Yarn storage can be a bit difficult. Especially when buying yarn becomes a bit of a hobby all on its own. I wanted something that inspired me when I looked at it. Something that look like me. After a fair amount of research and scrolling through Pinterest for ideas. I finally settled on making DIY wooden crate storage for my yarn.
The hunt for wooden Crates
Wooden crates can be expensive, but if you’ve been around for a while, you know that I’m always up for a deal. My first thought was to call my local liquor stores and see if I could get used wine crates. Sadly, only one place had wine crates, or should I say crate. They had one that they were currently using and that was it. The idea of getting one wine crate at a time every month or so just wasn’t realistic to me.
So, to the craft store I go. The 18×12 crates were between $12 – $15 each, that was a bit steep for me. I found a pro pack of 12 on the Michael’s website ( I will add the link when the listing is available again, right now they only have the 5″ one). It was $101.88 plus tax, but had free shipping. That worked up to $8.49 a crate, which I felt was the best I was going to see.
Waiting impatiently…
It took 5 days to get here; it came in 2 boxes, each with 6 crates inside. I knew that I would be using about 11 of them. The first thing I did was get the stain I wanted, Varithan wood stain in Dark Walnut, from Walmart.
Next, I sanded them down with an orbital sander and a sanding block. This really is necessary since you don’t want the rough patches to catch the fibers of the yarn.
Note: You could use just the sanding block, but it will probably take a while.
After I (it was actually we, my husband helped), finished staining them and letting them dry. I assembled them in the space I had for them, as shown in the photo. I secured them with a few zip ties. You could finishing nails, or wood glue, but I want to be able to remove them from the room, so I used something more temporary.
My DIY Wooden Crate yarn Storage in action
It was time to load up my yarn in my crates! We decided to separate them by type and weight, I absolutely love how they came out! I decided to top them with my gothic fantasy books, a few mushrooms, and some faux greenery, which is all entirely optional.
I live in a 5th wheel camper for anyone that didn’t know. Space is tight and my office/craft room/yarn room became an absolute mess when I got sick in October 2021. (Nothing serious, just laid up with the flu for 2 weeks).
Materials
- 12 wooden crates
- 1 32 oz can of stain (Rust-oleum) in Dark Walnut
- Zip ties (optional)
- Sand paper
- Orbital sander (optional)
- Cheap paint brushes
- Cotton rag
Instructions for DIY Wooden Crate Storage
Step 1. Sand the heck out of them!!
You don’t want any of your yarn to get snagged on wood splinters. Sand til all the crates are smooth.
Step 2. Stain them the color you prefer.
I used a cheap paint brush from Dollar Tree to put the stain on and a cotton rag from an old t-shirt to wipe off the excess.
Step 3. Assemble the crates in the shape you prefer/fit your space.
I used zip ties to keep them together so that I can take them apart easily. You can use wood glue to keep them together if you know it’s going to be permanent.
Step 4. Organize your yarn into your new shelves! I’m so happy with how it turned out!
Over All Price of DIY storage
I wanted this DIY wooden crate storage to be budget friendly, the cost is itemized below and then totaled.
- 12 Wooden crates = $101.88 plus taxIt was $126.04 total for me
- One quart of Rust-oleum wood stain in Dark Walnut = $9.67
- 2 2 inch paint brushes = $2.00
- Sanding block = $1.00
- Orbital sander (optional) = $35.00*
- A few zip ties = $1.00
- Cotton Rag = An old t shirt
All together it cost me $139.71 without the sander. (173.71 with the sander)
At the end of all the supplies, it cost me $$140.00
Note: The orbital sander we already had, I put the price of the one we have. They can range in price from around $12 – $60 depending on the brand.
Was it worth it?
In my opinion, $140 for the bulk of my yarn storage was great. If I’d had more room and a more permanent situation, I could have left more space between the crates to create more space for my yarn. I had some yarn that couldn’t fit into it, like smaller skeins, O’gos and blanket yarn, but I knew that those would be problematic. I wanted the majority of my yarn visible and easy to access. That’s just what I got!
I’m very happy with the price since one pre-made is $275-$350. I found some cheaper options while I was looking for ideas for yarn storage. However, those methods were either flimsy, didn’t hold enough, or were too large for my space.
I showed bits and pieces of what I was doing while I did this project over on Instagram. In fact I re-did my whole craft room/office. I’m planning on doing a post on that very soon, but if you want to see a room revel before then. Make sure you follow me over on Instagram. I make fun magically inspired reels over there.
I hope you liked this article on DIY Wooden Crate Storage for yarn and found it helpful! If it was, please show your support by liking this post and following my blog, so you’re alerted whenever I make a new one. You can also sign up for The Crocheting Owl Monthly Newsletter for free patterns, updates, yarny bonuses, and more!
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Want more budget friendly projects with a bit more crocheting involved? Crochet On The Cheap: A Wonderful Washcloth Pattern
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