How to Organize Your Life With a Pegboard

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Living on the Cheap.

I recently decided to organize my garage using pegboard. Before I began, I looked at organization ideas and wow, was I surprised at how much can be done with some simple, inexpensive pegboard.

No matter what room you want to get into shape, pegboard can help, and it’s cheap. We’ve found pegboard storage ideas for the craft room, laundry room, home office, kitchen and more. If you want to get a room or area of the house organized, one of these cheap pegboard organization ideas should do the trick.

Not only will pegboard help you organize every room of the house, but it can even lend a decorative touch. Here are some creative ideas to get you started.

How to use pegboard to organize your garage

Since a garage project started this whole thing, it seems like a good place to start.

If you have more sports gear than you can keep track of — balls, helmets, rackets, bike tire tubes, etc. — a pegboard wall will put everything in its place. You’ll see this sports wall how-to includes a fancy board in the center to hang baskets from, but you can easily hang baskets from basic pegboard hooks as well.

Of course, tools are perfect things to be hung on a pegboard. Notice how, in this organized tool wall at The Inspired Room, baskets are used for small items or items that can’t hang on their own. Here’s another example for tool organization. And if you like to be super organized, trace around the tools so everyone knows where each one belongs (and you can easily see if something is missing).

If you have lots of nails, screws, bolts and other tiny objects, consider storing them in empty baby food jars. The jars can be attached to the pegboard using a wire wrapped under the rim.

Garden tools store well on pegboard, too, making it easy to grab whatever you need.

Craft room pegboard

Pegboard is perfect for organizing craft rooms because of the multitude of craft materials and tools you want to have on display and with easy access. This craft room pegboard at JenniferMaker is a huge feature; not only does it organize things, but it adds so much to the room’s gorgeous color palette.

Laundry room pegboard

Don’t overlook the less beautiful, more functional rooms of the house, either. Broom closets can be easily organized with pegboard as can laundry rooms. If you happen to have a cupboard in your laundry room, I love this idea of replacing the cupboard doors with pegboard. Small gadgets can also be stored on pegboards inside cupboards and it makes them much easier to find and put away.

Remember to allow for the width of the spacers when planning; you may need to adjust the depth of your shelves inside the cabinet. (See “How do you install pegboard” below for a discussion of spacers.)

Kitchen pegboard

You can use a pegboard to organize your kitchen, too. If you have a large wall but not much in the way of cupboards or drawers, a pegboard can be a great way to store pots, pans and large gadgets. A small pegboard on the inside of a kitchen door is the perfect way to store measuring cups and spoons. I also like the idea of using a pegboard to hang spices in the kitchen.

Organizing the bedroom and bath with pegboard

In the bathroom, I envision a smaller version of a pegboard attached to the inside door of a vanity. Let’s not forget the bedroom. You could skip the frame and fabric to make it easier, but with both, I could see a closet organizer on the back of a bedroom or closet door work for women’s or men’s accessories. Jewelry can also be stored decoratively on painted and framed pegboard.

I’ve just touched the tip of the iceberg with what you can do with pegboard and where it can be useful. Think kids room, playroom, office, craft area, and more. You can do an internet search for any of these rooms and “pegboard” to come up with lots of ideas.

How much is a pegboard and where can you buy it?

Now that you’re inspired, you need to know the nuts and bolts of acquiring and assembling your pegboard. For less than $20, you can buy 4-foot-by-8-foot pieces of pegboard from a home improvement store. Hooks and brackets cost anywhere from a few cents to a few dollars each. Not bad, especially when you consider that going to one of those high-end organizational stores could have you paying hundreds for materials to do the same thing.

An important consideration before you head to the checkout lane is how you’ll get your new pegboard home. If you don’t have a truck or large SUV, consider buying two or more smaller pieces. Many home improvement stores sell smaller pegboard sizes as well.

Can you paint a pegboard?

Pegboard typically comes in brown or white. The whiteboard may be a dollar or two more, but it can be left as is and look nice, or it can be painted or decorated in other ways more easily than the dark brown board can be.

Spray paint is perfect for painting pegboard. Simply lay it on a tarp or cardboard box in the driveway and spray away. If it’s windy outside, however, stick to the good old roller-and-pan method so you don’t get overspray on your house or your car.

You can choose to use one solid color, or you can make your pegboard look really cute by using stencils, tape or other objects to make designs. The possibilities are almost endless. Check out this stenciled pegboard from Camelot Art Creations.

A fabric-covered pegboard would look really pretty too, but of course you’ll need to punch holes in the fabric to add your hooks.

You can also buy metal panels that are more durable than the wood or pressed paper pegboards and can be painted using enamel paint.

What is framed pegboard?

Another way to decorate a pegboard is to give it a frame. This could be as simple as cutting and staining 1x4s to make a frame, or you can use a mitre saw to cut molding for a very professional-looking finish. It just depends on your budget, time, tools and skills; use what you have.

Another idea is to purchase a frame and cut the pegboard to fit. Whichever method you choose to frame your pegboard, you’ll want to measure and cut the frame before you install it on the wall.

How do you install pegboard?

Hanging pegboard can be pretty straightforward, but one thing I learned was not to nail it directly to the wall. If you do, there will be no room behind it for the hooks to hang. The classic solution is to use thin, wooden strips (they may be called lathe strips, furring strips or something else) around the edges of the pegboard. These strips are about 1-inch-by-2-inch and usually come in 8-foot lengths. This allows space behind the board for the hooks. Or you could buy a pegboard mounting and spacer kit from Amazon to save time and materials.

Be sure to use wood screws or drywall screws and secure your pegboard to the wall studs if possible. (A stud finder makes this an easy job.) This helps to ensure your pegboard doesn’t come crashing down when you put the weight of all your accessories and supplies on it.

Yet another way to hang pegboard is to use the French cleat method. One side of the cleat is attached to the wall, while the other piece is secured to the pegboard itself. Then you fit the two angled pieces together. Again, it’s important to find the wall studs if possible or, at the very least, use drywall anchors and screws so your pegboard can hold the weight of everything you’ll put on it.

What are good pegboard accessories?

Once installed, you’ll want to outfit your pegboard with accessories. Accessories include hooks, rings, shelf brackets, baskets and cups. Pegboard accessory sets are fairly inexpensive, especially from Amazon. Once you have the basic pegboard accessories, you can do a lot to organize your pegboard!

Hang wire or wicker baskets (even ones that aren’t intended for pegboards) by slipping them onto pegboard hooks.

Make a pegboard shelf by inserting shelf brackets, which come in different sizes, and placing your shelf board on top of them.

Hang Mason jars or cups using wire, twine, hose clamps or ring-style pegboard accessories.

Place a dowel rod onto two pegboard hooks to easily store craft ribbons or rolls of wrapping paper.

Use dollar store bins and baskets to organize your pegboard.