Adding Cedar Flakeboard Panels to Our Outdoor Shed

We wanted to cut down on the bugs and pests finding their way into our outdoor shed. So, we added some cedar flakeboard panels to help repel them! Here’s the tutorial for how we made it happen.

Do you have a Monica closet?

You know, like in that episode of Friends when Chandler discovers that neat-freak Monica has a secret closet stuffed to the brim with junk?

Well, up until last weekend my Monica closet was our backyard shed. This shed was a huge selling point for us when we moved into this house. I mean, we love extra storage! And, we were so excited that we didn’t have to store things up in our attic. But, over the last two years it has slowly stopping being a functional and easy place to store things and it had become, well, a giant mess.

This post is sponsored by CedarSafe. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Love & Renovations!

It finally got so bad that we really couldn’t even get anything out of it without fearing for our lives. We knew something had to give. On top of the mess, I was always really nervous about finding bugs lurking in the dark corners. Or, (even worse) having our things ruined by moths or other pests who found their way in there.

So, we decided to pull everything (EVERYTHING!) out of the shed and start from scratch. There were a lot of things in there that we didn’t need anymore. Plus, we were wasting so much space thanks to a complete lack of organizational effort.

Lining the Shed With Cedar Flakeboard Panels

While we had everything out in the yard, we took a moment to line the shed with cedar flakeboard panels from CedarSafe to help prevent any bugs from finding their way into the shed. You’ve seen us work with CedarSafe’s tongue & groove planks before. We’ve used them on our bathroom ceiling, in Grant’s closet, and on this cute Christmas decor, among other things. But, we hadn’t ever tried out these panels! They’re specifically meant to be a natural alternative to mothballs or other bug-repellant chemicals. The panels are a lot more affordable (and faster to install) than the planks.

They come in both 4’X8′ panels and smaller 16″X48″ panels. We chose to go with the larger ones to create less seams. We used 7 panels, making the total cost to line the entire inside of our shed with cedar around $200 – well worth it to make sure everything in there stays protected!

How to Install Cedar Flakeboard Panels

Installing the cedar flakeboard panels was incredibly easy! We just cut them down to the appropriate size using our circular saw (we were only able to fit one full-size panel in the shed). Then, we installed them with our drill and some exterior screws. It only took us one day of working during Grant’s naps to knock the entire project out, and we had everything put back in the shed and organized before the sun even set!

I also love that having the cedar panels in the shed make things feel way more polished in there. Please join me in ignoring the stained flooring and just admiring the nice, finished-looking walls.

Re-Organizing the Shed Contents

We took a moment to consolidate and purge a few things before we brought everything back into the shed. It was shocking how much more organized things felt afterwards!

We installed two of these track systems for hanging our outdoor tools, but beyond that we didn’t add any organization or extra systems to the shed – we just put things back in a neat and logical manner.

Who knew it could make such a difference?!

I’m kidding, of course. I knew this. I just occasionally get lazy when putting things away. Don’t we all?

Now that the shed is organized, it’s no longer a chore to grab things from it. We have plenty of room to toss (or, you know, carefully place) a few more boxes out here if we need to declutter before we move.

This is honestly one of those little projects that you don’t realize will have such a big effect on your mental health. I had no idea that I had such an undercurrent of stress the state of disorganization in the shed until it suddenly wasn’t an issue anymore. It’s a good feeling to lift a mental burden that you didn’t even realize you had.

If you have any sort of storage shed or closet that houses items that are meaningful to you (or that’s just exposed to the potential of becoming a gathering place for pests!), I highly recommend you check out these CedarSafe flakeboard panels as a method to help give you some peace of mind.