Inexpensive DIY Storage Solutions
I do a lot of DIY projects, and I like to keep a good supply of paints, tape, refinishing supplies, adhesives and other remodeling supplies on hand. I like to organize home improvement supplies, so I don’t have to hunt for something when I need it. Also, living in Colorado, I need to keep many things indoors so that they don’t freeze in the winter, as this can ruin the products before I get a chance to use them.
I came up with the perfect way to organize my stuff, and it cost very little to implement. I had an open stud wall in my basement along the side of the stairwell and next to my furnace. It was a great place to create a remodeling product storage area.
I Love White Pegboard!
I got a couple of 4’x8′ sheets of pegboard with a white painted finish from the local big box supply store. It’s easy to hang on the wall and brightens things up right away. Then I started keeping my eyes open for white wire storage racks to use as DIY wall shelves, each time I visited a thrift store.
Wire racks like these are often only a couple of dollars a piece. They come in various shapes, sizes and widths, but all tend to have a durable white epoxy or ‘rubberish’ coating so that they don’t rust.
I collected enough racks that I started having groups of them that were the same width, so I started mounting them to my pegboard wall in columns. I adjusted the mounting heights between the racks to allow adequate room for groups of similar supplies. For my collection of spray paints, I arranged for racks that could hold all of a similar color, like black paint in flat, satin, semi-gloss and so forth.
I always feel like I “hit the jackpot” when I find Elfa brand racks like these. Some of these items can be $20 or more a piece when you have to pay retail. They are really well made and the mounting spacing is adjustable.
When you are evaluating wire racks in a thrift store, be sure to look for racks that come with the original fasteners, as this can save you some time and aggravation. For my project, about 60% of the racks had fasteners or really simple mounting holes (like the Elfa rack supports). The rest of the racks required some resourceful fastener solutions.
Pegboard Hooks & Specialty Hangers
Pegboard accessories make great DIY storage solutions. I pick up pegboard hooks at thrift stores and estate sales.
Finding some of the longer (3″ to 6″) single or double straight pegs are nice for storing different types of tape and other rolled supplies like door caulk/molding.
One type of supply that I have a lot of are small cans of MinWax stain in many of the colors they offer from Natural to Ebony. Stain will keep for many years and stay usable (some of these cans are up to 40 years old). My article on How to Fix Scratches on Furniture covers one of my DIY projects using stain.
A white wire shelf unit with about 7 to 8″ between each rack is perfect for my stain storage!
It took me a while to source all the racks shown on my wall, but it’s a nice project to just chip away at as you find a group of racks to fit your supplies. I did this one column at a time, starting from the left side of the pegboard rack wall. I even have a little more space on the right to add more pegboard if I decide I need more storage. The entire project, including pegboard, wire racks, pegboard accessories and fasteners was under $120.
DIY Home Organization Ideas
Be sure to keep your eye open for useful wire rack configurations and for creative peg board accessories when you are thrifting. They rarely cost much in a thrift environment, and it is good to have a few on hand when you discover a spot in you home to organize similar items.
BTW, if it annoys you that the hooks come out of the pegboard when you grab a tool, I found a terrific solution for that. These ingenious plastic pegboard anchors keep your hooks in place every time!
These easy to install plastic anchors are designed to keep your pegboard hooks firmly in place when you remove a tool from the hook. No more flying hooks landing on the floor! These work on most standard pegboard with the 1" spacing. 200 pieces in this package.
