DIY Storage Bins for Your Pantry!

Joy
by Joy
Ever find yourself in need of more storage? Ha! What a silly question – right?!?
I have found a way to add a simple storage solution and I am excited to share it with you today.
How sleek do these look?!? The before was awful. Reusable bags, lunch boxes, boxes of paper goods and utensils were stacked underneath. It was a fine place to store such items except they never seemed to stay in place. Oh no, they would somehow creep into the middle of the pantry room floor… all by themselves. They would not be tamed. So what to do? Corral the little buggers.
Storage bins had to be the answer. Who has time to put everything neatly under the shelves 12 times a day? Contrary to popular belief… not me. With the help of a sheet of MDF board, a few wheels, hardware and a bit of paint – I now have a solution that makes us all very happy.


This is a quick weekend project – pinky promise. My space was only 12 inches deep and I wanted my bins to be flush with the bottom shelf (what I wanted and what I got are two different things, nothing is truly level in a house after it has settled a bit. So my perfectly made bins are not completely flush but no biggie. They still look awesome and do the job just fine. Take that perfectionism.)
I got super technical figuring out how long the cabinet pulls needed to be (and if you believe that- I have a bridge to sell you). Yep… here is my brilliant method, I decided I wanted 4 inches to be left on each side of the bin. I took the width of the bin and subtracted 8 inches. Then I went on Amazon and found pulls that came close. The back bin was shorter than the other two and this method worked well and saved me a few brain cells ( I need to hold on to as many as possible).


Final step was to paint the bins. MDF made for a smooth finish but you can use plywood if you rather.


These are mighty big small bins let me tell you. Take a look…
Since installing the bins, the pantry floor has been very easy to keep up and we have not had one escapee. Amazing how a little solution can equal big results and controlled clutter.


Till Later,


Joy
Joy
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Valerie Valerie on Feb 14, 2016
    They look fabulous. I was hoping to find instructions on how you made them - are the instructions available?
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  • Linda Abate Linda Abate on Feb 23, 2018

    Love these drawers. A great way to be able to store just about anything. I can see these drawers being partitioned off on the inside for storing various size baking pans, etc. Such a great idea.

  • MB MB on Dec 25, 2023

    Absolutely amazing. I had to click on this tutorial. Probably the first of it's kind I have seen and it just makes sense. Big enough to set heavy drink items and can quickly be pulled out with the wheels and handles. Easy clean up of floor when pulled out. What a fantastic idea. We have an open pantry in our kitchen. Since we have bought the house have not done anything with it. My husband does not want to create a corner closet or the kitchen will show smaller. But the bottom could use another shelf and space for the bottom to roll out. I love this. Maybe I can make some light doors for them to hide the wide open food pantry. I considered a curtain but I don't want to make it look too old fashion by putting a curtain rod. Keep it up Ms. Joy

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