10 Simple DIY Tricks to Maximize Your Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers

A top-notch do-it-yourself cabinet organization project involves creating a holder specifically for your pot lids. This can be installed as a drawer beneath your pot storage area or underneath any other cabinet shelf. Below are the steps:

Large drawers frequently have an untidy mix of overlapping tools. We addressed this issue with a sliding tray that forms into two smaller compartments instead. Ensure your design is 1/8-inch thinner than the interior of the drawer, approximately half as long, and choose whatever depth suits your needs best. For instance, our version was constructed to be 1-3/4 inches deep.

When you position the holes for the adjustable shelf supports, don’t rely on measurements and arithmetic. Instead, position the tray inside the drawer box at least 1/8-in. lower than the cabinet opening and make a mark on the tray. Our shelf supports fit tightly into the holes, but yours may require a little super glue. This simple drawer rests on shelf supports.

Of course the pan or tray you need is always the one at the bottom of the pile! There’s an easy solution: a DIY cabinet organizer. It will allow you to store large, flat item on their edges rather than stacked up. That way, you can slide out whichever pan you need.

If you’re familiar with attaching a piece of plywood to drawer slides, you can make use of all those clever shelves, hooks, and organizers available at home improvement stores. Using these accessories can prevent tiny items from disappearing in large base cabinets.

It’s easy as long as you remember two critical things: First, make sure the drawer slides are parallel. Place a plywood spacer between the drawer members as you screw them to the panel. Screw the cabinet members to cleats. Second, make your cleats thick enough so that the slides will clear the cabinet door hinges. We glued 1/2-in. plywood to 3/4-in. plywood to make the cleats.

To mount the panel inside the cabinet, put together the slides again. Position the assembled unit against the back of the cabinet and push the panel outward approximately 4 inches. Secure screws into the cleats located at the rear, then pull the panel all the way out and attach screws at the front portion.

For storing cutting boards, install a rack on the inside of a cabinet door. Acrylic plastic at 1/4-inch thickness works well for this purpose, although plywood could be an alternative option too. Whether using a table saw or a circular saw, ensure slow cuts when working with acrylic. Smooth out the rough edges utilizing sandpaper before rounding off the bottom corners with a belt sander. As spacers, we utilized No. 14-8 crimp sleeves; however, tubes made from various materials or wooden blocks would serve equally effectively.

For this homemade cabinet organizer project, primarily you’ll require several tiny magnets. Attach these magnets at each corner of your cutting board; additional ones can be added as necessary. Ensure that the metal plate placed beneath the cabinet is bigger than the cutting board itself, facilitating smoother storage. Securely glue the sheet metal onto plywood using spray adhesive. Remember to utilize galvanized steel rather than aluminum for this task.

Punch holes close to the edges and secure the plywood beneath the cabinet using screws. Create openings suitable for the magnets and apply a small amount of strong adhesive inside these spots. Place the magnets with their nail heads sticking out. Move the nail horizontally so as to free the magnet. As you do this, the metallic sheet will attract and hold onto them firmly.

This tray works great for storing pens and paper. It remains largely concealed behind the cabinet face when shut. The installation involves using both hinges and magnets to secure the tray beneath an overhead cupboard. Begin by attaching the hinges with screws. Next, prop open the upper cabinet door, position the tray underneath securely, and fasten the hinges to the bottom of the cabinet as well.

Keep your tablet handy and safe while you’re working in the kitchen. This tray will keep your tablet or other devices off the countertop. As it swings down, it also swings forward, so the tablet isn’t hidden under the cabinet. The mechanism is simple; just make and position the arms exactly as shown here and it will work smoothly.

We shaped the aluminum pieces and smoothed their edges using a grinder. Once shut, tiny cabinet door magnets secure the tray. We snipped off the plastic tabs from the magnets before securing them with epoxy glue. A foam trivet was trimmed to serve as the lining for the tray. This shelf can be folded upward against a piece of plywood at the top, making it an excellent choice for organizing your kitchen cabinets. Metal rods keep the tray steady. Do not fret; these little magnets will not affect your tablet.

This do-it-yourself cabinet organizer initiative offers additional room for dishes and utensils in cramped kitchen cabinets. Typically, cabinets feature just one or two shelves, which often result in unused spaces. Increasing your storage capacity involves installing one or two extra shelves inside most of your cabinets. For this task, you’ll require 3/4-inch plywood along with a pack of shelf brackets. These brackets are available in different sizes, so ensure compatibility by bringing an old bracket to match when shopping at the hardware store.

You can adjust this knife rack to fit any cabinet door and accommodate any desired number of knives for your kitchen cabinet organization. Constructing this cutting board-turned-knife rack requires only a table saw and some leftover wood pieces.