This post was last updated on July 26th, 2021 at 12:28 pm
Pegboard is a helpful way to hang tools for quick access. It can be installed on any solid wall and is especially useful when fitted behind a workbench in a shed or a garage. Pegboard panels have been around a long time, so many different pegboard accessories are available to help you create your ideal wall tool holder.
Pegboard tool organizers can be a helpful addition to workshops, she-sheds, man caves, garden sheds, or anywhere that uses a workbench.
What are the Types of Pegboard?
In a hurry? See all pegboard types HERE!
Wood Composite Pegboard
The original Pegboard, and still the most readily available, is made with a hardboard panel - reconstituted wood fiber - and is an admirable solution for organizing lightweight items.
It is an affordable system that you can buy at most home improvement and DIY outlets.
It is not as durable as other types, though, and will break down over time.
It can become damaged through exposure to oils or moisture, the holes can elongate through wear, and you'll need to frame it or use some other form of a standoff so it stands away from the wall sufficiently for the pegs to fit.
Plastic Pegboard
Plastic Pegboard is a lightweight alternative that is durable, easy to clean, and strong enough to carry heavy tools.
These boards are a lot stronger than you might think and usually ready to mount without adding material to distance them away from the wall.
Metal Pegboard
For more heavy-duty applications, aluminum and galvanized or stainless steel pegboards provide better support.
The edges are flanged, so the panels locate away from the wall surface. They are a lot heavier than other types, and they cost more. You can obtain metal boards in bright colors, adding a bit of fun to the workplace.
Best Pegboard System
Before you buy a pegboard, you will need to consider what you wish to store on it, how much space you will need, and the type of fittings that will best organize your tools and accessories the way you want them.
There are a few details about the alternative types you may wish to consider:
Hole Sizes
Pegboard comes with either round holes spaced one inch apart or vertical slots. Some boards feature both, which can help arrange your board exactly as you want it with all the different accessories available.
There are two thicknesses of pegboard made with hardboard. The lightweight type is only 1/8th inch thick and has 3/16th inch diameter holes. The heavy-duty type is a 1/4 inch thick board with 1/4 inch diameter holes.
Metal and plastic pegboards use 1/4 inch holes.
Panel Sizes
You can buy an 8 feet by 4 feet hardboard panel, cut it to the size you want, or buy the smaller cut sizes provided by your Home Improvement outlet.
Plastic and metal sizes vary across the manufacturers, usually in 16 inches or 24 inches incremental lengths. To achieve the pegboard layout you want may well require fitting several adjacent panels.
You can use boards with holes vertically or horizontally to create the layout you want, but panels that include slots you will have to use with the slots showing vertically.
Hooks and Accessories
An example of a 1/4 inch hook assortment. Those odd looking items at the bottom are peg locks. They keep in place the smaller hooks that use a single location point.
Bins and Baskets
Storage tubs are a handy fixture and have a load of uses.
Storage baskets provide storage for bulkier items such as aerosols, small cartons etc.
Pegboard Wall Organizers
This 4 feet metal Wall Organizer is available in many colors - blue, red, orange, gray, green, yellow, and white - with theme colored fittings.
This Torack Metal Wall Organizer has hooks, tubs, rack holders and a shelf unit.
Wall Control Pink or Purple Metal Pegboard
Click image for more information.
If you like bright colors to lighten your shed or workshop and to add a bit of fun, then Wall Control's pink or purple metal panels are worth considering.
Pegboard Advantages & Disadvantages
Opinion on the usefulness of pegboards is evenly split, I think. Only you will know if erecting a pegboard is going to be beneficial for you.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Pegboard Tips
Pegboard vs Toolbox
We all have our own preferences for organizing tools, and there is no right or wrong way of doing it. It all comes down to how we want to work and when and where we need the tools.
If you do a lot of benchwork, then a pegboard on the wall could be pretty handy. But when you are working in the attic, car servicing in the driveway, or clearing gutters, for example, you need your tools with you, and the toolbox comes into its own.
But it's not just tools you can put on pegboard. The wire baskets and plastic bins are handy for storing all sorts of ancillary items specific to your kind of work. Whether you are a woodworker, gardener, automotive parts repairer, or DIY enthusiast, you will find storage tubs that are only an arm's stretch away when using a workbench, very convenient.
Over To You
You can organize almost anything on pegboard. It's not just for tools. If you are using a workbench in your shed, then a pegboard and accessories could be a beneficial addition.