I Did It!
As much as Jenna Curry is always up for a project in her Michigan home, she kept brushing off the suggestion from her husband, Brandon, to redo the furnace area of their basement. “To me, a basement is a basement,” Jenna says, referring to the dark, unfinished space. “He kept saying, ‘Let’s make it a craft room for you,’ and I kept saying we didn’t need to do anything.” An oversize pegboard to organize craft supplies and jazz up a long stretch of wall finally sold her on a makeover. After Brandon tiled the concrete floor and added base cabinets, he and Jenna (who named their Instagram account @ForRichardorPoorer after their cat) tackled the pegboard. They used 4×8-foot sheets of plywood and cut wood closet rods into pegs to fit the large holes. “We like the uniqueness and the ability to tailor it by adding shelves wherever we want,” Jenna says. “It’s not like a regular pegboard you could run out and buy.”
PREPARE THE WALL
Locate and mark the wall studs within the area you want to install the pegboard. Saw the ends of the furring strips to match the width of your pegboard. The furring strips will act as spacers between the wall and pegboard so you can insert the pegs farther into the drilled holes and thereby provide support for the shelves and items hung on the pegs. Use a drill to screw the furring strips to the studs in horizontal rows; add enough rows to match the height of your pegboard. (If desired, you can create a “frame” with the furring strips to attach to the pegboard or install the furring strips vertically.) Paint this behind-the-pegboard area—both the wall and furring strips—black for depth and to unify what will be visible through the drilled holes after the pegboard is attached.
CREATE THE PEGBOARD
Cut plywood to fit the prepped wall area. Jenna and Brandon used 4×8-foot plywood sheets to cover their entire wall. Lay the plywood on a work surface, such as a driveway or basement floor, to plan the holes. The couple spaced their holes 10 inches apart, making sure none went across seams or would be cut off at the edges. For precise alignment, a chalk reel can create a grid across the plywood. Use a 1¼-inch Forstner bit (or bit sized to your dowels) to drill holes where the grid lines intersect. When drilling, position holes on 2×4s so the Forstner bit (see right) has a surface to bore into and doesn’t split the plywood as it goes through. Drill straight down into the 2×4 so the pegs will sit straight. Screw pegboard to furring strips. Apply surfacing compound on seams and screw holes; let dry, then sand. Prime and paint pegboard.
ADD PEGS & SHELVES
Jenna and Brandon chose poplar closet rods and used a table saw to cut 9-inch-long pegs. This length allowed for pegs that protrude about 8 inches to hold a shelf. (TIP Many home centers will cut the wood for you for a small charge or sometimes for free for minimal cuts. Also, if doing this yourself, a miter box can help ensure straight cuts.) Lightly sand one end of the cut pegs if needed to fit into the holes, but make sure they will still fit snugly—the tighter the peg, the sturdier the shelf. For shelves, cut pieces of the plywood (use scrap pieces if you have them) sized to fit across the pegs. Jenna and Brandon’s shelves are 8 inches deep; some are 12 inches long and supported by two pegs, and others are 24 inches long and supported by three pegs. Cut extra pegs and shelves so you can add to or rearrange the pegboard.
• Handsaw
• 1×2-inch furring strips
• Drill (and Forstner bit)
• Wood screws
• Black paint
• Plywood sheets
• Scrap 2×4s
• Surfacing compound
• 80-grit sandpaper
• Primer and paint
• 1¼-inch-diameter dowels (or wood closet rods)
Named after its inventor, a Forstner bit is used to make large, clean holes (typically ones that have flat bottoms rather than holes that go clear through). Although a more common spade bit could be used for this project, the holes wouldn’t be as smooth. Forstner bits are often used with a drill press but can be used with a handheld drill.
by JODY GARLOCK photos NATHAN KIRKMAN
PHOTO: WABENO/ISTOCK BY GETTY IMAGES; ILLUSTRATIONS: AGNESE BICOCCHI