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How to Make Solar Power Outdoor Lights

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A few years back, we installed a sun shade sail in our backyard. We love having the shade (check out the sun shade sail DIY), but we always wanted to turn the wooden posts into something more.

I’ve always been fascinated with solar power, for the environmental benefits and it’s a direction to move off the electrical grid. It’s a great feeling knowing you can generate electricity from something natural.

So I figured the shade sail posts could serve a dual purpose – anchoring the sun shade sail and providing solar power lighting.

It was perfect timing for our monthly DIY challenges. We are collaborating with a lot of talented DIYers to share themed projects, and this month’s theme is to fix up something outdoors. Last month, the theme was home improvement and we redid our pantry with new shelves and drawers and wallpaper.

Be sure to scroll to the end of the post to check out everyone’s outdoor projects. 

DIY Solar Power Lights

There are usually four parts to most solar powered projects – solar panel, battery, charge controller and load (such as a light bulb).

A solar panel produces electricity from the sun, and charges up a battery.

The battery is then used to power electrical things like light bulbs.

A charge controller is needed so that the solar panels do not over-charge the battery and damage it.

Solar panels come in many different wattage, depending on how much power you want to generate.

To decide on a wattage that was appropriate for me, I had to think about what I wanted to accomplish. I really just wanted some lights in the back yard that turned on automatically at night, and remained on for a certain amount of hours.

There are many solar lights you can purchase from the store that do something similar.

However, they are usually motion activated, not very bright and don’t usually stay on for hours.

DIY Solar Light – Tools and Materials

Choosing the Battery

To build my setup, I needed to power my light bulbs with a decent sized battery.

I opted for a 20ah deep cycle battery, which I calculated would provide enough electricity to power several bright 12 volt light bulbs all night long.

These batteries are similar to your average automotive battery, except about 1/3 the size, and designed specifically for powering devices over a long period of time.

Deciding on a Solar Panel Wattage

Now that I’ve decided on a battery size, I needed to come up with a wattage for my solar panels.

I needed a solar panel powerful enough to fully charge the battery during the day so that the lights would be operational at night time. I settled on a 100 watt solar panel.

Getting a Solar Panel Charge Controller

For the solar panel charge controller, I didn’t need anything fancy. I just choose a cheap one with good online reviews. It was important that it had a timer though, so the lights could turn on and off automatically.

LED Light Bulbs and Lamp Fixture

LED light bulbs are a requirement for almost any solar powered project.

Incandescent light bulbs (and many other types) suck up way too much electricity to be powered practically by a battery. I searched around for 12 volt LED light bulbs and settled on some fairly bright ones (7 watt ones, equivalent to a 60 watt incandescent bulb).

12 volt bulbs were needed as the battery was a 12 volt battery.

Most LED light bulbs used around the home are 120 volt bulbs, and would not be compatible with my solar powered project.

I also needed an exterior lamp fixture to install the light bulbs into. I found some nice 12 inch globe fixtures online that would be perfect to mount on top of my shade sail posts.

Planning the Design

100 watt solar panels are fairly large and heavy (around 30″x40″ and 20 lbs). So I needed to come with with a sturdy design to mount the panels on the posts.

Here is the design I came up with:

Adjustable Mount for the Solar Panel

The solar panel would be attached to an adjustable mount.

It’s adjustable because it can change the angle of the solar panel to maximize electrical generation.

Depending on your geographical location, adjusting the tilt of the solar panel in the summer and winter can help ensure you get the most out of the sun’s power.

The adjustable mount would then be attached to a fixed post mount.

On the opposite side of the post would be a small weatherproof enclosure to store the battery and charge controller.

The globe lamp fixture was affixed to the top of the post.

With the design flushed out, it was time to start constructing the parts.

Weatherproof Enclosure

The weatherproof enclosure for the battery and charge controller consisted of two separate compartments. The upper compartment stored the battery, while the lower compartment housed the charge controller.

The first step of the building the enclosure was constructing the box.

Here are the cut out sides of the box:

I joined the sides of the box together with construction adhesive and finishing nails.

A bar clamp came in handy to hold the pieces in place while I used my finishing nail gun:

Here I inserted the battery and charge controller to get a rough idea of how things would look:

The charge controller would later get a more elaborate design to allow it to be easily removable for installing various wires.

Deep cycle batteries can get a little warm when charging, so I drilled some ventilation holes in the side of the enclosure. I made sure to drill the holes at a 45 degree angle to prevent rain water from dripping in.

There was also a hole at the bottom of the battery section to run a wire to the controller.

Here I covered the interior of the holes with insect screen to prevent my enclosure from housing unwanted visitors:

Next I stained the enclosure with weatherproofing stain (same one I used to protect the shade sail post).  I also caulked the inside corners for extra protection against water seeping in from the outside.

Here I’m getting ready to attach a 1/4″ plywood roof:

I had some roofing material left over from a prior shed project, so I was all to happy to be able to use them again.

To waterproof the roof, I first laid down a layer of roofing felt, aka tar paper (I used some staples to hold the paper to the wood):

Next I cut two strips of shingles and nailed them down to the enclosure:

The upper shingle strip covered the nail heads for the strip below.

However, with no other shingles to overlap the upper shingle, there were exposed nail heads on that shingle.

So I used some roofing cement to cover those nail heads and blend them into the shingle.

With the enclosure roof done, I used my table saw to cut out covers for the battery and charge controller compartment.

The battery cover was just a piece of 1/4″ plywood. The charge controller cover was made from a strip of 1/8″ plexiglass.

I wanted the charge controller to remain visible so I could monitor the system status without having to remove anything.

The controller came with a handy digital display with various bits of information (like if the solar panels were charging, or what the remaining charge on the battery was).

Here is the mostly completed enclosure (I still had to stain the battery compartment cover):

Solar panel charge controller module

To make it easier to attach all the wiring to the charge controller, I came up with a module design that allowed the controller to be easily removed.

The charge controller was attached to a rectangular piece of wood (with some handy 1/2″ screws), which was secured to the enclosure via two short deck screws.

Instead of attaching the wires from the battery, solar panel and lights directly into the controller, I opted to use a terminal block as a middle man. It was attached on the opposite side of the controller module.

Here’s the front of the controller module showing the charge controller wired up and ready for action (notice the addition of a toggle switch to manually turn off the lights):

Here’s the back of the module showing the terminal block, awaiting connections from the peripherals (lights, battery and solar panel):

Constructing the Solar Panel Mount

With the enclosure complete, I moved onto the solar panel mount.

It was a relatively simple design in the shape of an “I.”

I used 2×6 boards for maximum strength.

Here are the mount parts placed roughly in place on top the solar panel:

I joined all the pieces with long deck screws. I also reinforced some of the joints with L brackets and structural screws:

Here is what the solar panel looks like when attached to the mount:

Building the Post Mount

Next I built the post mount. It was in the shape of an “H”, and also made of 2×6 boards:

At his stage, the post mount was a pretty simple design. I had later decided to add in 45 degree supports made from 2x4s to further strengthen the entire mount.

How do the solar panel and post mount work together?

The solar panel mount would sit in between the segments of the post mount. They would be connected with 4 heavy duty bolts.

Two of the bolts would allow the solar panel mount to freely rotate to a desired angle. The remaining bolts would lock in the chosen angle.

During construction, I had pre-drilled bolt holes in the mounts to allow for a 45 degree tilt of the solar panel. When the mounts were securely attached to the shade sail post, I planned on drilling another pair of holes to accommodate a 30 degree tilt.

Here are the two mounts connected to each other (only one pair of bolts were inserted, so the solar panel mount could rotate freely in the post mount):

Weatherproofing All the Wood

To protect the wood from the elements, I applied at least 2 coats of weatherproofing stain to all exposed surfaces.

Here’s a picture of the post mount (with some 45 degree 2×4 supports added) showing some of the staining in action:

To secure the 2×4 diagonal supports to the 2×6 boards, I drilled some pocket holes, and reinforced the connection with 2 metal ties.

Last Minute Lamp Fixture Mounts

Here is a close-up of some mounts I made for the lamp fixtures:

These lamp fixture mounts weren’t in my original design.

The lamp fixtures were originally intended for a 3″ diameter round post, not a 6×6 square post. So I was having a lot of difficulty accessing some of the screws for the lamp fixure when attaching them to the posts.

I decided to raise the lamp fixtures about 1.5″ above the top of the posts for more clearance. 

I made the mounts with some 2×4 cuts. Then I drilled a hole in the center with a hole bit, and counter-sunk some screw holes for attaching to the posts.

Solar Parts Coming Together

Everything was built at this point and finally ready to be assembled outside.

First, I installed the post mount (secured to the lamp post with 12 galvanized lag bolts):

Then the solar panel mount followed (attached to the post mount with 4 heavy duty bolts):

I was really excited to secure the solar panel to the mount next, tilted to 30 degrees. I used some structural screws to fasten the solar panel to the mount.

The battery and charge controller enclosure went on next (mounted to the lamp post with 2 galvanized lag bolts and large washers):

Then the first lamp fixture was installed on top of the post:

Next, I dug a shallow trench towards the other lamp post to run some landscaping wire to:

I buried the landscaping wire and compacted the ground with a tamper. There was now no trace of a wire running between the two posts.

Next, I wired up the second lamp fixture on the remaining shade sail post:

Finally, I hooked up the lamps to the solar panel charge controller, and was able to successfully test the lights. Here’s a close-up of the charge controller in action:

Solar Panel Lights Completed!

The solar powered lights were finally complete!

It was a really fun project to work on. I was able to build everything within 3 days and a budget of around $250. It was expensive, but using the parts I have, I can hook up other backyard items to the solar power too. 

I tested the system during the night and it worked flawlessly.

When the sun went down, the lights came on and remained on all night.

By morning, the remaining battery charge was around 70%. By afternoon time, the battery was back up to full charge from the solar panels, ready for another night of work.

Here is the completed project:

 

See more Make It Pretty Outdoor Projects

Making a DIY Rain Barrel from a Trash Can

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Looking for a way to reuse rainwater without using gutters? This easy DIY will show you how to upcycle a trash can into a rain barrel for under $35!

With summer approaching, Eileen was working hard on her flower garden.

She has a DIY planter box close to the house, but she also has a flower garden out in the perimeter of the yard. As I saw her walking all the way up to the house and out to the yard to fill up her watering can several times in a row, inspiration struck.

Why not set up a type of water reservoir by her garden?!

Not only would this eliminate her water laps to the house, but it would avoid the hassle of rolling and unrolling a hose.

Furthermore, I could use a rain barrel system which would fall right in line with our new organic way of life. We’ve made a lifestyle change this year, opting for organic, non-processed foods, and re-using rainwater was a perfect addendum. 

DIY rainbarrel on a homemade stand in the garden, without using gutters

Planning the DIY Rain Barrel 

I did some research on how making DIY rain barrel reservoirs and settled on a design pattern I liked.

A rain barrel reservoir is a very simple way to collect and store rainwater for future use. You first need a large container to store the water.

A typical container used is the blue 55-gallon water drums with bung hole caps on the top. In my research, I actually found out that a lot of cities offer water conservation programs and give out these drums for free.

Also, you can probably even check with businesses or food processing factories to see if they are throwing any away.

