D.I.Y.

How to Make Your Own Pegboard

September 29, 2021

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Of you follow along on Instagram you are well aware that McGregor and I caved and got a Peloton. I still hate working out (perhaps because I’m SO out of shape), but I truly appreciate the convenience and health benefits of our Peloton. What I was not loving was the lack of storage we had for various items in our garage. Being the natural-born problem-solver that I am, I opted to create my own storage solution. I went through several ideas and came up with this pegboard!

It is a relatively simple and non-strenuous DIY. I actually would have completed this pegboard in a few hours if it wasn’t for the small problem of not having the right size screws! As far as DIYs go, this one is easy peasy and super affordable when you make it out of scraps like I did! Come, learn how to make your own DIY pegboard.

What You Need to Make Your Own Pegboard

Here’s what you need to install your own pegboard:

The qualities below will vary based on a few factors – the size of your plywood, the size of your shelves and the number of pegs you want in your pegboard. Below is the amount I used for my 4 ft x 2 ft board with 27 holes, four shelves 4-inch wide, and hooks for two pairs of shoes.

One 2×4 foot 1/2 (or 3/4) inch piece of plywood
Two 24″x4″ 1/2 (or 3/4) inch pieces of plywood
One 12.5″x4″ 1/2 (or 3/4) inch piece of plywood
6 ft of 3/4 inch (diameter) round dowel
4 ft of 1×2 (least expensive material) wood
6x 1-inch wood screws
3x 2-inch wood screws (plus wall anchors)

Tools you need:

Table saw
Mitre Saw (or hand saw – to cut your wood dowels to size)
Drill
Level
3/4″ spade bit
Sander + 220 grit sandpaper
Clamps

How to Make Your Own Pegboard

1. If the main part of your pegboard and your pegboard shelves are not cut to size, use your table saw (circular saw would work) to cut them to size. While your table saw is out, make sure the 1×2 piece is also cut to size. This is what you will be using to mount the pegboard with a french cleat technique. Set your table saw to a 35 degree angle. Run ONE piece of your 1×2 through this – keep the other intact. Follow this video to clearly understand a french cleat.

2. Take your mitre saw out and cut your dowels to size. Double check how wide you need them – they will go through the back of the board by about 3/4 of an inch (as your 1/2 is going to be mounted to the back giving your pegs some room to get through the holes, go through your plywood (1/2 inch?), and then land flush with your boards – this should be 5 1/4 inches long, but I would double check this. I made 12 of these dowel pegs.

3. Measure out where you’d like your pegs to go – I eyeballed where I visually thought they should start (about 1.5 inches in from the side). I used a straight edge and marked a line vertically along the board using a pencil. I made the same line on the other side (1.5 inches in) and then measured to the centre from both of these lines. I then drew a third line straight down. I did the same thing at the bottom (measured 1/5 inches, and drew a line). My middle measurement became my guide for the rest of the horizontal rows. Approximately 4.5 inches apart – I drew those lines horizontally. This created a “+” in certain spots – that’s exactly where I was going to create some new holes.

4. Next, take your spade bit and lined it up perfectly with the centre of the X. Drill your hole through the plywood – I clamped my plywood down as I did this. You will need to do a few secondary passes going very slowly around in circles while operating the drill as slowly as possible to make the circle SLIGHTLY wider than 3/4″ so the pegs can fit through. Repeat until you’ve hit all the “+” you created on the board. I would test each hole with a peg, just to double check they are big enough. Remember, bigger than the peg but not too much bigger!

5. Next up, sand your board and pegs with 220 grit sandpaper to remove the pencil marks and smooth out any excess bumps.

6. Install the top half of your french cleat to the back of the pegboard towards the top using 1 inch screws – I did three across. Make sure you’re not interfering with the pegholes. Install the full piece towards the bottom so it sits flush against the wall using the other three 1 inch screws. Add the bottom piece of the cleat to the wall and make sure it’s secured in (in a stud or using an anchor using the 2 inch screws).

7. Add your pegs and shelves to their desired locations and BOOM you’re set with a brand new pegboard!!!