If you’re like me, you’ve lingered over photographs of beautiful kitchen remodels, imagining those beautiful cupboards standing in your own kitchen. It might follow that your next thoughts go to “I’ll put the old kitchen cabinets in the garage and use them to store things.” So what is wrong with using kitchen cabinets in the garage? Lots of DIY tips suggest doing just that as an economical and “green” alternative for those who favour function over fashion. I am not suggesting that they won’t work, they just might – but only if you keep the pitfalls in mind when you are making your decision.

The majority of kitchen cupboards today are manufactured using melamine or some other engineered wood-based product. They can be lovely to look at and will perform very well in an indoor environment. An afterlife in an unpredictable garage environment, however, might shorten their life expectancy considerably. Here’s why:

The climate in your kitchen probably doesn’t fluctuate a whole lot. And you are not likely to have weather blow in when the door opens or have hoses left on the floor dribbling water. But these are common occurrences in your garage. You could also have water that drips off your vehicle, evaporate into the air and settle on your cabinets. This can result in warping and those annoying doors that won’t close.

If nothing in your garage surpasses the height of beer stein or width of a dinner plate, then kitchen cupboards might be fine. The height of interior shelving in kitchen cupboards isn’t generally designed for a gallon of paint or wide enough for a portable compressor so you will want to ensure that garage cabinet shelves are adjustable.

It seems unlikely that something built for dinnerware will withstand the weight of power tools or car parts. Unless your kitchen cabinets are designed to hold heavy loads, the shelving inside might soon sag under the weight. Or crack and snap off spilling contents everywhere.

Finally, unless your culinary preferences lean toward teppanyaki dinners, you are unlikely (hopefully!) to have sparks flying in your kitchen which is a good thing since standard kitchen cupboards are considered flammable. And, if your children have been known to climb up to reach those Easter treats you hid in the back of a high kitchen cupboard, then those cupboards won’t deter them for getting to whatever dangerous content you are storing in those same cupboards in the garage. Sturdy locks are a must.

Garage cabinets offer maximum versatility making them an ideal storage solution to an uncluttered garage workshop. By gathering up all the things that accumulate on the floor, you are increasing your garage storage capacity while safely storing any hazardous products behind locked doors.

The experts agree that the most durable, strongest garage cabinets are the ones made with heavy duty steel. The best ones will have a combination of open storage and drawer space for items large and small and everything in between. The addition of locks, a built-in tool chest and a workbench bring it to the next level. Rugged steel cabinets are low maintenance, impervious to the garage environment, and will stand up to years of heavy use.

When it comes to garage renovations, it makes more sense to leave your kitchen cabinets in the kitchen where they belong.