Quick note: For now we just have lots of rain and a few wind gusts thanks to Hurricane Sandy, but things are supposed to get a bit rougher later today and tomorrow so we expect to be without power for a while (although we’ll post remotely whenever we can). We hope everyone else is staying safe and dry!
Since pegboards are my new favorite thing, you knew I was bound to write another basement organization post that mentions them (along with some other methods to contain/control things like screws and nails) right?
Here’s how I brought some sexy back to the basement (which I recently started to clean up after a yard sale, a bagster pickup, and some yard tool organization).
Next up on the organization to-do list were my regular tools. We actually made the decision to relocate most of our tools to the basement after years of being weirdos who stored them in our kitchen drawers. We’ll still keep duplicates of a few popular items – like hammers, nails, and caulk – in our sunroom (where everything’s been living most recently) but having the rest of our arsenal neatly hung/stored in one place (aka: the basement workshop) definitely outweighs the extra trouble of walking down to the basement now and then to get a few things.
So we began this phase of basement org by trucking everything down (i.e. drawers, toolbox, etc) to the basement so I could begin sorting. Forgive the sucky pictures. Sherry was using the camera for another project so I was stuck taking phone pics.
First I spread everything out on the work table to see what I had and how I might categorize everything.
Going through everything was kind of a weird, sentimental walk down memory lane. It was just so funny to see old items that were hanging around after projects from the past, like our old kitchen knobs and the clothespin chandelier that we made.
How could we forget those eyeball-ish kitchen knobs?
I also found tools with some memories behind them. Like the Boy Scout pocket knife passed down from my Papa (sidebar: I was the first in the line of my male cousins on my mom’s side NOT to become an Eagle Scout. I started and stopped right at Cub Scout. #blacksheep). And there was the first set of screwdrivers that my dad gave me back in high school (at the time I’m sure I accepted them with some sort of angsty “when will I ever use these stupid things??” type of look).
My dad actually gave me those screwdrivers along with the toolbox below, which traveled with me to college and even to New York – although for most of its lifespan it has held a measly three or four tools. But one reason I’ve kept it is because my dad taped a picture of his family inside. The couple on the right is my grandfather Emanuel and his second wife Helen. His first (my dad’s mom) died when my dad was young. She’s the Clara that our bean is named after.
But enough sentimental stuff. On to the pegboard! After a couple of hours (and a trip to Home Depot to buy a set of pegboard hooks) my tools finally looked like they always should have: orderly and ready to go.
Here’s a couple of closer shots for ya, in case you’re like me and enjoy staring at pegboards full of tools for extended periods of time.
This actually isn’t everything. We decided to keep paint & craft supplies (i.e. glue gun, staple gun, etc) upstairs in the sunroom along with a few other essentials (like picture nails and anchors, along with a hammer and caulk) since we tend to use them more in the house than in the workshop. And I stashed a lot of my project-specific tools in the toolbox (finally it’s getting use!) so I know that’s where to go when I need plumbing or electrical supplies.
I could stare at those pegboards all day. But then I wouldn’t get any actual work done. And sadly I still had this crazy drawer full of screws, nails, and other hardware that was crying out for help.
So I used a similar process to sort them. First I spread everything out on the table and started grouping similar items. Then those similar items went into mason jars together.
I actually had a bunch of mason jars sitting around from a failed project Sherry tried taking on. She was going to repackage our vacation time capsules into smaller jars… but realized too late that the stout new jars that she bought obscured the items inside too much (so taller mason jars like the ones we used originally actually work best). So the too-short jars got passed down to me after she had already spray painted the silver tops a cool midnight blue color. Lucky me.
But Sherry’s pint-sized hand-me-downs weren’t quite enough for my sprawling assortment of screws, so I did have to invest in some (even smaller) half-pint jars myself (from JoAnn with a 50% coupon).
