DIY Command center Part 5: Wall basket organizer

Do you make piles of papers that you will “file later”? Which turns out that you can’t find them when you actually want to “file” them? Or do you find yourself putting papers away multiple times through out the day? Losing time by repeating this task is not fun or functional. Just think of all the time you would save if you could do it just once!… That is where these beautiful wall baskets come in; to help cut down on the paper clutter and to save time. Continue reading to see how you too, can save time and cut clutter by making a wall basket organizer for your home.

Today, I will show you how to make part 5 of the command center, the wall basket organizer.

Here’s what you’re gonna need.

Supplies:

• 2 pieces of 1×2’s measuring 16″ long
• 2 pieces of 1×2’s measuring 18.5″ long
• 1/4″ MDF board cut into 15.75″ x 19.75″ square
• Table saw
• wood glue
• brad nailer or staple gun (with correct size nails or staples)
• wood stain & gloves
• palm sander
• sand paper or sanding sponge (I used 120 grit but any will work)
• white paint
• paint roller and small paint brush
• tape measure
• pencil
• wall baskets
• screwdriver
• level (optional for hanging)
• hanging hardware

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Step 1: Making the shiplap backing for your wall basket organizer

Set the depth of your saw blade on your table saw to 1/8″. Set your guide at 4″. Run a scrap piece of MDF board through the saw, checking the depth of your blade. The blade should cut a groove in your backing, but not all the way through. Adjust the depth of the blade if needed. Now run your backing through the saw. Adjust your guide to 8″ (adding 4″ to the original 4″) and run it through again. Add another 4″ to your guide and run it through again. Continue adding 4″ until you have cut every 4″ through out the whole backing.

Flip it over and take a look at what it looks like. Sand the entire surface. Pay attention to the edges of the grooves you just made. Make sure they are smooth. Brush off the sawdust.

Step 2: Painting your shiplap backing for your wall basket organizer

I like to use a small paint brush to paint the insides of the grooves first and then I use a roller to smooth everything out over the top. You want to work fast or do small sections at a time because the paint dries fast and you don’t want it to dry before you have smoothed it out. Set aside to dry and move on to the next step.

Step 3: Staining your frame for you wall basket organizer

Stain both of the 16″ pieces of 1×2’s and both 18.5″ pieces of 1×2’s. I used the color Provincial, but you can use whatever color best matches your home. Read this tutorial on how I quickly stain my projects and decrease dry time.

Let your frame pieces dry for about 24 hours before antiquing. If they are not dry enough then you are going to gum up your sand paper, go through a lot of sand paper, and you won’t get the finish you are looking for. So make sure it’s dry.

Now clean up and wash your hands good because you are going to go back and paint a second coat of white on the shiplap backing.

Step 4: Antiquing your frame pieces for your wall basket organizer

When your stain is good and dry, you are going to antique it up. You want to sand the front, sides, and edges of each piece. Hold the sander flat on the surface. Sand with the grain of the wood, back and forth. The more you sand, the more the stain will be removed and the natural wood will show through.

Tips on sanding:

• Using a palm or hand sander is going to make this step much easier and faster, but it is not required. This can also be done by hand.
• If you use a finer grit, you’ll get a softer look. You can use a coarse grit, it just is not as smooth and delicate of a finish. I prefer to use 120 grit.
• Practicing on the back is a great idea until you get the hang of it.

Step 5: Assembling your wall basket organizer frame

Take one 18.5″ piece and stand it on end. Place a little amount of wood glue on the end that is up. Line up the edge of the 16″ piece on top of the edge of the 18.5″ piece. Use your finger to feel that the edge of the pieces are smooth and flush with each other. Now shoot 2 nails or staples through the top 16″ piece securing it to the 18.5″ piece. Wipe off any glue that might have seeped out.

Here is a link with photos to show how to do this step. (it just has different dimensions than this project)

DIY farmhouse style frame

**Note-I do hold the the frame pieces together when I shoot the nails in. It’s just super hard to take a photo and do that at the same time.

Repeat with the other end of the 16″ piece and the other 18.5″ piece. You should now have the 2 18.5″ pieces secured to the ends of 1 of the 16″ pieces.

Flip it over and glue, nail/staple the other 16″ piece to the ends of the 18.5″ pieces. You may need to pull and tug a little to get everything to line up correctly.

Step 6: attaching the shiplap backing to the wall basket organizer frame

Now that you have your frame assembled, decide which side you want to be the front of your frame and place it face down on your work surface. Take your shiplap backing and place it face down on top of your frame. Line it up so there is no edges of the backing hanging past the edges of the frame. Once you have it in place, firmly hold and shoot nails of staples through the backing, securing it to the frame. Do this along all sides of the frame.

Step 7: attaching the wall baskets to the shiplap frame for the wall basket organizer

Turn your frame over, decide which end of the frame you want to be the top. Lay out 2 of your baskets on the backing. Make sure to leave a little space above the top basket so you can be sure and use it without the frame getting in the way. Use a pencil to mark where you need to place the screws. You can either remove the baskets and attach the screws or you attach them while the baskets are in place.

*****DO NOT screw the screw all the way in, otherwise you will screw through the backing.*****

If you place your hand underneath while you are slowly screwing in the screws, you will be able to feel when it is getting close to coming through the wood. Stop there.

Attach the hanging hardware and hang the baskets on the frame and then hang the wall basket organizer on the wall!

Now that you have built yourself a wall basket organizer, you will be on your way to cutting paper clutter and saving time. Time that you can spend on other important things.

Let’s create something great! -Brandee

If you missed my previous posts of how to make other parts of the command center, check out the links below:

DIY Command center part 1: pallet wood list holder
DIY Command center part 2: days of the week chalkboard
DIY Command center part 3: the bulletin board
DIY Command center part 4: supplies holder

…and build yourself one of these beauties!