Maximize your storage space and make it easy to find the things you need with garage organizing systems that provide a place for all your tools and toys.

Do excess tools and toys force you to shimmy and squeeze through your garage? Here are ideas for storage systems to organize your stuff, make it safer to walk through your garage and help you find the things you want faster.

Transform walls into storage systems

Pegboard is a classic go-to for organizing garages. You can configure these perforated panels in endless combinations of pegs, hooks, trays and bins. You can even add adjustable shelves and a flip-up workbench for added versatility.

Metal pegboard, usually made of steel, will hold more weight and last longer than Masonite, which is made of compressed wood fiber and resin. However, metal is pricier. A middle-of-the-road option is acrylic.

A slatwall system offers more sturdiness than pegboard because hooks are less likely to get knocked off. Here, you have choice of materials, too. Metal and cellular foam PVC options will be more rugged than MDF (medium density fiberboard).

Monkey bar systems can be as simple as a single bar with hooks to hold tools and bikes or paired with shelves.

Add cabinets to conceal and secure your goods

Garage cabinetry ranges from basic steel units to custom cabinets that make garages look more like living spaces than storage spaces. The real beauty of a cabinetry system is that it conceals your stuff behind doors and in drawers. If you like a streamlined look or want to securely lock your garage goodies, this is the way to go.

Move it overhead

A garage with high ceilings opens up even more storage opportunities. A motorized ceiling rack moves seldom-used items out of the way quickly. Plus, it eliminates the dangerous task of carrying items up and down a ladder. Choose from platform systems that can hold numerous totes or bikes or a basic lift that holds a single item.

With any storage system, make sure it can handle the weight of everything you need to store before you start to build.

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