The garage is one of those spaces homeowners tend to forget about. They focus on making the inside of their home look great, and it doesn’t matter if their garage is a mess. Of course, that changes as soon as they need to find something in their garage.

Keeping your garage organized can save you countless hours trying to find the necessary things. All it takes is to set aside some initial time and to get the right tools for the job.

Slat wall storage is one of the most influential and easy ways to organize your garage. If you want to make the best use of your slat wall, try these ideas.

1. Install Smaller Organizers

With traditional slat wall storage, people think of individual hooks for each item on the wall. What do you do with smaller items like screws and bolts?

On your slat wall, hang an organizer designed for smaller pieces. You could even take an organizer you already have and attach brackets so it hangs on your slat wall.

This lets you keep all your storage in one area while keeping everything organized and easy to find.

2. Set Up the Shelves You Need

One use for slat walls that is underrated is how easy it is to use them to install shelves.

Some items you want to store work best with shelves. This could include storage tubs, bags, and other large items.

A slat wall makes it easy to install shelves the exact way you need them. You can install as many shelves as you want with the exact amount of height between them that you need.

As time goes on and your storage needs change, it’s easy to move those shelves. The initial installation is also far easier than installing standard shelves in the wall.

If you buy pre-made shelves for your slat wall, be careful to check the weight limits on them. You don’t want to damage your wall in the process.

3. Build an Athletic Area

Athletic equipment is a common type of item that tends to take up space in people’s garages. The awkward shapes and sizes make it hard to store in traditional ways.

Instead of picking a corner and tossing it all in a pile, use a slat wall to organize it all.

On your slat wall, you can install all the different types of storage you need to keep your equipment in order. Use a hanging bag for ball storage. Add a rack where you can store baseball bats.

You can even use your slat wall to store bicycles. Remember that they take up less wall space if you store them vertically instead of horizontally.

4. Install a Wall Garden

Storing your tools and equipment is all well and good. What if you want to bring some life into your garage, though?

A slat wall is a perfect place to create your indoor garden.

Depending on the type of plants you want to raise, you can add brackets to potted plants so they sit on your slat wall. Another option is to install one larger planter box instead of many pots.

Keep in mind that this works better in some garages than others. A window in your garage will allow you to grow a more extensive variety of plants.

5. Become a Label Lover

Labels are one of the keys to great organizing, and that’s as true in your garage as in your house.

As you organize items in your slat wall, have a designated place for everything and label it.

This serves two purposes. First, it makes it easy to put everything back in its home when you’re done with it. Everything stays organized in the same way so it’s easy to find what you need.

Second, the labels are useful when you have helpers on your projects.

Perhaps you have a building project, and a friend is giving you a hand. You ask them to hand you a particular tool, but they don’t know it. Your labels will help them find it every time.

6. Define Sections by Color

If you’re like most homeowners, you store many different types of items in your garage. Organizing doesn’t just mean putting everything in tidy containers. It means everything is easy to find, too.

If you want to keep your different types of storage organized, try using a color code.

For example, have a green section where you store your gardening supplies. Put all the sports equipment in a yellow section. Your tools and repair equipment can go in a black section, and you can put seasonal decorations in an orange section.

If you have kids, you can also set up an off-limits area with your color code. Make it the red section, the same color as a stop sign so kids know to stay away. Place it out of their reach and keep all your chemicals and other dangerous, non-kid-friendly items here.

You can do this in two ways: with paint or tape. Paint may look more “finished,” but the tape is more accessible to move if your storage changes later.

7. Light the Path to Your Storage

As we mentioned, part of the purpose of organizing your storage is so you can find things with ease. This is why some homeowners choose to install lights around their storage areas.

If your garage isn’t well-lit, you may have difficulty reading labels and finding necessary items.

For flexibility, you can buy stick-on lights that run on batteries. You can place these anywhere you want. As a bonus, these lights will work during a power outage so you can find emergency supplies.

If you want a more permanent, attractive solution, try spotlights. You can install these small, localized lights on the ceiling so they shine enough light for you to find what you need.

8. Create a Hidden Workspace

Your garage doesn’t have to be for storage alone. You can create the perfect space to enjoy all your hobbies too.

Use brackets with hinges in your slate wall to install a fold-away table. A simple wooden board will work, and you can add fold-out legs to the other side of it to add stability. Think of it as the table equivalent of a Murphy bed.

Your fold-out workstation is the perfect place for repairs, building projects, craft projects, and more. It’s also a great place to help kids with messy activities you don’t want to do in the house, like tie-dyeing.

When you’re done, you can pack everything up and fold the table against the wall. The workstation doesn’t take up space when you don’t need it.

9. Design a Garage Mudroom

A mudroom is a small space a homeowner creates in their entryways. It’s a place where everyone can place their shoes and coats as they come into the house. There’s no better way to keep outdoor dirt from invading the home.

If you don’t have space for a mudroom in your home, a slat wall is a perfect way to create one in your garage.

Install a slat wall next to the door from your garage to your home—place hooks on it for coats, hats, scarves, and other outerwear.

Below the hooks, add a place for everyone to place their shoes. You can even place a bench there, a comfortable place for everyone to put on and take off their shoes.

This is a great way to keep your home clean, especially if your family tends to enter your house through the garage.

10. Organize by Magnetizing

Magnets are among the most underestimated tools when it comes to organizing. You can take advantage of them with your slat wall.

Install a simple magnet strip on one slat of your slat wall. Many of these come with adhesives on the back to stick them anywhere. For flexibility, stick the magnet strip to a bracketed strip to move it around your slat wall.

That magnet strip is an ideal place for any of your small metal items. This includes wrenches, knives, and more.

Keep in mind that some magnets are stronger than others. Ensure you get a magnet that can hold the weight of the items you want to store.

Making the Most of Your Slat Wall Storage

Slat walls have long been famous for organizing garages and other large spaces. Looking at the tips above it isn’t hard to see why. A slat wall offers you far-reaching flexibility in what you store and how you store it.

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