Home-maintenance expert Darcy Westlind provides tips for quickly putting together a workshop in your garage.
- Prop an old door on some sawhorses to use as a workbench.
- Mount a pegboard on the wall above your workbench to store your tools. First, locate the studs in the wall, then mark every 16 inches where the next stud will be. Mark the edges where the pegboard will go, using a level if necessary. Drill the peg board into the studs. Put four screws in every stud. Be sure to wear safety glasses. Use a couple of washers on the back of the pegboard to space it from the wall. Doing so will leave enough space for the pegs to pop through. Strategically place pegs according to the type of tools you'll be hanging. Trace around the tools on the pegboard with a marker so you'll know what where each goes.
- Use old jars for holding nails, screws, nuts and bolts. Hang them from the pegboard.
- Rags have a way of accumulating in the work area. Make a storage place for them by cutting off the top of a two-liter bottle and mounting the bottle on the pegboard.
- If some of your tools are too small for proper peg mounting, simply glue on a magnetic strip and attach the tools that way.
- Use a small tackle box or caddy system for transporting items such as screws, nails, bolts as you move around the shop.
