He Mounted Rain Gutters Inside His Garage Instead of on the Roof, and Now Both Cars Fit
The garage was crowded with plastic storage bins, ladders, cardboard boxes, and furniture, leaving little room for the family’s two cars. Some belongings had been moved onto the driveway, while tools and supplies still needed a permanent storage space.
Instead of buying expensive garage cabinets, Diana from Anyone Can Decorate and her husband, Jim, built a wall-mounted storage system using lumber, wire shelving, pegboard, and vinyl rain gutters. The gutters, designed to carry rainwater off a roof, became narrow shelves for spray paint, caulk, and other small containers.
The finished wall held everything from hand tools to paint supplies, clearing enough floor space for both cars and allowing their doors to open without obstruction.
A Wooden Frame Covered the Garage Wall
The project began with lumber mounted across the garage wall. After locating the wall studs, horizontal boards were attached to provide a base for the storage system.
Vertical supports divided the frame into sections, leaving room for shelving and hanging tools. The structure extended toward the water heater at the back of the garage.
The frame used 2-by-2 lumber and 3-inch screws driven through the drywall into the wall studs.
Wire Shelves Moved Larger Supplies Off the Floor
Two long rows of wire shelving were mounted near the top of the painted frame. The open-grid shelves held paint cans, tool cases, and larger supplies.
Zip ties secured the wire shelves to their brackets, leaving the wall beneath them available for smaller organizers.
Vinyl Rain Gutters Became Storage for Spray Paint
Short sections of white vinyl rain gutter were mounted beneath the wire shelving.
Their curved channels hold spray paint cans, tubes of caulk, wood filler, and other supplies in rows. The open tops keep labels visible and allow each container to be lifted out without moving the rest.
Diana considered the gutter shelves her favorite part of the project. Their shallow design provided storage without the depth of standard shelves.
Pegboard Held Tools That Didn’t Belong on Shelves
A white pegboard panel occupied another section of the wall. Hooks held brushes, hand tools, and packaged hardware, while black wire baskets provided space for smaller supplies.
The tools remained visible and within reach instead of collecting in drawers or boxes.
The Finished Wall Made Room for Both Cars
Each section holds a different type of supply: pegboard for hand tools, vinyl gutters for spray cans and caulk, and wire shelves for larger containers and coiled hoses.
Ladders were hung near the entrance, while long pieces of wood trim and molding were stored flat on the upper shelves.
With supplies moved off the floor, both cars could fit without blocking access to their doors.
Would you use vinyl rain gutters to store spray paint and garage supplies, or stick with regular shelves?
Project and photographs: Anyone Can Decorate.