Jun 07, 2015 - Organizing the Tool Shed

I originally built my tool shed back in 1990, then moved it to a new location behind our new house in 2005. I installed a new roof and repainted the outside, but the inside hadn't changed much in the last 25 years. In recent years it had become really cluttered so I figured it would be a good time to clean it out and fix up the inside.

Electrical

When I originally built the shed, I had wired in a couple of outlets and sockets for some bare bulbs. Crude, but it was just a shed. When I moved it behind our new house, I installed a new subpanel in the shed, and installed new outlets and a couple of cheap fluorescent lights. They worked, but in cold weather they took a very long time to reach full brightness. So, I decided to rip out all the old wiring and install new outlets. I also installed a nice pair of LED ceiling lights. They are low profile, use very little energy, and come on instantly.

Interior Finish

I have been storing a stack of tongue and groove pine boards we had leftover from our house for the last ten years. I didn't have enough to cover the entire shed, but figured I would put them to good use and install them on the ceiling of the shed.

I initially thought I would cover the walls with sheetrock, but opted for OSB plywood instead. It was cheaper and I figured it would hold up better to tools and equipment running into the walls. It also meant I wouldn't have to tape and mud all those seams.

New Shelves

I had several old 2x10's and 2x6's in the shed I had used for concrete forms in the past. I have reused them a few times over the years, but now they were just taking up space. So, I scraped and sanded all the concrete bits off the boards. Then I ran then through my planer and glued them into shelves. I rounded over the front edges with my router, then applied a couple quick coats of shellac that I needed to use up. I supported the ends with simple ledger boards, then drilled pocket holes to prevent the middle of the shelves from sagging. The video only shows two shelves, but I did install a third shelf a few weeks later.