Ideas & Advice
When it comes to organizing your garage, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, especially if you’re storing bulky gear like kayaks, bikes, and seasonal equipment. Whether you’re short on space or just need to create a more efficient system, having the right setup can make a big difference. In this blog, we’ll share creative ideas and expert advice on how to maximize your garage space, from wall-mounted storage solutions to ceiling racks and freestanding units. Plus, we’ll provide guides for safely storing larger gear like kayaks and bikes. Let’s get your garage in top shape!
Wilder Family: Garage Makeover
The Wilder family, with their busy schedules and a house full of kids, needed a solution to keep their garage under control. Their space was packed with everything from sports equipment to seasonal items, making it difficult to stay organized.
Snow Family: Before & After
We helped the Snow family transform their cluttered garage into a functional space that supports their busy lifestyle. With a few smart upgrades, their garage became a game-changer for their daily routines.
Ideas + Advice
Guide to Kayak Storage: Keeping Your Boats Organized Year-Round
Find the perfect kayak storage for your space with this comprehensive guide, covering indoor and outdoor storage: freestanding, wall-mounted, ceiling-mounted, and more.
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Must-Have Tool Storage For Your Workshop
Nothing inspires productivity in the workshop like a clean workspace. When you have a stress-free, organized environment, you can focus more on your projects and less on clutter. The right tool storage solutions can help you optimize your shop, instead of searching for each and every tool you need in messy piles or drawers. Find the workshop storage that helps you get the job done, from hand tools to power tools to ladders and more.
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Purchase Guide and Installation Tips for Essential and Elite Ceiling Hoists
View Product: Essential Ceiling Hoist View Product: Elite Ceiling Hoist Download Instructions - Essential Ceiling Hoist Download Instructions - Elite Ceiling Hoist What is the Difference Between the Essential and the Elite? How Close Can I Get My Item to the Ceiling? How Much Weight Does It Support? Is it Easy to Hoist that Weight? Where Can I Install the Hoist? Other Considerations More Install Tips Support Planning Guide & Tips What is the Difference Between the Essential and the Elite? Although the Essential and Elite hoists share similar basic features, the Elite includes a third ceiling mount: the separate Brake Pulley. This feature makes it easier to operate and control the Elite hoist, especially for hoisting wide items such as cargo boxes.Note: Parts between the systems are not interchangeable, and the Essential cannot be upgraded to the Elite at a later time. How Close Can I Get My Item to the Ceiling? For both our Elite Hoist and the Essential Hoist: Distance from Ceiling: When either hoist is raised to the highest point, the top of the hoisted item will be approximately 4" below your ceiling. Expert Tips: If the hoisted item is especially wide or heavy, you may not be able to lift it to the maximum height. Clearing Garage Doors: Measure the distance between the top of your raised garage door and the ceiling. Then, determine how much space you need by adding 4" to the height of the item. Items that are especially wide may require an extra inch or two. For example: You want to store a kayak with a height of 14". This item would require at least 18" of space. How Much Weight Does the Hoist Support? Is it Easy to Hoist that Weight? For both our Elite Hoist and the Essential Hoist: Maximum Weight Supported: 150 pounds. Mechanical Advantage: These hoists have a 2:1 mechanical advantage. For example, lifting 20 lbs will feel like lifting 10 lbs. If you are lifting 150 lbs, it will feel like you are lifting 75 lbs, which may be challenging for some users. Expert Tips: The amount of weight you can comfortably lift or lower may be much less than the weight maximum of the hoist. For most customers, the ideal object weight is 70 lbs or lower. What to Know About Your Ceiling and Space for Installation & Use Indoor Use Only: These products are manufactured for use indoors, in locations such as garages or basements. Mounted to Ceiling Joists: Both the Essential and the Elite hoists must be installed to wood ceiling joists, also known as rafters. These are the same as wood wall studs, but on your ceiling. If your ceiling joists are exposed, you can easily identify where to mount your hoist. If the joists are covered with drywall and not visible, you will need to locate them using a stud finder. Direction of Your Joists: Joists can run in two different directions: parallel and perpendicular. Both the Essential and the Elite hoists work with either configuration. For the Essential Hoist: NOTE – as shown above for the Essential Hoist: If parallel is preferred, you will mount the Essential’s two ceiling plates on one joist.If perpendicular is preferred, you will mount the Essential’s two ceiling plates on two different joists. For the Elite Hoist: NOTE – as shown above for the Elite Hoist: If parallel is preferred, you will mount the Elite's three ceiling plates on one joist.If perpendicular is preferred, you will mount the Elite's three ceiling plates on three different joists. Expert Tips: Choose an install location where the hoist and item do not obstruct your garage door, car, attic access, etc. Also be careful of anything that could get in the way of the rope and its raising or lowering. Important difference for the Elite: The Elite’s rope connects in a straight line between all three ceiling plates, so there must be a clear path between them. Both hoists raise and lower an object in a straight line. Ensure there is a clear area on the ground, directly below where you want to mount the hoist. If you are planning to lower the hoisted item onto the top of your vehicle, make certain there is a clear path from the ceiling to your car’s rooftop Placement of the hoist’s Brake Pulley plate and the rope organizer (wall cleat):For the Elite: The Elite’s separate Brake Pulley plate makes controlling and operating the hoist simple. For the best use of this key feature, prior to mounting the Elite, think about where the rope comes out of the system. That position is where you will stand to lift and lower the item. You will also need to set up the wall cleat near this location.For the Essential: Consider where the rope comes out of the system. Prior to mounting the hoist, look at where you would stand to lift and lower an item using the Essential Hoist. You will also need to set up the wall cleat near this location. Expert Tips: The wall cleat is used to organize excess rope. It should be mounted on the wall near where the rope comes out of the Brake Pulley Plate. Choose this location prior to installation, as it determines the direction you will mount the ceiling plates. Other Considerations Rope Length:Essential Hoist: You can choose a rope that is 50 feet long or 75 feet long. Choose the 75 feet long for: ceilings that are over 10 feet tall; and/or objects that are over 15 feet long Choose the 50 feet rope for shorter ceilings and objects, so you won’t have excess rope. Elite Hoist: The Elite has a 75 foot long rope. This length is required to work properly with the three ceiling plates. It also allows for use with high ceilings and hoisting wider or longer items. Other Types of Spaces: It is possible to install the Essential or Elite hoist on some slanted or sloped ceiling joists. Both the Elite and Essential hoists are made for installation on wood ceiling joists and ship with hardware for such installation. More Pro Install Tips Setting Up the Rope: In our install videos, we show how to set up the rope with the starting rope knot on the left side. If you are starting your rope from the right side, this is what it looks it for each system: Essential: Elite: Support Support If you still have questions about setting up your hoist or need support after installing either the Essential or Elite ceiling hoist, we are happy to help. Please contact us at: info@storeyourboard.com.