Here’s everything once it had found a jar to call home. Don’t mind the pieces of paper sticking out of them. Those were labels from the hardware packaging that I hung on to so I could remember what was what (since I planned to hand-write my own labels later).
Once everything was labeled and canned, I stuck them up on this shelf that the previous owner had built in above the work surface (don’t mind the edge that looks like it was once on fire – we plan to stain it all soon).
The shelf spacing is a bit much for these tiny cans, but it’s not worth rebuilding the shelves or anything, so I’m just happy they’re here to house my collection.
As for the labels, I just bought some 1.5 x 1.5″ square Avery labels at Staples for a few bucks and hand wrote the info on the front. I debated printing them on the computer to make them look slightly fancier, but I figured that was a system I’d never keep up with.
Eventually I hope to take these two projects a step further by painting the pegboards and staining the shelf as I mentioned (along with some other items in the room like the built-in work table). We think that’ll really help pull things together and make it look a little more workshop-swanky as opposed to old-ignored-basement. I don’t think I’m going to go too over-the-top with things in the basement just because I like to be realistic about what’s worth my time and what’s easiest to maintain over time. Which is why I’ve decided to pass on the idea of outlining my tools on the pegboard, since I feel like it’ll just create frustration when I have to add or subtract a tool and don’t want to repaint the whole thing. But who knows, I could change my tune someday (Sherry mentioned chalk outlines since those are easily changed, but we don’t want chalk dust all over our stuff so we later both dismissed that option).
I was just grateful that the drawers I was bringing back upstairs to the sunroom were looking much more clutter free. So these are the items we kept upstairs since we think we’ll use them more up there while the rest makes more sense to keep together in the workshop.
And while my newly organized tools and hardware supply was making me quite confident about how the basement was shaping up, let us be reminded that I still have this to deal with: the wall o’ paint, spray paint, and other buckets. But that’s a project for another day…
Okay, so who has a pegboard obsession? Is anyone else planning to paint and stain things in the basement for a little more of a finished look? Do you have a hard time figuring out which tools should stay out in the garage, basement, or attic and which ones should be inside and easy to grab? I gotta admit that once we spent a few minutes thinking about what we use upstairs vs. what we use in the workshop it really wasn’t too tough to commit to keeping stuff in the areas that make the most sense.
Psst – We finally have our apple picking photos up on Young House Life (spoiler alert: Clara’s life was made when she got to be a worm, well, a caterpillar).
Larissa says
A little JT from JP on Monday morning is the best thing ever. Thanks!
(And the basement is looking great and I hope you are safe from the storm.)
LaTonya says
John, this is really great! While I certainly love the peg board, my favorite part is how you organized screws, nail, etc in different sized mason jars. So creative! You’ve got me really excited about how you organize your garage (after you build one of course!) Great job!
Ashley says
Looks great! Maybe you could just post a picture on the pegboard of the pegboard all filled up so you’ll know where to return things to. Pictures are easier to update than outlines!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that idea.
-John
Christina says
I LOVE all of the organization!!!! Great job John! I have seriously scrolled up and down oogling those perfectly poised pegboards about 10 times already…and I might have to go back for some more eye candy! Is it wrong/weird to think organization is sexy–cause if so I guess I’m weird!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, not at all! I just go down there and stand in front of them and stare. Ha.
-John
Amanda says
Great organization! stay safe guys and hope that the storm doesn’t cause too much damage and disruption for you all x
Eileen says
That. Looks. Awesome. I wouldn’t have ever imagined that one day I’d actually think a pegboard was so cool. I remember as a little girl being SO bored when dad took me along to the hardware store. Now? I love planning projects and gathering the goods there.
