Commonly seen in retail stores and workshops, with tool outlines drawn on it, pegboard is amazingly versatile and can be used in a variety of conditions. It has evolved since the basic pressed hardboard variant and now encompasses a vast range of foundation materials in the creation of other products, and a diversified customer facing product made from steel (sometimes referred to as punch panel), or other metals or wood, all of which can be painted and customised to the customer’s needs. Its most common use is around the home; however it still the most common store fixture used in the US market for retail display. It is the beginning of many pieces of furniture, and part of shop fitting and construction, alongside games and other uses. It is provided in a variety of widths, and distance between holes, allowing greater versatility whilst preserving its usefulness. You can hang boxes, pegs, or hooks from it, allowing you to attach practically anything to it, generally the holes are spaced one inch apart, and in Europe and Australia the holes are spaced 25mm apart.
The History of Peg Board
Perforated hardboard was first seen at the beginning of the 20th Century and has been used for tool storage ever since. Pegboard is a specific design of hardboard, which is created using one of two processes – wet manufacturing or dry. The wet manufacturing method is simpler, and involves pumping pulp onto a smooth surface then pressing the top side flat, before drying and drilling holes. Some hardboard manufacturers use one smooth side, one side with the predesigned holes, like pegs, when pressing. The dry process simply presses the wood. This provides a more cohesive lattice effect within the board, with fibres pressing into all three angles, making it much more rigid and strong. This is a more modern process, but the basics of making hardboard and then drilling it with holes has been used throughout its history. Both types are then drilled if not already pre shaped with holes, and allowed to cure fully before being used. For the home garage use the holes are usually 4mm diameter but for shop application and more robust use a 6mm hole is preferred. The Slatbox Hobibox is designed for use in the 6mm holes (the more commonly used commercial board) and is available in both metric and imperial peg spacing.
Where Peg Board is used
Currently used everywhere from furniture construction, to shop fitting, its most common use is shop fittings and store fixtures, used commonly in hardware stores right through to high end retail stores such as Wal-mart. But it is still commonly used domestically for hanging tools above garage and workshop benches, the Hobibox works really well for storing small things such as screw, nuts and bolts in your home garage application. It’s also used, coated in other materials in soundproofing and beyond. Pegboard, which is a brand name, is quite literally used in almost everything. The holes in it allow air to circulate more readily, for example, in wall construction, which in turn can prevent the build-up of damp on one side of a coursing or wall. Its solid construction, like its sibling, hardboard means that it’s versatile enough to use anywhere that requires board of any description. It has acoustic dampening properties, so coated with plastic, it can be used as a soundproofing treatment to any room – and it’s versatile enough to even be used beneath paint canvasses to allow for superior drying. The stretched canvas should not touch the pegboard, but can instead ‘hover’ above, allowing the circulation and replacement of air beneath the canvas.
Features and benefits of Peg Board
Pegboard comes in a variety of sizes and thicknesses, and in set sized panels, so is incredibly easy to fit, and maintain. The most common type is steel pegboard (referred to as punch panel in some markets)– it’s stronger, and more easily maintained. Once in situ, it can be painted, and drawn on – in the case of storing tools, this means you can allot a space for everything, and see at a glance what is missing or hasn’t been put away. As it has regular holes in it, you can use it between walls, or flooring, to provide airflow, much like air bricks and allows for acoustic dampening properties, even untreated. It’s versatility allows it to be used almost anywhere, and is most commonly used as a basis for shop fitting – as tiles or floating walls can be attached to it easily, it’s often found in the ‘frame’ of many buildings. As drilling into pre-treated hardboard can cause it to splinter, perforated hardboard, or PegBoard is the choice of anyone looking to attach or hang anything from board. Pegboard is also used as a final wall, where shelves, pegs, or Slatbox plastic storage bins can be hung to display products.
Pegboard adaptors
Most of the Slatbox bins are manufactured to fit slatwall and other slotted wall systems except for the Hobibox range which is manufactured with small pegs that slot straight into most common pegboard wall systems including metric pegboard and imperial pegboard. Slatbox have developed a unique patented pegboard adaptor so that any of Slatbox’s range including Popbox, Shelfbox, Storebox, Cratebox can be fitted directly onto any pegboard wall system.
The Manufacturers of Peg Board, and their Locations
Manufactured the world, over, Pegboard is a brand name, so you can find more results for it if you search by perforated hardboard. You can purchase it from several places – most famous are Chiltern Timber (UK) who also provide free delivery – http://catalogue.chilterntimber.co.uk and Crown Fitting (UK) again with free delivery http://www.crowndisplay.co.uk/ In the US Pegboard can be bought from a variety of outlets including Panel Processing Inc. Their vast range of pegboard, in wood and metal formats gives you a wide variety of choices and customisation options, before you’ve even fitted them – http://www.panel.com/ In Australia, there are several high quality companies to purchase perforated hardboard and pegboard from including Gunnersons and the environmentally friendly Australian Hardboards, who focus on customer service and support above simple sales.
Slatbox Storage System Testimonials
“I used to keep my lead sinkers in plastics bins on the floor because I could not find a system strong enough to hold them on the wall. The Slatbox® system is fantastic because it combines strength with durability and meets all my retail needs.”
Toll Kouz, Owner of Mossops Tackle Shops
“Our new facility has just opened three weeks ago but the response to the Slatbox product has been really favourable from the start. It’s given us a good way to organise clinical supplies which were previously quite unorganised so it saves the staff time because they can find things more easily. One of the great things about Slatbox is that the plastic storage bins are easy to wash which is important in a hospital environment; they can be put in the dishwasher or washed in the sink.
Vanessa, Facility Planning Department At Princess Alexandra Hospital
“I love this system, it does everything I need and is cost effective. I used to use acrylic bins that were continuously scratching and breaking – Slatbox™ is indestructible”
Ryan, General Manager of DEEP Wholesale Diving Supplies
“I have been using the Slatbox products for several years now and I’ve been very happy, we use Slatbox in my daughter’s bedroom, the laundry, in the garage. I find with Slatbox you can put anything in them, heavy items, large items. It was very easy to set up, we bought the slatwall, my husband assembled it and within 15 minutes it was up and the boxes just fit straight in. I would definitely recommend Slatbox to other people; I think there are many different applications, the garage, the laundry, chemists, and shops. Slatbox would be great in the classroom, in childcare, or in any education system. It helps the teacher become better organised which leaves more time for the children.”
Michelle, Full time Mum and Primary School Teacher
