Go navy! Don’t worry — that’s not me picking a side in the long-standing Army vs. Navy rivalry. I’m neutral on the rivalry (my dad was in the Army), but I do love a good navy paint color. What I’m actually talking about here is the basement — and since I started this on a flight, I’m getting it up early. Let’s pick up where we left off: this hot mess of a shelf.
This shelf had become a chaotic staging area where we storing haphazardly placed paint cans, testing pots, and other paint-shaped miscellany. For nearly two years of living here it was the exact opposite of organized. There were even two full boxes of items from our move that never got unpacked. Not our proudest moment.
I started by clearing everything off the shelves. That simple step gave me room to dust, sort, and figure out what belonged there (actual paint cans) and what didn’t (empty boxes and packaging that needed to be emptied and recycled). It only took about thirty minutes for the zone to start looking noticeably better.
Once the non-paint supplies — things like grout bags and polymeric sand — were relocated to other shelving under the workbench, the shelf could be dedicated to paint, stain, and primer only. The left side ended up being mostly quarts and tester-size cans leftover from book photoshoots, which explains the surprising rainbow of colors.
Quick organizing tip: to create a tiered display so you can see labels at a glance, I placed a scrap piece of 2×6 under the front row of cans. It’s an inexpensive trick that makes inventory and color selection much easier. It’s the same approach I used for our spray paint collection so I could actually find the shade I needed without digging.
This approach is simpler than the system we used in our previous basement, where we repackaged and labeled every leftover can. That method was wonderfully organized but too time-consuming to maintain once new paint cans started trickling in. For this space I favored practicality over perfect labeling: accessible, tidy, and flexible.
With the paint shelf sorted, I focused on a smaller project that used some of the leftover paint: dressing up the pegboard above the workbench. I trimmed the pegboard with a simple frame made from scrap wood plus about $10 worth of materials, which gave the board a more finished look. The goal was to make the tools feel intentional and a little bit stylish — pegboards can be functional and attractive at the same time.
I framed only three sides of the larger board because the bottom edge sits flush on the work surface and the yardstick I keep there would overlap the frame. The frame pieces were attached with a few finish nails, which was fast and sturdy for a workshop setting. The smaller board is still a work in progress — for now it has a solitary pen hanging on it — but I’ll fill it out over time.
For paint, we chose a leftover quart of Benjamin Moore Hale Navy that Sherry and I both love. It’s a deep, muted navy we already used on a project from the book, and it felt like the right choice to give the pegboard a bold but refined backdrop. I removed the tools and laid them out with their hooks so I could decide whether to paint the whole board or do a patterned section. Ultimately I went with a solid background to keep the focus on the tools themselves and to preserve flexibility for rearranging without repainting.
I painted carefully with a small foam roller and applied thin coats so the paint wouldn’t clog the peg holes. A few holes were still partially clogged from previous white paint, but they remain functional — a peg clears them easily. After two coats and proper drying, the boards looked even and the navy color read deep without feeling overpowering. Painting the trim the same color helped keep the overall look cohesive and a touch more sophisticated.
Once dry, the tools went back in place and the pegboard instantly felt more deliberate and cared for. The small investment — roughly $15 for trim (if you don’t have scraps) and the cost of a quart of paint if you don’t already have one — transformed the area. The result is a workspace that feels owned and looked after, not like something left behind by a previous owner.
Adding paint and a simple frame made a disproportionate difference in how the basement feels. It inspired me to consider the next step: staining some of the workshop wood to create stronger contrast and add depth to the space. For now I’m enjoying the pegboard revival and the small thrill of seeing tools neatly displayed and easy to reach. What are you working on in your garage or basement? Any pegboard projects or paint organization strategies you’ve found especially useful?