Try this DIY trick to keep your pots and pans neatly organized in your kitchen drawers. The easier it is to access your cookware, the easier it is for you to cook!
Happy Spring, y’all!! I know at least half of this country was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first day of spring, and now we are still anxiously awaiting actual spring-type weather! Even here in Mississippi, we are under a freeze warning today. Really!? My family in Michigan woke up to a fresh dusting of snow, and another friend who is visiting a southern Florida beach dealt with nonstop cold rain for her last two days.
This crazy weather can make it difficult for us to get into “spring cleaning” mode, so let’s focus on what can we do that doesn’t require us to go outside! Ever since we moved into our new home a little over a year ago, I’ve been wanting to find a way to organize my pots and pans. My kitchen has two deep drawers underneath the stove that is perfect for storage of cookware, but every time I needed to grab a pan, I found myself digging through a mess of pots and their lids! I had to remove most of them just to get what I needed!
I knew Ben and I could put our heads together and figure out a way to organize my collection. We painted the drawers to cover the scratches and marks for a fresh look, then Ben built customized dividers that I can easily move around if I need a wider or more narrow space. He found a tutorial on The Family Handyman using dentil molding glued inside the drawers, then slip in panels made with 1/4-inch plywood. Here is the step-by-step of how we did it, written by my hot and sexy handy-man husband, Ben!
STEP 1: Remove the drawer.
STEP 2: Prepare the drawer for painting by sanding with 120 or 180 grit sandpaper.
STEP 3: Prime (if needed) and paint the desired areas. For priming, I highly recommend Kilz primer (oil based). To avoid chipping, use contact paper or something similar instead of paint.
STEP 4: Measure the side of the drawer for the molding.
STEP 5: Cut four strips of molding that will fit the top and bottom of the drawer. Keep in mind that the drawer may not be square, so you may need to cut the strips accordingly. The trick here is to have all of the molding strips line up perfectly with one another. Notice that the lines run parallel to one another. This will ensure that the dividers will be straight.
STEP 6: Glue the strips using Titebond II or III.
STEP 7: Using clamps for the top molding and a wedge for the bottom (not pictured: piece of wood or spacer), hold them tight and in place while drying.
STEP 8: Measure the appropriate height and width for the panels (taking into account the width of the two molding strips) and cut the 1/4 inch panel. (Or, go back to Home Depot and have them cut it for you.)
STEP 9: Prime and paint the panels your desired color. To curb paint chipping, you will need to apply a few coats polyurethane.
STEP 10: Slide the panels in between the molding strips. Use your collection of pots and pans to determine the width you need between each panel.
STEP 11: Replace the drawer back into the kitchen and add your pots and pans! Then, enjoy the new ease of using them!
If you have any specific questions or need some clarification on any of these steps, just leave a comment below and we’ll be sure to answer! 🙂
Wondering about the collection of pots and pans I use? I love love love my new set of Calphalon AccuCore Stainless Steel cookware. Calphalon generously provided me with the pieces I knew would suit my kitchen well, however, this post is not a paid promotional post. Thank you, Calphalon!
ColleenB. ~ Texas says
March 27, 2014 at 8:14 AMwhat a great and very clever solution to your storage situation.
Great solution for me in doing my utensil drawer. :} Thank you
Great job by the both of you
Nikki says
March 27, 2014 at 10:32 AMThanks, Colleen! I’ve been thinking about doing this for our utensil drawer, too! Send me pics if you do it! 🙂
Alzbeta says
March 27, 2014 at 12:56 PMoooo, love it! We only have one and a half tiny drawers in our kitchen (super weird, but, you know, such is the case), so our pots and pans are all stacked up in the cabinet. It’s not horrible, but there’s still got to be a better to organize my cabinets!
Louise says
March 31, 2015 at 8:52 AMThis is a great idea and execution. But I have to ask, why oil based Kilz? I used it for a free-standing cabinet I’d planned to use for a food pantry. I used 2 coats and it took well over two years to get rid of the smell, and that was with keeping the doors open most of the time. Wouldn’t latex based have been a better choice? Why did you use oil based Kilz?
Nikki Gladd says
March 31, 2015 at 9:24 PMHi Louise,
I asked Ben this question and here is his answer: “Oil based covers better. For whatever reason, I’ve never had a problem with that primer smelling bad after I painted additional coats.”
YerGalVal says
November 30, 2016 at 1:49 PMHow did you clamp the bottom pieces of molding (bottom of the drawer)?
Nikki Gladd says
February 17, 2018 at 11:47 AMHi YerGalVal,
We used a piece of wood or spacer to hold the molding down while it dried (for the bottom of the drawer). Sorry for the late response! I’m not sure how I missed it!
Andrea says
February 13, 2018 at 8:31 AMreally love this idea – but again I can’t figure out how to clamp the molding to the bottom of the drawer. Can you help?
Nikki Gladd says
February 17, 2018 at 11:46 AMHi Andrea,
Ben said, if he remembers right, that he used a piece of wood to create a spacer or wedge to hold the molding down and clamp it for the bottom. I’ll try to write this in the steps. 🙂 I hope that makes sense!