How can I DIY cabinet/counter shelving?

July 31, 2017 12:22 PM

I just bought a cabinet shelf and I LOVE the space it makes but now I want a dozen more for every shelf, under-sink area, and countertop in my apartment and that's not gonna be possible. Can anyone think of ways I could use what I already have or DIY something to add more storage in a way that is more frugal/sustainable?

What I love about the shelves is that it lets me take better advantage of vertical space in a way that still keeps everything accessible (rather than packing sterilite boxes of stuff in the closet or under the bed, which is what I often end up doing for space's sake). I live in a pretty small apartment and I'd love to add more storage to my under-sink areas, to the back of my countertop where I store things like spices and oils in small trays, and to the normal kitchen/bathroom cabinets.

I mean, I'll probably just end up buying more if I have to, but I'm trying this new thing where I don't solve every problem by spending money so I'm trying to think if something I already own might do it. Is there a way to DIY this one somehow?

(yes, one solution would just be to own fewer things to store in those areas. Assume I'm also working on that one, but separately.)

posted by R a c h e l to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

If the cabinets and shelves have little holes for shelf positioning, you may want the appropriate shelf pins and the knowledge that Home Depot, Lowes, or your own little saw will cut boards for you. Tip: definitely use solid wood - interior lumber, preferable smaller grain like poplar.

I also have added two shelves this way to each of my medicine cabinets, and it makes a _huge_ difference. All those horizontal/short items (dental floss, toothpaste, little packets, tubes of disinfectant, tiny metal boxes of pills, so much more) are stored with appropriate vertical space and no longer take up space on full-height shelves. Less stacking, less stuff falling out, it's wonderful.
posted by amtho at 12:28 PM on July 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

I used to use wire shelves under my sink, but hated having to crawl into the hole in order to find the thing that's in the back of the dank cavity. It's been much better since I spent $60 and an afternoon installing a slide-out shelf to hold all of my cleaning supplies.
posted by rhizome at 12:38 PM on July 31, 2017

You could use cardboard to make boxes that face forward -- that is, that are open on the front rather than on top, so that they work as a shelf. This lets you completely customize the size for every spot where you want the extra storage.

Paper packing tape (that you have to moisten) matches the color of the boxes, and you can use it to finish the edges as well as to make the box.

This isn't exactly what I have in mind, but shows how-to.
posted by Vispa Teresa at 1:23 PM on July 31, 2017

I find storage things much cheaper at Thrift Stores.
Also, Pinterest is your friend.
posted by BoscosMom at 1:36 PM on July 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

A cheaper option, but with more limited (non-adjustable) dimensions, is IKEA's Vareira shelves. So slightly more frugal but not DIY.

You can take a cue from that construction, though, if you want something more rugged than cardboard and more portable/renter-friendly than shelf pegs. You could buy a 1/8" sheet of melamine or to cut shelves of the desired size out of - melamine sheet or hardboard - and then cut lengths of board (eg 1x6" cut to a 9" length, givces you a 9" deep shelf at 6" high) and put a wood screw at each corner to hold it together.
posted by aimedwander at 1:47 PM on July 31, 2017

I use these door stops as legs that I screwed into a piece of 1/2 plywood. You could make the board any size you want, the legs are 3" tall.
posted by Marky at 2:28 PM on July 31, 2017 [1 favorite]

I got some of these at my local dollar store, so I'd recommend taking a look there.
posted by ITheCosmos at 3:51 PM on July 31, 2017 [2 favorites]

I'm a big fan of magazine holders to organize stuff in my cabinets. Have at least 4 of the cardboard Ikea ones in there at the moment, one stuffed full of spices and teas, one holding all the annoying aluminum foil/plastic wrap/ziploc boxes, etc. They're not perfect (I tried to make one hold my cookie sheets, by cutting a cookie-sheet size slit in it and reinforcing the box with tape; it lasted around a year but was unstable so it always had to lean on something) but turns out just having places to put small things is very helpful.
posted by sldownard at 11:00 PM on July 31, 2017

I've seen these at the local Daiso, so second the recommendation of looking in dollar stores and similar.
posted by tavegyl at 1:17 AM on August 1, 2017 [1 favorite]

If your cabinets are not weirdly angled, and you are OK with putting some screws into them, it's pretty easy to just screw in a few strips of plywood or similar on the side walls, and then cut a piece of plywood to the right size for a shelf and just slide it in. Put a strip on the back wall too if you want extra support.

It's not going to be extremely strong, but in my experience, people mostly want cabinet shelves for light but bulky items like dry goods, empty tupperware type containers, spices, maybe a few cans, nothing too heavy, and it'll work fine for that, just scale plywood thickness to the weight you need it to hold. A coat of varnish or white lacquer will make it easier to clean and less likely to stain or chip.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 1:44 AM on August 1, 2017

I bought one identical (or nearly identical to that) at Marshalls a week or two ago. They were ~$7.99 for that size and ~$5.99 for the smaller.
posted by jaksemas at 6:23 AM on August 1, 2017