When building, renovating, or buying a home, you probably go through the house to make sure you have enough storage space to fit your needs, but one place that you might overlook is the garage. When you’re planning to redo your garage storage, you might wonder: “can you use kitchen cabinets in the garage?”
Whether you have leftover kitchen cabinets or bought affordable new cabinets, you can install kitchen cabinets in your garage and get instant extra storage space. However, heavy-duty garage cabinets exist for a reason, and kitchen cabinets come with a few drawbacks that make them not a perfect fit in your garage.
Kitchen Cabinets Are Not for Storing Heavy Objects
The biggest issue when installing storage cabinets for your garage is figuring out what material will work best. With a wide selection of cabinets, getting the right cabinets will depend on what you want to store in them and how much activity your garage gets.
Most things in your garage are probably heavier than regular household items like dishes and clothes, so you’ll want to ensure the storage cabinets you choose can hold all your paint cans, car parts, power tools, potting soil, etc. Storing heavier items means you need thicker shelves, which most kitchen cabinets don’t have.
Wooden Kitchen Cabinets Won’t Withstand Garage Humidity
Wooden kitchen cabinets can give your garage a classy, rustic look. If you want to bring your home’s interior design out into the garage, kitchen cabinets can do that. However, wood is susceptible to moisture damage and rot due to the extremes in temperature within your garage. Even if your cabinets don’t endure extreme weather conditions, the humidity in your garage can cause severe damage in the long run.
If your garage is unfinished and unheated, skip the wooden kitchen cabinets.
Aluminum Garage Cabinets Are a Better Choice
Custom cabinets for your garage come in different types and sizes:
Plastic garage cabinets are waterproof and lightweight but not as durable as metal cabinets. Plastic cabinets can be a good choice for storing lighter tools and gardening.
Aluminum and stainless steel garage cabinets are the best options for a busy workshop overall. These cabinets are durable enough to last and strong enough to hold all your tools and gadgets. Aluminum shelves also maintain their shape regardless of weather changes in your garage.
Kitchen Cabinets Can Work in Your Garage
Even though not every kitchen cabinet is right for use in the garage, they can still be the right choice for you as long as you don’t place them in an area exposed to rain or snow. Because the shelf height in kitchen cabinets is customizable, you can quickly move them up or down to fit some of the more oversized items in your garage.
You can also take your vision further by adding accessories to your quality cabinets that give you a more practical workspace, like adding extra lighting under the cabinets or making openings for power tool cords. You can even add simple countertops to create a practical workshop.
The addition of kitchen cabinets can also be less expensive than garage storage cabinets. You can reuse your old cabinets if you’ve undergone a kitchen remodel or find a used set of cabinets online for a fraction of the cost of a new kitchen cabinet.
Kitchen or Garage Cabinets Buying Guide
Whether you choose customizable, affordable kitchen cabinets or heavy-duty metal garage cabinets, keep these factors in mind when selecting your cabinets:
- Beware of missing parts – Make sure your unit is a box cabinet with backboards instead of an organizer meant for closets.
- Look for the guarantee – Pay attention to the warranty from the manufacturer and the installer. Go for extended warranties, a sign that your cabinets will last.
- Don’t make assumptions – Make sure the cabinets you choose can withstand the temperature changes in your garage and the weight of your heavy objects.
- See them before you buy – No matter how good a product description or a picture looks, you always want to ensure you see your cabinets in person.
Make the Most Out of the Extra Space in Your Garage When You Call Us Today!
Working with the right garage cabinet company is the key to having quality storage in your garage. Our experts at Epoxy Power By BMI will help you choose suitable cabinets for your needs. If you’re in the greater Los Angeles area, we can help. Call us at (818) 835-8000 to schedule your free quote and learn your options for using kitchen cabinets in the garage.
