Five genius ways to use PVC pipe in your garage

When it comes to DIY tackle, PVC pipe can do no wrong. The durable, lightweight material comes in various sizes and is as cheap as chips! Best part? With a little imagination, PVC pipe can solve almost all of your garage storage needs.

Power Drills

Power drill storage is unique to your collection of wares. Big, small and in between, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to storing your drills in a functional way. Get them off the bench and neatly tucked away with this handy and personalised storage idea from Bunnings.

D.I.Y. Drill Station - D.I.Y At Bunnings

Fixings and Fastener Trough

Nail fixings and fastener storage with this brilliant idea. Screws, rivets stay organised for big DIY projects and at arms reach for those quick odd jobs and chores.

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Here's how to make a slick fastener trough out of PVC pipe: cut a 2-ft. length of 4-in. PVC pipe lengthwise with a scroll saw, creating a trough that's a little more than half the pipe's diameter. Glue or screw in 1/2-in. thick wood partitions to create compartments for often-used screw and nail sizes. To make it tip-proof, trace the pipe's curve on a couple of scrap 2×4 blocks, power-sand or saw out the curve, and screw the pipe on this scrap block base.

Shelving

The beauty (and beast) of garages, sheds and workshops is that stuff just accumulates. And we mean STUFF! Paints, pencils, string, rope, you name it! Create a home for the line-up of misfits with your PVC piping offcut, some glue and some pine. Different depths of pipe will create spaces for differently sized knick-knacks.

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Here's a great way to use leftover pieces of PVC pipe. Cut them into various shorter lengths and glue them to a 4-in. wide board with construction adhesive. Attach the boards to a shop wall with corner irons ($3 for a four-pack at a home center) bent downward 15 degrees or so. Then fill the pipe pieces with screws, nails, glue, spray paint and, sure, a hot cup of coffee. With the shelves angling a little downward, it's easier to see and grab the contents. Two-inch pieces of 3-in. dia. pipe are great for screws and nails, and 5-in. long pieces of 1-1/2 in. dia. pipe are neat holsters for pencils, files, paint brushes and Popsicle sticks. Thanks a bunch to faithful reader Pat Downey for this slick tip.

Holster

From small tools like screwdrivers to large items such as brooms and rakes, the ideal garage has a space for everything. Give them their personalised home by creating a small strip of tiny holsters above your workstation for the little pieces and attach a row of PVC pipes along garage walls to house lawn tools.

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