12 Smart Ways To Use Leftover Wood Scraps In Your Garage
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If you're a fan of DIY projects, chances are you have a pile of unsightly scrap wood lying around. Completing a DIY project can be a thrilling experience — you end up with a piece built with your own hands — but projects often end with leftover materials and supplies. The good news is that you don't have to waste money by throwing these odds and ends away, and you don't have to stare at an unused heap of various wood types taking up space on your garage floor.
Kill two birds with one stone by turning some of your scrap wood into budget-friendly organization for your garage. Whether you have a whole pile of leftover lumber or just a few pieces, you can use the wood to create handy shelves, storage, and even outdoor furniture that will help clean up a cluttered garage. Plus, these amateur-friendly hacks can all be done without a power saw. All the cuts are made in straight lines, making a handsaw a decent choice. Here are some fabulous projects to use leftover wood scraps in your garage.
Build a hanging tool organizer
Tripping over shovels and rakes can make your garage feel even smaller. Woodshop Diaries on TikTok solved every homeowner's dilemma by turning some of her scrap wood into an organizer. The DIYer created space-saving hanging tool storage by attaching small squares of wood, which acted as hooks, to a backboard.
This project is great because it clears up floor space, allows for varied tool handle lengths, and couldn't be simpler. Painting or staining this organizer would instantly upgrade the look. To customize even more, you can adjust the size of the backboard, even connecting multiple pieces to span a whole wall if you need more tool storage.
Create scrap lumber storage
If you're trying to use up some of that scrap wood you have lying around, why not keep cleaning up your garage by creating a mobile storage container for the rest of it? Steele Home Design on TikTok got creative with some plywood to make a scrap lumber storage unit, complete with wheels and handles. This project is a little advanced, but you can simplify it by using rectangular pieces of wood for sides, rather than cutting them in a pattern. Plus, you can paint it a fun color or stain the exterior for a finished look.
Install a wall-mounted storage box
Tara (@thedoerandthedreamer) decided to use her leftover wood to keep her camping chairs elevated on the wall. Garage floors attract rain, snow, dirt, and oil, so this wall-mounted storage box is handy for keeping belongings clean. The box is straightforward to make once you cut your wood to the right length — it only needs four sturdy 2-by-4 boards (or similarly sized lumber), plus flat plywood for the sides. To prep the surface for staining, you might consider buying a low-cost mini sander or a sanding attachment for your power drill, like this one from Amazon.
Make a scooter stand
This project is a little niche, but it's creative and useful! If you or your little ones have scooters, you understand the pain of trying to store them neatly. Abby (@galpractical) solved this problem with a simple scooter stand made from plywood and 2-by-4s. Because the bottom plywood piece doesn't extend to the front, the gap holds the front wheel in place and keeps the scooter from rolling back. With some precise measurements, you can also customize this project to store skateboards or bikes.
Create a useful workbench extension
SoFloWoodCo (@varrialemarie) decided to take her husband's workspace to the next level by adding an extension that can be folded down. This DIY just takes a large, flat piece of wood, some hinges, and some smaller pieces of wood to hold the legs in place. The smaller pieces are not made on camera, but they appear to be in a blocky U-shape. Whenever you are cutting smaller pieces, be extra careful with the saw. You may even want to consider a smaller one, such as this 10-inch mini saw on Amazon.
Build a small storage caddy
This little storage caddy from @hautehouselove is perfectly adaptable and easy to put together. Depending on the pieces you have available, you can make it bigger or smaller. As it is, it's the perfect size for storing loose items in your garage, such as nails, screws, etc. You can even use it as a small planter if you're feeling the green thumb itch. Though the original video uses a nail gun, you could use strong wood glue or attach the pieces with screws.
Mount a useful floating shelf
A sturdy floating shelf can be used to free up floor space, maximizing garage storage, and it looks clean as well. To make this shelf like @emyludesigns, you will need a narrow piece of scrap wood and wooden dowels to serve as the support and connection to the wall. You can cut the pieces using a power saw, or since they're simple, straight cuts, you can use a hand saw. You will also need a drill bit that can create holes the same diameter as the dowels. Because this DIYer used so many dowels, the shelf stays steady even with heavy tools on top.
Make a rustic wood riser
You can add some charm to your garage workspace with this scrap wood riser that @cottageandblossom made. What sets this project apart from the others on this list is that she intentionally roughed up the wood she used with a small hatchet, so you don't need pristine scraps to make this. She also used three coats of different wood stains to create a unique and rustic look. So, if you have leftover stains from other projects, this DIY can be a practical and creative way to use them up.
Light it up with wall sconces
This DIY sconce looks very classy for a bit of ambiance, even in your garage. How expensive this project becomes will depend on how many of the supplies and materials you already own. But, the original poster, @aquangold, shows a couple of ways to save. Instead of buying a wood clamp, you can use tape to hold the pieces together while they dry. The puck lights can also be relatively inexpensive, like this set on Amazon. The main difficulty will be the precision of cutting 45-degree angles, but for a less finished look, you can simply glue the sides together.
Create a key holder
Keeping your garage key storage organized doesn't get easier than this project from @lfrustics. All you have to do is find your best piece of scrap wood and a few cup hooks. That's it! Use gold hooks like these from Home Depot for a more classy look. Or, paint your board white and use matching hooks like these from Lowe's to blend right in. Because you can paint or stain your board virtually any color and choose from a wide variety of hooks, the possibilities are endless.
Make a versatile cube shelf
While this DIY is made from dollar store cutting boards, you could utilize any thin pieces of scrap wood you have to make this cube shelf in no time. On the YouTube channel, Hometalk, we see how a little wood glue and a couple of screws can go a long way. Though not used in the video, you may find it easier to use corner clamps, like these from Amazon, to hold the pieces together while they dry to prevent a crooked shelf. While this DIYer used the shelf for decorative purposes, you can use it to store small garage items like sports equipment or gardening tools.
Build a stained stool
You could make this small, stained stool to use as a planting stand or kid's garage bench. The project from @design.by.fatema on TikTok uses two rectangular frames instead of four legs to support the top. Using wood glue, like this one from Ace Hardware, and a small power drill, put the two frames together. The top is made from two flat pieces screwed into place, but you can combine as many boards as needed, depending on the sizes you have available. Then, stain or paint the finished product any color you'd like.