One of the best types of basement shelving, especially if you have cement walls, and want something only semi-permanent is to use wire shelving with masonry fasteners. The best kind has two metal brackets that fasten into the wall and multiple shelves that can be easily moved up and down as needed. This shelving is versatile and gives the walls plenty of ventilation, which helps you avoid other problems that can occur with basement shelving.

Another simple storage shelving system for a basement is stacked vertical shelving. This creates lots of horizontal storage space while using a minimum amount of floor space.

This is the best shelving system for your basement if you are looking for something you can build yourself which requires minimal skills, materials and tools, but yields shelves so strong that you could climb them like a ladder. Also, it is a basement shelving system that you can assemble by yourself in less than two hours. This type of basement shelving system incorporates 2x2 lumber for the back wall support cleats, one half inch thick standard CDX plywood shelves, 2x3 lumber for front shelf support beams and vertical 2x4s that support the front shelf beams.

You can make such shelves by attaching the 2x2 back wall cleats first, with regular wood walls, simply nail them to the wall studs. Start 24 inches off the floor, and put each successive cleat 16 inches higher than the one below. All cleats must be level and the edges of each cleat must be perfectly plumb. If you need to attach the back wall cleats to a masonry wall, drill a one quarter inch diameter hole through the 2x2 and then continue 2 inches deep into the masonry surface using the hammer drill. Use two 16d sinker nails and drive them at the same time into the hole of the 2x2.

Then you construct the shelves by taking a 2x3 and use it as a miniature I-beam at the front of the shelf. Then place your plywood on, and secure with some 2x4s.

Basically when it comes to basement shelving you need shelves that are spaced appropriately to hold your things. You do not want to have to place things on the floor as that makes them more likely to get damaged. You also want something simple to construct so that should you ever wish to finish that area of your basement you did not do a lot of hard work building fancy shelves for nothing. Simple and usable is your goal, but sturdy enough to hold those heavy boxes of holiday decorations etc.