Sliding Wall-O-Tools

Sliding Wall-O-Tools

I built this 8-ft.-long shelf system to take advantage of the narrow space in the corner of my garage. When the unit is “closed,” I’ve got ready access to the tools hanging on both doors. By sliding one or both doors, I can get to every inch of shelf space behind them. I got everything I needed to build this unit at the home center for about $175.

The key was to mount the pegboard doors at least 5 in. apart, so I could load the back door with tools and still have it pass behind the front door. I bought two sliding-door hardware kits so each door could slide on its own track. Each kit contains a single length of track designed to hold both doors, two pairs of door hangers and a tracking guide designed to keep both doors in line at the floor. 

How I Built It

I installed the shelves first, leaving enough room underneath to store my lawn mower and other garage essentials (photo at left). All three shelves came from a single sheet of plywood. The upper shelves are 11 in. wide and the bottom one is 20 in. I used 11-in. double-mount brackets for the upper shelves and 14-in. double-mount brackets with support arms for the wide bottom shelf.

I mounted the sliding-door tracks on a 2×10 header that I anchored directly above the wide shelf with lengths of slotted angle extending from both the ceiling and wall (upper right photo). 

To make the sliding doors, I cut a single sheet of pegboard in half and framed both pieces with 1×2 stock (each door has four vertical stiles for rigidity). I suspended each door from four hangers (center right photo) and fastened the tracking guides, one per door, on the wide plywood shelf (lower right photo). After installing the doors, I blocked the open end of the tracks with a stop.

The doors hang from widely spaced tracks mounted on a 2×10 header. Lengths of slotted angle hold the header securely in place.

The doors glide smoothly on roller-equipped hangers. Each track has two grooves, so you can easily change the spacing between the doors and shelves, if necessary.

Each door has its own tracking guide. My system uses two sliding-door hardware kits. Each kit contains one guide designed for two doors. I customized them with a hacksaw.