There’s just something about oversized pegboards that just GETS ME. Ever since being inspired by this version via Mandi @ Vintage Revivals, I’ve been subconsciously pondering where in our home I could clear off a wall for something this large. Sadly, the walls in our home are maxed out. But my bro and sis-in-law recently bought a new house and have lots of luscious blank wall space that has me rubbings my hands together and silently saying ‘Muahahaha’! LOL! Not really. Okay kinda.

*This post is sponsored by Purebond. Thank you for supporting the awesome sponsors that make Reality Daydream possible! This post contains affiliate links*

This project is a little time-intensive, and is designed for a more ‘advanced’ woodworker… just to give you a little advance warning! The hubs *cough*MasterCarpenter*cough* took the lead on this project, and is going to walk you through the steps we took. Let’s get started!

Supply list for Oversized Pegboard Shelves

• Purebond Plywood …available exclusively at Home Depot (We used 1/2 inch  Qty 5)
• Glue
• Nails (23 gauge) 1 inch
• Nails (23 gauge) 3/8 inch
• • Dowels (QTY 3)
• Edge Banding (or make your own to save $$ like we did!)
• Lag Screws 3 in (Qty 12)
• Washers (Qty 12)
• Stain (we used General Finishes, Walnut)
• Foam Brushes
• Latex Gloves

 

Tools for Oversized Pegboard Shelves

• Table saw (or circular saw)
• Miter Saw
• Miter Gauge
• Nail gun
• Drill press
• Drill
• Drill bits
• Forstner Bits
• Air compressor and hose
• Socket
• Ratchet, 3/8 drive
• Socket, 7/16 deep well
• Laser Level
• Level 4ft
• Trim Router
• Flush trim router bit
• Planer

 

Take it away Honey! >>

Fellow people, after wrapping my head around this design, it was a my pleasure to get into the woodshop and start ripping down sheets! I took the liberty of creating some detailed drawings for you too work off of yourself. All you have to do is click ‘download’ below. You’re welcome!

 

The fam and I jumped in the truck and took a little road trip to the nearest Home Depot (over an hour… but still fun) and loaded up on Purebond plywood for this project. We love Purebond because it has minimal voids, which makes it structurally sound and easy to work with. It’s also North American sourced/manufactured with no added formaldehyde.

I started by ripping down the sheets into manageable sizes… like so:

The Shelves

I cut out all the pieces for the shelves using the table saw and Kreg precision miter gauge.

Next I drilled all the holes (1 3/8” forstner bit).  You can make quick, accurate work of this by creating a jig with a fence and a stop at 6 1/2 inches.

If you are going to apply your own edge banding, you need to cut your shelves 3/16” shorter on all 4 sides and the shelf sides will need to be shorter on the front and back (the edges that will be visible after assembled). Make sense?

Cut several strips of wood down to 3/16” x 9/16”, glue and nail (3/8” 23 ga pinner) them to the plywood, then using a flush trim router bit, trim the edge banding flush.

I found it was easiest to lay out all the shelf parts.  I marked the shelf sides 2 3/4” in from the edges.  The shelf tops and bottoms are marked on both sides.  The side to be glued (inside) I marked a 1/2” in from all the sides.  The outside I marked all the nail locations, 3/4” in from each edge and 3 1/2” in from the front and back.

Glue and nail (1” 23 gauge pinner) your assembly together.  Then admire your stack of shelves!

The French Cleat:

C’est une belle chose!

We will be making two sizes of cleats. Start by ripping down several 3 1/16” strips of plywood.  I cut them down to 36” pieces to make the glue up more manageable. Then I glue 7 equal length pieces together (6 for the smaller cleat)

After the glue has set, I scrape the remaining glue off and run it through the planer to 3” and cut to 30 degree.

Drill the large cleats using 1 1/4” forstner bit, centering the hole on the flat of the cleat and drill as deep as my bench top drill press would go about 2”.  I used a quick jig for accuracy and repetition.  Using the same Jig, drill the smaller cleat with a 3/4 forstner drill bit, except the hole will be from the bottom (Large Flat).  Then drill a 5/16” hole through the block.

The PegBoard Beam:

Rip the beam fronts and sides down to size. Again if you are using your own edge banding, rip the front board 3/8” narrower. Attach the edge banding and use the flush trim router bit to remove any excess.

 

Layout the location for the holes and then drill using a 1 1/4 forstner bit.

Ok friends, there is a lot going on in this picture.  I placed a 1/4” sheet of plywood under the cleats (setting the gap). Then, using an 1 1/4 dowel to align the cleat with the hole, inserted the sideboard under the beam front and against the cleat.  I nailed the side and the top to the cleat using 1” (23 gauge pinner), 4 nails in the side of the cleat 2 in the top of the cleat.  Then I nailed the front to the side board between each of the cleats.  Overkill maybe, but I was enjoying my new grex pinner….   Be sure to leave on side unattached.  Also be sure that the cleats go the same way on all the beams.  Maybe mark which end is the top.

I know you all are probably thinking… where is Beth, right? Well she was not in her usual smoldering shape-formed leather suit, cracking her frayed leather whip across my backside. She was however, close by, helping out with each process along the way. We used General Finish ‘Walnut’ stain, and it went on so smooth. We love that it has no reddish tint to it whatsoever. It almost has gray undertones.

Once we completed the staining, we loaded it up and took it over to our brother’s house.  Tim had already located the studs, so we were ready for the install. We placed the first beam over a the stud he located on the wall, using shims under it to set the desired height.

Once the locations are marked, we drill a 3/16” pilot hole for the 1/4 x 3” lag screw and washer.  Then we install the lag screw through the cleat with a 7/16” socket. Continue doing this to the remaining four little cleats. Slide the beam onto the cleats and nail the side board in place.

We inserted a few 1 1/4” dowels that I cut using the Kreg precision miter gauge. Then slid the shelves into place, allowing us to set the distance for the next beam. Tim placed a level on the shelf as I set the height with shims underneath the beam.  Lastly we repeated the process of marking and installing the little cleats, beams and shelves.

We probably could have done this in advance, but we saved the staining of those dowel ends till very last. We had to slide the shelves off, and just stained the outside inch of the dowels.

Tim and I ended the day with a beer, while the lady folk put some pretties on the shelf for pictures. Who am I kidding… they had a beer too.

Not bad eh? And the engineer brother calculated that this shelf can carry approximately 328,000 pounds of weight. Not really. But I’m sure it’s something close to that.

Beth here again… didn’t this oversized pegboard shelf turn out AWESOME? Now more than ever, I’m eyeing all the walls in my house, looking for one that would be perfect for this type of shelving installation. This all goes to show that ‘organization’ can be beautiful! Time and Carrie will surely load this thing up with books, board games, DVD’s, and whatever else people keep in their basement family rooms. You know I love things that are gorgeous AND functional.

As usual, let us know if you give this project a try! Even if it’s modified to be different dimensions, or has a very different look. It’s our favorite to see how creative you guys are! Tag us on Instagram or Facebook… we’re @RealityDaydream on both! Now go forth and be creative!

~Bethany (and Nick )

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Thanks for pinning!