Today we are creating a pegboard and shelves! I want to show you how to find the layout and how you want your grid to be marked out so you can cut the holes for the pegs. Okay, this is my pegboard piece left over from the headboard. This board is 36x48in wide. I did not want to spend any more money than I had to. This is kind of the perfect size for Tatum’s desk.

Now, because it is 36×48, I decided to do 6in apart for each hole. So I went in with a measuring tape, marked it every 6, then grabbed a square and drew lines. I will come in with a measuring tape and show you exactly how I did it so you can have a more detailed view. So I grabbed my measuring tape and marked it every 6in, and then I did this again going the other way. Then I held up my square, flushed it to the edge, and drew a line on both sides. For the middle part of the board, I just used a straight edge and pulled a cable to connect them.

Now, everywhere the lines intersect, I will go in with my spade bit and drill in the holes. Then to clarify, I am using 3/4in maple plywood because that’s all they had, but you could use birch or higher-quality plywood.

I have not decided what sized dowels I am using, but I am thinking either ¾in or 1in; I will go to Home Depot and see which size I like, and then depending on the width, I will think about how long I want the length. Then I will calculate how many dowels I need and then do the math to see how many I need to buy.

So I ended up going with the ⅞ in dowels for several reasons. One, the 1in were so crooked that I could not find any straight, and they only had a few to choose from.

Okay, now I have my ⅞ in-spade bit on. I stick it precisely on the intersection of my two lines and then pull the trigger.

The pegboard backdrop part is pretty much done! I sanded it with a 120 grit and got rid of all the pencil marks from before and then I went over it with a 220 grit and it is super smooth and ready to go. I stuck some pegs in to see how long we want them. This is about 5in and I think that’s probably good. This is what’s so great about DIY, if we wanted the pegs longer or shorter we can do that. If we wanted different types of wood, we could do that.

Okay, I am going to do my best to show you guys what a French cleat is. So this board used to be one single piece of plywood and what I did is I took it over to my table saw and set it at a 30-degree or 45-degree angle. You will make sure that your blade is high enough to be above the height of your board. Then I ran the whole board through. 

The reason that I did this is so that I have two pieces. A one-piece will be screwed onto the wall. So pretend it goes into the wall, and I screw it into the studs. Now this piece will be attached to my pegboard, and all I do is attached it onto here, and then it sits right on top of that piece. Due to the direction of the angle, gravity keeps it in place. So the part that is facing up is the one that will be on my wall, and the piece that was facing down will be on the pegboard, and I will slide it right on top of here, and everything will stay in place.

Now I decided where I want the cleat to fit on top of the pegboard, it does not matter, I just centered it and then measured down where the bottom would fit. So I will just glue the backing and then predrill it and then I’m going to use some wood screws. Because this is 1in or 1 ½ in, I will use 1in or 1 ¼in screw to put these in.

Now I have the cleat put on the pegboard. I have to add the same height around the edges because if I just hang this on, it will be at an angle. So we have to make it the same ¾in that there is here. I will add some wood at the bottom but I do not think I will do a screw. Just some glue and a nail because the board is not holding any weight or anything like that.

Let’s fiish this pegboard! The last thing I will do is add some iron-on edging right here. I’ll show you guys how to do it, but it is just ironing it on. It will make it look finished and perfect.

This is the before where you can see all the layers of plywood.

This is the after, it looks like one nice finished piece.

Now that the pegboard is done, I am working on the pegs. I decided that I wanted it to be 7in because I wanted it to be five ¼ in sticking out, but I wanted to also compensate for the ¾in board and 1in pegboard. Also, I like the peg flushed against the wall, so I wanted a 7in peg.

I created a stop on my table saw so that every time I push the dowel on and cut it, it will mark it at 7in.

For the shelves, I just used scraps of plywood from other projects. DIY is all about saving money and being resourceful. So that’s what I wanted to do. These are the exact measurements of my shelves in case anyone wants them.

I am wrapping these shelves with the edge banding, but I wanted to show you the difference. The top two don’t have it, and the bottom two do. It just gives it a nice finished look and is so easy to do.

Let’s talk about this wall. It is 72in wide. My pegboard is 48in wide, so I need to see how much I have left for both sides. So, I will measure in and mark 12in, and then from top to bottom. I want 15in just based on where I like it. The cleat is two inches from there, so I marked 17in down from the top of the wall. Now, I will stick the pegboard on, find the studs, and pre-drill some homes.

I just used a regular stud finder. Now I will make sure I marked 17 right where the stud is. Okay, so the cleat will go here with the higher side facing out because that will keep the other part of the cleat in place. Now that I have my studs marked, I will hold this piece up and drill a pilot hole through the board and the stud in the wall.

Now I will just put in some screws, and they are two screws. You want to go through the board and the stud in the wall. I will not do it super tight until I know it is level, and then I will screw it in, and we will do the other sides. After ensuring it is level, place the pegboard on the cleat, and you have done it!