My neighbor told me my pegboard setup was wasting space and he was right

I had this big pegboard wall in my garage with just a few hooks holding a hammer and some screwdrivers. My neighbor Bob came over last weekend and said hey you could fit twice as much by using bins on shelves instead of just hanging tools. I swapped out half the pegboard for some wire shelving units from Lowes for like $40 total. Now I have all my paint cans and power tools on the shelves and the pegboard just holds the stuff I grab daily like my tape measure and scissors. Has anyone else found a better way to mix pegboard and shelving?

3 comments

3 Comments

white.keith7d ago

I swapped my pegboard out for a mix of french cleats and open shelving about two years ago. I use the cleats for heavy tools like my circular saw and impact driver with quick-release mounts. Then I put shallow metal shelves above for stuff like paint cans and small parts bins. The pegboard is still up on one wall for my screwdrivers and wrenches. It comes down to what you grab most often.

laura_wilson7d ago

That quick release mount loosening thing is real. I had the same issue with my drill and ended up swapping to a magnetic mount for the lighter stuff and just using fixed cleats for anything over 5 pounds. The shelf thing is smart though, I did almost the same setup but used those wire closet shelves from Home Depot. They let paint drips fall through if a can leaks and you can see exactly how much paint is left without moving stuff around. For the pegboard wall I actually painted mine with magnetic primer before hanging tools on it. Lets me stick metal parts lists or a socket organizer right on the board without extra hooks.

craig.olivia7d ago

Those quick release mounts for cleats work okay but I found they loosen up over time if you're grabbing tools off them every day. I tried a setup with metal cleats from a big box store and had to tighten the bolts twice in the first month. For heavy stuff like a circular saw I just stick with fixed cleats and a simple hook. The shelf combo sounds good for paint cans though, keeps them off the floor and easy to see.