How to Build Mudroom Cubbies

Cubbies are functional in a mudroom.

The mudroom should be an inviting place to drop your bags, kick off your shoes and take off your coat before tracking dirt into the rest of the house. Adding cubbies to a mudroom is one such way to make a neat place to put your outdoor gear. Add functionality to a bare mudroom with cubbies that can house decorative baskets that hide catch-all items and coat hooks.

Things You'll Need

• 3 pieces of 1-by-10-inch wood boards, 8 feet long
• Plywood
• Level
• Straight edge
• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Paper
• Compound miter saw
• Circular saw
• Wood glue
• Pneumatic nailer
• 2-inch finishing nails
• Palm sander
• Primer
• Paint or stain
• Paint or stain brushes
• Rag
• Coat hooks
• Drill
• 3-inch screws
• Stud finder

Instructions

Make the Cubby Units

1. Measure the length of 3 feet and 10 inches long on one of the 1-inch-by-10-inch-by-8-foot boards with a tape measure, and mark it with a pencil. Measure the same length again and mark it with the pencil. Cut the two pieces of wood with a compound miter saw to make the bottom and top sides of the cubby unit.

2. Measure the length of 14 inches on a piece of 1-by-10-inch wood with a tape measure, and mark it with a pencil. Cut the piece with a compound miter saw. Measure another 14-inch piece and cut that as well. These two pieces form the two vertical sides that box in the two long pieces from Step 1.

3. Measure 12 inches on a piece of 1-by-10-inch wood. Mark it with a pencil, and cut it with a compound miter saw. Repeat this measurement and cut to yield a total of three pieces of 1-by-10-inch wood cut to a size of 12 inches long each. These three pieces will form the vertical divides between each cubicle space.

4. Place one of the long pieces that measures 3 feet and 10 inches long on a work surface, and apply wood glue to the edges of both of its short ends.

5. Stand a 14-inch piece up at one end, perpendicular to it, and push it against the glue. Nail the 14-inch piece into the end of the 3-foot-and-10-inch piece.

   Attach the other 14-inch piece to the other end the same way.

6. Turn the unit on its side so that the side edges of all three pieces are on the work surface.

7. Apply glue to the two short ends of the other 3-foot-and-10-inch piece.

8. Stand it vertically upward, and slide it in between the two 14-inch pieces. Match up the ends, and nail them together through the 14-inch side pieces.

9. Mark three marks across the long horizontal edge of the unit every 11 1/2 inches. These mark the position of the three vertical dividers.

10. Apply glue to the two opposite edges of each of the three 12-inch pieces.

11. Slide each 12-inch piece in between and perpendicular to the two long sides of the unit. Nail them through the top and bottom long, horizontal sides. Adding these pieces makes the rectangular box look like a row of four square cubbies.

Attach the Back

1. Turn the unit over with its open front laying face down on the work surface.

2. Measure the width and length of the cubby unit from end to end.

3. Mark these measurements with a pencil on a piece of plywood.

4. Cut the backing piece with a circular saw.

5. Apply a bead of wood glue along all of the edges of the back of the cubby unit, which are now facing upward while the front of the unit is face down on the work surface. Apply the glue to the back edges of the 12-inch dividers as well.

6. Lay the plywood piece on top, and align its corners and sides with the unit.

7. Nail it into the back edges of the cubby unit along all four outer sides and along the three divider pieces that form the interior walls of the cubbies.

Finish the Cubby Unit

1. Sand the unit’s edges, corners and surfaces with a palm sander.

2. Paint or stain it. For paint, prime the unit with a primer. Paint the primer along the edges and all of the inner, outer and back sides of the unit, following the grain of the wood. Apply the paint in the same manner once the primer is dry.

   Stain the unit if paint is not the chosen finish. Dip the stain brush into the stain, wipe the excess back into the can and apply even strokes along the corners, interior surfaces, outer walls and back of the unit. Apply the stain in the same direction of the wood grain to camouflage the brush strokes. Wipe away an excess stain, let it dry before applying another coat, if desired, and then apply a finishing coat of polyurethane once that dries.

3. Attach coat hooks to the underside of each cubby space with a drill and screws.

4. Locate the wall studs with a stud finder and screw the unit to the wall with 3-inch screws through the back wall of the cubbies.

References

• The Polka Dot Chair: Make Your Own Mud Room Lockers
• Mudroom Bench: 10 Tips for Mudroom Cubbies Plans
• Living the Country Life: Building a Mudroom