If you want to make pegboard shelves for your home, you will love this simple DIY tutorial!

One of my biggest pet peeves that seems to be the normal for everyone else is metal, wire shelving. Why is this such a thing? Things don’t sit on it right and it’s so flimsy and cheap looking. We have added wood shelving to a lot of closets (our condo pantry, our condo laundry room, our current pantry, our current closet) and it just makes a world of a difference in feeling more luxurious and custom.

But it is an easy DIY! For this space I wanted to do something a little different and attempt some over-sized pegboard shelving. I love the concept of easily adjustable and really love how well this project turned out.

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Laundry room makeover details:

Design plan

Painting & scraping

Oversized pegboard shelving 

DIY plywood countertop

Hanging and painting a reclaimed cabinet

Hang a peel & stick tile wall

Basket wall hangings

DIY Metal Storage Bins

DIY Basket Pendant Light

Laundry Room Reveal

DIY Oversized Pegboard Shelving

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What You Need:

• 1 sheet of 3/4 inch plywood for the back of your wall
• 1 sheet of 3/4 inch plywood for shelves
• A one-inch thick, four foot dowel per shelf
• 1 inch spade drill bit

What You Do:

The sizing of your space will be custom, so I won’t worry about measurements, just make sure you cut yours to fit what you’re looking at.

The first thing we did was make all our cuts. First, cut the first sheet of plywood to the size of the back of our space. Then we cut four shelves out of the second sheet of plywood. Ours were 18×32. Last set of cuts was for the dowels, which is what the shelves will sit on. I cut each dowel into thirds.

If you are wondering how to make a pegboard, pay attention to this next step! 

The next step was to drill the holes for the pegboard. We decided to do five holes per row, so what what we did was draw a line down the center of both the height and width, then drew lines ever five inches in each way to make a grid.

We used a 1 inch spade bit to then drill a perfect hole through the plywood at each of the cross hairs that we had drawn.

After all 65 (!) holes were drilled, we sanded everything down, sealed the shelves and dowels, and painted our pegboard with BEHR’s Color of the Year “In the Moment.”

After everything was dry, it was time for assembly. We drilled two pieces of scrap wood into the studs of the wall, making sure it was in spots that wouldn’t show through the peg holes. Then, we attached the pegboard to the wood on the wall.

The rest was easy. We inserted the dowels three to a row at each height we wanted the shelves. Then we just set the shelves on top of the dowels.

The shelves are now totally adjustable if we need to move them around depending on what we put on them. They look great and are extremely custom and unique.

Click here to pin this project to your Pinterest board!

How to make Oversized Pegboard Shelves

Active Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours

Difficulty: Medium

Estimated Cost: $50-100

Wooden shelves add a lot of function to any space. Make something a little different with these whimsical DIY oversized pegboard shelves!

Print

Materials

• 1 sheet of 3/4 inch plywood for the back of your wall
• 1 sheet of 3/4 inch plywood for shelves
• A one-inch thick, four foot dowel per shelf
• 4 pieces of scrap plywood
• Paint
• Sealant

Tools

• 1 inch spade drill bit
• Paint brush
• Drill
• Table saw or circular saw
• Sander

Instructions

1. Cut the first sheet of plywood to the size of the back wall where your shelves will go.
2. Cut four shelves out of the second sheet of plywood. Ours were 18×32.
3. Last set of cuts was for the dowels, which is what the shelves will sit on. I cut each dowel into thirds.
4. Draw a line down the center of both the height and width of the piece of plywood for the back wall, then drew lines ever five inches in each way to make a grid.
5. Use a 1 inch spade bit to then drill a perfect hole through the plywood at each of the crosses that we had drawn.
6. Sand the plywood.
7. Paint, stain, or seal the plywood as desired.
8. Attach the pegboard to the wall. Attach the pieces of scrap plywood to studs or anchors and then drill the pegboard into those pieces.
9. Inserted the dowels three to a row at each height you want the shelves.
10. Then just set the shelves on top of the dowels.

Notes

• Set your own measurements to fit your space.
• The shelves are adjustable by height.
• Be sure your dowels stick out enough so that the shelves are secure. They need to be at least 3/4 the length of the boards for stability.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish Water Based, 1/2 pint, Matte
• 
  Ryobi 10 in. Portable Table Saw with Rolling Stand
• 
  Ryobi One+ 18V Lithium Ion Drill/Driver
• 
  Foam Paint Brush Value Pack
• 
  Spade Drill Bit Set with Case, 8-Piece
• 
  Baltic Birch Plywood, 3/4'' thick, 12'' x 30''
• 
  Wooden Dowel Rods - 1"

Did you make this project?

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We hope you enjoyed learning how to make a pegboard shelf. Tag us if you decide to make your own version! 

Can’t wait to show you what we put ON the shelves and how we matched them somewhere else!

Be sure to check out our final Laundry Room reveal here!