   

I opted for a different route though, as I did not need a large 55-gallon container.  I shopped around at Home Depot and found a 20-gallon plastic garbage can for $13 that was perfect.

The lid appealed to me because when I flipped it over, it was deep and round. This meant it would serve as a nice water collection basin for the falling rain (as opposed to a flat surface that I would get with a water drum), allowing the water to pool in the center.

​Here’s a picture of the garbage can I purchased at Home Depot with the deep upside down lid:

Use a trash can to make a diy standalone rainwater collector, without gutters

Constructing the DIY Rain Barrel

Making the DIY rain barrel was super simple. Here are the steps that I used:

Drilling Holes in the Lid

The first step of construction was drilling five large drainage holes in the center of the lid.  I used a hole saw bit for my drill to make these cuts.

Attaching a Screen Cover

Then I placed some mosquito screen for a cover on the part of the lid that would be facing the water, and secured it in place with some waterproof duct tape.

It was important to cover the drainage holes with insect screen to keep bugs out of the water. If the screen wasn’t fine enough, mosquitoes especially would get in and lay larvae in the water.

​Drilling an Overflow Hole

I also had to drill an overflow hole in the top part of the garbage can. This was to allow water to drain out when the container was full to capacity. This hole also had to be protected with insect screen.

Here’s a picture of the 5 drainage holes in the lid, as well as the overflow hole in the garbage can:Use a trash can to make a DIY rain barrel and cover

Below is a picture of what the lid looked like once the insect screen cover was applied with waterproof duct tape (the screen is a little hard to see, but its covering the holes).

This part of the lid would be facing downwards so would not be visible.

How to make the cover for the DIY rain barrel from a trash can

Attaching a Valve Spigot

I needed a valve inserted at the bottom of the can to let water out when needed. I did some shopping online and found a really nice valve spigot with a bulkhead fitting that was perfect for my rain barrel design.

The bulkhead fitting was the piece that let me attach it to the wall of the garbage can without leaking.

To install it, I first drilled a hole at the bottom of the can. Then I inserted the inside part of the bulkhead fitting. This piece came with a rubber ring that would form a tight seal when pressed against the can wall.

Next, I attached the outside part of the fitting. It just screwed onto the inside piece from the outside, and then I used a wrench to make a tight connection.

Finally, I screwed on the actual spigot into the outside bulkhead fitting.  I used some Teflon tape on the spigot grooves to ensure a watertight seal.

​With the spigot tightly installed, I partially filled the can with water (just high enough to cover the spigot) and checked for leaks.  No water came out, so it was good to go.

Here’s a picture of the spigot (left) and bulkhead fitting (right), straight out of the box:

Use a spigot and a trash can to make a standalone rainwater collectorHere’s a picture of the installed spigot from the outside (notice the white Teflon tape around the spigot groove to make a waterproof seal with the bulkhead fitting):

Make a DIY rainwater collection system for the garden

Below is what the bulkhead fitting looked like from the inside:

DIY rain barrel irrigation systemSecuring the Lid

Next, I had to secure the upside down lid to the garbage can so that a gust of wind wouldn’t send it soaring through the air.  I came up with a simple technique of drilling 16 small holes around the perimeter of the lid penetrating the can below.

Then I inserted 6 inch U shaped strands of electrical wire into the holes, twist tying the bottoms.  The wires held the lid tightly to the garbage can.

Here’s a picture showing the wire strands holding down the lid on the DIY rain barrel:

how to make a DIY rain barrel cover without gutters

Building a DIY Rain Barrel Stand

The DIY rain barrel was now finished.

However, the project would not be complete without a proper rain barrel stand. The barrel needed to be elevated about a foot off the ground to allow buckets and watering cans to be placed under the spigot.

I came up with a simple but very sturdy design for a stand using wood left over from my shed project.

​It was important to use pressure-treated wood for the stand as it would be in direct contact with the ground and be exposed to bugs. I constructed the stand as outlined in the pictures below.

Cutting the Wood

I cut 2’ lengths of 2 x 4s, 2 x 6s (pictured below) and 1’ length of 4 x 4s (not pictured):

How to Build a Stand for a DIY Rain Barrel for rain collection system

Then, I attached 4 of the 2 x 6s to 4 vertical 4 x 4s:

diy rain barrel stand for the gardenNext, I attached 2 of the 2 x 4s to the top of the 4 x 4s. These were to serve as the supports for the stands platform:

How to Build a Garden Stand for a DIY Rain Barrel (Made from a Trash Can)

Finally, I attached 4 of the 2 x 6s to the top, completing the rain barrel stand:

Constructing a Rain Barrel Stand to Water the Garden for the standalone rainwater collectorSecuring the the Rain Barrel to the Stand

With the stand and rain barrel now complete, I found a good location near to Eileen’s garden and set it up.

I also made sure there were no tree branches above to block the rainfall.  At this point, I realized I forgot to properly secure the rain barrel to the stand.

A strong gust of wind would knock over an empty barrel. So I screwed in 2 metal hooks into the stand and tied the garbage can handles to them with some carabiner style bungee cords.

​Here is a picture of the final setup of our DIY rain barrel:

How to Water Your Garden with a DIY Rain Barrel Trash Can - rain water collection system

Here’s a close up of the hook for the bungee cord, securing the rain barrel to the stand:

How to Secure Your DIY Rain Barrel to the Garden Stand for the gutterless rainwater collection system

Testing our New DIY Rain Barrel

I was excited for Eileen to start using the rain barrel. Now I just had to wait for rain.

Luckily it rained the next day, and I ran out after the skies cleared up to check out the rain barrel.

My simple design worked pretty well. I opened the spigot and water came pouring out. Though, it wasn’t that much water for the amount of rain that fell.

The garbage can lid only has so much surface area to collect water and yielded a small amount of water. So, it would take several large rain falls to collect a usable amount of water. However, it still saved Eileen trips up to the house and back.

So although the basic design for the rain barrel was complete, I was already envisioning upgrades to improve the water collection efficiency.

​Updates to come in future blog posts!

As for time and cost, the materials for the DIY rainwater barrel cost $35, and it took about an hour to make.

3 Year Rain Barrel Update

Our DIY rain barrel has been working out great. It has saved us so many trips from the house all the way out to the garden hauling watering cans.

Depending upon how much it has rained, sometimes we need to fill up the rain barrel with the hose, but then the rainwater will continue to maintain it again.

It’s much easier taking the hose all the way down the yard a once a year or so – than every watering.

DIY Rain Barrel from a Trash Can - tutorial for using a trash can to collect rainwaterDIY trash can rain barrel with a homemade wooden stand, serving as a gutterless rain collection system Using a trash can as a DIY rain barrel stand for a rainwater irrigation system 20 gallon trasn can on a wooden stand serving as a gutterless rain barrel system

Related Posts

  • With a little digging and a lot of stones, you can make your own stone walkway with these easy instructions. We LOVE the one we made and never thought it would get as much use as it did. 
  • Need a little shade in your sunny yard? Install your own sun shade sail. It’s perfect for so many things – from patios to kids play areas. 
  • Make these easy DIY planters in fun shapes for inside or outside use 🙂
 

How to Make Built-In Pantry Shelves with Drawers

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See how you can update your pantry with built in wooden pantry shelves and drawers. This easy pantry system is a perfect weekend makeover project.

It’s time for another round of our At Home DIY challenge, and this month’s theme is home improvement. Last month, we redid an old folding TV table, and today we are sharing our pantry update.

We always look for places in our home that could be easily improved. Our pantry was a sight for sore eyes, and now it’s undergone a huge transformation.

We ripped down the old pantry shelves, covered the beat up wall with brick wallpaper, and installed built-in pantry shelves AND drawers.

Pantries usually have all open shelving, so I was excited to add pantry drawers into the design – those drawers will be perfect for hiding my snacks from the others 🙂

Be sure to check out all of the At Home DIY participants’ projects at the end of the post. 

DIY walnut wood floating shelves in pantry closet

How to Prep and Prepare for a Pantry Redo

We are so pleased with how the pantry looks that we are kicking ourselves for not thinking of it sooner. It only took a weekend of work, I used wood I had, and the add organization is wonderful. 

Tools and Materials

Pantry Shelving System Design

Here is a sketch I put together for the DIY pantry closet shelves:

pantry closet shelving system design

It consisted of 5 shelves, two of which held drawers (a smaller upper drawer and a larger bottom drawer). The shelves were made from 3/4″ plywood, covered with a 2″ piece of trim in the front.

How to Prep Your Pantry

Before adding our new shelving system, Eileen decided she wanted to do something about the walls. Here are before pictures of the pantry. 

Before picture of messy pantry with metal shelving Before picture of an empty pantry before diy pantry wood shelving with drawers

And here are a few after pictures of our DIY pantry closet shelving:

Easy DIY build your own pull out shelves for the pantryDIY pantry closet wood shelving for a small reach-in pantry

DIY wood pantry shelving for a reach in pantry

Remove Old Shelving

The shelves were easy to remove, just a matter of unscrewing them. I’ll probably repurpose the shelves in my shed, as part of my much-needed summer shed organization project.

Applying Wallpaper

Back to the walls, Eileen found a peel and stick wallpaper for cheap with white bricks. So she ripped out the old shelves, cleaned the walls, and applied the peel and stick wallpaper. She wrote a whole post on how to hang peel and stick wallpaper. She goes into all the details, including tips and tricks for wallpaper hanging.

Applying DIY peel and stick wallpaper to the wall - wallpaper tips and tricks for corners and edges

After the wallpaper was up (doesn’t it look great?!), I was ready to start making my final measurements and building the wooden pantry shelves.

DIY peel and stick wallpaper in pantry corner - tips and tricks

Deciding What Kind of Wood for the Pantry

I had a lot of scrap wood left over from a recent mudroom cubby project. So I was able to re-use most of that wood for these pantry shelves.

I primarily used 3/4″ birch plywood (for the shelves and mounts) and some strips of 3/4″ pine boards (for the drawers and trim).

How to Build Your Own Pantry System

With the design, materials, and walls ready, it was time to start building the pantry closet shelving. 

Cutting Wood for the Pantry Closet Shelves

Using several pieces of scrap 2′ x 8′ birch plywood, I cut out 5 pantry shelves (each approximately 37″ x 14.25″). They were custom cut to fit inside our pantry.

Even though the pantry closet measured 37″ wide inside, the widths of the shelves were actually just shy of that (about 1/8″ less). I wanted a little leeway when maneuvering the shelves in place.

From previous projects in this house, I knew that the walls were rarely perfectly straight. So perfect measurements didn’t always work out as planned. 

My compact circular saw made quick work out of the cutting. I prefer this mini saw over a regular circular saw when practical. 

It’s usually a lot easier to setup and maneuver around.

Cutting wood for the floating pantry shelves  

There are lots of ways to to make cross cuts into long 8′ sheets of plywood.

I opted to place the sheets on the driveway, raised up on four 2x4s. Properly supporting the sheets on either side of your intended cut is important for ensuring a clean and safe cut. 

In addition to the compact circular saw for the cross cuts, I also used my table saw to make the lengthwise (rip) cuts to trim the board to 14.25″.

Building the Shelf Supports

After the shelves were cut, next it was time for some custom shelf supports. I needed 10 supports in total (2 per shelf).

