being able to remove unnecessary stress on the wall mounts for the shelf frame.
Should I Buy the Pro Series Steel Wall Mounted Shelving System from NewAge Products?
In comparison to the other options out there, the Pro Series Steel Wall Mounted Shelving System from NewAge Products, I would consider, one of the best options out there for the money.
I have looked at several other options that were out there and with the way the Pro Series Steel Wall Mounted Shelving System from NewAge Products is built, I feel comfortable with the weight capacity the company claims. With some of the other wall mounted shelving that was out there, I would be concerned if they would be able to live up to the claim.
The pressure that some of the other systems could put on a single truss, with the shelves being held up by lags into a single board would scare me. In the instructions that come with the Pro Series Steel Wall Mounted Shelving System, addresses why and explains how to disperse the weight among ceiling joists. It even had a few diagrams in the instruction manual for adding a cross joist by using cross joist hangers so that two trusses could support the weight of the shelf rather than only one.
I ended up having to do this with my ceiling. The way the joists were run, it worked perfect for one of the shelves, but the other I needed to add the cross joist so I could suspend the shelf. Even with this additional work, I am appreciative of the versatility of the Pro Series Steel Wall Mounted Shelving System so that it did not have to be only suspended by the wall.
If you are still on the fence, maybe with a cheaper option, I would suggest spending the extra money. I do my best to make wise decisions with my money and I forgo the top of the line in many cases. With this purchase, I felt no buyer’s remorse.
Conclusion
I cannot express enough on how happy I am with these Pro Series Steel Wall Mounted Shelves. They were versatile in my unique garage hurdles (dodging the attic access, water heater, and the oversized entry and side doors), they look amazing, and they are going to get so much junk out of my way in the garage. The lip around the outer edge of the shelf makes me feel safe for the kids to be nearby, and finally going to get the vehicles back in the garage.
Thanks for reading, and as always, be sure to keep it tuned to The Garage Junkie for all of your garage’s FYI and DIY needs!
