Love the idea of pegboard, but a little intimidated by it, too? This pegboard organizing hack for tools and anything else you want to organize is going to make your life so much simpler.

I’m a big fan of the idea of pegboard. In reality, pegboard is a little more complicated to hang than a picture or curtains. The trouble is that you have to hang traditional pegboard on a frame.

Where to Use Pegboard to Organize

I loved this blue pot rack pegboard in a small kitchen. It’s a really masterful use of space. Pro tip: paint the pegboard before mounting it.

Pegboards in a garage are a no brainer. This garage with a “boatload” of toys and tools functions so much better with the tools on the walls.

I fell in love with the IKEA version of pegboard (affiliate link) because it hangs just like a picture, and built the prettiest gift wrap closet ever with it.

Pegboard Hack

So now you love pegboard as much as I do. I’ve got a hack to make using traditional pegboard a cinch, as long as you need the pegboard where you have shelves. In a basement, garage, or craft room, this trick can save you time and frustration. My problem was a set of tools in my basement that live in a tool bag which I have always hated. The bag is sturdy, but it’s got the same problem that purses have; everything gets piled in and lost at the bottom.

Like most basements with storage, we’ve got some metal shelves to hold paint and such. I bought a sheet of pegboard at my local hardware (one of my favorite places in town), and they cut it into pieces for me. Rather than mounting it, I hung it by the corners from the posts on the short side of the shelving unit. It provides a bit of structure on the side of the shelf, and I didn’t need to build a frame. Just be sure that your shelving unit is sturdy and your weight is evenly distributed.

It’s hard to see because the wire is light colored, but it’s as easy as twist-tying your bread closed. Secure the board to the shelving uprights, twist the wire, and feed back through one of the peg holes to clean it up a bit.

Once installed on the shelving unit, then comes the fun part of trying to maximize the available space and hooks. This is the fun part for me. If it’s not fun for you, think of it as a game…or call me. How does it look? It’s definitely easier to find what I need compared to the bottomless tool bag.

I might come down here and fiddle a bit just for fun, to see if I can get a few more tools on here.

What are you organizing this week? Do you have any plans to add pegboard?

See all of my January 2021 organizing articles in one place.