The supports were to be screwed into wall studs in the pantry, and hold up the shelves. They also needed to be able to hold the shelves in place so they didn’t slide forward.

I came up with a fairly simply design for them (a finished support is in the rear of the picture):

Making a DIY pantry shelving system with wood supports

Long deck screws would secure the supports to wall studs, while shorter wood screws ran vertical to kept the shelves in place.

Notice how all my holes were pre-drilled with a counter sinking bit. This was to reduce the likelihood of the the wood splitting, especially since I was placing holes so close to the edges.

Here is one of the supports in a clamp being assembled:

Making DIY wooden shelf supports for floating pantry shelves with the drill and wood clamp

Here are all ten completed supports (both the left supports and the right):

Build your own pantry shelves with this easy tutorial for floating shelves and wooden shelf supports

Staining the Wood

After the shelves and supports were completed, it was time to stain the wood.

We went with an eco-friendly stain that omitted zero VOCs. We were so pleased with this stain. There was absolutely no odor and it went on easy. 

 Staininng wood floating pantry shelves with natural, odor-free, VOC free stain 

I first stained the supports. They would be visible when looking up at the higher shelves, and I didn’t want raw wood to be exposed.

Only one coat of stain was really necessary.

Staining shelf supports for pantry floating shelves

Next I got to work on staining the large shelves.

It didn’t take too long. I laid them out in the driveway on some 2x4s, and brushed on the stain.

I did two coats on the top side of the shelves, and one coat on the botton.

Staining wooden shelves for the pantry shelving system with natural, zero voc wood stain

Installing the Shelf Supports

After the stained supports were sufficiently dry, attached them to wall studs in the pantry.

I spaced them 12″ apart vertically, starting from the pantry ceiling.

Attaching shelf supports to pantry wall for built in pantry shelves 

Once the left supports were installed with the correct spacing, I proceeded with the right side. Using a laser level made this a very easy task:

Throughout the whole shelf support installation, I kept the level handy to sure everything was straight:

Making sure shelf supports for DIY kitchen pantry are level

After the supports were all installed, I rested a scrap piece of 37″ wood across each support to make sure they were level.

Thanks to my laser level and regular level, all the shelf supports were straight.

Here are the completed shelf supports (the lighting is off in the below shot because it night time and the pantry doesn’t have a light):

how to install DIY shelving supports in a pantry closet makeover

Building the Pull Out Drawers for the Pantry

Next it was time to build some pull out drawers.

Since these drawers were going to be inside a pantry closet, I needed to make them narrow enough to be able to extend through the doorway.

There were going to be two sets of drawers. The upper drawer was 3.5″ deep and the bottom drawer was 7.25″ deep. They measured approximately 14″ x 24.25″.

I cut strips of the drawer sides with my miter saw, and joined them to form a rectangular frame using some construction adhesive and my finishing nailer.

Building drawer pull out system for DIY pantry closet shelving

I also made use of a long bar clamp to hold opposing drawer sides in place while I glued and nailed:

Building easy pantry shelves and drawers that pull out - great pantry setup ideas

I’ve made so many drawers lately for various projects, and they all revolve around the same basic design. Check out my post about making custom pull-out drawers to learn more.

Next, I fabricated a drawer mount underneath two of the shelves. Two pieces of 3/4″ thick wood (14″ long) were attached perpendicular to the shelves using some L brackets.

Then 14″ drawer sliders were then attached to these pieces of wood, followed by the actual drawer.

The drawer mounts were carefully positioned to allow the drawers to be able to slide out past the pantry door.

Here is an upside down shelf getting prepped for the drawers with some L brackets:

Prepping the DIY pantry closet shelf with supports for the pull out drawers

Here is the completed drawer mount with sliding hardware:

DIY built in pantry shelves and wooden pull out pantry drawers - DIY pantry closet makeover

I later added in two pocket holes in the center of the perpendicular wood support for extra rigidity.

After I was satisfied with the sliding drawers, I cut out 1/4″ plywood bottoms for the drawers and attached them to the drawer with my finishing nailer and more construction adhesive.

I found it really convenient to attach the bottoms to the drawers while they were mounted to the upside-down shelves. The mounts ensured that the frame stayed square before the bottoms locked their shape into place.

Here are the completed drawers with stain applied to the fronts:

DIY pull out drawers for closet pantry system - first coat of natural wood stain

Mounting the Pantry Shelves

Finally it was time to start mounting the pantry shelves. There was not much wiggle room in the pantry closet, so I found it best to insert the shelves into the supports one by one, starting from the top and moving down.

Here are all the shelves in place, secured to the supports with some short wood screws:

build easy pantry shelves with this DIY tutorial - shelves on shelves supports - waiting on face plates

Installing Trim on the Pantry Shelves

Now it was time to cover up the exposed plywood edges with trim and add to the visual appear of the whole project.

To make the trim, I used my table saw and ripped some 2″ wide boards, sized to the the fronts of the 37″ shelves. Here is the cut and stained trim:

 Cut and stained trim for DIY pantry closet system

Two of the trim boards needed to be cut again to fit around the drawers, but I wanted to do that with the drawers in place to ensure a proper fit.

I attached the trim to the shelves with construction adhesive and my finishing nailer.

Here’s a picture showing a trimmed shelf (in stark comparison to the untrimmed shelf below it):

Adding the trim or face plates onto the shelves to create a DIY floating shelf look with white brick wallpaper background

Next I inserted the drawers and proceeded with the trim on those drawer shelves. I took some of the trim used on the other shelves, and cut it into three pieces to wrap around the drawers.

Here’s a trimmed drawer (notice the industrial handle that Eileen picked out):

Close-up of pantry closet organization, showing the floating shelf with a drawer connected to the bottom

The pantry shelves were finally completed!

Time and Cost for the DIY Pantry Shelving System

It took a weekend to complete with a budget of around $75.

I was able to save by re-using left over wood from previous projects.

My expenses were just the wallpaper, eco-friendly stain, drawer slides and handles.

Also, you don’t have to use 3/4″ plywood for the shelves. I personally would have preferred common board, but only used the plywood because I had so much of it.

Here are some finished pictures of the pantry closet shelves and drawers. 

Is there more organization in the pantry now?

I’ll let my wife Eileen answer this one – YES!

The shelves, although just as deep as the old ones, feel bigger and are 100 times nicer 🙂

The two drawers hold so many things! The lower one holds all of the snacks and bags of food, which usually make a pantry look a mess. These bagged snacks took up a whole cabinet of space prior.

One of the things that was great about Ash’s design was that he used all of the “extra space.” There was wasted space between the last shelf and the bottles of coconut water we would keep on the floor. That wasted space is now a huge pantry drawer.

I am absolutely loving pantry – every time I open it, I smile. Isn’t that what DIY is all about?!

For $75 and a weekend of time, it was totally worth it. 

DIY reach-in pantry shelving replaced with wood built-in shelves and pull out drawersDIY build your own pull out drawers and shelves during a pantry refresh with a built-in CD tower shelf and white brick wallpaper

Closeup of a floating pantry closet shelf with a pull out drawer underneath stained with natural walnut stain

More Home Improvement Projects

This project was part of our At Home DIY challenges, where we are collaborating with over 30 talented DIY bloggers. See everyone’s projects from this month – DIY Home Improvement Projects.

 

Related DIY Projects

DIY built in pantry shelves and pull out drawers in a small reach-in pantryfloating pantry shelves with pull out drawers in a small pantry DIY refresh

Making Sliding Storage Shelves in One Weekend

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Learn how you can turn a 20-foot garage corner into 70-feet of space with stacked, slide-out storage shelves. Plus, see how to create bonus shelving with leftover wood. 

My garage was getting a little out of control. Bulky tools from home improvements projects, boxes upon boxes of holiday decorations, gardening tools, piles of landscaping bags – nothing seemed to have a place.

It was hard to get work done efficiently – not to mention, find something when I was looking for it.

​It was time to get smart about garage organization, storage, and shelving. 

DIY sliding garage shelf tower filled with garage tools

I decided we need a some sort of shelving tower with deep shelves.

One of the ways I maximized was by using sliding shelves in the storage tower. This increased the amount of things our shelf could hold but didn’t compromise being able to easily find them. 

It was definitely an easy and practical addition to the garage shelf project. 

DIY garage storage shelf with sliding drawers using gate handles

Determining a Space for the Sliding Storage Shelves

I already had several prefabricated metal garage shelves doing a decent job of garage storage, but they had their shortcomings.

I had been eyeing this corner space next to our garage fridge. The space was 3 feet deep and about 6 feet wide, and it was currently underutilized.

There were just piles of boxes, gardening tools, and other things that had accumulated.

Corner spaces in the garage often become dumping grounds, as ours had become. I decided to capitalize on the vertical square footage, transforming this messy corner into garage storage shelving.

So, after a few days of pondering over garage storage shelving ideas and messing around in TinkerCad (an awesome 3D designing website), I came up with the idea below for garage storage shelves:

Garage Shelves Tutorial - Create More Storage

Garage Storage Shelf Requirements

I had 3 requirements for the sliding storage shelves project for my garage. My first requirement was deep storage shelves. The area had a lot of depth, and I wanted to make the most of the space.

I went with 3 ft deep shelves; this was twice as deep as the prefab shelves, so twice the garage storage space.

The second requirement (which is not evident in the TinkerCad drawing above) was sliding garage shelves.

Although 3 ft deep garage shelves would hold a lot, trying to reach something at the back seemed very burdensome. You would have to move things out of the way to get back there, which wasn’t very efficient, especially for vertical space.

Therefore, I wanted some of the deep garage shelves to be on drawer slides.

My last requirement was enough clearance at the bottom of the garage shelves to fit some of my taller tools (like my shopvac), and for them to just roll out (without having to drop off a shelf).

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Preparing Space for the Garage Storage Shelves

To start the sliding storage shelves, I first cleared out and cleaned the designated area for the garage shelves.

Then I located the studs in the wall (using my trusty stud finder), and used green painters tape preserve their locations.

​The garage shelving unit was going to be bolted to the studs to make it stable.
​
Here’s the wall with the studs marked:

Garage Corner turned into Sliding Storage ShelvingBuilding the Shelf Supports

The actual construction of the garage shelves was fairly straight forward. I just followed the design I created to construct the sliding storage shelves.

The whole garage shelf was made of 2 x 4 wood that was cut to different lengths.

Unfortunately, I was so caught up in the construction (it was a pretty fun project to work on), I forgot to take many pictures. Therefore, I’m just going to provide some visuals.

First, I made 3 vertical support structures for the garage shelves. I would install these on the ends and middle.

​These supports looked like a 3 ft wide ladder – see pic below:

How to Build Sliding Storage Shelves

Next, I used 6 ft cuts of 2 x 4s to connect the 3 vertical supports, and to form a basis for each garage shelf.

​I also added 2 extra 6 ft pieces at the back of the structure to bolt into the wall studs.

Building Garage Sliding Storage Shelves- Easy Tutorial for More Storage

Adjusting for Sliding Garage Shelves

Before considering sliding storage shelves, I thought about making all of the shelves look like the very top one. However, that was going to be too simple, and I like to make things a little challenging.

Hence, the modifications for the garage sliding shelves.

