Craft supply storage and organization is always a struggle for me in my craft room. I’ve been struggling with good storage for all my acrylic paints for several months. I don’t have a huge room to work in, so I try to take advantage of every bit of space available. In this case, that means going vertical with my acrylic paint storage. I finally found a system that works perfectly for me!
Vertical acrylic paint storage in my small studio.
I have, to put it mildly, a lot of acrylic paint. I used to keep paints in a couple plastic shoebox containers in a cubby-type shelf, but I outgrew that system. And the “giant box on the floor” system was less than ideal also.
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My Vertical Acrylic Paint Storage
I finally was able to carve out a vertical wall space when i discovered these Ribba picture ledges from Ikea (yes, I thought they were spice racks when I bought them. Oops.). Once I rotated and moved the file cabinet to the spot in the photo, the picture ledges fit perfectly in that wall space next to my desk. If you don’t have an Ikea nearby, you can also find the Ribba picture ledges on Amazon.
The shelves I chose are 24″ long, though they come in several sizes. I fit 16 bottles across each shelf, and each shelf can hold 2 rows (32 bottles/shelf). Of course, my perfectionist tendencies require me to arrange the bottles by type, then by color. There is also extra space left over for my finishes, and my essential Painter’s Pyramids are handy there too.
Hope you enjoyed this peek into my studio, and that my solution helps with a tricky storage issue in your space! Do you have an acrylic paint storage solution you are thrilled with too?
Check out my entire setup in my Studio Tour.
Pin this acrylic paint storage idea for later:
Until next time…
Carla
Donna
Love it!!! Very creative!! I used to have lots of paint and hubby built a very thin shelves, but I love your idea better!
Sarah
Where did you buy your spice racks?
Carla
Sarah, these are from Ikea.
Heather
This is a fabulous idea! Alas, I could not find those spice racks at Ikea. They have something similar, but not as awesome and convenient. *sigh* I’m still totally stealing your idea, but my finished product will be inferior.
Elise
Heather,Ikea still has these Ribba picture ledges. They come in size 21 3/4″ (the one shown here), and a longer one (45 1/4″). They sell them in the store or you can purchase on their website. -Elise
Katie
what are paint pyramids? Love this idea. Will the racks hold bigger bottles of paint? I have a few bottles that are 8oz and some that are 4oz.
Carla Schauer
Katie, the shelves are 3″ deep. I keep my Americana chalk paint jars on them, though they tilt a bit because they don’t quite fit inside the shelf. Paint pyramids are a genius little invention. I can paint the bottom of a project, then sit the painted surface on the pyramids and paint the rest without waiting for the bottom to dry. It helps paint the lower edges of the sides, since the project is elevated, and I can just do a spot touch-up on the bottom where the points of the pyramids touch. Does that make sense? I love them.
SharonK
EXCELLENT
Gloria
Katie, I have been looking for a way of storing my paints on a shelve, but this idea is GREAT. Can’t hang from my wall, but intend to put on a piece of board and lean the board up against the wall with my work bench holding it there. As you, I have a LOT of paints. Right now they are all stored in photo boxes. Thank you for the idea. WONDERFUL.
Tiffany
Any ideas for spray paint storage?
Estelle Wayne
I love you spice rack idea for acrylic paints – where did you get the spice racks?
Jeanette
Neither the spice rack, as pictured, nor the picture ledges are available at IKEA . Would make perfect thread storage behind the door to my sewing room… the current spice rack has a bar that will be too high to get the spools over within the height of the shelf… great idea!!!
Jeanette
Update. I did find other picture ledges at IKEA. Too long for my space, may buy them and cut them down… thanks for such a great Idea!
Sherry
How are these paint shelves secured to wall? They can’t all be screwed into studs. Anchor bolts?
Carla Schauer
Hi Sherry, the spot where I needed my shelves to be had one stud available. So each shelf has one screw directly into the stud. The other side of the shelf is attached with a drywall anchor. Luckily paint bottles aren’t super heavy, so this was sufficient.