Not to be dramatic, but there’s nothing more annoying than a messy, disorganized drawer. We decided to build a DIY Ziploc bag organizer to make one of our drawers a little less disheveled.
The organizer helps keep everything in place and organized. It also lets you throw away the branded cardboard storage boxes and have a cleaner and more cohesive look.
This DIY Ziploc organizer fits an entire Costco variety pack of Ziploc bags: 52 gallon bags, 50 quart, 125 sandwich, and 120 snack.
Note: we have not tried this organizer with bags that have sliders instead of zippers.
Yes, you can buy Ziploc bag organizers online for a somewhat reasonable price, but we already had scrap wood laying around, making ours free. And free is my favorite price to pay!
If you don’t have scrap wood laying around, you can make one for the price of a 2×4 sheet of plywood, which is still about 50% cheaper than buying one of the cheaper options.
Before you build your own, measure your drawer to make sure that the inside is at least 13” wide and 3.5” deep.
The final dimensions of this DIY Ziploc bag organizer is 13x13x3.5.
Recommended Tools:
- Circular Saw
- Drill
- Jigsaw
- Brad Nailer
New to DIY? Check out our post on beginner woodworking tools to determine which tools to get!
What you’ll need:
- 2×4 sheet of ½” plywood (we used maple)
- 1” nails
- Wood glue
- Wood filler
- Optional: vinyl stickers
Cut List:
| For? | Board Size | Quantity | Size (inches) |
| Bottom | ½” plywood | 1 | 13×13 |
| Top | ½” plywood | 1 | 13×13 |
| Sides | ½” plywood | 2 | 13×2.5 |
| Front/Back | ½” plywood | 2 | 12×2.5 |
| Long Divider | ½” plywood | 1 | 12×2.5 |
| Short Dividers | ½” plywood | 2 | 7.75×2.5 |
How to Make a Wooden Ziploc Organizer
New to DIY? Download our free 5 Steps to Getting Start with DIY guide!
STEP 1: MAKE YOUR CUTS
We made our entire Ziploc organizer out of a 2’x4’ sheet of maple plywood. Cut your plywood down to sizes you need according to the cut list above.
We used our circular saw and Kreg rip cut guide to cut everything down, but you could also use a table saw.
STEP 2: CUT HOLES FOR ZIPLOC BAGS
Now that we have the main pieces cut, it’s time to cut the holes for the Ziploc bag compartments. This is the most tedious part of the project, but you’ve got it!
Grab your top piece and start sketching out where you want to cut. Each of the compartments will be approximately 2.5” wide.
For the top compartment, it is 2” in from either side and 1.25” down from the top. I set my multi-mark tool at 3.75” to mark the bottom of the top compartment.
The remaining (3) compartments are each 6×2.5”. They are 1 1/8” from the bottom and 1.5” from either side. Between compartments, there is a 1.25” gap.
Now that it’s all marked, it’s time to cut them out…almost. I wanted rounded corners on my compartments and I’m going to use my drill to accomplish this.
Before I start drilling, I want to mark exactly where to drill. I used a 3/8” drill bit, so I went ahead and marked 3/16” in from the corners of my compartments.
But, I didn’t just mark directly on my wood. I first placed painter’s tape on the corners to help prevent the wood from tearout as I drill through.
Once everything is marked, now it’s time to drill. Line the tip of your ⅜” drill bit up with one of the marks that you made, and drill on through.
Then repeat with the remaining 15 holes.
Once my holes were drilled, I grabbed my multi-mark tool and connected the space between my holes. For the most part, things lined up with the lines that I previously drew. However, there were one or two spots where my holes did get a little of out alignment.
Now it’s finally time to actually start cutting.
Insert your jigsaw into one of the holes that you drilled and connect the dots. Repeat this until all four compartments are cut out.
STEP 3: ASSEMBLE USING GLUE AND NAILS
Phew, now that you’ve powered through step 2, it’s time to assemble!
Note: if your holes are a little rough, it’ll be easier to sand the inside of the holes you cut before assembly.
To assemble, we’ll use wood glue and 1” nails. You’ll place each piece on top of the bottom and nail through the bottom and into the new piece.
You can also forgo the nails and just glue and clamp everything in place if you prefer.
First, attach the sides to the bottom. The sides should be flush with the sides and top/bottom of the bottom piece.
Then attach the back to the bottom, placing it between the two sides and flush with the edge of the bottom.
Next, we will build the dividers for the Ziploc bag storage using the front piece, the long divider, and the short dividers.
The short dividers should be placed approximately 3 5/8” from each other and from either end of the long divider/front pieces. Nail through the front piece and into the short dividers. Then nail through the long divider and into the short dividers. I added 2-3 nails to each side of each divider.
Now you can install the divider onto the bottom piece and between the two sides. Rather than trying to nail the dividers through the back, I relied on wood glue and just clamped it in place for about 30 minutes.
Finally, attach the top to the rest of the Ziploc bag organizer.
If everything doesn’t line up perfectly, it’s okay. It’s just a box that goes in a drawer. You’ll really only ever seen the top and maybe one side of it!
STEP 3: PREP FOR STAIN OR PAINT
Now that everything is assembled, it’s time to finish it up! We first filled all of the nail holes using a stainable wood filler.
Then we sanded it using 120, 180, and 220 grit sandpaper. Be careful not to sand for too long, or you might sand through the plywood veneer!
STEP 4: STAIN OR PAINT
The remaining steps are all completely optional. You can finish your Ziploc bag organizer however your heart desires. You can use paint or stain or leave it as natural wood.
We opted to finish ours with Minwax Solid Stain in Gentle Olive. It’s the 2022 Color of the Year!
STEP 5: ADD LABELS
We used our Cricut Maker to cut out the labels. I was going to tell you what font and size we used, but unfortunately, the file didn’t save…
What I can tell you is that the letters are approximately 3/8” tall.
STEP 6: SEAL WITH POLYCRYLIC
The final step in this project is to seal it all with Polycrylic. I opted for the spray Polycrcylic for quick and easy application. I applied three coats of the matte sheen.
If you opted to paint, you can skip this step.
STEP 7: ADD YOUR ZIPLOC BAGS
Once your Ziploc organizer is dry, you can insert your bags! To do that, you’ll just insert them through the top.
There you have it! Now you have your very own Ziploc bag organizer! This DIY project can be knocked out in just a few hours.
The vast majority of my time of the project was spent figuring out the exact dimensions and placement of the compartments. Since I gave that to you, it shouldn’t take too long at all.
If you’re looking for more kitchen organization ideas, check out this post on measuring cup organization. I like this method SO much more than storing them in a drawer.
