Inside: Full tutorial on how to create a DIY Rolling Craft Cart from a repurposed kitchen cart plus more craft room storage and organization ideas.
You know I’m all about organizing and repurposing, especially when it comes to my craft and tool supplies. Today’s project is a fabulous combination of all these things. Today, I’m going to show you how to make a DIY Rolling Craft Cart. This project can be adapted in many ways to suit your needs and taste!
By the way, I’ve got quite a few cute projects for my craft area that you might want to check out as well, including my repurposed vintage metal lockers, my Konmari organization of my craft supplies and my DIY burlap memo boards.
Supplies for a DIY Rolling Craft Cart
Here is the before. I picked this cart up on sale at our local hardware store. It was less than $100, but you can likely get something similar on Craigslist or FB Marketplace for even less.
Here are the supplies I used! *affiliate links
- Brown Kraft Paper
- Command Hooks
- Cafe drapery rod
- Fabric Fusion Glue
- Gold and White Fabric
- Aqua teal chalky paint
- Charcoal chalky paint
- Chalkboard Paint
- Command Strips
If you’ve been following my journey in my studio (it feels like the never ending story down there), then you’ve had a glimpse of the cart in action next to my wrapping paper station. In those pictures, it is just a kitchen cart on wheels. Slowly, as I began to organize and purge my space and to consider how to optimize its small footprint, I started to think of ways to convert that cart to make it even more awesome.
How to Assemble the DIY Rolling Craft Cart
I like to have a roll of brown kraft paper on hand for when I do small paint projects (even though the top of my cart is spattered with paint, I still like to contain larger messes!) So my first step was to use simple 3M Command Hooks on the front of my cart along with a basic small cafe drapery rod to hang a roll of paper.
Next, I wanted to conceal the open shelving from the front. My ultimate dream is to start using this space to shoot a few videos, and I don’t want my messy shelves to show up on camera! Cue the dowel rod. I measured the exact size of the opening and cut my dowel snugly to fit. Then I starched and ironed some gold and white polka dot fabric and created a simple pocket for the dowel using Fabric Fusion glue (<– that stuff means business!) I also used that glue to do a quick hem on the other three sides of the fabric. Goodness I love a no sew fabric project 😛
Now for the sides of the cart. I have these hanging cup things I got at Ikea forever and a day ago and they’ve been fairly handy. I figured they could also use a spruce up and somehow hang on my cart to hold markers and the like. I measured and cut a pegboard to fit on the side of the kitchen cart. I painted it with Rustoleum Chalked in Serenity Blue (the same blue I used on the inside of my rehabbed vintage locker set). To attach it to the cart, I cut four pieces of scrap wood and used wood screws to drill through the pegboard into the scrap wood and then into the cart. This created space behind the pegboard so I could actually put pegs in it!
Adding Style and Function to the Craft Cart
Now to style the cart! I cut a piece of 1/4″ plywood to fit the front panel of my kitchen cart. I sanded it lightly and then, because plywood is porous (and I didn’t want to waste a lot of chalkboard paint), I primed it with Rustoleum Chalk in Charcoal. Once that was dry, I added two coats of Martha Stewart Chalkboard Paint.
Once that was dry, I seasoned the chalkboard with chalk by rubbing it all over and then wiping it off with a dry rag. I attached my chalkboard/plywood to my cart using 3M Command Strips (man, I love those things!)
So there it is! How to repurpose a kitchen cart into a rolling craft cart 😛 haha The next step is to put the finishing touches on the storage wall (which is what I made the new labels for…so I’ll show you those later this month) and to finally FINALLY get the drywall back up between the studio and the laundry room.
It’s only a three-foot wall, but it’s taken us a year to finish it. Not gonna lie. I called a professional last week to come give us a quote to finish off a few things. Sometimes you just can’t do it all yourself!
Alright, make sure you check out all these other chalkboard posts for crafty and organizing inspiration 🙂
Looking for more Rolling Craft Cart Ideas?
- Nourish & Nestle creates wrapping paper storage on wheels
- Table & Hearth uses an Ikea Raskog for her craft supplies
- Mod Podge Rocks has an incredibly colourful and organized crafting cart
Here are some other projects you’ll like!
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Please see my disclosure policy for more.
