DIY Back to School Organizer
With the arrival of September, back to school is always an event that occupies family households. Parents have the challenge of trying to keep entryways clutter-free when kids come home from school. Keeping all the backpacks, shoes, and lunch boxes organized can keep parents busy. Today’s post provides a way to keep all of these items organized, and of course, MMS milk paint is used!
As someone who refurbishes furniture, I will sometimes find a piece of furniture that can’t be saved. It needs too many repairs, or the damage is just too significant for the piece to be refurbished. However, oftentimes, the drawers in these pieces of furniture are still functioning. So, if I can, I save the drawers.
There are so many different ways to repurpose drawers, and today I am going to show you how to repurpose a drawer for a back-to-school organization. For this particular project, I used a drawer from an old desk.
We are going to repurpose this desk drawer into a storage unit for backpacks, shoes, and lunch boxes. We are also going to add wheels to the bottom so that it is easy for kids to access. Once completed, the drawer organizer can be wheeled away for storage under a table, bench, or even in an existing coat closet.
Video Tutorial
If you’re a visual learner, you’re going to enjoy the video for this project!
Supplies
The first thing we need to do is gather our supplies. Here is a list of items I used to create this project.
An old drawer - larger drawers work best for this project
MMS MilkPaint™ - Mustard Seed Yellow
MMS MilkMix-EZ™
2-inch paint brush
150 and 220 grit sandpaper
Degreaser Cleaning product such as Dawn/ Mr. Clean/ Simple Green
Pre-cut wood shapes - available at craft stores
Wood glue
Clamps (optional)
4 small casters- available at hardware stores
Hand-held power drill with ½-inch wood screws ( you will need 16 screws)
Contact paper to line the drawer (optional)
Step 1 - Clean the Drawer
Once you have gathered your supplies, it’s time to clean the drawer. Using a cleaner that can cut through grease, wipe down the inside and outside of the drawer. If necessary, use a scrub brush to remove dirt that has built up over time.
When the drawer has dried completely, scuff sand it using 150 grit sandpaper. Scuff sanding means you are lightly sanding the exterior of the drawer and that you are not completely removing the existing finish. If the drawer has a shiny clear coat, then you want to be sure to sand it well if you want the paint to adhere to the wood. After sanding is complete, wipe down the drawer with a damp rag to remove any sanding dust.
Step 2- Paint the Drawer
Now is the time to mix up your milk paint! For this project, I used MMS milk paint in the color Mustard Seed Yellow because it was representational of the season. It’s a warm yellow color that reminds me of school buses and sunflowers.
I mixed up ½ cup of powdered paint with ½ cup of warm water and added 4 drops of MilkMix-EZ™. Once the paint was well mixed, I applied the first coat of paint.
As shown in the photo above, the first coat of milk paint will be a little splotchy. Mustard Seed Yellow is a light color of paint, so it will require two and possibly three coats of paint to get good coverage. Don’t be deterred by how the first coat of paint looks. Simply wait about 30 minutes for the paint to dry, and then apply a second coat.
After the second coat of paint has been applied, you may start to notice where there is crackling in certain areas. This is the precursor to “chippy paint.”
I decided to apply a total of 3 coats of paint to ensure good coverage. You can see in the photo above that the paint “chipped” in some areas. This is perfect and exactly what I wanted. If, however, you do not want any chipping of paint, simply add MMS MilkGrip™ to your paint mixture.
Once the paint has completely dried, lightly sand the drawer with 220 grit sandpaper. If you have any areas where the paint has crackled, by now, it should have flaked off, and you should have a natural “chippy” appearance.
Finally, seal your painted drawer using MMS MilkOil™ Indoor/Hemp Seed Oil.
Step 3 - Add Casters
The addition of wheels to the underside of the drawer makes it easier to move around. This is particularly true for small children.
The wood used for the bottom of a drawer is usually fairly thin. So we are going to glue some pre-cut wooden shapes to the bottom of the drawers.
You can buy packages of pre-cut wooden shapes at your local craft store. Using some wood glue, attach the wooden cut-out shape to the four corners of the underside of the drawer.
Then use clamps to secure the wooden pieces in place.
If you don’t have clamps to secure the wooden pieces to the bottom of the drawer, place a heavy object (like some books) on top of the wooden pieces and let the glue dry. I let the glue dry overnight, but it should be adequately dried after an hour.
Now you can attach the wheels! Using a drill and ½-inch wooden screws, you can attach the wheel to each of the wooden pieces you just glued to the underside of the drawer.
Step 4 - Enjoy your Back To School Organizer
Congratulations! You have finished the project and can now use this repurposed drawer for back-to-school organization.
As you can see from the photo above, a backpack, lunch box, and small pair of galoshes were able to fit into this organizer. It can also be used to hold binders, books, and laptops. The addition of the wheels makes it easy for young children to pull out the organizer and for them to wheel it back into place.
One more idea, you can also use this drawer organizer for other purposes:
Storing pet items
Storing office items
Storing umbrellas, hats, gloves, and scarves
Storing items in your pantry
One final thought, if you desire, you can line the bottom of the drawers with contact paper. It makes the inside look pretty and adds a layer of protection. The contact paper also makes it easier to wipe out the inside of the drawer. (For example, if wet galoshes are stored in it)
Summary
Thank you for stopping by the blog today! We hope that back to school goes well for your family and that this idea will serve you well.