Installing Niche Storage Shelving

Making and Installing Storage Shelves

Introduction: 

Your home has hundreds of hiding square feet of potential storage space between the studs in the wall of your home. Installing niche shelving between the studs is quite simple. Just remove a rectangle of drywall to reveal the hollow space between the wall studs, and insert shelving or a cabinet.

The space between the studs is a great place to add shelving for additional storage niches in many of the rooms in your house. You can create kitchen storage shelves, additional garage storage, and add additional closet storage space.

The space between the studs is about 14.5 inches wide. That is enough room to add all sorts of shelving space and small cabinets that will eliminate free standing storage items to free up floor space. Here are some ideas of where you can create additional storage space between the studs in your wall.

Kitchen storage shelves:

• The kitchen pantry can be expanded because space is perfect for canned goods. You also can use a niche for storing spices, hanging utensils, or storing and displaying your cooking pans.

Bathroom storage shelves:

• Install a medicine cabinet between the studs rather than mounting it to the wall. Installing a bathroom medicine cabinet can be done two ways. The medicine cabinet can be mounted directly to the wall or it can be installed between the studs in the wall. You can Mount it on the wall but that is a little unsightly because it projects into the room.

• Install a storage niche in the shower for holding shampoo bottles and soaps.

• A shallow niche beside the toilet holds magazines and toilet paper.

• Near the sink, create a recess for toiletries and personal items.

Bedroom storage shelves:

• Use niche storage for CDs, paperback books, magazines, belts, scarves, and jewelry. You can also create a wall niche for your flat screen television as long as a header provides support where studs are removed.

Family room storage shelves:

• Install niche storage for storing pool cues, balls, and the triangle as well as CDs, wine or liquor, and barware.

Garage storage shelves:

• Installing garage storage shelving for tools, oil cans, and other items you use regularly in the garage.

Installing niche storage shelves and cabinets is an easy DIY task.  Just locate studs, and insure the wall cavity is void of wires, plumbing, or air ducts. Prebuilt storage shelving systems are available in wood or polyurethane units. Most home supply centers carry a variety of these units. They are customized in a range different storage styles to serve as medicine cabinets, a home bar, and as a shower niche at reasonable prices.

Installing niche storage shelving between wall studs will provide all sorts of additional storage space throughout the house. Take advantage of it and free up floor space for more living space. 

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