Looking forward to more installments of the makeover!
mia says
Love this! We’re doing the pegboard in the garage to organize things in there. My hubby built rolling workbenches out of old pallets he ripped apart(free!)and put heavy-duty caster wheels on them that have brakes. Now we can roll these workbenches where ever we need them and even outside for big painting projects or cover them with a tablecloth and voila! a great serving table for outdoor events or wonderful yard sale tables! Hey we wish you the best and hope this storm doesn’t do you any harm! We were worried about how the weather would affect you all. We love your blog so full of fresh ideas! Best Wishes to you all!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Mia! So far, we’re ok. Hope everyone stays safe!
xo
s
Jessica G says
Just another thought (may have already been mentioned) for the chalk outlines…you could buy the chalkboard markers. If you painted the board with chalk paint, they just write on and wash off with wet paper towel (I rarely use chalk in my classroom anymore because of this) and then you don’t have the chalk dust.
Keep safe! We’re in Newport News & we know you guys are like us and don’t lose the power til later when the winds are bad/soil is wet…so we’re expecting to keep power for a few more hours. Hopefully it doesn’t hit you guys too hard either! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Our power goes out if someone sneezes, so it’s amazing that we still have it! Knocking on wood as I type that!
xo
s
Lauren says
What was the price break down for this?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, maybe around $15 for the jars and the peg hooks? We used 50% off coupons at JoAnn for the jars, which really helped!
xo
s
Kali says
I’m not a confident DIY’er but man can I organize! So needless to say, I lurve posts like these! Thanks for the continued inspiration… although I fear my husband may be growing weary of hearing about you and everything you’re doing. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Kali!
-John
Joanna Banana says
OMG. Please come to my house and motivate my husband to clean his workshop (AKA the entire basement)! It’s a disaster! I love how organized your screws are. My dad did this with baby food jars…not sure they sell baby food in glass jars anymore….
Debbie C says
I LOVE the mason jar idea for all of your nails and tiny items! (Nate Berkus would swoon!) And I love the pegboard too, it looks so organized and cool.
Michelle says
I’m forwarding this post to my husband…*HINT HINT*
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo,
s
cc says
I used to think I needed to outline tools on a pegboard, but a) ever since that season of Dexter with John Lithgow, it makes me think of that guy and his hardware fetish filled garage, and b) if the tool is hanging right on the wall and I can’t find it or figure out where it should go while putting it back, I need to take a break anyway. Just getting the stuff up on the wall has me miles ahead of the game already!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah!
xo
s
courtney @itsPrettyCheap says
I’m going to organize my parent’s basement as their Christmas present! This is great inspiration!! Thanks for the tips! I have a feeling pegboard will be my lifesaver!! :)
xo,
Courtney
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh send pics!
xo
s
Kimberly says
I love it! So envious of your organization skills. For some reason the prospect of organizing tools really intimidates me. I, too, wondered why you didn’t outline your tools, so thanks for clarifying your reasons behind not doing so! It makes total sense that you want supreme flexibility when it comes to adding on or just rearranging. To that end, you might consider painting your pegboard with dry erase paint (Idea paint) and then outlining your tools with a dry erase marker.
I know I for one really appreciate that my husband’s tools are outlined, so I can put things back when I borrow them,or help him clean up after a project. It also makes it easier to see at a glance when a tool has been left out, and is floating around the house somewhere (or perhaps on loan).
Thanks for the workshop inspiration!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s another great idea!
xo
s
Nicole says
Love the mason jar idea… it looks nice and organized but it’s easy for the hubby to maintain.
Good luck with Sandy! Everyone is a little freaked out where I am (NY), but I have a feeling it won’t be too bad here.
Petra from NL says
Laurie said: Then he would nail the lids to the board and screw the jars into the lids. He would just twist them on and off.
I was thinking the exact same thing. You could have a double row of those smaller jars since you said it felt a bit like a waste of space… that way you might free up one of the shelves for more jars or other items.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, that could be awesome! We just opted not to attach the lids to the cabinet since we sometimes bring them upstairs or to friend’s houses to help with stuff, so keeping the lid available seems to work well for us.. at least for now!
xo
s
Allison @ Gold Stars Double Rainbows says
It’s looking great in there! My favorite are the jars on the shelf with the labels. And handwritten was the way to go and still looks “muy lindo!”
