You know when you’re working, and you get thrown off because something is not in its place? You have to find it. You waste some time. Then suddenly, your mood is ruined, and you don’t want to do anything anymore.

Well, guess what? There’s one thing that will help tidy things up while keeping everything all in one place: a French Cleat wall organizer!

For those who are not familiar, a French Cleat wall organizer is a storage system that helps tidy up things, making them available all in one place. 

It’s similar to a pegboard wall but with stronger holding power. Basically, you cover your wall with wooden French cleats and mount the whole thing up on the wall.

What’s awesome about this DIY project is that all the dirty work is only done in the beginning. Once you finish installing and assembling everything, you can then move things around with ease. 

You can change layouts, switch organizers, and add more stuff gradually in the long run. Aside from that, you’ll know where everything goes — which makes cleaning up faster and easier.

Now, the question is, how can you make one? 

We're not going to lie, building a French Cleat wall organizer is quite a tedious process, but the result is rewarding. A lot of folks even switch to this system for their garage, workstations, supply room, or any area that needs a little tidying up.

We’ve created a thorough step-by-step process on how to do it. Let’s begin!

First up, you have to prepare the materials and tools you need. A lot of these things can be found at home, so sort out what you can find lying around and which ones you need to run to the hardware store for.

Once these are ready, let’s move on to the exciting part: planning.

Before we get our hands dirty, let's take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Here's a bunch of things to do in the planning stage:

• Map out the position of your cleat wall.

• Mark where the studs are.

• Take some measurements.

• Know what you'll be organizing. Examples include building tools, gardening tools, cleaning supplies, art materials, toiletries, and workout essentials.

• Customize designs for organizers. Customizing your organizers will be a lot easier if you know what you're organizing. Check out the three videos we linked in this article for creative ideas!

• Get an idea of how much weight the wall needs to hold. Cleats have a wide weight range supporting up to 200 lbs, making it an ideal storage and hanging system. With this in mind, you can hang a lot of things with confidence.

Take note of all these details, and you'll be good to go. Now, let's make the cleat wall organizer! 

There are different ways you can design one. Some folks prefer a floor-to-ceiling cleat wall but in this article, let’s focus on something smaller. This style of cleat organizer covers just a part of a wall and is used for other areas in the house like a workstation, bathroom, or workout area. 

1. Cut the plywood backing. 
2. Nail the French Cleats to the plywood.
3. Attach a frame to the organizer.
4. Build the organizers.
5. Paint or stain the wall organizer. 

You finally finished your French cleat wall organizer. Now, you might be wondering, how do we hang the whole thing up?  There are two kinds of picture hangers you can choose from:

We recommend using Aluminum French Cleats. They are stable, durable, and capable of holding heavy weight. Aside from that, they have a less visible wall standoff, which makes them more aesthetically pleasing. To understand more about the difference between aluminum and wooden cleats, check out this guide below:

Aluminum French Cleats have a wide selection of cleat lengths and weight capacities. Sizes range from 3 inches and runs up to 90 inches and can support up to 750 lbs depending on the cleat length. 

For cleat wall organizers, we recommend using French cleats with a maximum holding power of 100 lbs and above. Here’s how to install:

1. Attach one or two cleats to the back of the cleat organizer. Using two will give extra security.
2. Install the other cleat(s) on the wall. Pre-drill holes and insert anchors if necessary. Secure the cleat with screws using a screwdriver.
3. Hang the organizer on the wall.

Another way to mount a cleat organizer is by using heavy-duty Strap Hangers (also known as D-Rings) just like Katie did. D-Rings are just as strong as Aluminum French Cleats and can also support heavy weight.

We recommend using the Mega Strap Hanger which can support 200 lbs. 

  Here’s how to install:

1. Install the Strap Hangers on the sides of the back of the cleat organizer, ⅓ of the way down. Measure from the top rail down to the bottom rail, then divide by three. Mark the spot with a pencil and repeat on the other side.
2. Attach D-Rings using a screwdriver. Make sure they’re aligned with the Strap Hanger on the opposite side.

Once you've decided on a hanging method, mount your French Cleat wall organizer, and that's it! The dirty work is over, so let's move on to the finishing touches. 

French Cleats continue to be one of our top-performing products, and there’s no doubt why. They’re some of the most robust and most versatile picture hanging hardware in store. So, it only makes sense to use them as part of a huge storage and organization system like this one. 

What other DIY projects do you want to talk about next? Let us know in the comments!