The shelf slides were going to bear the load of the garage shelves, so it was not necessary to run as many 6 ft planks as the top shelf (which was just a static shelf with no slides). Three connecting pieces per row was sufficient.

Next, I needed structures to attach the slides to. I came up with the design below:

Building Sliding Garage Storage ShelvesNotice the 4 slide supports on each row (one on each end and two in the middle).  In between each pair of slide supports was going to be the actual sliding shelves.

At this point in the project, it was time to secure the structure to the garage wall. If I proceeded any further with construction, the DIY shelving unit would be too heavy for me to carry (not that it wasn’t already really heavy).

Also, there was just enough room for me to squeeze in between the 2 x 4s to get to back to bolt the structure to the wall studs.

Next, I wedged myself in the middle of garage shelving unit, picked it up like superman, and inched my way over to the wall. I used some lag bolts to secure the shelves to the studs.

Constructing the Storage Shelves

After that, I had to build the actual sliding storage shelves. Here is my design for each sliding shelf:

​Building Garage Storage Shelves that Slide

During construction of the garage shelves, I did add an elevated piece to the back of each shelf. I didn’t want items falling off the back as I pulled the shelf forward.

First, I installed the slides on each slide support. Then, using ¼” scrap wood as shims, I elevated each shelf and secured them to the slides.

With the sliding shelves installed, the garage shelf project was pretty much complete. Last, I just had to install some gate handles for each shelf to be able to pull them out easily.

DIY pull out storage shelves from garage shelf towerUsing gate handles for DIY pull out shelves on garage shelf tower - free plans

Although, I did make a last-minute design decision though – I omitted the bottom row of sliding shelves and replaced it with a static shelf (like the very top one).

I realized that some of my tools (like my miter saw) didn’t have enough clearance to fit on the DIY sliding shelf.

​Consequently, I settled for just 2 rows of sliding shelves, which was still plenty of awesomeness.

I took the pictures below of the completed DIY garage storage shelves:

DIY pull out storage shelves - free plans

DIY garage storage shelf tower with pull out shelves

DIY wall-mounted garage shelves with free plans

There is also enough space to pull a car into the garage too – with about a foot to spare.

​However, I was a little worried about bumping into the garage shelf with the car, so I got a cheap parking sensor to help (it turns from green to yellow to red as you get within a foot of the sensor).

Garage Storage Shelves - Easy Tutorial

Bonus Storage Shelving

After I finished the garage shelves, I had an extra 2 x 4 leftover. Still in a shelf-frenzy mood, I turned those into some normal shelves on the wall.

​To the left of the sliding shelf structure was a hideous area begging for some DIY garage organization, and a prime target for a storage solution:

Creating More Garage Storage - Sliding and Floating Shelves

Using some shelf brackets, I bought a while ago, I threw together a simple shelf for the garage with the leftovers from the main project.

​Below is what I turned the above disaster into – see shelf at the top of the picture.

Creating Garage Storage - Floating Shelves and Sliding Shelves

Using the Sliding Storage Shelves

The sliding storage shelves truly transformed a disorganized corner. We gained a ton of lost space through building the shelf tower.

Storage-wise, the garage shelves hold more than we could have imagined – most of the boxes of holiday decorations (Eileen loves that she can easily access these), tool boxes, and large tools such as the miter saw.

Underneath the storage shelves, I store the shop vac, jaw horse, and snow blower. It’s the perfect height.

Pleased with the outcome of my DIY garage organization, I found building the shelving unit one of the most fun and creative projects I’ve worked on recently.

​I also completely impressed Eileen with doing the whole project in one weekend – that was the best part. She was also thrilled that the cost was less than $200.

If your garage is getting out of control and you have underutilized space, you should definitely think about building these sliding garage storage shelves.

The design worked beautifully, and you can’t beat the turnaround time and low-cost.

With phase 1 of “Project DIY Garage Organization” was now complete. Phase 2 of the garage construction is coming this summer – a dream folding workbench with fancy storage solutions.

More Garage Ideas

Simple DIY garage sliding shelf tower - perfect for garage or basementsBuild Sliding Storage Shelves for your garage or basement - easy tutorial

How to Build an Entryway Bench with Hooks and Storage

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How to Build a Entryway Bench with Hooks and Storage Post Preview: This article will show you how to easily make this hallway bench with hooks and storage, perfect for mudrooms or entryways.

This post is sponsored by Old Fashioned Milk Paint. All opinions are entirely my own.

Do you ever have a busy room that’s an absolute mess? A room where there’s absolutely no efficiency?

This was our previous mudroom (see before picture below).

It was a disaster. 

Shoes and coats were always just tossed everywhere. Backpacks, diaper bags with no place to go.

When you have a room that drives you crazy like this, you have to rethink it. My wife came up with this great plan of installing a hall tree – with an L-shaped bench and locker-style cubby shelves.

Upper cubbies would be loaded with hooks for hanging things like coats and kids backpacks. Lower cubbies would hold shoes. We even planned to add drawers to parts of the lower cubby shelves for additional storage.

My wife’s favorite part of the plan, aside from the organization, was that we were using completely natural milk paint and Tung Oil, provided by Old Fashioned Milk Paint. Their milk paint is a gem – completely natural ingredients and it was a dream to work with.

In addition to the built-ins that we were making, my wife Eileen also planned to stencil the wall and add some shiplap. 

With these grand visions, the mudroom had know idea what was coming. Check out the before and after mudroom pictures:

 

Before picture of our mudroom makeover with a storage bench and cubbies

Before picture of the entryway bench with cubbies makeover

DIY Mudroom Makeover with Cubbies

Entryway bench with drawers and cubby shelves and hooks

How to Build an Entryway Bench with Hooks and Storage

Below are the instructions, tools, and materials for how to build this decked out entryway hall tree yourself 🙂 

 Entryway bench with storage drawers, hooks, and cubbies 

Tools and Materials

Entryway Cubby Bench Design Ideas

So, Eileen came up with her vision and sketched it out. Before our kids could color over it, I put her vision into place using a 3d design on my computer. 

The entire structure was to be made mostly out of ¾” birch plywood, cut into strips.  

Several hidden areas were going to be reinforced with 2x4s.

Finally, since plywood was being used, I had to cover all the exposed edges with trim.  

I planned to make my own trim by cutting thin ¾” strips of pine board.

To join all the pieces together, I was going to use a combination of construction adhesive, deck screws (1.5” and 3.5”), pocket hole screws and finishing nails.

The mudroom hall tree shelves consisted of three segments – two lower cubbies for drawers and shoes (and to also serve as a bench), and the upper cubbies – think locker-style – for hanging things in.

So logistically, this meant I could work on different parts of the cubbies as was convenient for me, and have them come together in the mudroom.

Building the Lower Cubbies for the Entryway Bench

I started with the two lower cubbies first. Here is what a finished cubby looked like (minus any drawers):

Building a bench with cubbies for the mudroom easy DIY tutorial

I used my table saw and miter saw to make the below wood cuts:

Cutting plywood and 2x4s with the table and miter saw to use in the DIY entryway bench project

Each lower cubby consisted of three vertical (16.25” x 19”) and two horizontal (16.25” x 17”) pieces of plywood.  

The horizontal pieces attached to the vertical ones.

The structure was further reinforced with some 2x4s in the rear, and some plywood in the front.

The rear 2x4s also would serve as anchor points to bolt the cubbies to wall studs in the mudroom.

Joining the Cubby Shelf Pieces

To join most of the pieces together, I drilled a number of pocket holes using my Kreg Pocket Hole Jig, as shown below:

Joining pieces of the DIY entryway bench together with the kreg jig

The pocket holes were ideal for joining inside pieces of wood, like the piece in the center.

Here is what a pocket hole joined section looked like:

Using pocket holes to connect wood when making a DIY entryway bench

I used some deck screws to join the end pieces (with the help of a 3ft bar clamp to keep everything tight during the joining process):

Using deck screws to join together pieces of the DIY entryway bench

Sneak Preview of the Entryway Cubby Shelves

When the two lower cubbies were done, I placed them inside the mudroom to get a feel for how they would look:

Mid construction on the entryway storage bench with cubbies - lower cubbies and bench

I also bolted some 2x4s to wall studs in the corner provide support for the entryway bench over there.

Not wanting to sacrifice some electrical outlets in the room, I also cut out some notches in the cubby shelves, so the outlets could still be accessed.

Painting the Lower Cubbies

After I was happy with the look of the cubbies inside the mudroom, I brought them back outside for painting:

Using milk paint to the lower cubbies for the DIY entryway bench

We used Old-Fashioned Milk Paint, which we absolutely love. It’s completely natural and has zero VOCs. It’s made from just milk casein, lime, and earth pigments. There’s no smell and it goes on beautifully. To see how to use milk paint on raw wood, check out this post. 

Building Drawers for the Entryway Cubby Bench

With the lower cubbies complete, I moved onto the drawers.

They were a simple box drawers made from 4 pieces of ¾” plywood for the sides, and a thin ¼” plywood sheet for the bottom. I attached the sides together with construction adhesive and screws to form a square.

Then, I used more glue and finishing nails to secure the plywood sheet to the bottom.

Here were the drawers so far:

How to make homemade drawers for an entryway bench

If you want to learn more about making custom drawers, check out my post on building pull-out drawers. I give all the details on these DIY shaker-style drawers on that post. 

Next, I mounted the drawers in the cubbies with some drawer hardware (at this point, the cubbies were back inside after being painted and bolted to wall studs):

Connecting drawers to openings for a homemade DIY entryway bench with storage

I would later revisit the drawers to add a nice custom shaker-style drawer fronts and handles.

Building the Bench Top to the Cubbies

Now it was time to cut the wood for the bench tops that would attach to the lower cubbies. I used two pieces of  ¾” plywood and cut them to size.

Attaching the Bench to the Cubbies

I secured the two plywood benches to the cubbies with construction adhesive, and inserted screws from underneath.

Here are the cubbies prepped with construction adhesive for one of the benches:

Attaching the cubby storage to the benchtop with construction adhesive for an entryway bench makeover

Here the benches have been secured in place with the constructive adhesive and screws:

Securing the benchtop to the wall and cubbies for this DIY entryway bench tutorial

Installing Trim Around the Benchtop

Once the benchtop was in place, I covered all the exposed plywood edges with some custom cut trim:

Covering the exposed benchtop plywood with custom-made trim for the DIY entryway bench

I used my miter saw to cut the corners of the trim at 45 degrees, so all the pieces would fit seamlessly together.

Then, I attached the trim to the plywood benchtop with construction adhesive and finishing nails (with the help of my finishing nailer to speed things up).  

Afterwards, I gave the trim edges a light sanding by hand to bevel and smooth them.

Here’s another picture of the trim showing an inside corner:

Sanding the edges of the benchtop trim of the DIY entryway bench with shoe storage

Neat Trick: Making Colored Wood Putty

Here’s a neat little trick I did to fill in some gaps and holes after the benchtop trim was installed.

Normally I would use wood putty to fill in these spaces, but I had planned on staining the wood and did not want the putty to stand out very discolored (especially since I was planning on using a light, very transparent tung oil stain). So I made my own wood filler.

I took sawdust produced from cutting the trim and mixed it with Elmer’s glue. I mixed a little glue at a time, sometimes adding more sawdust, until the mixture was putty like.