LARY@ Inspiration Nook says
Go John! Pretty impressive. Love the “blue lids”. Fancy! ;)
Courtney Leigh says
This organization is making me sooooo happy on a very stressful day. I’m weird that way.
Also, I just found out that they have dry erase paint now. You could paint the boards dry erase and use the markers for outlines if you decide you need them.
OR you could use labels that would be hidden under the items themselves when they were hanging. As long as they were easy stick/peel that would be another simple change if you wanted to add some tools.
YoungHouseLove says
Those are more fun ideas! You guys are so clever!
xo
s
Carla says
Wow, awesomely done! Your basement is something to envy, for sure!
One question: I’m chemically sensitive. What is peg board made from? Are you noticing any kind of odor from the chemical binders? Julia Childs had peg board in her kitchen. I love it, but worry any outgassing will be a problem for me.
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I would say if you’re sensitive that a new pegboard might be too much for you. Ours are really old so they’re probably done putting off any odor (none that we notice anyway) but in that wood aisle of the hardware store if you put your nose up next to new pegboards it might be a lot. Although if you paint them with something eco/no-VOC it might seal in that scent. Or you can use Safecoat Acrylacq to seal them (experts use that to seal in lead paint, and it’s non-toxic and low-VOC). Hope it helps!
xo
s
Christi says
Please stay safe and we will be thinking of you and the rest of your family.
-Christi,, Long time reader
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Christi!
xo
s
Liane says
Target Lady is definitely my favorite SNL skit- I will miss it now that Kristin Wiig is gone! :( And JT is always hilarious, love this character. :)
I love all the tiny jars of screws, I wish my hubby would let me do this in his garage!!
Jessica says
Hi!
Thanks for a good organizing fix while waiting for Sandy here in northern NJ…
I noticed the exposed fiberglass insulation in your ceiling down there. Any plans to put something up over that (i.e., simple paneling) to cover it and create a healthier environment for yourself while working down there?
~ Jessica
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, we’d love to tackle that- although there are a bunch of ducts and pipes that jut down into the space, so it might be a bit more involved than just adding paneling or beadboard. We’ll keep you posted!
xo
s
Louise says
I didn’t THINK I was into pegboards, but now that I’ve seen what you’ve done I’m going to re-tackle our garage/workshop ’cause those boards are just beauts! (PS: Was thinking about you folks down in Virginia – glad to hear you are doing OK with Sandy.)
Diana says
Stay safe through the storm.
Love your pegboards!
Maky says
OMG, I have SUCH pegboard envy! And I can’t bloody seem to find them anywhere here in the UK! It’s like blasphemy or something!
My obsession with pegboards began through Pinterest a while ago – I love everything about them! The function, the geometric pattern, the organized look you get when you hang stuff… it’s just all there! Never mind that I’m a girl and that I don’t actually have a basement or garage to hang them in. They still rock my socks! I shall bookmark this post and come and stare at your pegboard often (if Sherry doesn’t mind) :D
Hope you guys are staying safe and there’s no damage to your lovely casa. I’ll have a talk with Sandy to make sure it skips your area ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Maky! Here’s hoping pegboards pop up in the UK asap!
xo
s
Elizabeth says
I’m not sure if other commenters have mentioned this, but my granddad always had nails & screws in mason jars or baby food jars, but he had the lids screwed on to the underside of a shelf and the jars hung from their lids. It was a space saver as he could use the rest of the shelf for something else. That’s the first thing I thought of when you said you were going to use mason jars and was surprised to see them sitting on shelves instead of hanging.
Peanut butter jars were another favorite of his since they are plastic and won’t break if dropped.
