How to Store Puzzles: Amelia's Puzzle Wall 😍

When Siobhan and I first started our puzzling journey, we very quickly ran into one major problem - we didn’t have enough space for all the boxes.

We had puzzles hidden away in cubbies, stacked on top of wardrobes, tucked into closets, and scattered all over the house. At first it didn’t seem too bad… until we realised that one day we’d have to move all of those stacks (and stacks) of puzzles to a new house.

That was the moment we knew we needed a better storage solution.

This is the story of the puzzle wall plus a few puzzle storage ideas for anyone just starting their puzzling journey or looking for alternative ways to organise their growing collection.

Why Puzzle Storage Matters

Puzzle storage becomes surprisingly important once you start building up a collection.

When you think about how much time goes into completing a puzzle, it makes sense to store them properly. Good storage helps protect the pieces, keeps boxes from getting damaged, and stops puzzles from slowly taking over every spare corner of the house.

Keeping your puzzles organised also makes the whole hobby more enjoyable. You’re less likely to lose pieces, you’ll save space, and it becomes much easier to revisit old favourites whenever the mood strikes.

And honestly, there’s something really satisfying about seeing a well-organised puzzle collection.

Best Ways to Store Puzzles

There are a few different ways to store puzzles, and the best option really depends on how much space you have.

The simplest method is to keep puzzles in their original boxes. We’d definitely recommend swapping out the thin disposable bags inside for ziplock bags first so you can be confident all the pieces stay together (and always triple-check the original bag before throwing it away).

From there, puzzle boxes can be stored vertically on shelves like books. This works especially well if you have plenty of shelving space and want to keep the box artwork visible.

You can also sort puzzles by:

- Piece count

- Brand

- Theme or artwork style

- Difficulty level

Once your collection grows, even a little organisation makes a huge difference.

Amelia’s Puzzle Wall Storage Solution

Now, if we had endless bookshelf space dedicated purely to puzzles, the standard storage method probably would have worked perfectly for us.

Unfortunately for the bookshelf solution, we also love books so we discovered we had to come up with a different idea.

At the time, I was obsessed with cube shelving and initially I thought they’d be perfect for storing puzzle boxes too. I was wrong. Cube shelves are deceptively small, and puzzle boxes are surprisingly large. The only puzzles that really fit properly were my nephew’s growing collection of kids’ puzzles.

So we started experimenting.

We bought a few document wallets to test whether puzzle pieces could fit inside them comfortably, and to our surprise, they worked perfectly.

At first we had just three colours. But then the collection expanded. And expanded. And expanded some more.

Soon we had even more colours and categories, with every section carefully organised into its own wallet colour.

And thus, the puzzle wall was born.

You might be wondering: what happened to the box images?

We carefully cut out the front artwork from the boxes and stored them inside the wallets alongside the puzzle pieces. We also added little polaroid labels hanging from the side with:

- The puzzle name

- The piece count

- The puzzle brand

Was it slightly excessive? Maybe.

Did it bring us an unreasonable amount of joy setting it all up and seeing it finished? Absolutely.

And honestly, that’s part of what makes puzzling so enjoyable for us in the first place.

How to Store In-Progress Puzzles

One of the trickiest parts of puzzling is figuring out what to do with a puzzle that isn’t finished yet. If you don’t have a dedicated puzzle table then puzzle mats, puzzle boards, or even just some big bits of cardboard can be lifesavers. They let you safely move or store your puzzle without losing progress.

Siobhan and I decided pretty quickly that we needed a puzzle board each for when we wanted to puzzle solo but we also had a bigger one for 2000 pieces for when we puzzle together. Sometimes we return to our trusty folded bit of cardboard for the really big puzzles - looking at you Puzzles on Puzzles.

For smaller spaces, sliding a puzzle board under a bed or couch is an easy way to keep your work-in-progress protected while freeing up table space.

If you puzzle regularly, having a designated “puzzle spot” can make the hobby much more relaxing - especially if you don’t need to pack everything away after every session. My dream is to have a puzzle table in every room!

How to Preserve & Display Finished Puzzles

Some puzzles are just too beautiful to pack away again. One of our personal favorites is Magic Bay by Trefl - a beautiful spiral landscape but the whole Trefl brand has some gorgeous artwork and is really good quality as a starting point.

If you want to preserve a completed puzzle, puzzle glue is the most common option but there are also adhesive sheets that are becoming more popular as a mess-free option. Once glued, puzzles can be framed and displayed as artwork around the house.

Before preserving a puzzle permanently though, it’s worth asking yourself one important question: Will I ever want to build this again?

Sometimes taking it apart and revisiting it later can be just as enjoyable as displaying it. Alternatively, you could do what we did with our favourites and buy multiple copies so you can have one on the wall and one (or two) to build!

Puzzle Storage Tips for Families & Kids

If your household puzzles together, organisation becomes even more important.

Colour coding puzzles, using labelled containers, or separating puzzles by age group can make it much easier for kids to independently choose and pack away puzzles themselves.

For younger puzzlers especially, storing puzzles in easy-to-open containers or zip bags can help avoid damaged boxes and missing pieces.

And honestly, letting kids choose puzzles by colour, theme, or favourite characters makes the whole experience more fun.

Common Puzzle Storage Mistakes

A few storage mistakes can make puzzles harder to enjoy over time:

- Storing boxes horizontally in huge stacks that can crush lower boxes

- Leaving pieces in damaged or open bags

- Keeping puzzles in damp areas where boxes can warp

- Mixing loose pieces between puzzles

- Overcomplicating your organisation system so much that it becomes hard to maintain

If you do find “spare” pieces lying around the house, having a dedicated container to store them in can be a lifesaver when you’re almost finished with a puzzle except for that one cheeky missing piece. We started out with a little Poké Ball full of spare pieces, but after moving house somehow gifted us even more mystery extras, we upgraded to what we now lovingly call the “piece jail.”

At the end of the day, the best puzzle storage system is simply the one that works for your space, your collection, and your puzzling habits.

Whether that’s neatly stacked shelves, labelled containers, or an entire colour-coded puzzle wall, if it makes you happy, you’re probably doing it right.