It’s always a little funny to see what organizing projects rise to the top when unpacking a new house. While there are many things that are given a “that works for now” solution, there are others I feel compelled to address right away. As I was putting away my craft room in the new house, I decided to take the opportunity to fix a few of the storage solutions that weren’t quite ideal in my CA craft room…one of them being my collection of vinyl rolls. Today, I want to show you how I’m now storing vinyl rolls, as well as a bunch of other smart solutions that might work in your own craft space!

Ideas for Storing Vinyl

For the last few years, I’ve been storing my vinyl in two different bins in my craft room. All of my “standard” vinyl was stored in a large DRONA bin, and I loved that I could fit a ton of rolls standing on their ends (shown below, left). I then placed rolls of iron-on, patterned vinyl and other “speciality” items such as transfer paper, stencil paper, etc into a separate basket. While this simple categorization generally worked and the vertical storage maximized space, over the last few years my collection (especially of various vinyl types) has grown considerably. As a result, it was becoming VERY cumbersome to see what I had or find what I was looking for. Since vinyl is a medium I work with a lot, finding a better storage solution was a priority.

Two parallel images of several rolls of vinyl stored vertically in a white bin with labels

Having everything in just two bins posed a few problems:

  1. There are now so many different vinyl types available that just two basic groups (standard and everything else) wasn’t quite sufficient.
  2. I had many duplicate rolls of the same color, yet they weren’t being stored together. As such, I often ended up opening a new roll unnecessarily simply because I didn’t see or couldn’t find the already-opened roll.
  3. Finally, those sturdy cardboard tubes that vinyl comes on take up a lot of space, and I knew I could significantly increase how much vinyl I could store in each basket by eliminating them!

Step 1: Sort

I started by sorting my vinyl into three categories based on what I have and use the most: standard | iron-on | everything else (which includes patterned, glitter, holographic, chalkboard, stencil, dry erase, etc).

Vertical image of vinyl rolls sorted and organized into three white bins placed on a table containing various vinyl rolls

Step 2: Re-Roll Vinyl

I quickly determined, that although it would be a bit time-intensive, I could gain a lot of efficiencies by re-rolling all my vinyl. First, this allowed me to remove the cardboard tubes and eliminate wasted space. Second, I could consolidate duplicate rolls of colors, thereby creating even more space!

I didn’t do anything fancy here. I just unrolled the vinyl, removed the tube, re-rolled the vinyl as tight as possible, and secured it with some painter’s tape. On the occasion the vinyl type wasn’t evident (like dry-erase vinyl or outdoor vinyl), I would write the type onto the painter’s tape (not shown).

Horizonal image of rolls of patterned and glitter vinyl secured with blue tape scattered near cardboard rolls

While re-rolling, I took the time to roll duplicate rolls together into one large roll. This not only included rolling (sometimes up to) four rolls into one, but also breaking apart “combo” rolls and rolling each color individually.

Re-rolling the vinyl does take a bit of time, but look at all that space saved!

Vertical image of cardboard rolls stacked inside a white bin

Step 3: Contain

There are lots and lots of brilliant solutions for storing vinyl rolls that involve shelves or cubbies or boxes or rods. It’s probably no shock to regular readers that baskets are the way I prefer to go. I personally like my craft supplies concealed (rather than on display or down a wall); and I find vertical storage within a basket maximizes space while still allowing me to see and pull out what I’ve got.

With a majority of my rolls re-rolled, I then loaded them into three different Y-weave baskets. With all the vinyl consolidated, sorted and labeled accordingly, I am now able to easily find exactly what I’m looking for!

Image of an assortment of vinyl rolls stacked vertically within three labeled baskets placed on top of a table in front of craft supplies stored in cubbies

“Vinyl” includes both matte and glossy versions of standard craft vinyl, including both Cricut and Oracle brands.

Vertical image of rolls of vinyl stacked vertically inside a white basket labeled "Vinyl"

“Iron-On Vinyl” includes any and all heat-transfer vinyl, including patterned, glitter, etc in an array of brands. It’s really, really nice seeing all of my HTV products at one time so I know what I have to work with for iron-on designs!

Vertical image of rolls of vinyl stacked vertically inside a white basket labeled "Iron-on Vinyl"

“Specialty Vinyl” includes pretty much everything else: glitter, patterned, stencil, outdoor, dry-erase, etc.

Vertical image of rolls of vinyl stacked vertically inside a white basket

The three baskets tuck perfectly into my craft room shelves…concealed yet oh-so-easy to pull out and craft!

Horizontal image of rolls of vinyl stacked vertically inside 3 white baskets which are labeled and stored inside cubbies where other craft supplies are stored

Having all these various rolls consolidated, re-rolled and sorted in this way not only eliminates the headache that was the big ol’ bin of vinyl, but provides ample space should my collection continue to expand…not that that will happen 😉

Horizontal image of rolls of vinyl stacked vertically inside 3 white baskets which are labeled and stored inside cubbies where other craft supplies are stored

Other Smart Ideas for Storing Vinyl Rolls

Storing vinyl rolls on their end in a concealed basket works great for me, but I realize that might not be the right solution for every home or craft space. Here are some other storage ideas that I think are particularly clever!

  • The IKEA trash bag holders are a VERY common solution and great if you have a small-to-medium collection – see it here! This same idea can be used for large collections too, but it sure requires a lot of wall space – see a pretty inspiring collection here!
  • Cori also un-rolls all her vinyl but stores them flat in labeled drawers – see it here
  • Little shoe cubbies are another great solution for sorting by color – see it here
  • Although this keeps vinyl on display, it’s a super user-friendly system – see it here
  • Another practical take on the three basket system – see it here

Vertical image of vinyl rolls stacked vertically inside a white basket with text overlay

Storing rolls of vinyl can be a little tricky and even exasperating. While you want to keep them on hand and easy to access, they can also be rather bulky and cumbersome, especially if you have a sizable collection. I hope what I have here gives you some ideas for storing vinyl rolls so you can keep the clutter and hassle to a minimum and spend more time and energy making the vinyl projects you want!

See You Soon!
Megan