Quick note: right now we’re mainly seeing lots of rain and a few gusts from Hurricane Sandy, but conditions are expected to worsen later today and tomorrow. We may be without power for a while, though we’ll post remotely whenever possible. Stay safe and dry.
Since pegboards have become my go-to solution, it was only a matter of time before I wrote another basement organization post that features them — along with a few other methods for corralling screws, nails, and small hardware.
Here’s how I brought some order back to the basement after tackling a yard sale, a Bagster pickup, and some yard tool organizing. The next item on the to-do list was the regular toolkit.
We finally decided to move most of our tools to the basement after years of oddly storing them in our kitchen drawers. We’ll still keep duplicates of a few frequently used items — like hammers, nails, and caulk — in the sunroom (where they’d been living), but centralizing the majority of our tools in the basement workshop makes more sense even if it means walking downstairs for a project now and then.
To start, we hauled everything down — drawers, toolbox, and odds and ends — and spread it out on the work table to sort and categorize. Forgive the phone photos; the good camera was in use for another project.
Going through the pile turned into a nostalgic walk through past projects. I found leftover items from previous DIYs, like our quirky kitchen knobs and pieces from the clothespin chandelier we once made. I also rediscovered tools with sentimental value: a Boy Scout pocket knife passed down from my Papa and the first screwdriver set my dad gave me in high school. The little toolbox that accompanied those screwdrivers traveled with me to college and New York; it mostly held a handful of tools over the years, but my dad taped a family photo inside — one reason I kept it.
After a run to Home Depot for a set of pegboard hooks and a few hours of hanging and arranging, the tools finally looked like they belonged: neat, visible, and ready. There’s something endlessly satisfying about a wall of tools arranged on pegboard, and a few close-up shots prove it’s a visual pleasure for anyone who likes an organized workshop.
We didn’t move everything downstairs. Paint and craft supplies (glue gun, staple gun, etc.) and a handful of frequently used items like picture nails, anchors, and a hammer stayed in the sunroom. I also stashed many project-specific tools back in the toolbox so I’ll know where to look for plumbing or electrical supplies when the need arises.
With the pegboards in place, I still had one chaotic drawer left: a jumble of screws, nails, and assorted hardware. I sorted those the same way I sorted the tools — everything spread out, grouped, and then contained. Mason jars turned out to be perfect containers. Sherry had a stack of shorter jars from an earlier project; she’d spray-painted the lids a midnight blue, which ended up being ideal. I supplemented those with half-pint jars to handle the rest of the collection.
Once each size and type of fastener had a jar, I labeled them and stored the jars on a shelf above the work surface that the previous owner had installed. The shelf spacing is a little generous for the small jars, but they’re secure and visible where they sit. For labels I used small square Avery stickers and hand-wrote the contents — practical and fast, and something I knew I’d actually keep up with.
Looking ahead, I plan to take these projects a step further by painting the pegboards and staining the shelf and work table to make the space feel more finished and workshop-friendly. I’m keeping the upgrades realistic and low-maintenance; for example, I passed on outlining tools on the pegboard since frequent changes would be a hassle. We briefly considered chalk outlines for flexibility, but dismissed that because of the dust it would create.
Bringing the clutter-free drawers back upstairs was a welcome payoff. We left items upstairs that we reach for more often while keeping the bulk of the tools together in the workshop where they belong. The remaining challenge is the wall of paint cans and spray paint — a project for another day — but for now the basement feels a lot more organized and functional.
So: who else is obsessed with pegboards? Are you planning to paint or stain your workshop to achieve a cleaner look? Deciding where tools should live — garage, basement, attic, or home — gets easier once you sort by frequency of use and accessibility. For us, separating everyday items from workshop-specific tools made the choice straightforward.
Psst — we finally posted our apple-picking photos on Young House Life (spoiler: Clara thought being a caterpillar was the best thing ever).