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Mounting Storage Racks to Concrete, Cinderblock, or Brick
Most of our racks can be mounted to a concrete, cinderblock, or brick walls. We ship products with standard mounting hardware meant for wood wall studs, so you will need to purchase additional concrete/masonry anchors to set it up on a different types of wall. You can find the necessary concrete or masonry anchors (such as TapCons) anywhere you shop for hardware, in-store or online. Before use, make certain the anchors are rated to hold the maximum weight the rack will be supporting. If this is the first time you have installed something onto a concrete or brick wall, you may want to consult with someone who has experience, or check out some video tutorials. That will give you a better idea of what is involved, as it can require a bit more work and clean-up than mounting to a wall with wood studs.
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Organization Ideas for Small Garages
When you have a small garage, even a little bit of clutter can take over the space and make it difficult to navigate. After our organizational intervention, you'll get your space back and finally have room to park your car inside.
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Will Kayak Lift Assists Work For My Car?
Kayaks can be difficult to get onto your car rooftop by yourself. Lift assists make this easier, so you can secure your gear and get out on the water. StoreYourBoard has the tools to help you prepare your kayaks for travel as easily as possible. This blog post has everything you need to know about choosing your kayak lift assist.
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Condo and Home Owners' Associations: What You Need to Know
Since StoreYourBoard's dock and outdoor racks work so well for storing boards and watercraft, they are a sought-after option by many condo and homeowners' associations. Our storage solutions give residents options for waterside, garage, and outdoor storage for their boards and watercraft. If you are working with your condo association or HOA to find an option that will work for your community, here are some considerations: Basics to Check Out for Space & Usage Planning We have installation videos and installation guides available on our listings. You can find these under the "Videos" and "Helpful Documents" tabs. For some systems, we also include additional specification documents that you can find under "Helpful Documents." Additionally, the dimensions for each system are on its listing and will show you the footprint of the product: height, width, depth, maximum weight load, and more. How Many Boards/Boats Can Be Stored? In most cases, multi-level system are adjustable to accommodate boards and boats of different sizes. However, it is important to note that the number of boards or boats that can put on one rack will be subject to some variables, such as the maximum weight for each level. The maximum weight specifications will be noted on the listing. Weight loads are especially important to note when there are multiple users of the rack. You want to avoid placing too many boards on one level, as that may overload the rack. For adjustable systems where rack arms can be set various levels, the capacity will also depend on how tall and deep the boards and/or boats are. SUPs and surfboards won't take up as much room, but some kayaks will need more space on the rack. Take a look at the boards and boats the users are seeking to store to find the best fit for you and your condo association or HOA. Know Your Location for Suitable Options If you share property on a freshwater lake, you will have many options for outdoor storage that can work in that climate. If your association is on or near salt water (where there is salt in the air), then you will want to narrow your search to products that can withstand that climate. Saltwater environments can quickly rust or corrode materials not suited for outdoor use in those areas. Our options for dock and outdoor racks are sorted by whether they work for freshwater and/or saltwater environments, and this will be noted on our listings for each as well. Special Circumstances Does the area or space where you wish to place the rack for your association have challenges? If it is paved, sloped, or has any other potentially problematic characteristics, we recommend consulting with a contractor or other professional to determine if a rack system we offer can work for your space and needs. Necessary information can be found in videos, installation guides, and dimensional specifications provided on our listings.
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Will a Dock Rack Work for Your Dock?
StoreYourBoard carries several rack options for storing kayaks, SUPs, and other boards and watercraft on a dock. This post will go over all the different styles so you can make the best choice for you, your gear, and your dock.
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How Fast Can I Drive with a Board or Boat Rack on My Rooftop?
StoreYourBoard sells two kind of roof racks: hard racks and soft strapping systems. Both of these styles can be used to transport your gear on the freeway or highway, but there are some factors to consider before you hit the road.
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