Pretty Pegboard Storage Ideas That Will Make Staying Organized (and Tidying Up) a Breeze

Jun 26

Navy blue pegboard storage wall in craft or sewing space

Like a true organization and design nerd, I get very excited about highly functional storage solutions that look great and also save space. Pegboard storage is a clever way to store items while also making it easy to see what you have and where things go. From my twelve years as a parent and longer as a partner to a wonderful but slightly scatterbrained man, I’ve found that having visible storage makes it a little more likely that items will be put away where they belong without YOU always having to do it.

I have a pegboard wall installed above the craft desk in our home office, and it’s one of my very favourite things about this room. Perhaps it's my love of mise en place (a french culinary phrase for everything in its place) or the graphic minimalism of those tiny grid-like circles, but I think there’s a place for pegboard in every home. Read on for my simple tips for creating your own pegboard storage wall.

1. Choose your Size & Paint

Pegboard panels are available at your local hardware or lumber store, and come pre-cut in multiple sizes. For the panel above our craft desk, I used a 24" by 48" pegboard panel, and painted it with a roller in Benjamin Moore’s Hale Navy. I'd recommend using spray paint or a spray gun instead, otherwise you'll end up like me, filling in all 1000+ holes with a tiny artist brush where the colour was missed by the roller (neurotic, I know). Alternatively, you can save a bit of your sanity, and leave the pegboard in its unpainted state (usually white or brown hardboard).

How to mount a pegboard — 2. Hang

When you’re mounting your pegboard, don’t hang it directly against the wall. Shimming the board out from the wall allows space for the back of your pegboard hooks. We stacked six 3/8" washers in each corner to shim the board out from the wall. I also stacked some felt floor protector pads halfway along the top & bottom of the panel so it wouldn't bow inwards. Alternatively, you could also add wood trim around the back edges to allow the pegboard to sit out from the wall.

3. Accessorize

Now for the fun part! I used standard pegboard accessories from the garage organization section of my local big box hardware store. A few other things to try: rest a dowel between 2 hooks for ribbon or washi tape storage; drill holes in plastic containers and hang on a hook for pen/marker/plant storage, use 2 L-shaped hooks to set a framed print on.

One of the main complaints about pegboard systems is hooks that fall out when you remove a tool.
A tip for keeping hooks in place is to add a dab of hot glue to the lower leg before slipping the peg into the hole. The dried glue will hold the hook in place, but it will still be removable later with a light tug.

Tidying up after yourself (or more importantly, getting your family members to tidy up after themselves) is so much easier when everything has its own place. Try pegboard storage in any utility space in your home, including basements, kitchen pantries, kids rooms, and home offices.

Looking for more ideas? Here's some pegboard inspiration from around the internet.

Coral pink pegboard craft station in kids room — Image Source: Domino

Is this not your childhood dream come true?? The pegboard panel in this creative space was painted a peachy-pink to match the floral wallpaper and hung at a level to create an easy-to-access art station. If you look closely you’ll notice zip-ties are threaded through the back of the pegboard: another strategy to hold hooks in place.

White pegboard for gardening tools in backyard shed — Image Source: Gardenista

Another space I could spend all day in! Simple white pegboard panels look pretty and fresh in this garden shed, while keeping tools accessible and off the floor.