Then I filled in any gaps and holes with my custom made wood putty.

After it dried, I sanded it down.

The end result was great. My custom made wood putty produced a near perfect color match filler.

I did originally make the mistake of mixing the sawdust with wood glue on my first attempt.  It was a bad idea. The mixture dried so hard that it was nearly impossible to sand off. So make sure to use Elmer’s glue if you’re using the trick on one of your own projects.

Here’s a picture showing the custom made wood putty drying (looks messy now, but after a good sanding, it produces great results):

Custom-made woody putty to match the wood in building an entryway bench for the mudroom with tons of storage

Staining the Benchtop with Tung Oil

Next I started the process of applying Tung Oil to the benchtop. I opted to use pure Tung Oil for this project.

It was going to be a little more work and time, but I didn’t want to use any chemical-based stains.

This meant also staying away from any Tung Oil marketed as “fast drying”. Those meant the Tung Oil was mixed with a chemical to hasten the drying period.

Pure Tung Oil takes several coats spread over a long period to achieve good results.

So I rubbed on some pure Tung Oil to the wood with some lint free rags, then gently rubbed off any excess oil sitting on the surface. I was pretty liberal with the amount of Tung Oil, as it was the first coat.

Then I let it dry for about 24 hours (or until the surface wasn’t so tacky anymore).

The room did have a fairly strong odor of Tung Oil, but at least it wasn’t a strong chemical odor. It was akin to the smell of cooking oil. I made sure the window was open during the day with a large fan. I kept the fan running all night too to help with the drying.

After the first coat was dry, I started the process of applying more coats, about 24 hours apart.  I did about 4 more coats in total until I was happy with the color.

The more coats you do, the darker the stain gets.

On these subsequent coats, I did not use rags though. I wet sanded them.

This means I lightly rubbed on the Tung Oil stain with very high grit sandpaper specially made for wet sanding (the paper wouldn’t fall apart if sanding while wet). Using high grit sandpaper to apply the Tung Oil resulted in better penetration of the oil into the wood.

Here is the picture of the Tung Oil applied to the bench top:

Tung Oil on Plywood - benchtop for a DIY entryway bench with tons of storage and drawers too

Building the Upper Cubbies for the Entryway Bench

The lower cubbies were done for the time being. It was time to move onto the upper cubbies. I had to give the Tung Oil stain a few more days of drying anyway before I could work near to the benchtop.

Cutting the Pieces for the Cubbies

Here I am trimming the long 8 ft pieces of plywood for the upper cubbies (I’ve got an assembly line flow going on):

Trimming plywood to make cubby shelves for the mudroom entryway hall tree bench

These strips of plywood were going to be the five vertical segments of the cubbies (10.5” x 69.5”), and the header piece (10.5” x 71.25”).

Also, I needed four smaller pieces (10.5” x 17.25”) for some shelves at the top of the cubbies.

Joining the Pieces for the Upper Cubbies

After the pieces were cut, I pre-drilled screw holes to attach the five vertical pieces to the header piece:

Predrilling pieces of wood for the upper cubby shelves on the entryway bench

To attach the vertical pieces, I found it super convenient to use a 90 degree wood clamp.

After applying some construction adhesive, the clamp help hold the pieces in place while I inserted some screws from underneath (in the holes I pre-drilled earlier):

Attaching the plywood to make cubbies using clamps

The upper cubbies are starting to come together now. Here they are with the five vertical pieces attached (note that the whole thing is upside down at the moment):

Assembling the cubbies for the entryway hall tree, with tons of storage

Reinforcing the Cubbies

To reinforce the vertical pieces and make the structure more rigid, I added some extra plywood in between each section at the header (fastened with pocket hole screws, as you can probably tell by the holes):

Assembling extra support on the diy cubby shelf for the entryway bench

It was time to flip the vertical cubbies over (I had constructed them upside down for convenience):

Finishing assembling the entryway hall tree with cubbies on this diy mudroom project

Next, I added some more pieces in between the sections. These additional pieces served two purposes.

First, they reinforced the cubbies even more.

Second, they were going to hold hooks for the cubbies. I wanted strong mounting points for the hooks so they wouldn’t fall out, and attaching the hooks directly to the cubby structure made the most sense.

Here’s a picture showing the back of the vertical cubbies with the reinforcing pieces attached (I used a lot of pocket holes to attach them):

Reinforcing the cubbies with extra wood for the entryway storage bench with locker-style cubbies project

Painting the Cubbies with Milk Paint

I got some help from Eileen to paint the upper cubbies. She put on several layers of milk paint and was happy with the look:

Painting the entryway cubby shelf with old fashioned milk paint in snow white

BTW, check out Eileen’s awesome post on using achieving great results with milk paint and raw wood!

Installing the Locker-Style Cubbies in the Entryway

The cubbies were now painted and ready for the mudroom installation. I lifted them onto the benchtop and started securing it to wall studs (I used 3.5” deck screws for this task).

Here’s Eileen hard at work helping to attach the cubbies:

Installing the DIY cubby shelving into the mudroom, resting on the diy entryway bench

To secure the upper cubbies to the bench and prevent the vertical pieces from moving around, I used some pocket hole screws to lock them in place:

Using pocket hole screws to hold the upper locker-style cubbies in place

I would later fill these pocket holes (using special pocket hole plugs), sand and repaint to hide them.

Attaching Trim to the Cubbies

Next I spent some time installing trim to hide the unfinished plywood edges. Here’s a close-up of some of the trim (you can see some plugged pocket holes waiting to be painted):

Adding trim

Just a few remaining tasks for the entryway bench and cubbies

With both the lower and upper cubbies installed, the mudroom project was nearing completion:

Installing an entryway bench with cubbies and drawers in the mudroom

I had already installed most of the shiplap (post coming soon), and Eileen did a wonderful job of stenciling the wall.

See Eileen’s great post about stenciling walls!

At some point in every project, you are left scratching your head trying to solve a problem. Here I am in one of those moments (I forget what my issue was at that time, but clearly I figured it out to complete the project!):

Building an entryway hall tree with tons of storage

Making Custom Drawer Fronts

At this point in the project, I went back to the drawers to finish them. I custom made some shaker-style faceplates.

The result was some amazing looking drawers:

Building DIY mudroom storage drawers on the entryway bench

Make sure you read up on my post about making custom drawer fronts for full details.

Installing Shiplap Between the Cubbies

In this picture, I have already installed shiplap in between the upper cubbies for a uniform look in the room:

Installing shiplap in between the cubbies for a modern farmhouse look

The structural pieces of the vertical cubbies were starting to blend into the shiplap.

They only stand out now because they are sanded and unpainted.

Notice how I also taped off the benchtop. The Tung Oil was still a bit tacky and I did not want sawdust, paint and other debris falling on it as I worked with the upper cubbies.

Adding Hooks

We ordered some simple hooks from Amazon – we used 8 of them on this built-in hall tree. I added them directly into the cubby structure – not into the shiplap.

The shiplap wouldn’t have been strong enough to hold the hooks, as the shiplap in between the cubby shelf was only secured to the wall with construction adhesive because of their size. 

We also have been using 3M command hooks for extra spots on the sides of the locker cubbies.

That is an added bonus of putting dividers between each of the cubbies – you get more storage.

It’s perfect because it gives more space for coats and hats. And boy, you can pack a lot of stuff into this built-in entryway storage bench. 

Entryway Storage is finished!

Shortly afterwards, the project was completed! The Tung Oil technically needed some more time to cure, so I put up “Wet” signs to let people know not to sit on the bench.

I gave the Tung Oil about two more weeks to cure before the bench was available for use.

Here are the finished mudroom cubbies:

Locker-style cubbies in mudroom painted in Snow White Milk Paint

Shiplap hall tree with an L-shaped bench and drawer and shoe storage

Amazing isn’t it! Eileen and I love our new mudroom cubbies. Everything has its place. All the shoes are tucked away and coats and bags hung neatly on the abundant hooks.

Time and Cost of the Hallway Bench with Hooks and Storage

It took about 3 weekends (not full days) to build this decked out entryway storage bench with locker-style cubbies. I did also work a little bit during the week to apply Tung Oil here and there. The cost was $250. Not bad for a huge piece of furniture?

Build your own DIY entryway storage bench with locker-style cubbies

how to build an entryway bench with drawers and cubby shelves

How to Build Simple Wall Shelves

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How to Build Simple Wall Shelves Post Preview: In this post, you’ll find out how to build easy DIY wall shelves. You can customize the measurements to your needs. These shelves perfectly fit 8 fabric storage bins. 

As part of our craft room organization, we turned a haphazard corner of space into a truly organized craft corner. Previously we installed the pegboard and built and mounted a cubby shelf. Last, we are added two simple shelves to go above the pegboard. 

One of the things we love about doing DIY projects is that you can customize what you are making to be perfect for your needs. Just like how we made the cubbies to fit tons of scrap book paper, we were making these to fit four fabric storage bins per shelf. These easy DIY wall shelves are perfect for holding bins. You create customized storage out of just a little wall space and wood.  

Craft room organization with pegboard and cubby shelves

Here’s a before picture of the entire craft corner organization project.

 Messy craft corner before picture

And here’s the after of the beautifully organized craft corner:

Organized craft room with pegboard, cubbies, and wall shelves

Here’s how we made the final part of the project – the simple DIY wall shelves.

How to Build Easy DIY Wall Shelves

The first step in making these simple storage shelves was figuring out my supplies. First, I needed to find shelf brackets. Eileen wanted to use decorative wooden shelf brackets. The only one I could find in stock at Home Depot was decorative but had a max weight capacity of 10 lbs.

I knew Eileen would be putting more than 10 pounds of weight on shelves. 

However, the wood itself felt pretty sturdy.

The low load capacity stemmed from the cheap keyhole hangers on the back. The shelves were going to be secured to the wall with lag bolts, so I could ditch those keyhole hangers and just reinforce the brackets.

Here’s a picture of the wooden bracket (also called a corbel):

Building wall shelves with decorative wooden bracketsThere are lots of ways to put a simple shelf on the wall.

Depending on the design and load bearing capacity of the shelf, you can either attach directly to drywall (with toggle bolts or other drywall fasteners), attach to wall studs (with lag bolts), or a combination of the two.

My homemade wall shelves needed to be able to hold a lot of weight, so pure drywall attachment was out of the question.

I had initially planned on bolting the wooden brackets directly to wall studs. However, the placement of the wall studs was not practical for the look of the shelves. Either the brackets would be really close together, or one side of the shelf would extend very oddly past one bracket. I could attach one bracket to a stud and the other to drywall, but I wanted a more sturdier design.

A Shelf Design that Worked

So I came up with an elegant alternative for the craft room shelves. I would bolt a 2×4 directly to the wall studs, spanning the length of the shelf. This would hold most of the load. Then I could position the wooden brackets however I liked, as they would rest directly on the drywall (regardless of stud position).

This design was essentially replacing the cheap keyhole hangers (that came with the brackets) with a beam bolted to wall studs.

Here’s a picture showing the final design of one of the shelf mounts (it’s upside down right now):

Building the shelf mounts for the DIY wall shelvingOnce turned right side up, the surfaces currently facing you would be pressed flatly against the wall, and lag bolts would secure the 2×4 to wall studs.

See how the vertical surface attached to the wooden bracket wasn’t flush with the 2×4?

