For many Los Angelinos, the family garage can be a scary place. Gardening tools, sports equipment, suitcases, and the mementos of many generations are shoved together and piled against the walls and all over the floor.

“You don’t have trip over the mess in your garage,” said garage remodel expert Gus Gougas. “Instead hang your items from the walls of your garage with slatwall. Slatwall is a great product that can help you by getting your items off the floor and on the wall, leveraging the wall space you already have.”

Gougas continues, “slatwall is actually paneling that you attach to your garage walls, which then allows you to hang everything and anything on the walls. The paneling attaches to either the exposed beams in your walls or applied over your existing drywall.

The beauty of this product is that it turns your garage walls into a flexible, modular organizational system and the best part is that slatwall accessories are not permanent. Simply slide standard slatwall accessories (hooks, racks, shelves, cabinets) into the paneling grooves on the wall. If you need to make a change, slide the accessory off the wall and move it anywhere on the panel. You will never have to put another hole in a garage wall again.”

Gougas knows what he is talking about. He is partner and president of OrganizIT!, a Chatsworth based business that provides products and services within the garage remodeling/organization industry.

He explains that “slatwall is specifically designed for the rugged, moist environment of the garage. Slatwall paneling for the garage is different from the particleboard paneling used in many retail stores. The controlled environment of a retail store, usually 75 degrees, does not allow moisture to settle into particle board.

Garages are not normally heated and air conditioned. In the rare occasion a garage is thermostat controlled, the temperature is lost the minute the garage doors opens.

Unlike particle board, slatwall for the garage is made from cellular PVC that is fire retardant, waterproof, bug proof and can hold approximately 50 pounds per hook. It is available in multiple colors including a wood-grain option. It is easily cleaned with a hose or wet rag.”

Gus suggests that instead of tripping over the mess on the garage floor, hang-up your things on the peg board of the 21st century!

About Gus Gougas:
Gus has appeared on NBC, HGTV and KCAL9 to discuss garage organizing. He has published numerous articles on garage organization and his company was featured in new book, Big Book of Garages by Tina Skinner. Gus is happy to answer your garage organizing questions. He can be reached by email: gus@organizitco.com or phone: 818-232-7683. For a free design consultation, go to: http://www.organizitco.com/