When it comes to organization, one thing that can greatly help is to get your stuff onto the walls. It’s a good amount of space that is typically not utilized. To do this there are a variety of options but we’ll be looking at a slat board alternative, we’ll be looking at Craftsman’s Versatrack system.
The Verstrack itself is a 4’ long x 5.5” wide slat of what seems like a PVC material that has grooves that allow you to hang various accessories that themselves hang your various things.
Installation of the Versatrack can be fairly simple. All it takes is a couple of screws through the Versatrack and into your wall to hold everything up. The tracks even have grooves that indicate where you should mount the hardware. But of course, if you want things to look good and to be secure as possible, you’d probably want to level things out and go into the studs if possible. Craftsman advertises that the Versatrack can support 75lbs per linear foot and although I haven’t even gotten close to that payload, the system definitely seems very robust.
I initially invested in the Versatrack as a way to hang my ladders up on the wall. I started with one 4 foot section and cut it in half to get 2, 2-foot slats on my walls. These slats hold up my ladders just fine, even the Little Giant ladder that weighs about 30 lbs. This is surprising because I was only able to go into one stud on this particular wall and the other side is questionably held in place by a smaller drywall anchor. After seeing how well this side works, I decided to do a larger connected panel. This was a bit more complicated because there was some cutting involved to dodge a circuit breaker cover and an outlet but the project wasn’t too bad.
Cutting the Versatrack is fairly easy. I used a miter saw and it just rips through this material. The cut is very clean and I can’t tell the difference between the cut end and the factory end. I’m sure you can use any other type of saw to get a cut done but if you’re just doing straight cuts on the ends, the miter saw will probably be your best option. Then when it comes time to connect the slats vertically, the pieces have grooves on the top and bottom so everything should line up with no problems.
Throughout this process, I’ve purchased a few different hooks and accessories for the Versatrack. With this, it’s largely trial and error to see what works. Craftsman makes different types of hooks, baskets, shelves, and other accessories for this system. You can even get metal cabinets that’ll directly hand on the Versatrack. This system is quite modular and expandable so it should offer something for most people.
The accessories essentially latch onto the grooves of the slats and hang in place. They have a plastic lever that you can turn to prevent the accessory from coming off the slat but they will still be able to slide left and right.
In terms of cost, the slats themselves are very competitive and among the cheapest option that I’ve found even if you have to provide your own hardware. However, the hooks and accessories are a bit overpriced for what they are. That’s where the price can really add up if you buy a lot and invest in this system.
Overall, I would say that I’m happy with my Versatrack setup. I think it looks good and after some work, I should be able to get a lot of stuff onto the walls. This is definitely a system that I can recommend if you’re looking for a way to organize your space.
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