# Wood substitutes for garage?



## sunnyday (Nov 6, 2015)

Which wood is best for garage cabins? Im thinking of renovating my garage. The floor has been re plastered, the storage space need to renovated as the old ones had started to wall apart. I have thought of wood substitutes like marine ply and engineered wood. I have heard they are quite costly but lasts long. Are there any better options that are economical. I have contacted a home renovation team in Toronto that deals with garage storage, Space Age closets to get my stuff done. Inviting ideas and suggestions.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Welcome Jim. You should edit your profile when you get a chance to show you are Canadian. This will probably influence some of the suggestions.

Why are the old ones falling apart and what are you storing? Do you need lots of shelves for example? What tools do you have to work with and what kind of experience do you have using them?


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Jim; welcome!
Watch out, Jim, most storage shelving is MDF that's been melamine or otherwise coated.
Everything else being equal, MDF has very little resistance to sagging...ie weight bearing ability is pretty poor. Plywood is much better and solid lumber the stiffest.
Again, 5/8" plywood is sort of OK but 3/4" is far superior for long term weight bearing. Each shelf, assuming they're adjustable, needs a vertical front and back solid wood facing...3/4" x 1 1/4" would be my choice...glued on (flush with the top surface of the plywood).
Assuming it's around 2' x 2' you can stand on that without deflecting it!


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

welcome Jim...
DaninVan has some very sage advice...


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## cynthiamyra (May 17, 2016)

welcome Jim...
Your idea sounds interesting.


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## Shop guy (Nov 22, 2012)

Welcome to the forum, Jim.


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## CM1 (Mar 3, 2016)

Welcome Jim. 

If you go with Marine Grade plywood be sure to let it gas out before enclosing it into a space. Marine grade ply is chemically treated to resist molds and moisture it is not water proof but can be used in damp basements and garages and it lasts a long time. Check with you local building codes as that Canada has different rules and laws when it comes to what can be used in your home. 

You can obtain storage plans online or in books such as Black and Decker's storage solutions. There are tons of plans and designs out there for the finding. I came across a plan out of WOOD Magazine that use 2x4 lumber routered out with a hand held router for the shelf supports and even optional side enclosures for both shelving support with the ability to lock items up behind a door utilizing just plywood , and 2x4s. At the time I had a garage with 12 foot high open ceiling saved me a bunch of money organizing that garage.


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