DIY Peg Rail: Simple Step-by-step Guide

I’m on a mission to make the best use of every space in our small home, and this DIY peg rail gave an awkward corner in our bedroom some much-needed purpose.

Bonus: It was budget-friendly, an easy beginner project, and took literally one day (if you don’t count me painting it white then changing my mind and painting it again two weeks later).

This has given a little vertical storage boost in our room for things like hats, jackets, and bags, and would be a great project for a laundry, kitchen, or closet, too.

Here’s how we did it:

Tools & Materials

• 1×4 MDF board at the length of your space
• Shaker pegs
• 1×3 MDF board at the length of your space
• Caulk
• Drill
• Wood glue
• Spade bit
• Nail gun
• Mallet or hammer
• Screws
• Wood filler
• Paint
• Paintbrush

Cut down boards and mark the holes

Either cut your MDF boards down to the length you need (ours was about 6 feet) with a saw, or have the hardware store do it for you if you don’t own a saw.

Measure and mark where the holes will need to go for your shaker pegs on your 1×4 board. I had six pegs, so I took the full length of my board and divided it by seven (which is how many spaces would be around six pegs) and then made a mark in that increment the whole way across the 1×4 board.
Make sure when you’re marking your dots that they’re also in the center of the board vertically, too!

Drill your holes

I used a spade bit to drill the holes for the shaker pegs.

Spade bits are a drill attachment that creates bigger holes than any normal drill bit would, so they’re good for when you’re using things like dowels, pegs and making floating shelves. They come in different sizes and I’m not sure if all shaker pegs are the same, so rather than lead you astray with giving my size, I’ll just say check the width of the notched bottom part of your shaker pegs and find the spade bit size that is the same as that.

Glue and hammer the pegs in

Add some wood glue around the bottom of each shaker peg and gently tap it into place with a mallet or hammer. For extra protection, I put a tea towel between the peg and the hammer so I didn’t damage them.

Nail top shelf on

Nail the 1×3 board along the top of your 1×4 board so it’s like a little shelf jutting out over where the pegs are, and caulk that seam as best as possible for a more finished look.

Find your studs and attach to the wall

Find the studs on your wall and use painters tape or a pencil to mark where they are, then hold up your peg rail and drill through into the stud. Once you’ve got one screw in place, make sure the rail is level and add a screw into another stud if you can, then wood fill those holes.

Caulk and paint

Take your caulk and run a line between the wall and the peg rail along the top shelf part and along the bottom, and any sides so it all looks more seamless. Once that’s dry, paint over the whole thing (since your MDF boards are likely already primed, there’s no need to use primer first).

And you’re done!

This DIY peg rail has made such a difference in our small room. Let us know if you make one yourself, and make sure to sign up to our newsletter for more DIY ideas!