These DIY mudroom lockers added much needed storage and organization to this busy space.
Mudrooms seem to be the catch all area of a home. You come right in from the garage and back door to this space. Our mudroom has lots of space, so it is time to get it organized.
I decided to build some easy DIY mudroom lockers along the back wall. Building something like this can be overwhelming. So, I took it in stages. This makes the process much easier and gave me good stopping spots.
First thing, gather your supplies.
Supplies for DIY Mudroom Lockers
- 4 sheets of 4'x8' ¾" thick baltic birch plywood - Home Depot
- Poplar - for the bench or whatever wood you want
- shiplap
- miter saw / circular saw
- skill saw
- Kreg pocket hole jig
- Kreg hinge jig
- pocket hole screws
- wood screws
- nail gun
- brad nails
- wood filler
- coat hooks
- doors
- hinges
- door knobs
- banding
- wood glue
- caulk
- shim
- level
- primer
- paint
- paint sprayer
- orbital sander
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Create a Mudroom Design
We had plenty of room to create custom mudroom lockers. I wanted each member of the family to have their own storage space for a cleaner mudroom area.
As you can see from my drawing I didn't use some fancy software for detailed plans. I simply used the room dimensions to create the building plans for DIY lockers with lots of extra storage.
Dimensions for our Mudroom Locker Designs
- Entire wall is 90" long
- bottom cubby side pieces measure 18"x18"
- cubby dividers are 1 ½" thick. I used 2 cubby sides and a ½" filler strip to make them 1 ½" thick
- finish trim - 1 ½" wide x ½" thick on the outside edge of the cubby
- each cubby has a 20" opening.
- bench seat measures 88 ½" long x 18 ¾" wide
- locker cubby side pieces measure 48" tall x 10 ½" wide - each divider is also 1 ½" thick
- cabinet boxes measure 22" wide x 34" tall
- cabinet doors measure 22" wide x 34" tall
I hope these dimensions makes sense. If you are a little confused continue through the blog post as I have lots of pictures below. Your measurements don't have to be the same or may change as you are building. That's totally fine. My measurements tend to change a bit too here and there.
DIY Mudroom Bench
First step, I took off the base board. I was very careful, as I want to use it again.
Tip for removing base boards: run a blade along the top of the molding to break the caulk seal. Then use a crow bar to carefully pry the molding away from the wall.
Cubby's
I then cut my plywood down to 18"x18" squares. This is what I am using as cubby dividers for the lockers. I wanted the dividers to be thicker than ½" so I used 2 of the plywood squares and scrap pieces of ½" thick plywood in the middle. Making my dividers 1 ½" thick. To finish it off I will add molding over the top.
I cut the base board I pulled off down to 20" wide. This is what I will use to space my cubby's. To secure the dividers, I nailed them into the base boards, which are nailed to the wall. I used a scrap piece of wood in the front to help keep my spacing right.
Bench Top
Next, I added a sheet of plywood along the top. I nailed down through the plywood into each divider for added strength.
Now to add the poplar on top to finish off the bench. Butcher block would also be a great option for a bench top.
To help make all the lines pretty I added an edge of poplar around the outside. At the corner I did a 45 degree angle cut so all my front edges are nice and pretty. This will also give me something to run my molding for the dividers into.
Building DIY Mudroom Lockers
Now to build the DIY mudroom lockers on top of the bench. I used the same strategy as the bench to build the locker dividers but just a bigger scale.
The dividers measure 48" tall x 10 ½" wide. To space my dividers I used scrap wood on the back. This is also what the dividers get nailed into for added strength. I also added one of the plywood strips where I want my hooks for added strength.
Once that was done I used vertical shiplap to cover it all up. I nailed my vertical shiplap in to the scrap wood on the back.
To make everything look pretty I used caulk to hide any gaps and wood fill to hide the nail holes
Painting the Lockers
Now it is time to paint. (check out my painting tips here) I taped everything off I didn't want paint on and used my Graco paint sprayer to apply the paint. I am using Chalked by Benjamin Moore to paint these.
After the paint was all dry I added these fun hooks from Amazon. I put 2 hooks in each locker so they could hang up a few things. Hopefully the lockers don't overflow too much.
You can stop at this point and still have beautiful mudroom lockers with a custom look. I wanted to add some closed storage to hide all the dirty stuff on top of the lockers
Building the Upper Cabinets
For the cabinets I first built my boxes. Cabinet boxes can be a little tricky, but there is a secret. Use a speed square and make sure your boxes are 100% square.
To connect the sides of my boxes together I like to use a Kreg jig to make pocket holes. I put the pocket holes on the outside of the boxes. They way they are hidden once installed. To make it even stronger I glue them together as well.
For the back of the cabinets I used ¼" thick plywood and pinned it to the back of the boxes. I also added a piece of wood to the top and bottom of the cabinet boxes. They are for added support. I will also use them to secure the cabinets to the wall.
I made stationary shelves inside the cabinets. The pro to this is added strength. The con is that you can't move them. I had previously found some bins I wanted to use in the cabinets. I used the bins for spacing on the shelves.
Installing the Cabinets
Now it is time to install the boxes on top of the DIY mudroom lockers. You are going to want shims and a level for this step. Find your studs and then use your shims until your boxes are 100% level. If they are not your doors won't fit or close very well. This step isn't hard, so just take your time and make sure to get it just right.
Cabinet Doors
I really hate to make doors so I found a great place to order pre-made doors. (view here)
Once the doors were here I got them all painted up and used my Kreg jig to drill for the hinges.
Devin helped get the doors hung. This job is much easier with 2 people. One person to hold the door, the other to drill the hinges on.
Once the doors are on I installed my cabinet door knobs. I would suggest waiting to install your hardware until after everything is installed. That way you can make sure your knobs are 100% level with each other.
Crown Molding
Last but not least adding the crown molding. This is a great way to finish off the space. I have found it is the little things that bring the project together and create the perfect space.
To install crown molding add 2x4 blocks to the top of you cabinets. You will use these blocks to attach the crown molding to around the top of the cabinets.
Final Reveal
There you have my DIY mudroom lockers! Everyone has their own mudroom lockers. We used the baskets under the bench for shoes.
My kids hang their coats and backpacks on the hooks. The cabinets are used for season items such as mittens, hats, scarves, swimming stuff. Or, let's be honest anything the kids can shove in there.
See it is easier than you thought. Just take it one step and at time and don't get in a rush. These things take time and you will be so happy when it is all done. Happy Building!
My walls are painted in Snowbound by Sherwin Williams You can view my post on choosing a wall color here.
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