I’m excited to share a fun little project that had been on my mind for a while … especially since I un-optimistically expected a 50-50 chance that this would go as planned. Well it did (thank goodness!) and has made me so happy every time I open the drawer. Let me explain …. we’ve got a couple grilling supplies that are so long they need to be placed diagonally in our kitchen drawer. That’s totally fine, but it was ruining my ability to put in any drawer dividers or containers into the drawer, thus the mess below. And I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve never owned a house where the kitchen had TOO many drawers or cabinets. Kitchen space is always precious.
After searching (and SEARCHING), I gave up looking for triangular drawer dividers to separate the diagonally placed grilling tools from the ‘junk’ that was accumulating in the drawer (aka the 3 soy sauces, two identical scissors, random rubber bands and post-its). I couldn’t find ANYTHING on the market that would work … literally NOTHING. So I decided I would try to DIY a solution. The only limitation I gave myself was that nothing was to be glued onto the drawer. Given the fact that I wasn’t sure if this solution would work, I didn’t want to risk ruining the drawer.
Supplies Needed for Triangular Kitchen drawer dividers
- Superglue
- Measuring tape
- Spray paint in your favorite color
- Clear acrylic plastic sheets (for this project I bought two of these. The thickness is .05 inch which is perfect for this project)
- Plastic cutter
- Cutting matt (I use the matt that comes with this rotary cutting set. This is the BEST most versatile DIY supply I’ve ever bought. Well worth it if you’re in the market)
- Long thick ruler (again, I use the one that came in this rotary cutting set)
- Sand paper (in a fine grade)
Instructions
The first step is to measure your drawer to determine your divider measurements. My drawer measured 16” w x 17” l x 3 1/4” h. I took everything out of my drawer minus the grilling tools to see how much diagonal space they took up. Then I was able to allocate space & determine the ideal size for the two dividers. Each divider will have three pieces: two small side pieces & one long diagonal piece. I recommend making your divider pieces a tiny bit shorter than your drawer height. (my drawer was 3 1/4” high so I cut my dividers to 3” high.)
Now once you’ve got your measurements, it’s time to cut your acrylic plastic. I was super nervous to do this, hoping (and praying) I didn’t mess it up. Well, it was pretty darn easy. I made tiny circles with a black marker to denote the measurements of each piece. Make sure to mark the side of the acrylic paper with the label (you’ll peal it off after you cut). I do believe the ease in cutting had a lot to do with purchasing the right plastic ‘thickness’. I chose .05 inch thickness because I wanted it to be thick enough so it wasn’t flimsy, but thin enough that it was relatively easy to cut. The .05 inch worked for me.
I used my ruler to help guide me to a straight line as I cut the acrylic. I put pressure on the ruler with one hand while the other hand cut the acrylic.
Once you’ve got your piece cut, remove the sticky liner and lightly sand the cut edge. Now don’t worry if your cut edge isn’t perfect (mine wasn’t). When gluing the drawer dividers together (detailed instructions later in this post), the cut edge will face the bottom of the drawer so no one ever know that I didn’t cut the plastic perfectly.
Spray painting is definitely optional, but I love the touch of color in my drawers. I only sprayed ONE side of the dividers. Since the acrylic plastic was clear, the color showed through both sides. When gluing the sides together (again, more details on that step below), the spray painted side was the outer side of my divider containers (aka- the sides that touch the drawer not the items inside the divider). This way the paint wouldn’t be in jeopardy of chipping at all.
Using superglue, I glued the perpendicular edge together first (using the two smaller pieces). Then I glued the large piece diagonally connecting the two smaller pieces. A strong cutting board was a great tool to lean the pieces against while holding dry. Take your time with the gluing and don’t rush it. Let the divider sit until it’s totally dry.
Remember:
- The cut edge should face the bottom
- The spray painted side should face the outside of the divider
Once the glue is dry you’re ready to put these in your drawers! I was a little nervous that these would move around within the drawer since I didn’t glue them on to the drawer directly. Nope, not at all. Such a pleasant surprise!
To add an extra touch of decoration to this functional project, I added some 5 minute DIY drawer liners underneath.
Did you notice I got rid of all the extra soy sauce?? 🙂
Erlene says
This is an awesome project to organize those long kitchen tools. I have the same issue with my rolling pins and will have to give this a try. I’m going to try with chipboard.
Vanessa says
What a cool way to organise a drawers!