Wire shelving is one of the most practical types of shelving you can use. While it’s not the right solution for every storage need, it excels where it belongs. Unfortunately, like every other type of storage, wire shelving isn’t impervious to damage. The question is, can it be repaired? Let’s see what it takes to repair damaged wire shelving.
Unbending the Bars
If your wire shelving is bent, it can probably be repaired pretty easily. Naturally, the first step is unbending the bars. The most important step to this is protecting the bars before unbending them.
To unbend wire shelving bars, your first instinct is probably to take some pliers to them. This is the right move. However, first and foremost, you need to wrap something around the wires or the pliers. Using a thick cloth, or wrapping a thin one multiple times, should work.
The reason this is necessary is that pliers are typically kind of serrated. Therefore, you can get a much better grip on whatever you’re manipulating. However, the coating on wire shelving is not strong enough to make it through that unscathed. Squeezing the bars tightly with unguarded pliers will cut through the coating. Then, that will expose the metal and increase the likelihood that your wire shelving will rust.
Reinforcing the Bars
If the bars on your wire shelving have been broken, they may not be beyond repair. Repair damaged wire shelving bars that are broken by reinforcing them. Then, after bending them back into place, the best way to reinforce them is with electrical tape. This tape is always available in black and white (the colors of most wire shelving).
With the broken bars lined up neatly, start a couple of inches past the break on one side and wrap at a tight angle until you’ve crossed the gap and wrapped a couple of inches past the opposite side.This should adequately hold your bars in place, so long as you’re not putting anything really hefty on them.
Replacing Irreparable Sections
Is your wire shelving damaged pretty badly? Maybe you use wire shelving in your garage and backed the car up too far. If the bends are incredibly hard to get out, or the breaks are too big, your wire shelving may be irreparable.
Fortunately, most wire shelving is somewhat modular. Therefore, one shelf can be removed from the unit and replaced with a new one. If you need to replace one or more shelves from a larger unit of wire shelving, Keystone Home Products can help. We sell a variety of wire shelving and can almost certainly get you the shelves you need. Just let us know and we’ll see what we can do.
Buying New Wire Shelving
It’s not always possible to repair damaged wire shelving. If all else fails, you can always buy new wire shelving from Keystone Home Products. Our wire shelving is affordable, comes in many sizes, and is great quality. So, if you need something long-lasting to replace your previously beloved wire shelving, we’re happy to help.
