Pegboards: the Answer to Storage and Organization for your Workspace

No matter what room you're dealing with, whether it is the the garage, basement, kitchen, or home office, a room is only so large, and it is difficult to add square footage just for more storage space. One of the best solutions is to look at your walls and hang pegboard.

The 411 on Pegboard

Pegboard is great for storage and organization, but there are so many options to choose from, it's important you get the best type for your home office or work space.

Pegboard Options

The most common pegboard is a tempered hardboard, usually between 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick, with a series of holes positioned 1 inch apart, covering the entire sheet. Tempered hardboard is generally the most common pegboard and can usually be found in your local lumber yard. When considering pegboard, think about what your needs are and the weight of the items you'll be hanging, as steel pegboard is an option for heavier items, such as power tools.

Steel pegboard is manufactured out of 20 gauge steel and has 9/32-inch peg holes. This would be used for hanging heavy items and has a much longer lifespan than tempered hardboard. The peg holes in steel also stay truer, as they don't elongate over time under heavy loads. Stainless steel, diamond plate, and brushed aluminum pegboard all fall into the steel category. The downside is the upfront cost, which is much less for the tempered hardboard.

If you need storage outside, you may consider plastic pegboard. Polypropylene plastic pegboard is normally 1/4-inch thick and won’t fade, dry out, crack, or peel. It can be used for indoor or outdoor organization and is also unaffected by chemicals or oils.

Hardware Options

Hooks are an important aspect to look at when purchasing pegboards. Hooks come in a number of shapes and sizes to address most hanging needs. The size of holes in your pegboard will determine the diameter of hooks that are needed. The most common size of hooks are 3/16-inch and 1/4-inch. Try not to use a hook that is too small for the hole in the pegboard, as this will cause the hole to elongate and possibly tear with tempered hardboard.

Hooks come in all types of configurations, such as straight, double straight, angled L, and curved J hooks. Pick the appropriate hook to hang your item securely.

Hanging Pegboard

Hanging pegboard is a relatively easy task for the do-it-yourselfer. Determine the location for the pegboard and locate the studs in the wall to attach the pegboard to. The pegboard needs to be spaced away from the wall to allow the hooks to be installed onto the board. One way to do this is by using pine furring strips and screwing them to the wall studs and then attaching the pegboard onto the furring strips with screws. This gives a nice secure pegboard to hang whatever you desire on.

Rooms You Desperately Need to Organize

Pegboard is a great storage tool no matter what room of the house you're whipping into shape. By using your imagination and a little elbow grease, any DIYer can create, hang, and utilize pegboard for optimal organization and storage.

Office

Pegboard can be utilized in your home office and any other space used to conduct business.

A room partition is a good place to hang pegboard. By simply framing the partition with 2x2 wood and adding some feet for stability, the pegboard sheets will attach easily to both sides of the divider. The partition can be moved if needed and offers a tremendous amount of wall space to hang calendars, white boards, and shelves.

If room partitions are not needed in your office, pegboard can be hung on any wall. Decorative baskets, small or large, can be attached to the pegboard and used for items that normally may be lying on the desk top, such as paper clips, binder clips, and push pins. By organizing these items into the baskets on the pegboard, your desk will look more professional and you'll have more room for the tasks at hand.

In some offices, space is needed for memos, notes, or other assignments. Two long hooks can be bent down and a piece of wood can be added to make a small, but useful, area for these types of things.

Kitchen

Take a minute and look in your drawers and cabinets. If you have a pantry with an unused wall, consider hanging a piece of pegboard on it. Overflow from the kitchen items you rarely use but don’t want to get rid of can be hung in the pantry, such as pots and pans, utensils, baking supplies, and aprons.

Even if you don’t have a pantry to tuck away pegboard, you can always paint it to match your kitchen décor. Get creative. A frame around the outside will also give it a more polished look. Once the location is chosen and the pegboard is hung, anything in the kitchen that will hang is fair game for this storage addition.

Craft Room

The craft room is another excellent place for pegboards. Whether you are a seamstress or an artist, pegboard is an ideal storage solution for you. By using the variety of hooks and holders that can be purchased, well as coming up with some of your own, pegboard can be adapted to answer most storage needs for your hobby. Hooks can hang paint brushes while baskets can keep mosaic tiles together.

Garage

Tools hung on pegboard are more accessible and can be more easily kept track of. By tracing a line around each item, one is able to see what is missing once a job is complete.

Using longer straight hooks and piece of wood is an ideal way to install shelving that can be moved if needed.

For small items such as nuts and screws, take a number of jars, glass or plastic, and attach the lids to a 1x4. board This board can be as wide or narrow as you need and as long as you would like. Use as many jars as you have different items for storage. Install straight hooks wider than your board and place them every 6 inches or so into the pegboard. Now turn the board over with the lid side down, and place the board on the straight hooks. Fill the jars with items to be stored and screw the jar to the lid.