Do you need some ideas on how to store your extension ladder? In this article we’ll look at 11 extension ladder storage ideas to help you free up your floor space and keep your ladders nicely organized.
My aluminum extension ladder was just laying on the ground so I needed to find a way to store it. I came up with some ideas while researching this article, and I found a way that worked for me. (Plus, there are some important things I FORGOT to do. (The option I came up with is at the end.)
This article contains affiliate links. If you click a link and buy something I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information please see the Disclosure page.
How to store an extension ladder – 11 ideas
Below are some ideas on how you can store your extension ladder against a wall, the ceiling or outside your house. ?
Note: Not all of these ideas will work for you.
The best solution for you will depend on several factors such as:
- How long is your extension ladder. Will it even fit inside your garage or carport?
- How heavy is your ladder? Different ladders have different weights.
- Can you lift your ladder above your head? You may not have the strength to hoist a long heavy ladder up near the top of the wall
Before you buy something know these 4 measurements:
- weight of your ladder
- length of your ladder
- the width of your ladder
- thickness of your ladder (will determine how wide of a hook you need)
You’ll want to know the weight of your ladder because hooks and other hanging options have varying weight capacity ratings. You don’t want to be putting excess weight on a hook that isn’t engineered to hold that much weight.
We’re going for safe ladder storage too, not just convenience.
(And despite knowing this I still didn’t double-check this before I bought my ladder storage option.)
Ladder Storage Options for your Wall
If you want to store your extension ladder against a wall there are lots of wall hooks available to suit different sizes of ladders.
The right hooks for you depends on several factors including what type of wall you have, and what type of ladder you have.
In this section we’ll highlight several different options for you to store your extension ladder on a wall.
1) Ladder hooks (wall-mount)
You can screw ladder hooks like these into the wall stud of your garage, workshop or even laundry room if you have the space.
You’ll want to ensure you screw into a wood stud to make sure your ladder hooks will safely hold the weight of the ladder.
These ladder hooks are made by the hook manufacturer called Ihomepark and are available on Amazon.
This 6-pack of wall hooks is the wide hook version: they stick out 9-inches from the wall. The hooks are powder-coated tubular steel with a foam-style plastic (made of EVA) around the arm of the hook that protects the hooks and your ladders.
Weight Capacity of each hook is 50 lbs when installed correctly.
You could hang some heavy ladders with this set considering each hook can hold 50 pounds. You could use 3 hooks to provide extra support if you have a particularly heavy ladder.
2) Bike Hooks
You don’t necessarily need to buy dedicated ladder storage hooks… another option for ladders is simply using bike hooks like these. Screw them into a wall stud and hang your ladder from them.
You can find simple hooks at most hardware stores such as Home Depot or Lowes.
They can be an inexpensive horizontal storage option for your ladder….hang it sideways along the wall and get it off the floor.
3) Tornado Hooks
These hooks – called Tornado hooks – have a rubber coating to prevent your ladders from slipping off. You can install one tornado hook for each end of your ladder and have it nicely tucked against your wall.
This Tornado ladder hook is model number 00525, and comes as a 4-pack.
Some people said they use heavier duty screws (like lag bolts) to secure these for extra support and peace of mind.
The weight capacity for each Tornado ladder hook is 30 pounds when installed into a stud. (Reference) And they stick out from the wall about 7.25-inches.
4) Ladder Hooks – 11 inch arm
These ladder hooks are similar to the Tornado hooks, but these have a stated weight capacity of 80 pounds when screwed into a wood stud or concrete wall. Plus, these stick out about 11-inches from the wall so they have a larger arm to hang your ladder on.
These hooks by Sposuit come as a 4-pack and are well-rated too.
5) Gladiator Hooks
Do you have the Gladiator Wall System in your garage or shop?
If you already have these heavy-duty slatwall panels, you could get a Gladiator deep hook like this to fit into the panels.Pretty cool way to store ladders.
This hook sticks out from the wall about 11-inches and will hold 30 pounds.
Depending your ladder size and weight, you could get a couple of these, slide them into your Gladiator panels, and you’re ready to store your ladder.
Below is a picture on an accessory kit secured to the Gladiator wall system. Pretty cool looking. The slatwall panels are rated to hold 50 pounds per square foot when installed correctly into wood studs.
6) Rubbermaid Fasttrack ladder hook
Do you have the Rubbermaid fasttrack system on your garage wall or elsewhere in your home?
If you have some unused space on the organizer you can get these fasttrack ladder hooks to hold up your ladder.
But the downside to it, is that since the Fasttrack Rails run horizontally along your wall, when you put your extension ladder horizontally on the rail, your ladder will completely use up the entire rail.
The picture above shows it working well for step ladders, but this is being hung vertically, not horizontally.
Vertical Storage Options
Unless you have a telescoping extension ladder – or really tall ceilings in your garage – you likely won’t be able to store your extension ladder vertically. You’ll likely have to store it horizontally.
But if you do have the space you could get wide hooks to screw into the wall near the top of the ladder’s height. Then you lift the ladder, put it over top of your wall hooks, and suspend the ladder from one of the top rungs.
If you don’t have wall studs to screw into, you could lean your ladder against the wall and secure it to the wall using strong bungee cords or ratchet straps. The bottom of the ladder would be on the floor taking the ladder’s weight and the strap around the front of the ladder will hold it tight to the wall.
