How to Make Rolling Basement Storage Containers

Rolling containers for basement storage are a great way to store items in an easily accessible manner.  Depending on the size, design and make of your basement is going to be how you go about making your rolling storage container.

Step 1 - Choose Your Container

Go to your basement and think about the design of it, and where the best place for storage would be. Keep in mind that you are making a rolling container so sliding in and out of tight spaces will be ideal. What you also need to consider is what type of container you need or want. Plastic containers come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, are very durable and cost effective, and are probably your best option. Yet, if you have need to store something or things that are heavier or made of a certain type of material that could damage plastic then you need to consider a container that is tougher. For instance, you would not store heavy metal poles and pikes for a large tent in a flat plastic container. It may be fine at first, but if you are storing it for the long run, the potential for that plastic container to begin to crumble under the weight of the contents and rip because of the sharp pikes is likely. In this case a steel container which may be more expensive, but it will hold the poles and pikes for as long as you would like it to.

Step 2 - Getting Materials

Once you have the place you would like your container to be, the size, shape and the make, you can go to your local hardware and get the materials. Make sure when you are looking for wheels, that you purchase wheels that are already connected rails.  If you buy each wheel individually it will usually be more expensive and it will be more difficult to attach to your container.  Look for a set of four wheels that are either attached to a rail in sets of two or in a set of four and attached to a square rail frame.  Make sure the length of the rail or square frame will match the size of the base of the container you have chosen. You don't want it to be too small, but you also don't want it to be too big either; about an inch to 2.5 inches from the rim of the base is ideal. Make sure your rails have a slot for a bolt to be screwed in.

Step 3 - Attaching the Wheels

Measure where the slot on the wheel rail is and where it will go on the base of your container, then mark it with a marker.  Take your drill and use a drill bit that will be the size of the bolt you will use (this is also be about the size of the slot in on the wheel rails) and drill a hole where you marked it. If you chose a steel container then you need to use a special drill bit. Poke the bolt through the bottom of the container and the wheel rail, then place a nut on the end of the bolt and tighten it with a wrench. Do this until the wheel rails are firmly attached to the bottom of the container.