Go Vertical: Easy Space-Saving Acrylic Paint Storage

I don’t have a huge craft 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 wood shelves filled with colorful acrylic paint in rainbow order
Vertical paint organization in my small studio

Craft supply storage and organization is always a struggle for me in my craft room.  I struggled with good storage for all my acrylic paints for years as my needs changed. 

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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Planning Your Craft Paint Storage

Of course, my perfectionist tendencies required storage where I can arrange the bottles by type, then by color. This way, I can find what I need quickly. 

These are my favorite paints for rock painting, with my outdoor paints on top, followed by metallics, colors, and neutrals.

When you’re deciding how to store your acrylic paint bottles, there are a few things you should consider.

  • Where is your obvious available space? Do you have a narrow, but tall space like mine? Or maybe you have a room door you can add racks behind.
  • Where can you carve out unique space? Shallow shelves can fit on the fronts of cabinets, and tiered pull-down racks can be added to higher shelves.
  • Is there enough space to expand? When you buy more colors, make sure you don’t have to totally revamp what you just created.
  • Is there space nearby to store accessories? When all our related supplies are near each other, they’re much easier to use.

My Vertical Acrylic Paint Storage

I finally was able to carve out a vertical wall space for my paints when i discovered these Ribba picture ledges from Ikea.

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 16-2oz bottles across each shelf, and each shelf can hold 2 rows (32 bottles/shelf). 

There is also extra space left over for my finishes, and my essential Painter’s Pyramids are handy there too.

Check out my entire setup in my Studio Tour.

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?

Pin this acrylic paint storage idea for later:

Your shares are how this site grows, and I am genuinely appreciative when you do. Pin to your favorite Christmas Pinterest board or share this idea to a craft group on Facebook.

Small acrylic paint bottles on 10 small shelves.

Until next time…
Carla

Acrylic paint storage using picture ledges-Carla Schauer Design Studio

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15 Comments

  1. Love it!!! Very creative!! I used to have lots of paint and hubby built a very thin shelves, but I love your idea better!

  2. Where did you buy your spice racks?

    1. Sarah, these are from Ikea.

  3. 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.

    1. 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

  4. 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.

    1. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. Estelle Wayne says:

    I love you spice rack idea for acrylic paints – where did you get the spice racks?

  7. 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!!!

  8. 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!

  9. How are these paint shelves secured to wall? They can’t all be screwed into studs. Anchor bolts?

    1. 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.