Take a Look at Some Economical and Attractive Home Storage Units
You don't really think of plastic shelving as something to buy for your decorative wall-mounted shelving or pantry shelves, but there are some very attractive plastic shelves which are inexpensively priced and good-looking too. Here's a taste of the latest styles in plastic shelving for the home and garage:
Decorative Metal Shelving
One of my favorite finds is this Rubbermaid 3-piece set of decorative storage shelving. The set consists of 3 cube shaped shelves which are separate so you can place them on the wall in any configuration you like. These wall-mounted shelves look exactly like Light Oak wood finish shelving and are a very pretty way to decorate a wall or to use in an office area.
The three shelves are in different sizes with the small one measuring 8.25" square, the medium is 9.75" square and the largest shelf is 11.75" square - outside measurements. They are so inexpensive but attractive that I think they would make a great gift as Rubbermaid shelving is always high quality. You can buy the Rubbermaid Decorative Plastic Shelving set for from Amazon Marketplace with free shipping.
If you're short of space in your kitchen and desperate for some way to clear your counter top, this plastic open back shelving unit is just right for the job. It's a Sterlite 4-shelf pantry shelving unit finished in light platinum which looks attractive and better than the regular white plastic kitchen accessory.
The unit has 4 storage shelves that are quite strong enough to take heavy cans and bottles and it's a high shelving unit which is great for small kitchens. The dimensions are 34 1/2"L x 14 3/8" W x 57"H which gives you plenty of storage space. This very useful plastic shelving unit is available from Amazon Marketplace for .99 discounted from .99 which is a pretty good saving.
My third choice of open back shelving is the Plano Durashelf Interlocking Plastic Shelving unit. This is a very sturdy unit which has 4 open back shelves and would be useful in the laundry room, basement and garage. In these areas you really need something that won't go rusty, so metal shelving is not suitable but plastic is great in humid areas.
The open back plastic shelving design also allows a free circulation of air around the shelves and this stops mildew from forming if the unit is kept in a cold and damp place. It has 'Easy Snap Fit' assembly and you can add on more interlocking shelf units for added space. The shelf capacity is 100lb evenly distributed and you can anchor this plastic shelving unit to the wall for extra safety and the color is taupe. The dimensions are 36"H x 18"W x 12"D and you can buy it from Amazon Marketplace for .95.
Plastic shelves are extensively used in the retail and commercial shelving sectors. For instance, they are very useful for displaying magazines because you can have a transparent retaining bar so that the goods are easy to see, but won't fall out. Many stores use plastic gondola display units in modular shelving because it's hardwearing and durable. Similarly, in the food production business plastic modular shelving is preferred because the atmosphere can be very humid and plastic won't rust like some types of metal shelving systems.
Plastic took over from wood shelving many years ago because it was so much cheaper to produce and sell. Overall, plastic shelving a lot of advantages over other materials and will go on providing us with cheap and durable storage options for many years to come.