It’s because this shelf mount was going to rest directly on the pegboard. So even though the 2×4 would be bolted to the wall, the wooden brackets would sit on the pegboard.

Eileen requested this design as it looked really good visually. So I had to offset the brackets for this mount to account for the depth of the pegboard. This wasn’t an issue with the second shelf mount, as it would rest entirely against the wall.

Assembling the Shelves

For the construction of the mount, I used construction adhesive and deck screws. It was critical to pre-drill all the screw holes with a countersinking bit.

Here’s the shelf mount turned right side up (you can see the shelf behind it waiting to be attached):

Building a DIY shelf mount for homemade wall shelvesI attached the shelf to the mount with more construction adhesive and deck screws:

Using construction adhesive and deck screws to build a DIY wall shelfHere are the two shelves primed and painted (again I used the enamel based cabinet paint for the shelf surface):

Painting DIY wall shelves to hold storage binsI had used a ¾” Forstner bit to make a hole for the lag bolts. This would prevent the lag bolt heads from sticking out past the surface of the wood. For an even more aesthetic touch, I planned on covering the holes with some mushroom head screw hole plugs.

In no time, the last construction part of the craft room storage and organization project was completed with these homemade wall shelves. 

Mounting the Shelves to the Wall

These simple storage shelves were very easy to attach. I rested the lower shelf directly on the pegboard and inserted the lag bolts. Since the pegboard was already level, I didn’t have to worry about this shelf being uneven.

Once in place, I used some 12” spacer 2x4s to hold the above shelf in place while I attached that one as well:

Mounting DIY shelves to the wall above the installed pegboard

Shelf Organization Tips

I purposely built the DIY shelves so that four storage bins could fit on each shelf. Below is how Eileen utilized these shelves.

She picked up eight fabric storage bins from the dollar store! The storage bins aren’t super sturdy but they were perfect otherwise and could easily be reinforced. She ended up only using six, but each bin has a purpose – kids crafts, sewing accessories, holiday crafts, felt scraps, and extra office supplies.

Eileen was in awe at just how much these bins held and how organized – and easily accessible her materials now were. Marie Konmari would be proud 🙂

Organizing the craft room with pegboard, simple wall shelves, and cubbies

A Finished Craft Corner

The pegboard, wall shelving, and cubby storage all came together really nicely, providing a plethora of DIY storage space in Eileen’s craft corner. What used to be otherwise wasted space was now turned into a massively organized craft corner – just with wall space!

And here, my friends, is the end result of all of this new craft room organization and storage:

Organizing a craft room with wall shelves, cubbies, and pegboard - perfect for craft rooms

Eileen emptied out tons of plastic storage containers and even a dresser, using this three-part craft room organization. The pegboard held a ton of desk and craft supplies. The fabric storage bins held many things that were previously stuffed in desk drawers and the closet. The cubby shelves emptied a craft cart. Here are all the things that were emptied onto the craft room organization pieces:

Empty containers after organizing the craft room

And, here are a few pictures of the finished craft room corner:

   Organizing a craft room corner with pegboard, DIY cubby shelves, and DIY wall shelves DIY cubby shelves mounted to the wall and organized with craft supplies Blue wall-mounted pegboard and dollar store buckets for craft room organization

 

Don’t forget to get our free plans so you can fix up your craft space as well! If you are looking for more organization, this quick easy DIY shelves are simple to make and hold tons of storage. You can use these simple shelves anywhere you have wall space, not just in a craft room or office.

 

DIY Craft Room Storage - Lots of Ideas!

How to Build Wall-Mounted DIY Cubby Shelves

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How to Build Wall-Mounted DIY Cubby Shelves Post Preview: You will see how you can build your own DIY cubby shelves and mount them to the wall. 

If there’s one thing we’ve learned in all of our DIY endeavors it’s that you can do a lot with a little bit of space. 

Using just one corner of a room, I’ve been revamping my wife’s craft corner with three things: pegboard, wall-mounted cubby shelf, and some simple wall shelves.

In our previous post, I shared how we mounted the pegboard, and in this post, I’ll be sharing how I built the cubby shelves. Afterward, I’ll share how I built the simple shelves (which are a gem as they hold 8 fabric storage bins!). 

 

 

How to Build Homemade Cubby Shelves

My wife was really excited about the cubbies, knowing they would bring a lot of organization and storage to her craft room.

She had so many paints and other crafts that would fit perfectly onto cubby shelves. With cubbies being open, it makes things easy to find  and quickly grab. Since everything is on display, it’s natural to keep it organized.  

Using Cubby Shelves for Craft Room Organization - Easy DIY Tutorial with Free PrintablesSo, I did some research and came across two popular designs for cubby shelving. The first design used pocket hole screws to hold the cubby shelves in place.

The second design used routed dados for the shelves. I went back and forth about which design I wanted to use.

The pocket hole method was the fastest and easiest to do. I am also a huge fan of pocket holes.

However, I felt that these cubbies needed a bit more craftsmanship. After all, they were going to be in the same room as our recent window seat bookshelf project. So I opted for the routed dado design.

As for the wood, I normally just use the common pine boards sold at Home Depot for most of my projects.

However, the cubby shelves needed an upgrade. Common pine boards are full of surface imperfection and knots. So I opted for their “select” pine boards. It was twice the price of the standard boards, but there was a huge difference in the quality.

I was excited to work with wood of this quality. It was a rare treat for me.

Cutting the Dados for the Cubby Shelves

Now on to the construction of the cubby storage shelves. First, I had to calibrate my router to the correct depth setting. I used a scrap piece of wood and made repeated cuts with varying depths until I got the 3/16” depth required for my dados:

Cutting Dados for Cubby Shelving - free printablesNext, I outlined the dados with a pencil and ruler, and clamped down a piece of scrap wood for a router guide.

Now let the routing begin:

How to Build DIY Cubby Shelves for Additional Wall StorageI was a little disappointed with my first dado. I’ve done many dado cuts in the past, but for some reason, this one was slightly wavy. The edges were not perfectly straight like I was accustomed to.

I started to worry that something was wrong with the router. Then after closer inspection, I realized that my scrap wood guide fence had small imperfections along the surface.

Thinking this might be the root of my problem, I swapped out the wooden guide fence with a metal ruler, as seen below:

Building DIY Cubby Shelves to Mount on Wall for StorageI re-ran the router through the cut and success! The wavy edges went away.

I guess scrap wood isn’t the solution to everything.

I had to be careful using my ruler as a fence for the rest of the cuts though. It provided a very small surface for the router to move along. The router risked slipping over the edge of the ruler and ruining the boards.

So very carefully, I cut all the boards and produced the following:

Cutting the boards for DIY Cubby ShelvingHere’s a top-down view showing how I cut dados on both sides of some of the boards:

How to Make the Cuts for DIY Cubby Storage Shelves - free printablesThe boards with dados on both sides were going to sit vertical inside the cubby shelf. Then square shelves would be inserted into the dados to form the cubes.

Adjusting the Cubby Design

At this point, I took a look back at my design, and suddenly remembered something that I had forgotten.

Eileen wanted some of the individual cubbies to be long enough to hold standard printer sized sheets (8.5×11) for her large card stock collection.

I had intentionally gotten 10” wide boards for the cubbies to account for this. However, I forgot to factor this requirement into the rest of the design.

The dados were all cut to allow perfectly square cubbies, approximately 8”x9”x9.25”. This would result in the 8.5×11 sheets hanging off the edge slightly.

I didn’t want this to happen, so I needed to make an adjustment to the design. With the dados already cut, I really didn’t want to waste any wood. So I thought really hard and came up with the adjusted design below:

How to Organize a Craft Room with DIY Storage and ShelvesTwo of the vertical boards could be cut right where the bottom dado groove was made. Then a longer horizontal shelf could be inserted spanning two cubbies.

This would result in the two end cubbies at the bottom being long enough to hold the 8.5×11 sheets easily.

It also added a nice aesthetic touch to the design, breaking up the repeating squares. Both Eileen and I were very happy about the design modification.

Assembling the Cubby Storage Shelves

With that little hiccup out of the way, I proceeded to assemble the shelves. I used deck screws, construction adhesive and 90 degree wood clamps. Also, I used a countersinking bit with my drill for the deck screws. I didn’t want to risk the wood splitting.

Here is a picture showing the wood clamps in action:

Building Cubby Shelves for Craft Room StorageConstruction adhesive was essential to a sturdy design that wouldn’t wobble over time:

Building DIY Storage Cubby ShelvesHere I have the 4 main vertical boards secured in place:

Securing the Vertical Boards for DIY Cubby ShelvesThe cubby shelves are starting to take form here:

Building DIY Storage Cubby Shelves for Wall I used construction adhesive for all the inside shelves too, I didn’t want them moving in the dado grooves over time. I also used some deck screws where possible too (like on the end pieces).

Here is some more progress made on the cubbies (see how I also had to use some bar clamps to pull the inside shelves tightly into the dados):

How to Build Cubby Shelves for Wall-Mounted StorageUsing Ratchet Straps

When all the inside shelves were placed into the dados, I saw that the top measurement of the cubby shelf didn’t match the bottom. Little gaps here and there in the dados were adding up and making the top of the cubby wider than the bottom by about an inch.

When I squeezed in one pair of dados with a bar clamp to eliminate a gap, another gap would open up slightly somewhere else. It was getting a little frustrating.

Then inspiration hit me. Maybe I could use some ratchet straps to pull in all the shelves tightly at the same time. It seemed a little silly at the time to use ratchet straps for this project, but I gave it a shot:

Using Ratchet Straps - Tips and Tricks for DIY Cubby Shelf StorageGuess what? The ratchet straps worked.

As I tightened each ratchet, I could hear the satisfying creak of the dados squeezing together tightly.

I checked the upper measurement of the shelf and it was finally in agreement with the bottom.

I secured the final top board and attached some strategically placed boards in the rear to help mount the cubbies to wall studs. The cubby build was pretty much complete.

Here is the cubby shelf so far. It looked so nice – and Eileen loved it. It was the perfect answer to her craft room organization and storage problem.

How to Organize a Craft Room with DIY Storage and ShelvesAll that remained now was to wood putty the screw holes and paint.

I used one coat of primer and one coat of cabinet enamel paint. I had some enamel paint left over from previous projects, and thought it would be perfect for the cubbies.

Since I didn’t want items sticking to regular paint over time, the enamel based paint would eliminate this concern.

Here is the painted cubby storage shelf eagerly awaiting installation:

Building DIY Cubby Shelves for Craft Room Storage Makeover

Installing the Cubbies 

With the pegboard already mounted to the wall. I next needed to hang the cubby storage.

Unfortunately, the size and weight of the cubbies was too much for me to just hold it against the wall while I attached it. Eileen was pregnant at the time, so she couldn’t help me out. 

So I got creative and I attached a temporary 2×4 to the wall studs for me to rest the cubby on. This would allow me to position it perfectly without breaking my back. It would result in some small screw holes in the drywall after removal, but I could easily patch that up with drywall compound.

Here’s a picture with the temporary brace in place (I made sure it was perfectly level):

Free plans for DIY cubby shelves, pegboard, and basic shelvingHere is the cubby storage shelf mounted to the wall:

Mounting DIY Cubby Shelves to Wall - free DIY plans

Cubby Organization Tips

Here is the completed shelf – including Eileen’s organization.

