HF
House Design

Remodelaholic | Utensil Drawer Organizer

[ad_1]

Drawers are great in the kitchen, especially when they are all organized! A custom adjustable utensil drawer organizer can keep everything in its place and avoid messy drawers. Works great for any drawer!

Looking for other ways to organize your home? Organize a vanity or bathroom drawer with these custom jewelry dishes. Organize the rest of your cabinets with these space saving tips. And then take a look at all of our organizing ideas too.

Don’t we all have a dirty little secret that looks like this in our kitchen? A drawer that is just a mess.

Or maybe this… what once was organized is no longer.

Messy drawers be gone. A simple no nails or glue solution with a utensil drawer organizer featured on Remodelaholic.com

I spent a few hours with my saw, and now I no longer have those particular skeletons in my closet! Now they look like this, thanks to a couple DIY drawer organizers.

And the best part is, they are both adjustable and 100{330f214df237fc2abc96aea099ffbe24c43e06db08036644267acddb2f21482d} removable, so it’s perfect for meeting your needs now and in a few years, and renter-friendly.

Organize large utensils with drawer dividers made of plywood featured on Remodelaholic.com

Watch the video to see how, and read the detailed instructions below.

This post contains affiliate links. Learn more and read our full disclosure policy here

Supplies List

To cut costs I used plywood. You could do this utensil drawer organizer project with 1×3 pine boards if you don’t have a table saw, but it will be more expensive.

For my first attempt I used 1/4″ plywood, but after a few days the plywood began to bend.

Removeable Drawer organizers made out of thin plywood featured on Remodelaholic.com

Obviously the dividers would still work, but I wasn’t happy with the end result. So I decided to redo the dividers with 1/2″ plywood. Balsa wood or the thin “craft” boards they sell at the hardware store might work better than the thinner plywood, but the increased cost will be significant, and the thicker plywood has had no problems.

 

For this project you will need the following materials and tools:

Lumber

  • 1     2′ x 4′ piece of 1/2″ plywood

Tools

Planning Custom Drawer Organizers

Be sure to plan before executing these utensil drawer organizers to be sure they turn out just how you would like them.

Step 1: Measure your drawers.

Take note of both width and depth as well as drawer height.

Create utensil drawer organizers and dividers by first measuring the length and width of the drawer featured on Remodelaholic.com

Step 2: Determine how you would like your drawer divided.

Our suggested layouts that we used are below. Some tips for designing your own drawer dividers:

Use your utensils to decide lengths and widths of sections so the dividers fit your needs. As you can watch in the video, washi tape is a good way to visualize the space with the dividers.

Think about pressure points:

  • Do you want a full length or width section? Cut the dividers to the same length or width of your drawer so they fit snugly. Then all you need is spacers to separate each section that put pressure on the ends to hold them up.
  • Do you want to divide the space lengthwise and widthwise? To reduce the amount of individual spacers for the smaller sections I cut channels in the pieces cut to the width of the drawer. Then for the larger sections I used spacers at the ends, and in the middle to break up the sections.

Remodelaholic Removable Utensil Drawer Organizer Step 2a

Suggested small utensil drawer layout:

Front dividers for knives, forks, spoons etc. The other areas I used for chopsticks, corn cob holders, and measuring spoons

Remodelaholic Removable Utensil Drawer Organizers Cut Diagram 1 (13)

Suggested large utensil drawer layout:

I wanted a larger area for my apple slicer, the center compartments are evenly divided, and the final compartment was decided after the others were in the drawer. I measured the remaining space so the compartments fit snugly in the drawer.

 

Step 3: Rip the plywood.

Using your table saw rip the 2’x4′ sheet of plywood into 3″ strips along the 2′ side. No table saw? You can have the lumber store cut the plywood into the 3” pieces and then use a miter saw for the other cuts.

After you rip the plywood into 3” pieces bring them into your home to acclimate. This will reduce the amount of bowing and shrinking when you assemble the cut pieces in your drawers.

After making your shorter cuts, sand the corners to reduce splinters. You can also spray with a couple of coats of polyurethane to make the pieces washable.

Remodelaholic Removable Utensil Drawer Organizers Cut Diagram 1 (1)

Building Tutorial for Small Utensil Divider

Step 1: Cut dividers.

Cut 3 @  19″

Remodelaholic Removable Utensil Drawer Organizers Cut Diagram 1 (2)

Cut 5 @ 10″

Remodelaholic Removable Utensil Drawer Organizers Cut Diagram 1 (4)

Cut 3 @ 3 3/4″

Remodelaholic Removable Utensil Drawer Organizers Cut Diagram 1 (5)

Step 2: Create channels for dividers to slide into.

Set depth of saw blade to remove 1/8″ of material. Adjust the fence to 2 3/4″ and run both ends of (2) 19″ pieces through saw. Then adjust the fence to 2 7/8″. Repeat running both ends of the same (2) 19″ pieces. Continue to adjust saw by 1/8″ increments (the width of your saw blade) until channel measures 1/2″ or 3 1/4″ from the outside.

