Cheese Grater Pen Cup: The Rubber Feet Trick for $4
The grater's open mesh makes a genius pen holder, but without rubber feet underneath, it'll scratch every surface it touches.
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A dollar-store box grater flipped upside down is basically a ready-made mesh pen cup—the diamond-punched holes are just the right size to grip pens, scissors, and rulers without them sliding around. But here's the part that trips people up: the sharp punched edges on the bottom rim will gouge wood desks and scratch laminate within days if you set it down bare. The fix is four small rubber furniture feet stuck to the underside, which lift the sharp edge off the surface entirely and let the grater glide instead of scrape. Skip that step and you'll be sanding out desk scratches within a week; add it and this $4 hack looks intentional and lasts for years.
What You'll Need
- Box cheese grater, dollar store, about $1.25
- Self-adhesive rubber furniture feet, pack of 4, about $1.50
- Spray paint (optional, metal-safe), about $4 if you don't already own it
- Rubbing alcohol and paper towel, for cleaning the surface before feet go on
- Painter's tape, to mask the handle if spray painting
How to Build It
- Wash the grater thoroughly with soap and water, then dry completely so paint or adhesive will bond properly.
- Decide which side faces up—most graters have three or four grating surfaces, so pick the pattern with holes sized right for your pens and pencils.
- Mask the handle with painter's tape if you're spray painting, since leaving it bare metal actually looks nice against a painted body.
- Spray two light coats of paint outdoors or in a ventilated space, letting each coat dry fully before the next.
- Wipe the bottom rim with rubbing alcohol so it's free of oils, which lets the rubber feet adhesive actually stick.
- Press one rubber foot into each corner of the base, holding firm for 10 seconds so the adhesive sets.
- Flip it upright and load it with pens, scissors, and rulers through the mesh openings.
- Test it on your actual desk surface by sliding it slightly—if it glides without catching, the feet are doing their job.
Paint the inside a bright contrast color before you paint the outside a neutral—when you glance down at your desk, that pop of color peeking through the mesh reads as an intentional design choice instead of a repurposed kitchen tool.
