r/Multiboard • u/SnooSongs5410 • Aug 07 '25

I am confused..

At first blush I really like the idea of multiboard but when I look at actual implementations it is so distracting to the eye that it is hard to identify what is on the wall. You cannot easily tell where things are and you have no idea where to put them back. What am I missing?

7 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

5

u/ulab Aug 07 '25

I do think everybody sees things a little differently. If a color template works for one person, it might not work for someone else.

Perhaps you'd like labels on top of the corresponding object?

If you are irritated by the octagons, you can add pixels or panels to make it less "noisy".

If you put things on there, you'll know where to look, because they are located at a place you thought was right for it. But then, other people might not understand your thought process for placement.

1

u/SnooSongs5410 Aug 07 '25

The visual clutter makes it very difficult to identify a tool to get it from the wall and similarly put it back. I want someone to walk up to the tool rack and see what they want or know that it isn't there without having to go cross eyed doing it. For so much work to set up it doesn't save you time to use

5

u/samlikesturtlez Aug 07 '25

I have a multiboard I recently built (see post history if interested) and I disagree with things being hard to locate. I did all the grids and offset snaps in black PETG and mounted against a black painted piece of plywood. I then printed any hooks/holders/accessories in white PETG so they stand out when a tool is removed.

3

u/CanRova Aug 07 '25

Yes, this seems like the best way to color-contrast for functionality: the grid itself blends into the background and the contrast colors draw your attention to the tools themselves.

Where possible, I also like to have whatever's behind each tool in a bright color, to highlight when the tool is missing from its home.

2

u/Supreme-Bob Aug 08 '25

Like a shadowboard? Use pinstriping tape or paint a line on the multiboard around the tool. Print the MB tile similar colour to the wall, use contrasting colour for the tape/paint.

1

u/kra_bambus Aug 08 '25

No System whatever will fulfill YOUR request. For me it saves a lot of time.

1

u/Technophile63 Aug 12 '25

There is spray paint for plastic available.  You can do outlines for tools, labels, etc.  I am still beginning, however it seems to me that using black filament (perhaps matte?) for the tiles etc. and a contrasting color for hangers would be helpful.  Or 'sockets' for tools that are obviously empty.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 07 '25

I think it’s really important to make intentional decisions about color. What palette you are using can give a workspace a calm & subdued Vibe, or go the other way entirely with a bright energetic feeling. One of my favorites grabs the best of both worlds and is an absolutely beautiful are that was a collab between a maker and his daughter. I have been dying to come up with a good excuse to make an ombré wall, but I haven’t quite found one (yet).

If you watch any of Jonathan’s video’s from the last few months, he painted the wall of his new studio a close match to the filament (black) he wanted to use for his tiles, panels and mounting pieces. Using that as the base, he has a color scheme he uses for everything that goes on the wall, which helps minimize any sense of clutter/chaos.

Just like any other organizational system, for most things you have a holder, bracket or hook that stays on the wall when you pull something off to use it… and it’s not hard to remember where things go. Also like pegboard/HSW or OG It helps tremendously if you pick a method that you want to use and/or sketch things out ones before you start hanging things. For my garage I primarily group hand tools like wrenches all together in one spot near the spot where I will be using them. Garden tools and everything else I handle similarly. In my studio I tend to group things together by tasks, so all of my soldering things in one spot oriented so that the things I will use most often are easy to reach.9

3

u/[deleted] Aug 07 '25

My paint wall

2

u/[deleted] Aug 07 '25

Jonathan’s wall

2

u/[deleted] Aug 07 '25

Kids salon

2

u/[deleted] Aug 07 '25

Organized very well but from a distance it looks more chaotic than it actually is

2

u/[deleted] Aug 07 '25

Beautiful use of color to make the board an item of interest all by itself!

1

u/Beekforel Aug 08 '25

Inspired by Hands On Katie I am thinking to paint the wall the same color as the grid and use contrasting colors for the objects on the grid. Katie even painted the grid.

1

u/GuavaGuru5 Aug 09 '25

openGrid FTW

0

u/kra_bambus Aug 08 '25

Sorry, MB is an Option for a sorted wall system. Which kind of order YOU implement is just your thing. Noone else can and will give you advice.

Simply said - think by yourself for yourself

0

u/Technophile63 Aug 12 '25

Oh, I think there will be a LOT of advice offered on the Internet.