Remodelaholic Removable Utensil Drawer Organizer Step 5

Repeat this process for the next pair of channels. Setting the fence first at 6″ and adjusting by 1/8″ increments until you reach the outside measurement of 6 1/2″

Remodelaholic Removable Utensil Drawer Organizer Step 5a

For the center section set your fence at 9 1/4″ and ending at 9 3/4″

Remodelaholic Removable Utensil Drawer Organizer Step 5b

 

Step 3: Sand the edges to prevent splinters.

The smoother the surfaces are, the better they will slide together and stay put.

 

Remodelaholic Removable Utensil Drawer Organizer Step 5c sanding down organizers for a smooth finish.

Step 4: Assemble the first two sections.

Place one of the channeled pieces against the front of your drawer.

Remodelaholic Removable Utensil Drawer Organizer Step 6

Place the (5) 10″ pieces in the channels.

Remodelaholic Removable Utensil Drawer Organizer Step 7

Remodelaholic Removable Utensil Drawer Organizer Step 8

Position the second channeled piece in place, and adjust the 10″ dividers into each channel.

Remodelaholic Removable Utensil Drawer Organizer Step 9

Step 5: Place the next 2 pieces.

Using the (3) 3 3/4″ pieces and the last 19″ piece, place the 19″ piece and then the 3 3/4″ pieces.

Remodelaholic Removable Utensil Drawer Organizer Step 10

Step 6: Measure and cut the final pieces.

Measure the remaining space, and cut 3 pieces at that measurement. My final measurement was 4 7/8″

Measuring and double checking the sizes of utensil divders

Step 7: Place the three remaining dividers.

These will be held in place by tension to keep all the other dividers in place, but they’re easily adjustable (as you can see in the video).

Putting together drawer organizers using plywood dividers

Step 8: Refill the drawer with your utensils!

Here is the beauty of the pieces being removable. They are adjustable! To have the divider pieces in the center my chopsticks wouldn’t fit. So I adjusted the center pieces to accommodate the length of the chopsticks.

Insert dividers and tension will hold them into place in this organizer

Building Tutorial for Larger Utensil Divider

Step 1: Cut dividers.

Cut 5 @ 19″

Remodelaholic Removable Utensil Drawer Organizers Cut Diagram 1 (2)

Cut 2 @ 6″

Cut 8 @ 3 7/8″

Remodelaholic Removable Large Utensil Drawer Organizer Step 1

Step 2: Fit the pieces together.

The pressure of the spacing pieces is what holds this all together. So I cut the final pieces after everything else is in the drawer. That way you get a nice tight fit.

Place all the pieces you have cut so far in the drawer.

Remodelaholic Removable Large Utensil Drawer Organizer Step 2

Beginning with the two 6″ pieces, then a 19″ divider, then two 3 7/8″ pieces and another 19″ divider.

Create a pattern with the dividers for the organizer

Continue in the pattern until you have all the pieces in place.

Then measure the remaining space. My final measurement was 4 13/16″

Measuring a drawer to add an organizer

Step 3: Cut the final pieces.

Cut the final 2 pieces to your measurement, and place in drawer. You want these pieces to fit snug. If the pieces don’t put pressure on the dividers, cut new pieces a little longer.

Fitting in dividers on the larger utensil drawer

Step 4: Refill your drawer!

Then invite your friends over to show off your newly made utensil drawer organizers. (That sounded better in my head.)

Remodelaholic Removable Large Utensil Drawer Organizer Step 5

The hidden benefits to this project were; that I cleaned my drawers, and removed A LOT of items I didn’t really use! I hope you enjoyed this project, and that it inspired you to do a little organizing of your own!

More DIY drawer organizing projects:

  1. Convert a larger drawer to a utensil organizer.
  2. quick tips and tricks for beautiful organized desk drawers
  3. easy DIY drawer organizer jewelry trays

Please be sure to pin this custom utensil drawer organizer post for future reference:

Whip your kitchen, bathroom, dresser, or desk drawers into shape with these affordable custom DIY drawer organizers. Adjustable, with no glue or nails, to organize kitchen utensils, clothing, office supplies, or bathroom essentials. | DIY Custom Drawer Organizers And Dividers, Building Plan And Video Tutorial, No Glue No Nails #remodelaholic

 
DIY Drawer Organizer With Dividers For Kitchen Utensils And Tools #remodelaholic | Whip your kitchen, bathroom, dresser, or desk drawers into shape with these affordable custom DIY drawer organizers. Adjustable, with no glue or nails, to organize kitchen utensils, clothing, office supplies, or bathroom essentials.

Originally Posted 3.31.2018 // Updated 3.11.2020 

Remodelaholic is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Please see our full disclosure here.

About Krista Builds