7) Little Giant Extension Ladder Storage Rack
Do you have a Little Giant extension ladder like the one shown above? If so, you can buy the Little Giant storage rack to support it. (It’s the black, wall-mounted rack in the picture).
It is really well-rated on Walmart.com and is designed to screw into 16-inch on center studs to hold up to 75 pounds.
Ceiling Ladder Storage Ideas
Below we have a few options for hanging your extension ladder from the ceiling.
Depending on the ceiling height – and the person’s height – some folks may need step stools to be able to access their ladder from the ceiling.
Or another ceiling storage option is to get a pulley system to help you lift the ladder up there (which we feature below).
8) Ceiling Rack for 2 Ladders by StoreYourBoard
If you want to keep the floor space clear and your walls uncluttered in your garage, check out this ceiling ladder rack made by StoreYourBoard.
You screw this ceiling rack into the ceiling joists. Below is another picture of this ladder rack.
The removable side arms of this rack are 25-inches wide so they should be wide enough to hold your extension ladder.
And this rack is adjustable. You can have it closer or farther from the ceiling depending on your needs. (From 10.25-inches to 18.25-inches away from the ceiling.)
The top mounting bracket can rotate 90-degrees so you can screw it into your ceiling joists regardless of what direction they run.
This is a popular and highly-rated option for storing extension ladders near the ceiling.
9) Pulley System for your Ladders
A pulley system like this allows you to free up floor space – and wall space – by suspending your ladder against the ceiling.
And instead of having to muscle the ladder up over your head, you can use the pulley system to help you hoist it up there.
This is another product made by the company StoreYourBoard. (Looks like they use the same ladders in their product pics 🙂
It is fairly well-rated but you’ll have to decide if it is right for you.
10) Overhead Hooks
If you want to store you ladder overhead, and you can screw directly into a ceiling joist, then overhead hooks like this could be a good option for you.
These hooks are cool because you can mount them against the ceiling or against a wall (or both). The manufacturer claims each hook will hold up to 50 lbs if installed correctly.
You may need a step stool or step ladder nearby though so you can lift your extension ladder up to the ceiling.
This is their 9.4-inch model. So you’ll have about 7.5-inches of space to place the side of your ladder.
They also have a wider 11-inch model which has over 9-inches of space on the hanging arm.
A common complaint about this particular product is the included screws. So you’ll probably want to use your own screws to ensure a good installation.
Outside Ladder Storage Ideas
Storing your ladder outside can expose it to a harsher environment compared to storing it indoors, but sometimes that’s the only option you may have.
It sounds obvious, but lets face it, most extension ladders are really long!
For instance, my extension ladder won’t fit in my small shed, nor easily inside my carport.
So I’m looking at ways to store it outside. I want to store it out of the direct sunlight to minimize UV damage to the plastic and rubber parts of my ladder (such as the feet).
If you are storing your ladder outside you can use many of the wall-mounted ladder storage ideas shared earlier.
But instead of putting it inside your garage, perhaps you can:
- mount it to the exterior wall of your garage,
- along the supporting posts of your carport
- or perhaps even store your ladder on your fence.
11) Store your Ladder on a Lumber Storage Rack
These racks are usually used for storing lumber or pipes, but they can also be used to store extension ladders.
Do you have room at your house to mount these to an exterior wall or to a wooden fence?
If so, this could be a good ladder storage idea for you.
Put Utility Brackets on a Fence (how I store my extension ladder)
My extension ladder was just lying on the ground getting covered in snow. I needed a better way to store it. I don’t have room inside my carport so I had to come up with a different solution.
I found some utility brackets on sale at my local hardware store.
I marked the center of two adjacent fence posts. To get the same height I measured down from the top of the fence panel between the two posts. (Since I built the fence it should be close to level. 🙂
The brackets came with screws so it was easy to install them.
Below is a closeup of one of the brackets.
One thing I didn’t do (but should have)
I was so happy to get the brackets on a deal, that I didn’t look to see their weight capacity. My aluminum extension ladder isn’t very heavy, but I still should have looked at the weight limit for them.
I’m not overly concerned right now because my ladder is only a couple of feet off the ground in the far end of my yard, but if you have yours stored overhead in an area where you regularly stand or walk, make sure to check the weight limit.
The second thing I need to do is put a foam pool noodles or something similar around the bracket. If the ladder is removed from the bracket I don’t want my daughter or anyone else to run into the brackets.
Prefer to see it as a video? Check out my YouTube short video below.
I hope this list of ladder storage ideas has helped you.
Extension ladders are great to have, but because they are so long and most people don’t need theirs too frequently, they can feel like they are always in the way.
These storage ideas can help solve this.
I had been putting off finding a storage solution for my ladder for awhile, which was silly because it only cost a few dollars and few minutes of labor to put up those brackets.
Up Next:
33 clever Garage Storage Ideas
Thank you.
Tim worked in construction for a few years before going to university. Then he worked in a pharmacy for 10 years and now works as a full-time writer and online publisher. He has experience in several different, far-reaching lines of work.
“I sincerely hope you find the articles helpful and informative.”
Tim from LearnAlongWithMe.com
You May Also Like:
11 proven Bike Storage Ideas for your garage, shed, or house
11 handy Wrench Storage Ideas to get your tools organized
Check out these different ways to store your air tools
