DIY Plywood Magazine Files

If you have a ton of magazines and need a stylish way to store them, take a look at how we built DIY plywood magazine files that perfectly fit our IKEA expedit.

I have ignored our home office for so long that a few readers have actually asked if we even have one!  So far you’ve only seen the closet turned into an aqua nook and my Ikea Expedit Hack 2.0.  I recently unearthed my desk and spent a good long time making the office moderately presentable, only to have the Etsy shop explode in it and make it messy once again.  I decided that the bookcase area was a good place to start.  Hubby and I had made a simpler version of my Expedit hack so the bottom row – full of photo albums and ugly binders – was successfully hidden.  With its jumble of painted/unpainted magazine files and coil bound course packs, the fourth row was the last hold out in my pursuit of orderliness:

I decided I wanted fifteen identical magazine files and spent a long time searching for the perfect ones.   What caught my eye was either really spendy (I ogled some $15 a piece teal ones) or seemed really flimsy (IKEA, looking at you).  We decided to just make some out of plywood.  At the last minute I decided that making five larger versions would be easier, faster and look cleaner – and solved my worry about staggering heights if we accidentally made some taller.  Here are the finished DIY plywood magazine files:

I am SO pleased with how these DIY plywood magazine files turned out.  If you need some custom magazine storage, you can adapt this tutorial and make them any size/scale – although I don’t know if I recommend going much bigger, simply because they might be too heavy.

Supplies for Building DIY Plywood Magazine Files:

• 1/4″ Plywood
• Wood glue
• Wood clamps
• Table saw
• Band saw (optional)
• Sandpaper
• Paint/varnish/stain
• Hardware (knobs or pulls)
• Drill and screws for hardware

How to Make DIY Plywood Magazine Files:

We started with the same kind of doodly sketch that precedes most of our projects:

We used 1/4″ Carribea pine plywood (the same plywood as the top for the floating Ikea credenza, but thinner).  Once we had an idea of what we wanted – and what size – Hubby used this online cut list tool that he really likes (we used it for our DIY plywood pantry as well).  It helps figure out how much material we need, and helps us efficiently cut up a sheet of plywood.  We worked on another project at the same time so we can’t remember exactly how much plywood we used for these, but we think it was about a sheet and a half.  Here are all of the pieces cut out for one magazine file:

For anyone looking to make the exact box with the same dimensions (which are completely customizable), I’ve updated this post with more detailed information on the cut list – thanks to a reader’s suggestion:

Hubby used a table saw to cut all of the square/rectangular shapes:

And a bandsaw for triangular cuts:

He edge glued and clamped the boxes together (applying wood glue to both sides of each joint).  Once dry, he glued the internal dividers into place. Without dividers, these would make great storage bins for the Expedit.

We made these in Hubby’s Dad’s wordworking shop, where Szuka tormented the local pups. She’s adorable, no doubt, but when she’s with other dogs she can turn into a real jerk.

Back to the DIY plywood magazine files!

Once the glue dried, we sanded the finished magazine files smooth.  I was definitely tempted to paint them aqua (everything turquoise!), but for some reason I’m really smitten with the Carribea grain.  I decided to paint the inside the same turquoise as the closet nook and hanging canvases (semi-gloss in this colour).  To help insure no paint bled onto the fronts, I didn’t paint the edge – only the insides.  While I love the Carribea grain, I don’t love the natural colour of pine.  Three coats of my favorite white stain helped tone down the yellowness.  Here they are painted, but un-stained:

Once the stain was dry, I applied two coats of low lustre varnish, lightly scuff sanding in between coats.  You already saw my pretty, vintage hardware given a makeover with rub ‘n buff, which we installed – centred – with the help of a small metric bolt and washer.

Finally, we added some felt feet to the bottom of each file to keep it from scratching the Expedit – they’re smooth on the bottom, but I find the white scuffs easier than the espresso finish I had before, so I try to be extra careful with it.  I actually think that adding two strips of adhesive-backed felt to either edge will be a better solution, but I have yet to pick some up. 

When you make something yourself, there’s always a chance it won’t turn out/hold up.  So far, so good, but there’s always a chance the construction won’t bear the weight of the magazines, so I’ll keep you posted on how these wear.  When they’re packed full, they’re a bit heavy but it’s nothing I can’t manage.  Truthfully, I don’t look at back issues of my magazines that often, but I just can’t bear to get rid of my old Domino issues or Style at Home.  Hubby also hoards his favorites.  When I’m home sick or planning I project, I’ll take them all out and leaf through, but ordinarily they stay put.  If you’re someone who is constantly referencing magazines, you might not enjoy one mega file.

The magazine files are wider and taller than the canvases I used for the Expedit hack and the balance bugs me a bit.  When I have a chance, I might re-do the Hack with plywood pieces as large as
the new files, or I might get used to the change.