I was getting tired of digging through bins for paints and decided it was time to organize my paints. I have tried those acrylic nail polish organizers but I found they took up too much desk space. I decided I wanted something completely vertical so I started with some Ikea Skadis pegboards. Ikea makes a number of accessories but the shelves aren’t the best shape for small bottles of paint and they’re a bit expensive.
To build the shelves, I purchased the following from Canadian retailers:
- 3/4-inch L x 3/4-inch W Corner Braces (from Rona)
- #8-32 x 1/2-inch Machine Screws (from Home Depot)
- #8-32 Hex Nuts (from Canadian Tire)
- and 1/4-inch x 2-inch x 2 Feet Poplar Hobby Board (from Home Depot)
You could use other fasteners but be careful not to exceed the diameter of the openings on the pegboard, which is 5 mm. Start by fastening the first pair of corner brackets to the pegboard. Once you’re happy with the placement, put the board on top and mark where to drill. If you’re confident in your placement, you can stack the boards and drill through all of them at once.
One complication is the distance of the slots dictate the height or your shelves. I found the most efficient way to store my collection of paints was to start with a pair of braces as low as possible, then for the shelf above, move the braces to the top of the slots. By alternating, I ended up with tall and short height shelves. The tall 17 mL bottles will not fit if you place all shelves at the lowest part of the slot.
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| Notice the middle brace is mounted higher on the pegboard to allow the taller bottles to fit. |
Overall, I’m very happy with the build. The shelf holds more than 100 paints and they’re easy to identify and reach. If I need more space, I could make the shelves longer or the pegboard taller in the future.
I built some tiny paint shelves for my desk. They attach to the Ikea Skadis pegboards.
byu/rastrillo inminipainting