Small Storage Crates

So what did you think of the bathroom makeover yesterday? Pretty cool right? Well, the outside of the cabinets wasn’t the only transformation I made in our master ensuite – I also upped our storage and organization game with a few small storage crates.

This came about because my Dad is obsessed with condiment trays. He is constantly buying trays, boxes, bins and organizers to carry his ketchup, mustard and relish out to his patio – I get it… kind of.

Last summer he found what he deemed “the perfect condiment tray” at a local restaurant and he brought back the measurements and some scrap wood and asked if I’d whip one up for him.

Just a simple small crate.

Easy-peasy!

The final measurements are 12 ½” by 10″ by 5″ tall – so small storage crates as far as crates go. Lightweight but sturdy and very easy to make.

Small storage crates

¼” x 1 ½” poplar strips
¼” plywood
wood glue
drill
¾” wood screws
½” finishing nails
sandpaper
mitre saw

I didn’t buy the poplar strips, but instead ripped down scrap 2″x4″ boards to ¼” thick strips. It wasn’t difficult to do, but if you’re not comfortable with a table saw, I wouldn’t attempt it. I’ve used my table saw more than a few times and cutting these narrow strips still had me sweating.

Cuts:

¼” plywood cut to 10″ by 12″

¼” poplar – 6 pieces cut to 9 ½”

¼ poplar – 6 pieces cut to 12 ½”

4 pieces scrap wood (roughly ¾” x ¾”) cut to 5″ tall – for the corner posts

Start by gluing and then screwing your ¾” posts to each corner of your plywood base. I used ¾” wood screws and pre-drilled the holes to make sure the wood didn’t split.

Attach your 9 ½” poplar strips to either side of your DIY small crates with wood glue and ½” finishing nails. One to the bottom of each post, covering the plywood base, one to the top of the posts and then one in the middle of those two. I don’t have a nailer, so I just tapped these in with a hammer and it was quite therapeutic.

Line up your 12 ½” poplar strips and glue and nail them into place on the front and back. I went with one closed crate and a few open-faced ones – where I only nailed one 12 ½” strip to the front of the crate.

Sand smooth and you’re done!

Why open-faced small crates you ask?

Look what happens when you stack these:

Reachable storage and organization!

Small storage crates that would be perfect for a pantry, or a craft room or say…

a recently painted bathroom?

Yes, my Dad’s obsession with condiment storage is only surpassed by my infatuation with toothbrushes. lol (I actually buy them in bulk)

But isn’t it pretty?!

Totally stackable, so I can build more and keep filling the cupboard, and totally functional in that I can just reach in and see (and grab) whatever I’m looking for easily.

One went into Hubby’s bathroom cupboard and another found its way under my kitchen sink to keep my cleaning cloths organized.

I’ll definitely be making more of these small crates for pantry organization – open-faced for goods I want to reach in and grab and closed-face for potatoes and onions etc.

Because I used up scrap 2″x4″ boards and other scrap wood to make these, and the paint was from my bathroom makeover yesterday; I’m out a whopping $0 and maybe and hour and a half of time to make 6 of these DIY small crates – and that includes my tentative work with the table saw.