When my brother moved out I nabbed his room for my own little studio (yeah, my parents will never get rid of me now). I wanted the room to look like a unicorn vomited on the walls and from a practical perspective, I needed some extra storage.
I saw a beautiful pegboard in Block T studios in Dublin and knew I needed one in my studio.
I delved into the rabbit hole of Pinterest for some more inspiration. There I found the Crafted Life and her colourful pegboard of dreams. I set out to make something similar in my own style; colourful with some of the bare wood on show. P.s. if you're more into video tutorials scroll down to the end of this post for my Youtube Video on how I made this!
How to make a Rainbow Pegboard
What you’ll need;
Pegboard
Pencil
Large ruler/ straight piece of wood
Saw
Spirit level
Spray paint
Spray primer
Spray varnish
Drill
Screws
Masking tape
2x1 PAO Wood
Pegboard accessories
Shelves (optional)
Pegboard;
Use a pencil to mark out he size of your pegboard- using the spirit level and ruler to mark out straight lines. (I got the pegboard in Woodworkers in Terenure, which seems to be the only place in Dublin that does it.)
Cut the pegboard to your desired size. My Dad helped me saw this, so if you're a woman child like me, make sure you have an adult to help you. (I'm thinking of starting a support group for incapable women children who still live with their parents, IWC for short. Message me if you're interested).
Mask out the stripes on your pegboard. I kept every second stripe bare wood, using the tape as a spacer. This keeps the angle of each stripe also. I used thick delicate masking tape for this, creating thick stripes. Make sure to rub the tape down to avoid bleeding (see my previous blog post for tips on all things masking tape).
Use the spray primer on the areas you are going to be painting. Always wear a suitable mask in a well ventilated area when using spray paint- BORING safety bits I know, but they're needed K. Follow the spray paint's instructions with regards to drying time and number of coats.
Spray each coloured stripe using the spray paints. I had some issues keeping each colour confined to its own stripe but I just used some scrap paper to protect any areas where splashes of the wrong colour were appearing.
Remove masking tape and allow spray paint to dry according to instructions.
Spray pegboard with varnish all over. This will protect the board when putting pegboard accessories in as these could scratch off your paint.
Frame;
I bought the thinner pegboard (because I'm cheap), so in order to give the pegboard some support it needed to be mounted on a frame. I watched a few Youtube videos on how to do this and enlisted the help of my trusty slave..I mean Dad.
Cut down the wooden 2x1s to size. You need to create a frame for the pegboard that sits behind it, only visible from the sides. This will allow you to put the accessories through the holes without hitting the wall behind it.
Fix the frame into the wall using a drill, raw plugs and screws. You may need another person to hold the wood while you’re doing this.
Paint the frame to match your wall or pegboard. I painted it white so it blends into the wall.
Screw the pegboard to the frame and you've got the most stunning craft room known to man.
Shelving;
I used some Tetris like shelving blocks that I bought at a car boot sale. They really add to the look and provide more storage.This part is optional but I love how mine turned out.
Prime the shelves using spray primer. (You can use ordinary primer here also, but these shelves have so many sides and finnicky parts. Spray paint was the best option to save time and heartbreak.)
Spray paint the shelves using complementary colours.
Install your shelves around your pegboard.
Then you just need to add your accessories and you're golden!
Hope you liked this post! What does your dream craftroom look like?
Here is a tour of my studio and a few of my favourite products on my pegboard!