# French Cleat hanging system



## sjonesphoto (Feb 19, 2014)

I decided to make a french cleat hanging system instead of a peg board.

Here's a video to see what it is...

French Cleat Hanger System - YouTube

French cleat storage system for hand tools - YouTube

I painted the wall where the cleats will be white, and I'm going to paint the strips
white as well. So they will blend into the wall and keep everything looking not-so-busy.

I'll post pics when done! so excited!!


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

The white color choice will help a lot with lighting. The low cost French cleats are a great choice.


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## berry (Oct 17, 2005)

Cleats are an excellent way to hang cabinets. Strong, easy to make, and flexible. What's not to like.


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## sjonesphoto (Feb 19, 2014)

*i'm so happy with how it came out*

I used 2x6's instead of 2x4s, this allowed me to divide them and get two strips from each board. (saved some money, and cutting time.)



now the fun part... making all the custom hangers!!! so excited!!


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## sjonesphoto (Feb 19, 2014)

Mike said:


> The white color choice will help a lot with lighting. The low cost French cleats are a great choice.


yes, that mint blue in my dim garage isn't the best. I need my electrician to come in and add some lighting. I only have 1 lightbulb for the whole garage.

today I was able to work with the garage door open in the natural light. I'll probably be painting the rest of the walls as well.


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Your on a roll girl!!!


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## sjonesphoto (Feb 19, 2014)

these will be my first few projects.


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

That hand plane til is really sweet!!! I wouldn't mind that myself...

Check out GoodWill, CraigsList and your local Habitat for Humanity outlets for some really good deals on lighting fixtures...even on occasion they have some really nice wood.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

A gal with a plan. Good plan too. 
I'd paint the whole place white, ceiling floor, and use the brightest gloss paint you can find. At least two coats. And don't worry about it being too bright, it'll collect saw dust as times goes by, and dim down some. It will really help with the lighting.


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## BCK (Feb 23, 2014)

very nice.....thx for sharing


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## sjonesphoto (Feb 19, 2014)

TwoSkies57 said:


> Your on a roll girl!!!


my creative juices are flowing, i'm constantly on a roll!


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## sjonesphoto (Feb 19, 2014)

JOAT said:


> A gal with a plan. Good plan too.
> I'd paint the whole place white, ceiling floor, and use the brightest gloss paint you can find. At least two coats. And don't worry about it being too bright, it'll collect saw dust as times goes by, and dim down some. It will really help with the lighting.


yup... i have a fresh can of white primer/paint waiting to be opened. got a headache today with the paint though. i'll save that for warmer breezier weather.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to make the pencil holder and a tray shelf for my router bits. (all 4 of them) :moil:


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## JudgeMike (Feb 27, 2012)

Good choice... I recently made a 2x4 french cleat hanger for a flat screen TV. Solid as a rock. Could have used a 1x4 I'm sure, but wanted the extra room for wiring.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

sjonesphoto said:


> yup... i have a fresh can of white primer/paint waiting to be opened. got a headache today with the paint though. i'll save that for warmer breezier weather.


I don't know what type of paint you're using, but I would be using acrylic latex. Not much of a smell, and water cleanup. A roller makes the painting go a lot faster than a brush - but a brush is nice for tight corners and such. I pretty much don't use oil-based paint anymore, except when I paint acquired power tools bright yellow, latex doesn't take well to them, but oil-based does.


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## Big Steve (Feb 12, 2012)

My cleats came from 1x4s. 3" screw into every stud. Plenty strong. Have several cabinets hung on them.


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## sjonesphoto (Feb 19, 2014)

JOAT said:


> I don't know what type of paint you're using, but I would be using acrylic latex. Not much of a smell, and water cleanup. A roller makes the painting go a lot faster than a brush - but a brush is nice for tight corners and such. I pretty much don't use oil-based paint anymore, except when I paint acquired power tools bright yellow, latex doesn't take well to them, but oil-based does.


yes, used white latex based paint and primer combo. a roller for the wall, a brush for the trim and for the slats.


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## sjonesphoto (Feb 19, 2014)

Big Steve said:


> My cleats came from 1x4s. 3" screw into every stud. Plenty strong. Have several cabinets hung on them.


steve, I wish I had researched more... because I would have used 1x3s. now every time I make something I have to cut the other cleats from a 2x4. and its so bulky, more bulky than it needs to be.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

sjonesphoto said:


> I decided to make a french cleat hanging system instead of a peg board.
> 
> Here's a video to see what it is...
> 
> ...


Stephanie

French cleat systems work great and I went with one in my shop to hang things on the wall. They are easy to build and allow a lot of versatility. 

Good luck with your shop build. If I can offer any advice it would be to plan and re-plan the shop. Figure out what you need and the space required to do it in. 

Choosing white is a good idea for lighting. I painted my ceiling white and the plywood walls. I am glad I did because good lighting is a must in a shop. The older we get the more light we need. You won't have to worry about that for a good number of years 

There are a lot of great people on this forum who have some excellent tips and ideas. Take the time to have a look and see what they have done.

Good luck and welcome to the one of the best wood working forums.


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## Chris Curl (Feb 13, 2012)

I went with this system. It looks very similar to yours.

http://americanwoodworker.com/blogs/shop/archive/2009/08/04/hyper-organize-your-shop.aspx


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## sjonesphoto (Feb 19, 2014)

TRN_Diesel said:


> Stephanie
> 
> French cleat systems work great and I went with one in my shop to hang things on the wall. They are easy to build and allow a lot of versatility.
> 
> ...


thanks deisel. i think i may instal some track lighting above the work bench. ... eventually.


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## rrrun (Jun 17, 2014)

You're doing great work in the shop. A hanging system, you painted it, and you put in more lighting??? I am envious!

I just used french cleats for a craft fair display of my cutting boards ... works great!


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

I didn't know what a French cleat was till a few months ago , maybe cause there's very few French people in western Canada .
Never seen them used but I am debating to try some on a wall in my garage to see if it helps with organizing tools etc. 
I guess the neat thing is you can move things around easily


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