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Clean & Organize· DIY· Projects

Scrap Wood File Folders

July 16, 2014

Hi there! It’s been a bit quiet around here since I’ve been at Haven, my first blogging conference! I had such a blast meeting all of my favorite bloggers and attending classes to help this place grow! And I guess Atlanta wasn’t ready for me to leave as scheduled, because our flight ended up cancelled at the last minute and my mom, aunt and I stuck around for another day until we got a new flight. It was fun, but I am so unbelievably happy to be home!

Before I left, Anthony and I worked on a few projects for the office. You may have heard me complain about the lack of organization in there, so I couldn’t wait to build a few new things to help make life easier. And because there’s nothing I hate worse than digging though piles of papers and still not finding what I’m looking for, I figured it was time to get a few things under control before I became a complete basket case.

Enter in our new scrap wood file folders. They’re made entirely of scrap wood we had lying around the garage…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

Here’s how we made them…

We started with a leftover board, which Anthony cut at 12″ high for the front…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

Then he ran it through the table saw, making each side 4.5 inches wide…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

He cut the piece for the back out of the same stuff, but only at 6 inches tall…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

For the two sides, we used leftover flooring underlayment from our office plank wall…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

He cut them 12 inches tall x 11 inches wide…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

Then, cut the angle for the top of the sides…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

Once all the pieces were cut, we started assembling them together…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

We used a clamp to keep everything in place…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

And Anthony used his nail gun to secure them together…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

With all the sides together, we flipped the box over and cut a piece of wood for the bottom. We used the same flooring underlayment…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

He nailed it into place…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

Then, I wiped them down and stained them with Early American by Minwax…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

To finish them, I used Minwax’s dark finishing wax and applied a good coat over the wood…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

And then, to make organizing a bit easier, I attached metal book plate tags to the front of them…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

I printed out each of my different categories, cut them to size, and popped them into the tags…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

With that, they were done and ready to use. I didn’t waste a minute!

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

I love that we made them a bit wider, they hold a bunch of folders…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

And I was a tad worried that they’d be too heavy, but they’re not at all. In fact, I like that I can store a few more things in them than the standard cardboard file folders…

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

They also look pretty amazing together… and those tags… I love them!

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

They’re just what our office was needing… more organization!

Scrap Wood File Folders by The Wood Grain Cottage

And I can’t help but love the fact that they were made from pieces just laying around our shop! They were free to make and we actually narrowed down our scrap pile…

Now I’m wondering what else I can make out of that pile of scraps… hmmm….

Main Signature

I’m Shayna… The small town Colorado girl who’s obsessed with home and everything that entails! I’m a creative, a decorator, a day dreamer, a huge fan of scones and I’m passionate about loving where I live and making a home.

Tagged with: office10 Comments

Comments

  1. BrocanteuseRose says

    July 16, 2014 at 11:21 AM

    Ummm… LOVE this!!!! Seriously, so awesome I want to copy cat this all over the place! Squeal!!!

    Reply
  2. Anna says

    July 16, 2014 at 11:59 AM

    ditto what BrocanteuseRose said…

    my house would totally benefit from some of these wood magazine holders. I cannot wait to see some pics of the office once you are “done”!

    Reply
  3. Elizabeth@ Blue Clear Sky says

    July 16, 2014 at 1:14 PM

    Those are awesome and I want to make some for our home too! Thanks for sharing the instructions. You guys make an awesome diy team.

    Reply
  4. Shannon @ Fox Hollow Cottage says

    July 16, 2014 at 1:50 PM

    Ka-ute.
    Dontcha love scrap wood?
    And handy hubbies.
    Super idea and perfect for the new office :)))

    Reply
  5. Michelle says

    July 16, 2014 at 5:25 PM

    These are super Shayna. Great idea!

    Reply
  6. Yvonne @ StoneGable says

    July 16, 2014 at 5:57 PM

    These file folders are brilliant! I love the rustic look! Gotta have Bobby make a couple for me!

    Reply
  7. Cindy says

    July 17, 2014 at 7:53 AM

    What a fantastic idea!! Love it and I love the rustic look and feel!! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  8. Brandi says

    July 23, 2014 at 9:41 PM

    Your projects are always so inspiring. I love everything that you share. The file folders are functional and gorgeous.

    Reply
  9. Pam @ The Birch Cottage says

    March 13, 2015 at 7:15 PM

    I just happen to have a “master of power tools” that I’m going to have create me a few of these boxes! Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Creating Our New Home Office - The Wood Grain Cottage says:
    January 9, 2017 at 7:01 AM

    […] tried… man did I try to get it to work for me, not against me. We made new organizing items, painted cabinets to hold supplies, brought in different furniture pieces, built shelves, etc., […]

    Reply

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I’m Shayna… The small town Colorado girl who’s obsessed with home and everything that entails! I’m a creative, a decorator, a day dreamer, a huge fan of scones and I’m passionate about loving where I live and making a home.

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