She used the cubby shelf for card stock, construction paper, and felt organization. That emptied an entire cart worth of messy piles. She used little bins and mason jars to organize things like paper clips, tacks, paint brushes, pom-poms, kids scissors, and popsicle sticks.

DIY Craft Room Storage - Lots of Ideas with free printablesShe does a ton of kids crafts with our son, including lots of card-making and letter-writing. With this cubby organization, she can easily access his collection of stickers which are grouped in a bin as well as card stock and envelopes.

Organizing Craft Room with Cubby Shelves, Floating Shelves and Pegboard!
Craft Corner Organization Pictures

Here are some final pictures of the craft room organization. The project was comprised of three parts: the pegboard, the cubby shelf, and the simple wall shelves.

Free plans! DIY Craft Room Storage with pegboard, cubbies, and shelvesAnd most impressively…

With the amount of new storage created with these three things, Eileen was able to empty out tons of storage containers. She emptied three storage towers, one cart, and one dresser. She completed underestimated the amount of space all of the new craft room storage gave her.

Here’s the impressive ensemble of containers she emptied with this project:

How to Organize a Craft Room with DIY Storage and Shelves - "Before"I was sure happy to see that black dresser emptied out. I tossed it to the curb that very day. It had been in closets for the past eight years and before that was my old college furniture. 

Don’t forget to download our free plans for this craft room organization and storage project.

 

 

Free plans - Awesome DIY ideas that create new storage space!

 

How to Make an Outdoor Reindeer & Santa Sleigh Decoration

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Outdoor Christmas decorations are always so expensive.

We’ve had our eyes on a set of reindeer and a Santa sleigh for years – but the price is always ridiculous.

And, at the after Christmas sales, they are always sold out.

So, I did what I do best – and I made my own.

It’s not the exact Santa sleigh and reindeer set she had her eyes on, but I wanted to go in a different direction than the standard Christmas yard props.

With my recent purchase of a new jigsaw, I could get pretty creative in making a homemade outdoor Santa sleigh decoration.

After bouncing some ideas off Eileen, we decided to cut out a sleigh and two reindeer from plywood.  

Then, I would drill tiny holes along the perimeter and insert string lights. The whole thing was to be suspended between my front porch posts.

It turned out pretty nice – and we paid nothing for it. We used plywood leftover from various big projects and lights that we already had.

In fact, all of our Christmas decor projects in the Deck the Home blog hop have been made from scrap wood & other leftover materials. Check out the Christmas star and buffalo check tree. 🙂

Without further ado, here are the instructions on how to make this outdoor Santa sleigh decoration. Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom to see the other outdoor projects and tutorials in the blog hop.

Holiday Yard Decor Santa's Sleigh and Reindeer

How to Make Reindeer and Santa’s Sleigh Yard Decor

For just a few hours of time and less than $20, you can make your own reindeer and sleigh outdoor decorations.

Sketching the Reindeer and Sleigh

To start, I did my best to sketch out a sleigh and reindeer. Here’s my sketch of the sleigh:

Sleigh outline drawn on plywood to make outdoor yard decoration

Here’s the sketch of the reindeer:

Reindeer drawn on plywood to make yard decor

Cutting Out the DIY Reindeer and Sleigh

Once I was happy with the sketches, I moved onto my jigsaw to start cutting them out.

It was important to use the right saw blade as I didn’t want to risk breaking off an antler or produce really rough edges. I opted for a fine blade made specifically for cutting curves in plywood.

To cut out the sketches, I found it easiest to place the plywood on top of a wooden box while using the jigsaw.

Cutting a reindeer yard decoration out of plywood with a jigsaw

Here is the final cut of the Reindeer:

Reindeer yard cut-out for Christmas decorations

Here is the sleigh:

Sleigh made out of plywood for outdoor Christmas decorations

I did two reindeer, so after I cut out the first, I traced it onto another sheet of wood to make a second reindeer.

DIY Santa Sleigh and Reindeer Outdoor Yard Decorations

Drilling Holes for the Holiday Lights

With the cutouts made, I moved onto drilling holes for the lights.

To start, I used a marker to place dots where I wanted each hole to be.

I made use of a 2” spacer to ensure consistent spacing between all the holes. (It was a cut piece of a drinking straw.)

Marking holes in outdoor yard reindeer decoration to add lights

Here’s a picture showing how I used a spacer:

Marking drill holes on plywood reindeer in order to add lights

When all the marker dots were added to the sketch, I had to determine what size drill bit best matched the diameter of the string light bulbs.

I figured out what drill bit to use by trial and error drilling various sized holes into a piece of scrap wood.

With my ideal sized drill bit selected, I proceeded to drill out all the marker dots.  

It was important to use a piece of scrap wood as a backing for the plywood as I drilled each hole. The backing allowed me to quickly move from hole to hole without worrying about damaging my work bench.  

Also, it reduced the likelihood of the drill ripping out any plywood as the bit emerged out the other side.

Drilling holes for holiday lights into outdoor reindeer

Here’s the Swiss cheese reindeer after all the holes were made (the scrap wood backer board sure took a beating after two reindeer and a sleigh):Adding lights to wooden plywood reindeer

Attaching Lights to the Outdoor Holiday Decor

With the holes drilled, the next task was to insert the lights.

I had initially hoped that the holes were going to be snug enough to securely hold the bulbs without them  falling out. This was not the case however.

So I strategically placed several globs of hot glue to keep the string lights attached to the plywood.

Using hot glue to attach Christmas lights to plywood reindeer

Here I am working with the lights and hot glue:

Poking the holiday lights through the drill holes on the plywood yard decorations

Here’s the completed back side of a reindeer with the string lights attached:Attaching lights to the plywood reindeer

Here’s the completed front side of a reindeer:

Homemade Lit up outdoor reindeer decoration made out of plywood

I repeated the process for the rest of the entourage until all the bulbs were inserted into the holes and secured down with hot glue.

Attaching lights to DIY yard decor Santa's sleigh and reindeer

Adding Hanging Hooks

One last thing remained and that was hooks to allow the sleigh and reindeer to be suspended.

I decided to use some wire mounting clips for this task. These were small plastic clips normally used to mount coaxial cables to walls for organization.

However, they would be perfect for my project.

Using wire mounting clips to attach hanging hardware to outdoor yard decor

The sleigh and reindeer were now completed.

To hang them up outside, I added two eye hole screws to my porch posts.

Adding eye hooks to porch posts to hold hanging yard decorations

Then I ran some wire through the plastic clips attached to the plywood earlier.

Finally I strung the wire through each eye hole screw, tensioned it well and plugged in the lights.

Here is the sleigh and reindeer in it’s full beauty.

Hanging Santa Sleigh and Reindeer DIY yard decor

Here is what the inside looks like – with the outdoor lights:DIY reindeer and Santa sleigh outdoor decor

And, I lost the daylight pretty quickly, so I lucked out in seeing the lit up reindeer and Santa sleigh right away. 

I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. More importantly, my wife loved it.

If you are wanting to buy outdoor Christmas decor but don’t want to spend the money, definitely think about making your own. We made ours for free with extra materials we had.

However, if you have to run to the hardware store for materials, it would probably run about $20 (plywood and 3 strings of lights).

Not bad for $20, right!?

 

Santa Sleigh and Reindeer Outdoor Yard Decoration DIY

Check out my favorite holiday DIY outdoor decorations here, or see all of the Deck the Home holiday DIY projects.

How to Build a DIY Screen Door

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For some reason, flies love to hang around in our garage.  

As annoying as they are in the garage, they are even worse if they make it inside the house.

I finally got tired of chasing after flies in the house and decided to install a screen door leading into the garage.

Now, in traditional Just Measuring Up fashion, I wasn’t about to just buy one from the store.

I had lots of wood left over from previous projects, so I decided to just make my own door. I just needed to buy some hinges and insect screen.How to build a diy wooden screen door tutorial

DIY Screen Door Design

I had a basic idea of what I wanted the scrap wood screen door to look like.

So I had a quick session on the table saw and miter saw using the scrap wood that I had laying around, and here is what I came up with for the screen door design:

How to build a DIY screen door - lining up the wood pieces in a pattern

DIY Screen Door Materials

Since I was retro-fitting a custom door in the door frame, the dimensions were customized to fit within the existing doorway trim.

Here are my exact dimensions:

Dimensions for making a custom screen door from scratch

How to Use Scrap Wood to Make a DIY Screen Door

The long boards for the screen door I cut with my table saw, while the triangle trim inserts were done with left over scrap wood using my miter saw.  I used whatever surplus boards I had lying around the garage.

If I were to buy boards from the store, I would be fine with just two 1′ x 10′ x 8′ boards.

Next, I had to join the pieces together to form the screen door. There are lots of different ways to join these pieces. I opted for the simplest method of using pocket hole screws. I used my trusty Kreg pocket hole jig.

Here is my Kreg pocket hole jig in action, connecting the pieces to make the scrap wood screen door:

Using my Kreg jig pocket holes to build a screen door

How to Make Pocket Holes for the Scrap Wood Screen Door

Making pocket holes with a jig is really fast and produces very strong joints. Here are what some of the joints look like:

Using pocket hole plugs to build a screen door

Pocket holes joints do leave visible holes. Normally, I don’t mind them.

However, I wanted this screen door to have a more professional finish.

So I filled the holes with these pocket hole plugs and a touch of wood glue:

Building a screen door using pocket holes

Once the wood glue is dried and the plugs are sanded down, the holes practically disappear (a coat of paint will seal the deal):

Making a wooden screen door with pocket hole plugs

Using Triangle Inserts for the Design

In making the scrap wood DIY screen door, I didn’t use any pocket holes for the triangle inserts.  I just used some construction adhesive and two finishing nails.

Here is the assembled scrap wood screen door (it’s looking great so far):

DIY screen door made from wood for a garage door

Installing Door Hinges on the DIY Screen Door

For my particular set up, it was more practical to install the hinges on the outside of the screen door frame (rather than inside, like typical door hinges are).  

So rather than screwing the hinges directly into the screen door trim (which would be hideous and not very strong at all), I decided to make simple mounts for the hinges.

I cut out a small segment of the existing doorway trim, and inserted a block of wood. This piece of wood was both glued and screwed into the doorway to make a strong mount for the hinges.  

Here is what one of the mounts looked like for the DIY screen door:

How to make a screen door fit

Attaching the Screen to the Door

After my wife painted the door, I proceeded to attach the screen to the door. I wrapped the door really tightly with the screen and stapled the perimeter of the windows with my staple gun:

How to make a wooden screen door for a porch or garage - working with the screen

Then I used my utility knife to cut away the excess screen:

How to build a screen door out of wood - attaching the screen to the wooden door

I covered the staples with door trim by attaching construction adhesive and letting it dry overnight:

Adding hinges to the DIY garage screen door

Attaching the DIY Screen Door Accessories

While attaching some of the screen door accessories (like hinges, handle and magnetic catch), I realized some of the screws were a bit too long.  

They were sticking out the other side of the door. I remedied this by shortening the screws to the thickness of the door.

Trimming the Screws

To trim the screws, I drove them into a scrap piece of wood. Then I secured the wood in a vise and used my handy Dremel to cut off the protruding parts of the screws (via a reinforced cut-off wheel).

