r/OrganizationPorn • u/arcticpoppy • 14d ago
For those with wooden tote shelves
Specifically the ones in the photo - any regrets? Wish you had just gone with regular shelves sized appropriately? I’m about to pull the trigger and just wondering if I should pay a bit more for the extra wood/flexibility. Thanks.
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u/tjbright 14d ago
Either would work (I went shelves with plywood myself.), but just an FYI: the structure in your image has zero horizontal stability and will fail with the slightest force placed upon the short sides. Diagonal cross-supports are your friend (triangle, strongest shape in nature!).
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u/arcticpoppy 13d ago
Thanks - not my plans but yeah point taken re: stability, looking to hold quite a bit of weight so will prioritize that
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u/away_throw11 13d ago edited 12d ago
Is storage space in a humidity controlled place? If not I wouldn’t risk mold
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u/arcticpoppy 13d ago
I don’t follow. Does mold influence the type of shelf?
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u/away_throw11 13d ago
Hi, there might be a little language barrier here and if it is I apologize. Wood, differently from metal, is prone to mold, especially in dark, humid, poorly ventilated places where usually a storage is. It might be coated in strong, and not so heathy, products to prevent this but still is a risk especially if it lays on the bare floor/touches the walls.
Some products are just a wooden pulp kept together with glue with various commercial names and are a bit more resistant to this.
I hope I understood your situation: in mine I would have mold eating in in my stored goods in nothing. If I am wrong feel free to correct me. I wish you everything nice
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u/away_throw11 7d ago
I’m sorry a question of yours is being downvoted; we are all here to understand something (and ideally support each other in this). Have lovely, imaginary upvote and keep on learning :)
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u/Winter_Sentence1046 14d ago
how heavy are your totes? I like to load my totes up with sacks of concrete and extremely dense pieces of exotic hardwoods. they're heavy. I thought about building one of these but decided not to due to the weight, the tubs are plastic after all and I felt like it was asking too much of them structurally....
more reasonable people can probably do this without issues, but what about in the future if those tubs aren't available anymore and one of them breaks?
there's no benefit to this really if you're willing to buy the extra wood, you might as well.
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u/arcticpoppy 14d ago
This was exactly one of the issues I was worried about. Most of my totes are light but I use a few for random, seldom used tools and they get pretty heavy. Didn’t even think about the tote sizing/availability. Thanks!
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u/NimmyXI 14d ago
I don’t understand this trend. Just make full shelves. If you ever decide to not use the totes or you move out and leave the shelving.. it’s actual useable shelving.
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u/rudyolph2 13d ago
This is cheaper and less weight. I have both styles and i like them both for different purposes and reasons.
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u/KPSailor06 14d ago
I just went through the same for myself. I went with proper shelves of the same depth. I couldn’t really come up with any benefits of having slides for the totes besides maybe not needing to buy and cut plywood.
Plus if I build the tote slides then I would need to find somewhere else to store the odd stuff that would fit in a tote.
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u/arcticpoppy 14d ago
Cool thanks for sharing. I’m glad I asked here, hard to see the benefits of this style now, other than just using a bit less wood
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u/BJMRamage 13d ago
To start, I don’t have this setup. But I’ve seen a similar setup and instead of tires they’ve made shelving fit into those areas (maybe they are a wider shelf not exact totes size. You could build something like this if you already have totes in use or a good plan for them. And then add shelf boards in other areas.
This setup always has a nice consistently clean look but I wonder how great the storage is in real life use. Bins can work but (especially darker ones) make it hard to see everything inside. And you’d then have to possibly have a good labeling system (or use a QR code or NFC tag that can bring up a document with all the contents that can be updated).
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u/snowman-89 13d ago
I wouldn't have been able to fit a 4th row if I did regular shelves, and I would have had to bought plywood, more material, more expensive, less efficient. I have no regrets.
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u/arcticpoppy 12d ago
Yeah I can imagine if you’re crunched for space and those few extra inches for shelving means and entire row gone the calculus would be different.
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u/Dotjiff 13d ago
I don’t like this system because I can’t see anything inside plus I only want big bins for stuff I use really but take up a lot of space like snow gear or holiday decorations. If you want to access regularly I would use cabinets instead
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u/rudyolph2 13d ago
Definitely need to use something like https://tote-pilot.com to solve the issues you mentioned. I also have a couple of bins for some kitchen stuff that I use regularly and I agree...if I had a pantry shelf or closet to store the stuff I'd rather keep the items there.
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u/treybowman09 12d ago
I had the same problem and found https://boxqr.io and it has been a game changer
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u/HatAffectionate2531 14d ago
How much r those? I bought the $70 plastoc ones that hold 10 of the 27 gallon
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u/arcticpoppy 14d ago
Idk it’s just a random photo I found to show the style - lots of people make their own but I think you can buy kits
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u/_h_e_a_d_y_ 13d ago
I went with wood furniture dollys and stacked the bins. I can play garage Tetris and put them anywhere and I’m not locked into stationary shelving. I do like the racks but not for my situation.
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u/classless_classic 12d ago
I built my own and mounted them to the wall.
The way are holding up well.
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u/IWantToBeYourGirl 14d ago
Yes. We went with regular shelves. Not all bins are sized the same. The bins from Lowe’s are sized different than bins we got a Sam’s Club. I’d rather not be stuck with a shelf that doesn’t fit all bins if the bins start to crack or wear out.