Love it! Thanks for the tip!

xo,
s

Nope, no problem with ours. I wonder if you got a defective version or something? Good luck!

xo,
s

Hey Brandi,

Although we don’t know if the recycling center actually recycles our paint cans, we do know that they can’t be pitched with the regular trash (it’s super hard on Mother Nature, so we properly dispose of them at our local recycling center which has a designated spot for them). You might want to call your local trash company or recycling yard and ask them where you can take ‘em (they’d be happy to help since they hate for them to go into landfills). As for where we store our cans and cans of paint, we actually keep it all in the garage (in their original cans). But John has his eye on some empty silver quart-sized paint cans at Home Depot (sold in the paint aisle) which he’d like to use to do what you’re talking about (store touch up paint without losing valuable garage space).

When it comes to the labels, you’re right not to part with those (if they discontinue your paint they’re the only way the paint people can recreate it for you). So printing or hand labeling each can with that info is a great idea- maybe you can drop by Staples or Office Depot for some nice uniform self-stick labels. Your garage will look gorgeous! Send us pics!

xo,
Sherry

Brandi

We have a couple of those same shelves at our place – one in the garage, one in the storage room. As well, with only a single car garage, we have to be super organized so I snagged a 2 door cabinet that my boss was giving away which holds paint, rags, car cleaners, etc. The bf bought some plywood sheets and some “L” brackets and made some shelves on the cheap-o, which hold Rubbermaid totes filled and labelled with: sports equipment, biking gear, camping supplies, etc. He also used a couple extra “L” brackets to hang odd items like extention cords, step ladders, foldable lawn chairs.

As well, we have a narrow shelf built in on the one side of the garage. Plus Cory’s work bench holds all his tools.

***side note: for his b-day I am surprising him with one of those tall rolling toolboxes so he can get rid of the collection of crappy (broken) plastic ones he’s emasssed.

I must also note that we still are unable to park my vehicle in the garage though, as I have a couple projects on the go and like to work dead-center in the garage so I can walk around and paint lol.

Thanks for all the encouragement and further storage solution ideas. I can’t wait to tackle this some more next weekend.

Kristy, Emily and Erin – I’ve been seriously considering a pegboard. And Kelly, I was drooling over the Rubbermaid FastTrack system moments before settling on that plastic shelf on Saturday. I’ll admit that I’m grappling with the fact that our garage has metal walls, not wood or drywall sides, so I’m not sure if I have the right tools to screw something into that material. But now at least I’ve got the motivation to figure it out!

ErinEvelyn, you’d never guess it but Sherry and I don’t actually own that many tools. Well, big tools, at least. We keep virtually everything we do own in our kitchen cabinets for easy access. But all this extra garage space may inspire me to buy some obnoxiously large table saw or something.

And Erin, we’ll gladly come to Alaska again (we honeymooned in Anchorage). Your treat? :)

We’ll keep you all posted on further progress, and do let us know how all of your garage clean-up progrects go as well.

-John

Been reading your blog for about a week and was inspired yesterday to go home from work and tackle a room which was full of items which were storing or had just been left there for want of anywhere better to put them. We threw away 3 bags of paper recycling and a whole bag of rubbish as well as 2 bags of items to be freecycled. Amazing what we had kept thinking we might need.