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DIY Your Own Paper Organizer

I needed a storage solution for my scrapbook paper. I found this how-to over on Jennifer’s site and liked the idea. I didn’t need one as tall as hers, so I looked around online and found the perfect 2 cube organizer at Target.

I asked Superman if he could help me make a paper organizer out of it. He was happy to help.

The box just sat there for a few days before I finally put the organizer together. I just followed the simple instructions that came with it. The first thing Superman did was disassemble it to make it easier to create the shelves. haha

I love how it came out!! Superman went above and beyond! 

SUPPLIES

TOOLS

  • saw (we used a circular saw and a skill saw)
  • air compressor (I got mine at The Home Depot on Black Friday one year.
  • brad nailer
  • measuring tape
  • square
  • pencil

HOW TO

  1. Cut dowels into 3 equal lengths. They’ll almost be 12 inches.
  2. Cut hardboard into 3 strips lengthwise. Each strip will be 96″ long x 14 1/2″ wide.
  3. Cut each strip by 13 7/16″. You’ll end up with a shelf that is 14 1/2″ x 13 7/16″. We were able to get 20 shelves out of one piece of hardboard.
  4. Measure out the placement of each set of dowels.
  5. Using your brad nailer, nail the dowel to the inside of the shelf. We were able to install 9 sets per cube, not including the bottom shelf of the organizer itself.
  6. Just slide in the shelves. If they are frayed from the saw, you can use a lighter or torch to burn the edges.
  7. We used the scraps to make a backing on the organizer so that the shelves and/or paper don’t fall out the back.

BLOOPERS

The first thing Superman said when he was finished was, “Next time, make my life easier and just tell me what you want so I can make it from scratch.” He didn’t like the idea that I bought the organizer from Target and expected him to work around those measurements. Now I know.

While cutting the strips of the hardboard, Superman wrote down the wrong measurement and cut each strip about 1/4″ too big. Ultimately, he had to go back and cut each individual shelve again. Boo.

The ultimate blooper is not measuring how high I needed the organizer to be to fit under my counter. I was so focused on making sure the inside of each cube was at least 12″ wide to fit my paper, that I didn’t pay attention to the actual overall height. Turns out it’s about 2 inches too tall to fit under my counter. So, it will have to take up room next to my desk/counter space. Right now it’s right by the door. I don’t think it will stay there. Those corners are sharp! I guarantee I’ll be running into one of them.