REVIEW – I live in a suburban neighborhood where most houses have single-car garages. On the rare occasions when the doors are open, and I can see inside, it’s usually surprising (and sometimes comically entertaining) why my neighbors aren’t able to keep their cars inside. Fleximount’s Super-strong, high-capacity shelves definitely help tame that “Clutter Beast” that’s hoarding your space!
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $279.99 for 3’ x 8’, $299.99 for 4’ x 8’
Where to buy: Amazon, Fleximount
What is it?
The Fleximount GR38B-2T Garage Overhead Storage Rack is a sturdy, metal, customizable set of shelves that attaches to roof trusses and provides two shelves of large-capacity storage for items weighing up to 1000 pounds.
What’s included?
- Eight wire grid shelves (my kit was 38″ x 24”, but 48” x 24” are also available)
- My kit’s footprint is 38″ x 96″ x 2 shelves!
- Six ceiling brackets
- Eight “L” posts (corner vertical brackets)
- Two center vertical brackets
- Eight corner vertical post connectors
- Four diagonal bracing bars
- Eight corner vertical post shelf connecting brackets
- Four center vertical post shelf connecting brackets
- Two wall connection brackets
- Nuts, bolts, lag bolts, expansion anchors, and washers
- Hex key and nut driver tool
- Installation guide
Tech specs
- Model: GR38B-2T
- Concrete or wood joist compatible
- ≤24 or 36″ joist spacing
- For optimal parking clearance, double-tier shelves are not recommended for garage heights less than 10′.
- Supports up to 500 pounds per shelf, up to 1000 pounds total (load tested to 2000 lbs)
- Reinforced diagonal support bars
- Slot-in crossbar shelf brackets
- Multiple sizes, single and double shelf configurations available
- Attaches to the wall for stability
Design and features
When I bought my house, it didn’t have a garage. I have extreme sun sensitivity, so it wasn’t long before plans to build one started, with a firm resolution that it wouldn’t fill with clutter, and the cars would have a place to sleep at night.
I like to think I’m a relatively organized person, partially because my memory stinks. If I can’t see it, I probably can’t find it. To complicate matters, I’m a weekend warrior and have a garage full of tools and parts, oftentimes looking for places to store stuff.
My garage floor is kept clean and washed about once a month (especially in the winter – I live in the rust belt), plus, I have a quirky “phobia” that unless an object has feet or wheels, it should not be on the floor. Currently resting on the garage floor are two cars, two floor jacks, garbage and recycling bins, a wheeled generator, and a carpet to catch some of the dirt. Everything else is off the floor, mounted to the walls, or hanging from the ceiling. When I want to purge the floor of road grime, I can clear the floor in minutes. Trust me, it’s glorious.
I’ve tried several floor-standing shelves that never left me feeling satisfied. They decreased the floor space, separated from the walls, never looked “polished,” and were never big enough to store full-sized totes. When Fleximount’s ceiling-mounted shelves became available for review, they looked like the perfect solution.
These are not those namby-pamby plastic or lightweight metal shelves. These things are remarkably sturdy! Frankly, I was shocked by the weight when the two boxes arrived.
As soon as my brain was able to wrap itself around how big these shelves are, I realized it was going to take some effort to prepare. I wanted them above a window in the back of the garage, so I needed to clear out and remove existing shelves, move a motion sensor light, reposition two LED lights, and engage in some much-needed cleaning and sorting. It took the better part of a day, but your installation might not take as much effort. Here’s the space that needed rework before the shelves could go in.
I started by unpacking all the parts and laying them on the floor. I appreciate that everything was well-marked and matched the icons in the manual, so there were no unpleasant surprises.
The pictures in the manual made sense, and everything fit where it was supposed to.
Fleximount provides a hex wrench and nut driver that works for most of the assembly, but if you have a screw gun, socket set, hex drivers, and a socket set, it’ll make the process go faster.
Start by constructing the vertical supports and ceiling brackets. I called Fleximount support to make sure it was okay to mount and connect the corners as an “L” instead of a “T.” In my garage, there was 46″ above the windows where I wanted the shelf installed. The vertical posts are adjustable from 37 to 69.5″ – wonderfully versatile!
Because of my garage’s construction, the brackets against the wall are perpendicular to the ceiling trusses, and the “fronts” are parallel. There’s a template to make sure the positions are correct. Don’t over-torque, as this could strip out the holes or break the tops of the lag bolts off. Make sure the measurements are correct; otherwise, the shelves won’t fit properly. Fleximount recommends having a friend help with the construction, but I was able to muscle the parts myself, taking extra time and care.
Position the vertical post connectors (the parts that join the shelves to the vertical brackets) in the same place on all six posts.
Next, assemble the shelf sections. Each pair joins together with bolts and connecting plates.
With the ceiling brackets secure, the four completed shelf sections attach to the vertical post connectors and fasten with bolts.
I had a little trouble here – with the rear brackets against the wall, the shelf must pull forward (away from the wall) to engage the bolts. It’s doable, but I needed to use a small ratchet and hex driver. I think it would have been better to have a different bracket that could be attached from the shelf (working) side.
The entire process took several hours, with a fair amount of time on a ladder. Please get help if you are afraid of heights, ladders, bolts, assembly drawings, ceiling trusses, tools, or failure. 😉 My garage made it easier because the structure is open.
The last step is to attach the Joist fix tubes to the wall. Once complete, the shelf structure is amazingly stable.
I dangled from it and shook it from side to side, up and down, diagonally, and towards and away from the wall like an angry gorilla. The Fleximount shelf did not budge, creek, rattle, deform, or flex. I’m 200 lbs and built like a bowling ball, so being solid is an impressive feat. Well done, Fleximount!
As assembled, the GR38B-2T will fit eight of these gray totes! I only have a few for now, a car battery and a few body car panels, but more will follow soon! Yay!
Final thoughts
Over the past three decades, I’ve tried many shelf solutions, some better than others, but all of them made it difficult to keep my “obsessive-compulsive floor phobia” at bay… until the Fleximount GR38B-2T. It’s incredibly robust, holding up to 1000 pounds, has adjustable height, and offers two levels of storage. Assembly is straightforward, and keeps half a ton (literally) of stuff off the garage floor. If you need to organize, Fleximout is the way to go! Excellent job and very impressive! Thank you, Fleximount!
What I like about the Fleximount GR38B-2T Overhead shelves
- Reclaims garage space
- Extremely strong – Built like a tank!
- Everything needed for assembly is in the box (except for a few tools)
- Customizable height
- Double shelves keep items more easily accessible
- Excellent instructions
What needs to be improved?
- With the vertical supports attached to the ceiling, the shelf attaching screws are difficult to attach without pulling the assembly away from the wall. The screws should be assembled from the “working” side.
Price: $279.99 for 3’ x 8’, $299.99 for 4’ x 8’
Where to buy: Amazon, Fleximount
Source: Fleximount provided a free sample for this review, but did not provide input, guidance, or editing before publication.
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