Closetmaid makes 16" deep wire shelves as does Rubbermaid, and you can get 16" deep solid Elfa shelves at the Container Store.

Of course, you can always get a 4x8 piece of plywood and have it cut into 16" wide strips.

I have an inside storage room like that. I have plywood shelves routed on the outer edge for looks, there's a 1 x 2 mounted on the wall underneath for super support, plus some vertical 1 x 2s on the front edge. No curvature in 13 years. A good carpenter can mesh the corners for good support. I think mine are 16", all painted almond. I keep my stuff in alpha order so easy to find. See if DH will do that! Think about height of things, like paint buckets on the bottom etc. Steve

Sometimes your finish carpenter can install shelves in your closets for pretty cheap. And if he does, he is usually purchasing the exact lumber that you want so you can specify exactly to your dimensions. Our finish carpenter will be install all our shelving in our closets and he said just to give him a drawing with dimensions and he would build the shelves.

Tools that need shelving that deep are going to be heavy. Most home store commercial shelving isn't up to the task and will quickly sag. I don't know about your DH, but I detest wire shelving. You can't put anything small on it for fear of the item falling through.

I made my own shelving. Like someone suggested elsewhere in the thread, I ripped plywood to the size I needed. I supported it with cleats screwed into the studs all the way around, except for the front of the shelves. The shelved are screwed and glued to the cleats. The bottom front of each shelf got a 1x2 dimensional brace all the way across, again screwed and glued.

You could hold a barn dance on my shelving without ill effect. Nothing has made the slightest impression on it since it was installed. I admit it is overkill, but so what. It cost me a few extra bucks and bit longer to build, but I don't have to worry about anything sagging.

I too suggest using the finish carpenter. You will get a much better job for probably not much more money.

Thank you, everyone. If we do go with the built in wood shelving is there any particular type of paint you would recommend? This really will be a working tool closet and DH will be pushing and pulling things on and off the shelves. The carpenter has built beautiful wood shelves for my pantry that are painted white with the same paint as the rest of our wood trim, but I tend to be a lift up and place down kind of person. What type of paint do you think can stand up to heavy use without looking awful?

I would use two part epoxy paint. It is very tough stuff. Epoxies break down in sunlight, but are ideal for interior use.

Two part paints are a bit of a hassle to use. They require careful mixing and application according to the instructions. They also require proper protective measures and good ventilation, again according to the instructions, but not much else will hold up as well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Epoxy Paint

Have you looked into industrial metal shelving? Many large cities have a place that sells it and the the shelves come in different widths and lengths.

Mine were painted with the same oil-based interior semi-gloss (for interior woodwork) as the rest of the house. It gets dirty in a room like that, but most people wouldn't be up to keeping it real clean.

Thank you for all the suggestions. I know that DH will not be keeping up with shelf cleaning and organizing based on his track record on things like this. Not organizing is okay because it's his closet but I think that looking at dirty shelves even if I seldom venture into that space would just drive me nuts. I would consider putting down some nice cushy easy to wipe clean shelf liner that I have used in my kitchen but I know he would die laughing at me. Oh, well. You have given me options to consider. Maybe someone will invent the perfect shelving system while I'm thinking about what to do. Thanks again.

Have you considered putting pegboard on the side walls and painting silhouettes of each of the tools where they are to be hung?

What about putting peel and stick tile on the shelves?

DH has decided he wants to put some wire shelving that we already have from the old house in his tool closet. It's exactly like the chrome wire shelving you have probably seen many times in small grocery and other retail stores except it has a black powder coat on it. It's 18" deep and 3' wide and he thinks it will be useful to have the 18" of space off to the side that this size shelf gives him to put tall items. But he wants to put cardboard or something thin on the shelves to keep small items from dropping through the spaces.

I know this isn't my closet but I'm thinking that cardboard will deteriorate rather quickly. My first thought was just to put a thick shelf liner over the shelves but I don't think this will allow heavy items to slide on and off easily. What I think would be ideal is some type of thin, flexible plastic that would hold up to the sliding and could be wiped clean from time to time. Any ideas?

Check the liners that the Container Store has. I wouldn't use cardboard.
What about sheet metal, such as used for ductwork?

Sheet metal is difficult to work with, unless you have the proper tools and requisite experience. Unless you roll the edges, someone is bound to get cut on it.

I can't think of any way to stop small stuff from falling through the wire that isn't either Mickey Mouse or expensive. Red Green would use duct tape, but your DH may not be a fan.

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Green

Thank you so much, both of you. I did check out the elfa liners on the website and I think they might work perfectly. DH would be fine with sheet metal but I tend to be accident prone with sharp edges. Right now I'm tending to a partially sliced wrist that I managed to cut on a plastic laundry basket. Oh creek side, I almost fell off my chair laughing at the Red Green link. More than a few of my uncles and brothers/cousins in law could have been the inspiration for that character. If all else fails I will consider the duct tape.