My answer for storing seldom used flat material, like laminate, PVC sheets, and thin plywood came one day as I looked up at the large vacant areas of shop ceiling. Why not build a light weight rack to store thes items? Laminate will take on a permanent curve if stored too long rolled up and the PVC sheets I was saving were too good to throw away. My "light weight" rack turned out a little heavier than I'd hoped, but it seems to work OK. I can't put too much weight up there or I won't be able to lift it and latch it in place. It's like lifting weights starting with the bar at your chest and pushing straight up until your arms are fully extended. My 6'-4" height allows me to do this standing flat on the floor with an 8 foot ceiling.

The rack beams are made from 3 scrap pieces of southern yellow pine 2x4 each 49-1/2" long. Remember, laminate and some other sheet goods are 49" wide! Across the three 2x4's, I dadoed in eight SYP 8 foot 1x2's on about 6" centers. The SYP is part of the reason the rack is heavier than I expected. It is a heavy dense pine lumber. This rack is tied along one side near the top of the wall with three 6" strap hinges lag screwed into the studs. A 10 foot piece of EMT conduit is passed through holes along the other side to use for chain limits upon lowering, and to latch against when the rack is stowed against the ceiling. Three 3" high stops were fastened to the outer ends of the 2x4 beams with plywood reinforcement. These stops hold the sheet goods while the rack is down in the loading/unloading position. Three lag screw eyes driven into ceiling joists are used to hang the hooks for latching in the stowed position. Each of the three hooks are made from a 5/16 eye bolt, a 5/16 coupler nut, and a 5/16 J-bolt. The three hooks are tied together using a piece of 1/2" conduit and three U-bolts. Tieing the three hooks together, allows me to lower or latch the rack while standing under the center and using my thumb to flip the hooks out, or back under the 1" EMT conduit.

My only regret is the weight. In hind site, I would have done just as well with white fir 1x2's and maybe even saved some weight and gained some strength by using 3/4" plywood laminated double thick for the main support beams.

The rack does work however, and now my laminate and similar sheet goods are safely stored out of the way against the ceiling. The project was about $80 and took 2-1/2 days to construct and install.