Here’s a funny yet frustrating story about my kitchen. We use the kitchen A LOT, everyone in my house eats like truckers. Which means we do a lot of cleaning up, doing their best to return things to their original location. However, you can guess that doesn’t always happen. We only have four kitchen drawers, but I still spend five minutes looking for my slotted spoon or that pairing knife I just love. We need some serious drawer organization here.
Here I am in the kitchen at dinner sifting through a pile of mess, asking where is the can opener? Then I find it in the knife drawer or even worse, the dishwasher. I decided something must be done right away and it had to be done on the cheap. At one point we had bamboo drawer organizers. Those boxes are awesome and stylish, however, there was still empty usable space in our drawers.
I wanted to do something quick and inexpensive so I headed to Home Depot and picked up a few oak boards. The boards were about $3.00 each, I used one for each drawer. Both Home Depot and Lowes sell these boards in different lengths, I sprung for the three-foot pieces to account for waste. I was able to finish these and have them back in the drawers the same day.
You can do this too, in a few easy steps
- I used my miter saw to make the cuts after measuring where each utensil should go. If you don’t have access to a miter saw a few alternatives are: a circular saw, a hand saw and miter box, or ask your hardware store to make cuts for you. They typically make cuts 12 inches are longer.
2. I lightly sanded the pieces with a 220-grit sanding sponge and cleaned up the dust with a tack cloth.
Before taking a quick lunch break, I stacked, taped, and labeled my pieces for each drawer. This is a great idea if you plan to make this a weekend project, that way the pieces won’t get rearranged.
3. Assemble each piece per your specifications and place adhesive of choice on your boards, I used Titebond wood glue. I used a few clamps to apply pressure. The glue should squeeze out evenly, this means the boards are making contact in all the right places. If you don’t own clamps you can place heavy objects on both sides of the boards, such as concrete bricks (they cost about $1.00 at most stores) and wrap a heavy duty rubber band or physical therapy resistance band around the bricks. The dry time will vary based on the manufacturer’s instructions. I like Titebond since the cure time is about an hour.
The excess glue can be wiped off with a damp cloth or you can let it dry for 20-30 minutes and scrape it off with a chisel or sharp edge.
4. Consider giving your new amazing kitchen drawer dividers a nice finish. I chose Butcher’s Block as it’s food safe and brings out the grain and color of the oak. Alternatives to Butcher Block are salad bowl finish, mineral oil, and beeswax. If you decide not to add a finish, they will look fabulous just as they are.
The Butcher Block is easier to apply when it’s warm. You can heat it up on the stovetop or in a microwave-safe bowl. Then apply it with a rag or an old t-shirt.
Now you can enjoy an organized kitchen. These would also work wonders on junk drawer organization, a nightstand or better yet the sock drawer.
Do you have more ideas on kitchen drawer organization, please share them in the comments.
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