Just a thought in case you ever run out of room on your shelves!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that tip!
xo
s
Ashley E says
Awesome organization! The toolbox bit reminds me, I would be really interested to hear you guys’ philosophy on keeping sentimental stuff, especially stuff from childhood. We just got our first house, and my parents hauled down 8+ boxes of stuff I had collected as a kid – everything from birthday cards to letter jackets. What have you done with your childhood stuff? And how do you avoid accumulating too much of Clara’s?
YoungHouseLove says
We have one large=ish shoebox (the kind that would fit boots instead of small flats) and that’s where we keep sentimental things. Everything from notes we wrote to each other to movie tickets and an old napkin from our wedding. When the box gets too full we go through things and pare them down. That way it’s only going to be full of stuff we truly love (and we won’t amass ten of these boxes that we’ll never go through or enjoy- one keeps it manageable). We also each have a file in our filing cabinet with maybe 50 sentimental papers from our childhood, so that’s really easy to store and we have already started one for Clara. In general our philosophy is to try to put things out that are sentimental whenever you can (on shelves, in frames or shadow boxes, etc) so it’s not collecting dust in a closet or drawer somewhere.
xo
s
Ashley E says
Thanks for the response! Prayers for safely weathering the storm!
Alison says
I wanted to tell you, that I hope you stay safe during this storm.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Alison! We’re hunkered down but still have power. We hear the worst is yet to come, so we’re hoping everyone out there stays safe!
xo
s
Sherry in BC says
Stay safe there, I am worried about you up here on the West Coast. Love what you have done. My work room is a total shambles. I will have to start chipping away at it to get it up to your standard. One tip I will pass on is a gift I received last Christmas. I have a couple of tool boxes but they are heavy and you can’t see what is in them. This item is amazing. I keep my most used items in it including tapes and can whip it to whatever room it is needed in quickly. I am thinking of buying another one for my cleaning stuff.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-25ecodZ5yc1v/R-202273241/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=tool+caddy&storeId=10051#.UI7F6WmMU7Q
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh, it looks awesome!
xo
s
Jess says
Your “new” basement reminds me of my grandpa’s garage/workshop! He was a military guy, so everything was always immaculate. He had pegboard everywhere & even did the same type of jar thing you’ve done (except he screwed the lids to the bottom of the upper shelves so they would just be hanging there & he could unscrew the whole jar when he needed a bolt or whatever). He even recycled my aunt’s baby food jars as some of the bolt/screw/nut containers.
He died in 2003, so I’m loving that this post reminds me of him! Thank you!!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, I’m sorry for your loss Jess. He sounds like an amazing man.
xo
s
Katy says
Impressive organizational skills! I wish I had a basement. Most houses in Texas don’t have them. We’re stuck with keeping our tools in the laundry room or in the garage. There’s nothing like moving the laundry soap to get to the power drill!
Mairi Setchell says
This basement clean up is inspiring me to clean up my own basement!
Cynthia says
I *love* those short Ball canning jars. Call me OCD, but there are few sights as lovely as a bank of them stacked on top of each other on a shelf. Try it! (stack a few; it looks like you maybe have room for 3 stacked on top of each other in the shelf space you have instead of the row of single short jars). Don’t ask me how I know how beautiful this looks. Plus, it’s a good use of space.
Kelly says
Instead of outlines, you could just tape labels. That’s what my Mom did when she organized our basement. (Yes, it was wierd, but I’d just had a baby #2 and she was visiting for an extended period of time and it kept raining and she insisted!) She was concerned we wouldn’t like the arrangement, so she just taped labels (narrow rake, wide rake, short shovel, etc) by the hooks. It’s worked really well all summer and we will be able to rearrange as needed.
YoungHouseLove says
Smart!
xo
s
eileen marie says
Keeping all you East Coastters in my thoughts during Sandy! Stay safe & dry!
PS: The basement looks amazing w/ the pegboard & jars! Reminds me of my dad’s workshop growing up! Oh, and I love Classic Peg!