I made sure to wear gloves and safety goggles for this, as lots of sparks fly when cutting metal.

Here’s a picture showing my screw trimming station:

How to make a wooden screen door from scrap wood

Attaching the Screen Door

To attach the DIY screen door, I placed it in the doorway  and positioned it in place.

I needed a 1/8″ gap between the door and the frame. So to ensure a consistent gap along the entire perimeter, I used several wooden shims underneath and along the edges of the screen door.

Once I was satisfied with an even 1/8″ gap, I screwed on the hinges to lock the screen door in place.

For the moment of truth, I pulled out all the wooden shims and watched the screen door swing freely.

Next, I attached the door handle and a long spring to self close the door.

However, I noticed that even with the spring in place, the screen door didn’t remain closed all the way (there was about half an inch of a gap). So I used a magnetic catch to keep the door pulled in all the way.

The DIY screen door made from scrap wood was complete!

Here is the finished homemade screen door for the garage:

How to make a wooden screen door instructions

For a final touch, I also attached a latch to be able to keep the screen door open if needed:

Step by step instructions on building a screen door

The DIY screen door only took a few hours to complete (although I had to wait extra time for paint and glue to dry).

Since I reused extra wood left over from projects, my total cost for the DIY screen door was around $30 (for screen, hinges, spring, handle).

And, the flies? They can longer get into the house.

And that, my friends, is a win.

Wooden DIY screen door for the garage door Easy instructions for making a DIY screen door tutorial Wood screen door painted white on the garage entrance

12 Things Every DIYer Needs in Their Garage

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With so many DIY projects in progress, our garage is usually a hot spot of disorganization. I finally got around to organizing my garage (again) last weekend. 

When it was all done, I stood by the door admiring my handiwork, hoping that this is the last time I need to do a garage organization overhaul. 

This time, the garage is really efficiently organized. There’s tons of DIY garage storage shelves, lots of folding and rolling work spaces, creative nooks that house frequently-used items, and a few fun things as well!

Now that every single thing has a place and is neatly organized in the garage, it makes me want to start a DIY project right away. But before I do so, I wanted to share these DIY garage storage ideas with you.

Without further ado, here is list of 12 things around my garage that I made or bought to help organize DIY projects and efficiently store tools. 

12 Awesome Workshop and Garage Organization Tips and Tricks

Battery Charging Station

Over time, I have accrued a number of power tools with different types of batteries. I believe I have 8 different types of battery chargers. Now when I buy new cordless tools, I try my best to find ones that will work with my existing batteries.  

Nevertheless, I am still stuck with an existing assortment of battery chargers that need to be organized in my garage. Managing all of them can get messy, so I decided to centralize them into a battery charging station.  

It’s just a simple L shaped storage shelf off the side of one of my workbenches. This DIY garage storage idea has organized my batteries perfectly.

DIY Garage Organization Ideas - Battery Charging Station

Hidden Workbench Storage

Of all the DIY garage storage and organization ideas, this is one of my favorites. I recently built a new rolling workbench, and mid-construction I thought about how much potential storage space was being wasted inside.

I am always on the lookout for making use of idle spaces, so I came up with the idea of hidden storage for the workbench.  

So, I divided my workbench into 3 sections, and attached the top with hinges. Just under the table top, I now have huge drawers of garage storage space. 

To make it even cooler, I installed some pneumatic lid supports to keep the lids in place when open.  The supports also make it a lot easier to open since the lids are pretty heavy.

Creating hidden storage in workbenches for extra DIY garage organization tricks

Rolling Tables with Storage

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted a workspace in the middle of the garage or out in the driveway.  

So I finally drew up some garage plans for a rolling storage table, with a lot of emphasis on storage and organization.

The rolling table with storage is turning out awesome. My custom table has drawers on both sides for maximum organization. I use locking wheels so the table doesn’t roll when in storage or when I’m working on it.  

Even the height of the table was carefully taken into consideration. It’s the exact height as my table saw. So when I am cutting large pieces of wood with my table saw, I can just roll out my table for extra support. When I’m done with the table, it rolls away to fit under my garage workbench and serves as static drawers.

Don’t mind the missing drawer in the picture! The table is still under construction, but very usable in its current state.

Custom-made DIY rolling workbench with tons of storage and organization

Folding Workbench

As much as I love my garage workshop, it still is just a garage.  As such, our cars need to fit in there from time to time.

So, to strike a fine balance between a solid workshop and a working garage, I constructed a folding heavy duty workbench.  

The folded workbench is mounted on the walls and supported by 3 floating legs. When I need to park the car in the garage, I push the legs flat against the wall, and the whole table folds down.

See my post for more details on this awesome folding workbench. It’s definitely a must-have for an organized, functional DIY garage. 

Custom-built folding workbench that's great for small garages

Wall-Mounted Computer

A computer in the garage can be a really valuable tool.  

I like to sketch 3D designs of my projects on the computer. It makes it easy to visualize how something will turn out in end, and helps me determine how much material I will need.  

It’s also great for instructional YouTube videos.

When I’m not using it for projects, I just use it for music at night to keep the projects pumping along.

I built my own computer (made the case out of wood!), and mounted it high up on the wall next to a TV.  

No sawdust is going to get up there. I control with with a mini wireless keyboard and built in touchpad for the mouse.

Check out my blog post for full details on my custom made garage computer – such an awesome DIY garage idea, right?!

Garage computer that's great for watching how-to videos and for displaying plans while building

Shelves Galore

I have to admit – I may have gone a little storage shelf crazy in my garage. In fact, I even have sub-shelves attached to larger shelves. I can’t help it – they are so practical and useful. Here is a whole subset of DIY garage organization ideas for shelving. 

Extra Plywood Hack

Here I have some metal storage shelving in my garage, but I took it to the next level by bolting on some plywood to the side to store an assortment of things (like rakes, brooms, and even a chainsaw).

This has been so helpful to not have these items on the floor haphazardly.

DIY garage organization ideas - using plywood on the side of shelves

Scrap Wood Bin

Using otherwise wasted corner space, I built a scrap wood bin, and attached some shelves above it to store the smaller pieces (that would normally get lost in a bin). 

The bin and accompanying shelves house all of my scrap wood, emptying out other areas of the garage. Plus, all of my scrap wood is easy to find for my DIY projects made entirely of scrap wood.

Mini Shelves

Here is a mini shelf I built for holding some plastic drawers. The plastic drawers are holding the items for the computer/TV. Whenever I have an item that I don’t have a great place for, I just make my own little stand or shelf to hold it. 

Build custom-made mini shelves for extra DIY garage organization and storage

Sliding Shelf Tower

I also made a storage tower with sliding shelves for the garage. It holds a TON of things on it. Check out the blog post for the sliding shelf organization plans and design. This is Eileen’s favorite part of the garage because of the all the storage. In fact, she’s been wanting a few of these storage shelves that slide in the basement. 

Sub-Shelves

Here’s the sub-shelf I mentioned earlier.  I couldn’t stand looking at the empty void beneath one of my larger shelves.  So one day I tossed together some scrap wood for a mini shelf attached underneath.

DIY garage organization tips and tricks - lots of shelves

French Cleat Shelves

French cleat shelves are awesome.  I made these storage shelves from scratch with a french cleat mounting system. They hang very sturdily off the wall, and lift off with ease for me to carry around on various projects.

See my blog post about french cleat shelves to learn more about them.

Using French cleat storage bins for extra garage organization and efficiency

Repurposed Shelves

Here I repurposed some closet wire shelves for spray cans.  My neighbor tossed them out one day, and my eyes lit up. Free storage!

Don’t underestimate something that you or someone else is getting rid of – especially something that can be used as shelving.

Upcycling a closet wire rack into spray paint organization in the garage

Various Storage Bins

Storage bins are great for screws and commonly used things like driver bits and washers.  

I dedicated a number of shelves to just storage bins. I even mounted some storage bins to the wall for easy access.

They are also very portable. You can take them around with you during your project instead of having to run back to the garage every time you run out.

Using storage bins to help with garage organization

Folding Stands for Bulky Tools

If you don’t have the space in your garage workshop to dedicate to certain bulky tools (like table saws and miter saws), then consider folding stands for them.  

My table saw came with a built in folding stand. It allows me to fold up the saw and store it upright. It saves a considerable amount of space. The stand also makes it very portable.  I can just wheel my table saw where ever I need to use it.

Similarly , I bought a folding stand for my miter saw.  I get the same organization perks in the garage as my folding table saw.  

In addition, it comes with extending arms to help support long pieces of lumber I need to cut.

Use stands for power tools for easy garage storage

Easy Access to Power Tools

Whenever I need to plug in a tool for power, I never have to wander too far for an outlet. With this awesome extension cord holder, I just grab the cord and pull out however much I need.  

When I’m done, I crank the handle to reel the cord back in.  This extension cord holder is probably the most used contraption in my garage.

To make it even more convenient, I mounted it on hinges so it can fold away when not being used.

Easy way to access power tools

Here’s a really good tip.  If you use a lot of power-hungry tools (like table saws, miter saws, or even large shop vacs), I highly recommend a pair of  dedicated 20 amp outlets, on their own breaker.

I hired an electrician to install this for me, but it was pretty cheap. I can’t tell you how many times I used to fire up my table saw just to trip the 15 amp family room breaker. My wife was not very happy sitting in the dark when previously she was just enjoying The Bachelor.

Having a pair of outlets on their own breaker also means you can even run multiple high wattage tools simultaneously and never have to worry about making trips to reset breakers.

Overhead Storage

Your garage ceiling is prime real estate for storage.

It’s completely out of the way, but there for you when you need it.

So take full advantage of any free space up there. I’ve been using some heavy duty U bars bolted to my ceiling joists to store most of my lumber.  

I just grab a ladder or stepping tool when I need to access them.

There’s a wide market of ceiling mounted storage accessories for you to check out.  Just be weary of their load limits and make sure you attach them to ceiling joists with lag bolts.

Using overhead storage in the garage for extra organization and space

Magnetic Tool Holders

I recently picked up a handful of magnetic bars to store loose tools.  They are an awesome organizational tool. I tacked them onto any free surface that made sense.  

I use the magnetic tool storage holders to store wrenches, screwdrivers, loose screws, basically anything that is made from metal. Magnetic bars make it so convenient to quickly grab a tool, then slap it back on the bar when done. And they are pretty cheap!

Using magnetic strips to organize garage tools

Blowing Off Some Steam

Not all DIY projects are full of bliss.  There are times you will get frustrated. At the end of a hard day, you’ll probably want to let off some steam.

That’s why I built a boxing speed bag platform in the middle of my garage workflow.

It’s stowable too so it rises out of the way when not in use.  It’s even secured to the ceiling with rubber dampeners to reduce the noise.

Check out my blog post for more details on my boxing speed bag platform.

DIY garage boxing station

That’s it!  I hope my list gives you some ideas for your own DIY garage storage and organization projects.  

Let me know what cool things you have in your garage, especially DIY garage storage ideas. I’m always on the lookout for more things that can make my garage workshop time be more efficient and productive.

Things Every DIYer Needs in Their Garage for DIY Organization

DIY garage storage tips and tricks - lots of organization ideas!