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5 DIY Garage Cabinets | Modular Shop Storage System

By Sep 22, 2019December 17th, 2022Cabinets & Storage, Plans, Projects, Shop Projects
DIY Garage Cabinets Modular System Plans

Is your garage shop a mess?  Need better storage?  The DIY Garage Cabinets System is what you’ve been looking for.  Mix and match cabinets and drawers to build the storage YOU need.

I’ve been designing and building these garage shop cabinets over the past year.  My old store bought cabinets fell apart on me and I wanted something better.  So I built the new system one piece at time with future expansion in mind.  Today I’m showing you the whole modular system and how it can work for you!

What’s in the DIY Garage Cabinets System?

The system I’ve built includes five different components that can be mixed and matched to make hundreds of combinations.  I made each piece either 15, 30 or 60 inches so you can build in sets of 30″.  Here are the cabinets that I came up with:

  • 30″ Wall Cabinet with 5 Storage Options
  • 30″ Base Cabinet with Doors
  • 15″ 5 Drawer Base Cabinet
  • 60″ Pegboard Hutch
  • 30″ 3 Drawer Base Cabinet

The components could be made separately, but having all 5 really gives you custom options.  And to save you some money I’ve put them all in a bundle.  You save 30% when you buy the DIY Garage Cabinet Bundle.  You’ll also get a few free bonuses including some sample layouts to get your creative juices flowing.

Keep on reading to see the details on some of the individual pieces and I can’t wait to see how you put them to use in your shop!

DIY Garage Cabinets Modular System

Watch this video to see how the whole system is built and works together

Modular DIY Garage Cabinets PlansClick Here For Plans

How are the DIY Garage Cabinets Built?

All the cabinets are a frameless style and put together with pocket hole joinery.  This makes them quick to assemble and very strong.  And all of the base cabinets are 20-1/4″ deep, which makes them a great choice for a garage shop.  

My material of choice for all of these cabinets is ¾” baltic birch.  It’s a premium plywood that has 11 or more plys.  Baltic birch is extremely stable with very few if any voids.

Want to know more about each of the projects in the DIY Garage Cabinet Bundle?  Keep on reading to find out more.

DIY Wall Cabinets with 5 Storage Options

DIY Wall Cabinet

Overiew:

The DIY Wall Cabinets are two 30″ x 30″ wall cabinets.  They are made from two sheets of 3/4″ plywood.  You can make four different door racks and movable cubbies as well.  All you’ll need is a sheet of 1/2″ plywood and a 1/4 sheet of 1/4″ plywood.

These wall cabinets would be a great first build on an open wall.  You could easily store tools against the wall below them.

Features:

For the DIY Wall Cabinets I wanted something more than just a couple full width adjustable shelves.  I made one cabinet to store my finishes and adhesives. I had big cans, small cans, spray cans and tons of other things to store.  So I packed a lot of storage options into this cabinet.

I made the shelves half depth so I could put storage cubbies right on the doors.  Then I would have access to everything all at once when I opened the doors. 

For the other wall cabinet I went for larger storage.  I made adjustable vertical cubbies on the bottom that use removable dividers.  With the removable dividers I could configure the space how I need it and it can change with time.  On the top I did a more traditional full width shelf.  But again I left it half depth so I could put some storage on the doors.

Watch the video below for walk through of the build go to the DIY Wall Cabinets post for written instructions.

Modular DIY Garage Cabinets PlansClick Here For Plans

DIY Garage Base Cabinets

DIY Garage Cabinets Plans

Overview:

Each base cabinet is 30” wide so you can link two together for a 60″ surface.  The two cabinets can be made from two sheets of ¾” plywood and one sheet of ¼” plywood. Add another ¾” sheet for the top or use a solid wood or store bought counter top.

To get the best bang for your buck, run three 30″ cabinets for a total surface of 90″.  This would come in at 90” wide. You could use a single rip of plywood for the top.

It could also turn into a great run of cabinets along a full wall to make an integrated miter station with 90” of support on either side.  And once we add in the cabinets with drawers, things can start getting really customized.

Features:

On one cabinet I added pull out trays as an option.  This is another one of those accessibility options that really makes a big difference. The construction of the trays is very simple.  And it makes accessing everything in the cabinet much easier without having to dig things out.

On the other cabinet I left the sliding trays out to show a more traditional option.  But I did add in door storage.  This is where I put my bottles of glue and I added another rack for spray can storage.

I also made a top for the base cabinets.  It’s a layer of ¾” plywood wrapped with 1-½” hardwood trim and some ¾” blocking underneath to attach to the cabinets.

Watch the video below for walk through of the build go to the DIY Base Cabinets post for written instructions.

Garage Workbench with Storage

DIY Garage Workbench

Overview:

The Garage Workbench is the combination of two 15″ 5 drawer base cabinets and then 60″ pegboard hutch.  It’s 60” wide with the 15” cabinets on either side and a 39” hutch on top.  It’s also 20-1/4″ deep just like the rest of the cabinet bases in this series.

The Garage Workbench can be made from three sheets of ¾” plywood, one sheet of ¼” plywood, one sheet of pegboard and various hardware.

A workbench like this could be a stand alone spot on one wall with cabinets on the other.  Or it could be put in line with other cabinet runs.

Features:  

The Garage Workbench starts with two 15” base cabinets that each have 5 drawers.  The drawers can be sized anyway you’d like.  I went with two small, two medium and one deep drawer.  It’s turned out nicely and gives me a variety of options which you know I love.

Having some open hanging space for easy access to your most used tools is great.  So I decided to recreate the pegboard hutch from my stock cabinets. And adding an integrated 4’ shop light makes this a great spot to sit and do planning work or  delicate tasks.

Watch the video below for walk through of the build go to the DIY Garage Workbench post for written instructions.

DIY 3 Drawer Garage Cabinets

Overview:

Each DIY 3 Drawer Cabinet is 30” wide so you can link two together for a 60″ surface.  This is exactly the same the DIY Base Cabinet set-up.  You could easily mix and match the 3 Drawer Cabinets with the Base Cabinets.  If you link three together for a 90″ surface you could use a single rip of plywood for the top.

Features:

The 3 Drawer Garage Cabinet has big, deep drawers.  They have space for large item storage like boxes or handheld power tools.  When built side by side these drawers would form the base of a work surface.

You could also easily build one 3 Drawer Cabinet and fit it in the well of the DIY Workbench like I did.

Garage Cabinet Sample Layouts

As a special bonus with the DIY Garage Cabinets Bundle I’m also including some sample layouts to get your creative juices flowing.  Having 5 different cabinet options means there are hundreds of configurations you could use, but I’m including my favorite ones.

I include 12 sample layouts in 2-cabinet, 3-cabinet and full wall runs.  Here’s a quick sample of what these look like:

DIY Garage CAbinet Sample Layout

I know these DIY Garage cabinets can help you get your garage shop organized and optimize your space.  And I’m excited to see what you do with them!  Remember you can save 30% by getting the DIY Garage Cabinets Bundle.  If you liked these projects I have more of my other Shop Projects.

Modular DIY Garage Cabinets PlansClick Here For Plans

4 Comments

  • PDDunphy says:

    What is the degree of difficulty of taking the cabinets into the corner.

  • Matt Krupa says:

    Brad,
    I am interested building a similar set up to your new miter saw station in my garage. Are these plans updated with layouts and directions to incorporate a miter saw within the modular system, including how to set up a stop block system and how to get the miter saw table level with the rest of the cabinets/drawers?

    Thanks!
    Matt

  • John GIVEN says:

    What brand is your table saw and dust collector