Lori says
All the changes and organization looks great! If you don’t have it at home, you should check it out of the library — The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room. It’s a good one and there’s pegboard! http://www.amazon.com/The-Berenstain-Bears-Messy-Room/dp/0394856392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351536006&sr=8-1&keywords=berenstain+bears+and+the+messy+room
YoungHouseLove says
We actually have that one buy Clara barely lets us get to the end of reading one before she wants to “finish it myself” so I haven’t seen that part yet!
-John
Melissa says
It looks fabulous!!! One tip on the pegboard arrangement that worked better for me is to hang the long items vertically. That way space at the very top (which is hard to reach for me) is used up by things that I can actually grab from their bottom end – like the level or saws. You are – John, not Sherry :-) quite a bit taller though, so maybe that doesn’t matter.
Jessie says
The basement looks fantastic! I have serious pegboard envy.
The garage in our first house was bare insulation between the studs, and my husband finished the entire thing with pegboard. It was AWESOME! We’ve moved since, and we miss it so much. For the little things like nails and screws, we committed to eating one brand of salsa for ages, and ended up with a nice, “free” matching set of jars.
Kati H says
Hmm. No painting and no chalk? How about wet-erase marker over a shiny paint job? That way it wouldn’t wipe off when you grabbed a tool but it was easy to alter with a simply wet washcloth.
We’re living in Paris and have absolutely.no.organization, mostly because we have next to no furniture, which means no shelves, no bookshelves, no drawers, baskets, nada. We’re trying to be creative. So I’m loving this post. We need to get organized! You can do it- or as the French would say, Gerdez les pêches!
YoungHouseLove says
Paint’s on the to-do list!
-John
Julie B says
Now if only you could figure out a way to use “Jack Sparrow” as an embedded video on one of your blog posts; my life would be complete! ;)
(I know all of The Lonely Island videos are pretty crude; but the Jack Sparrow is my all time favorite video ever! My husband just rolls his eyes everytime he hears me play it on the iPad!! :)
YoungHouseLove says
LOL. I’ll see what we can do… (maybe a post about bolting something on could include a Bolton pun).
-John
Courtney says
I’m not trying to brag here*, but our garage is so luxuriously pegboarded that the pegboard goes RIGHT OVER THE TOP OF THE GARAGE DOORS. My husband and I have been speculating as to what the former owners of the house dared to hang up there, what with the regular vibration from the doors going up and down and the proximity of cars.
*Can one ever TRULY brag about pegboard?
YoungHouseLove says
Wow. I’d say that’s a brag-worthy pegboard situation if I ever heard of one!
-John
Anna says
HoLY BucKeTS!!! I wish my garage was that organized…nice work!!!
Maggie says
I started putting up pegboard and organizing tools in my parents garage this summer. Then I bought a house and lost track of that project. Seeing your pictures makes me want to go back and finish up!(AFTER the storm though!)
Ryan says
My workbench in the basement is so covered in tool clutter I can’t find what I’m looking for. I need a big new pegboard to store my tools. I’m at the point where I know I have that wrench, but might have to buy a new one because I can’t find it.
My dad has his hand tools all organized on a peg board. He even has some longer pegs so multiples of some things go in the same place (all three hammers on the same hook, both staple guns on the same hook). He never out lined anything and we never had a problem knowing what goes where. First, not that many tools are used at one time and second, you just learn each tools location over time.
Laura says
You could outline using painter’s tape or something even thinner. Then you could restick the tape.
Lisa@Cozy Condo Living says
Your basement is looking great. Your tools on the peg board reminded me of my dad. When I was in high school he had his tools on a pegboard and used a sharpie to trace each one so he knew where to put them back. I always thought that was uber anal and dorky, but as an adult I’m apprecating his style.
LMN says
apparently your decision to not outline the tools is unpopular…I, however, fully support you :-) Leave room for new tools! And if you forget where it goes, helloooo you just posted a picture to refer back to!