My kid/guest bathroom budget makeover is coming together so beautifully! I am so excited to to share this modern DIY peg rail project with you today. The walls next to my tub/shower needed more storage so I settled on adding a peg rail. As I was researching them online all of the peg rails were either round or shaker style. While I love those as well, I thought it would be fun to match the square/diamond shapes on my DIY painted floor (tutorial coming soon!).
Let me show you how to make a modern DIY peg rail with a square dowel/trim (turned to make it look like a diamond).
Supplies
- 1″ x 4″ board (We got a 6ft long pine board)
- 3/4″ square trim or dowel
- Miter Saw
- Wood glue
- Clamps
- Hammer
- Chisel
- Drill bit
- 3 1/8″ cabinet screws
- Wood filler
- Sand paper
- Caulk
- Paint
Step 1
Determine how long your wood board(s) need to be and make your cuts with your miter saw. Make sure you get a nice flat board for this project. If yours wraps around to another wall, be sure to cut the corners at the appropriate angle. We kept the outside edges flat and angled the cut for where the two boards met (it was not a 45, of course it had to be more complicated).
Sand your boards if needed.
Step 2
Determine how many dowels you need and cut your square wood trim/dowels to the length that you desire for your pegs. Ours are about 4 1/4″ in length (so they stick out 3 1/2″ from the board). We decided to do 5 on the longer side and 2 on the shorter side. They are spaced about 8 3/8″ apart (center of the square to the other center).
Sand your dowels if needed. I did not spend enough time on this part and paid for it later when painting.
Step 3
Determine exactly where each dowel will go and trace the square with a pencil onto your wood boards.
Step 4
Drill a hole in the center of each square (we went all the way through the wood board). Go as big as you can without going outside of your square.
Looking back on this project, we feel as though this step was unnecessary. Skip this step if you would like.
Important: Mark each dowel and where it is going with a number if you want a tight fit.
Step 5
Using your chisel and hammer, chisel out all the squares all the way through the wood.
We found the best method to be starting by tracing the outer edges. Practice on something else to get the hang of it.
Sand anywhere that is needed.
Step 6
Add wood glue to the inside of the square holes and lower sides of the pegs and gently hammer each dowel in. Wipe off any excess glue. Let dry.
Step 7
Attach to your wall. We used our laser level to get the board exactly where I wanted it. I wanted it to line up with my towel rack that is to the right. We used 3 1/8″ cabinet screws to attach it to the studs in our walls. When attaching, we made sure that the screws decompressed into the wood so that I could fill in with wood filler.
Step 8
Using wood filler, fill in the holes created to attach the board to the wall and any other imperfections. Wait for it to dry and then sand. Do it again if necessary. I had to do it twice. We did not use wood filler for the tiny gaps around the pegs, see the next step for that!
Step 9
Caulk the gaps, edges, and around each square dowel so you do not see any dark lines or shadows.
Step 10
Once dry, paint your peg rail if you would like. We used Benjamin Moore Super White to have it blend into the walls. I had to give it four coats before I was happy with it. Be patient and give it as many light coats as needed. Sand in between as needed.
That is it! Not too bad at all. Please let me know what you think! You into the squares?
If you liked this modern DIY peg rail project, you may also like:
Sources
- Holding Hands Artwork
- Line Drawing Faces Artwork
- Small Handmade Wall Storage Basket (I can’t find the natural one, this one is in black)
- 2 Pack Cotton Guest Towels (Beige)
- Light Pink Bathrobe
- Cream Throw Pillow
- Brown/Pink Terracotta Planter
- Blush Bench
- Stoneware Face Vase