How To Make DIY Drawer Pulls from Just About Anything

updated Dec 19, 2019
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(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

For the times that you just can’t find that perfect drawer pull (or the times that you can, but don’t feel like dishing out the $$), knowing how to make your own is a great skill to have. So round up the troops, (seriously, how cool would army people drawer pulls be!?), gather your supplies and get to work!

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

Plastic toys from the dollar store or thrift shop are great pieces to start with. The plastic is softer and very forgiving if you end up needing to take a few tries to get the hole drilled out. They are somewhat large for your basic door knob or drawer pull, but could work on the right piece. And um, they’re $1 each.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

To prove you can make door/drawer knobs out of anything, check out the Salt & Pepper shakers above. I had them hanging around forever and never used them because the pepper shaker’s head was loose and didn’t function properly. I glued the heads on to the bodies, followed the steps below, and bam! Totally cute, totally one of a kind knobs for my kitchen pantry!

What You Need

Materials

  • Plastic object (toy, button, jewelry, etc)
  • Gorilla glue
  • Hanger bolts, washers, and nuts
  • Spray paint

Tools

  • Drill

Instructions

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

1. Determine which will be the backside of your knob and place a mark where you plan to drill the hole.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

2. With the appropriate size drill bit, slowly drill into the piece. If you are working with a hard plastic, you might want to make a notch in the plastic with a smaller drill bit to help keep things on track once you get going.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

3. After drilling the hole, paint your pieces.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

4. Add a good amount of glue to the end of the bolt and begin to thread it into the piece.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

5. Let the knob dry completely before attaching it to the drawer.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

6. Hold the knob in place with a washer and nut.

(Image credit: Ashley Poskin)

Have a really great DIY project or tutorial that you want to share with others? Let us know! We love checking out what you’re making these days, and learning from our readers. When you’re ready, click here to submit your project and photos.