DIY Faux Storage Drawers to End the Mudroom Mayhem!

Editor’s Note: I am excited to welcome Annie, from Organized With Annie, today.  I met Annie at Home Depot while she was getting wood cut for her custom rolling storage drawers.  Flash forward a few weeks after forming a fast friendship, and Annie is here today to share the tutorial for her faux storage drawers.  Annie will be a regular monthly contributor to a series we dubbed “Organized with DIY”.

In this post you will see the set she made for my mudroom.  I am so in love with them!  But, I have to say it was some serious work getting the mudroom ready to photograph in the deep of winter with blizzard conditions outside.  But, oh how sweet it is to tuck all those snow boots out of sight in these drawers.

My neighbor and fellow DIYer, Lindsay Kohn, had a great idea one day when we were making faux drawers for paper storage in our offices. She suggested we modify the faux drawers plans to fit under our built-in mudroom benches. I told her she was brilliant and got right to work on measuring and planning.

Since creating this plan we have replicated them many times over for others in our neighborhood.  We customize the faux drawers to fit each bench.  This certainly helped us tidy up our mudrooms and can do the same for you!

Let’s get started!

Editor’s note: Annie and I happen to live in homes by the same builder.  The basic benches they install are open underneath.  For a few years now we have been using white wire baskets from Ikea to hold our shoes (see the before here), but they did not slide out easily and made the whole space look cluttered.

The dimensions below are a custom size to fit under my mudroom bench.  Please adjust your measurements to fit your space.  It is best to leave about a 1/2″ clearance between each side of the drawer and the bench.  Same for the height.  Make sure to account for the casters when determining the height of the drawers. Each space under my bench is 21″ wide, so Annie made my faux drawers 20″ wide.

Supply list for a set of 3 faux drawers:

• 3/4″ birch plywood (see cut lit below)
• 18 wood screws #8 x 1 3/4″
• 48 wood screws #8 x 3/4″
• finishing nails 18 ga. x 1 1/2″
• 12 Shepherd soft rubber 1-5/8″ wheel diameter casters
• wood glue
• Sander or sandpaper
• handles
• bare wood primer
• paint

Plywood cut list:

• 3 bottoms – 14″ x 20″
• 6 sides – 9.5″ x 14″
• 6 fronts/backs – 21.5″ x 9.5″

Tools:

• Drill/driver
• Countersink drill bit
• Finish nailer or hammer
• Paint brush (2″)
• Mini paint roller (3-6″)

How to Build Faux Rolling Storage Drawers

Preparation

1. Make a template for consistent screw placement.  Use a 3/4″ by 14″ piece of a manila folder to make a template for pre-drilling holes. Use a tiny hole punch to make the holes 2 1/2″ from each edge and directly in the middle at 7″. (Note: Adjust template to your drawer size.  Always make sure to place the outer screws 2 1/2″ from the edge to leave space to install the wheels.)

2. Get wood and follow cut list. I went to the Home Depot and purchased a 4′ by 8′ sheet of birch plywood 3/4″ in thickness cut and had them cut it to the dimensions needed.  (Note: Try to go when it is not busy and an employee has time to accurately measure and make precise cuts for you.)

3. Pre-drill holes. Use a Sharpie and template to mark where to predrill the holes; into each short side of the bottom pieces and on the bottom edge of the side pieces.  Use a 1/8″ drill bit to pre drill all the screw holes.

Mark and pre-drill holes on the cut edge of bottom pieces.

Mark and pre-drill corresponding holes on bottom edge of side pieces.  Use a countersink bit on the sides, so the head of the screw sits below the wood surface.

Assemble the Drawers

4.  First, secure sides to the bottom. Line up the holes on the side with the bottom and use a drill/driver to secure with wood screws. Repeat the same process for the other side.

5.  Put on fronts/backs. Put a small bead of wood glue around the edges of the sides and bottom, then place the front on top. Using a finish nailer (I use a Ryobi Airstrike) to drive a nail every few inches. You could easily do this step with a hammer and nails as well. Repeat the same process for the backs.

Make Them Roll

6. Attach casters. – After turning the boxes over, place the casters on the outside corners of the bottoms. Use a drill/driver and 3/4″ wood screws to attach each of the casters.

Finishing

7.  Sand the sides, fronts, and backs.  Use a sander (I used my small Ryobi Corner Cat) to sand the finished boxes smooth.  You could also use sand paper.  Lightly sand the edges and corners to soften them.

8.  Prime. Use a combination of a 2″ paint brush and 3″ paint roller to prime the faux drawers with bare wood primer. The paint brush is for the inside corners and edges.  Use the roller on the large flat surfaces.

9.  Paint.  Once primer is dry, paint the drawers with your choice of paint.  Jackie finished hers with chalk paint using her modern finish for chalk paint technique.  The color is Aubusson Blue.

10.  Install Handles.  To install the handles, place a piece of painter’s tape on the front of the drawers roughly where the handles will go.  Measure and mark where to drill holes for the handles.  Drill directly through the painters tape to avoid splintering on the front of the drawers.  Install the handles with the included screws.  Jackie found these great label holder handles at Target…perfect for an organized mudroom! Jackie printed her own labels and laminated them to stick in the label holders.

Now, stand back and marvel at your streamlined mudroom…aren’t these awesome and so functional?!

Don’t want to build your own? That’s ok! I would love the make some of these for you! Visit Organized with Annie for details on ordering.  (Available for delivery in Stillwater, MN and surrounding area)