Check out this 2-part video series where I converted a useless closet with sliding doors into an open, functional, mudroom bench with storage!
With fall upon us and winter fast approaching we decided we needed to finally tackle the mudroom project in our house. Our laundry room has this large closet as you walk in the house that we thought would be an excellent place to build in a bench and shoe storage to keep everything in order.
The first video details the journey of transforming a plain 90's-era closet into a modern functional mudroom bench setup. We start with some light demo to get the closet ready for prep. Then we make the necessary repairs and put a fresh coat of paint on the inside. Once that is done we begin building a custom bench to fit the shape of the closet, allowing for the narrower opening of the door frame to the inside of the closet.
In the second video of the 2-part series we continue the build by making the butcher block bench seat and face frame. The butcher block top is finished with 2-coats of "Rustic Beige" stain from Minwax and sealed with 3-coats of Polycrylic Urethane.
Once those are done we can move onto the back panel which will eventually have some hooks for coats and a small upper shelf for (mostly) decoration. In parallel I also created a series of floating shelves in the corner of the closet to best utilize the space. I created these shelves from some off-cuts of the butcher block and routed a channel on 2 sides to accept a "cleat" which I mounted to the wall.
The most time-intensive step of this project by far is prepping and applying finish. All of the brad nail holes had to be plugged and sanded then all of the gaps caulked and smoothed. ONLY THEN can we actually start painting.
I eventually applied 3 coats of paint to everything to get a consistent color. Oh and we also applied wallpaper!
All in all this project came out amazing and we couldn't be happier with the result. We now use this space daily and wonder what we did before we had it. A place to sit down and put on/take off your shoes - along with a place to put the shoes is such a life saver!
This series was sponsored by Kreg Tool. Here is a list of my favorite Kreg Tool products (many of which were used in this build):
Kreg Pocket Hole Jig Pro 720 - https://amzn.to/3yChbgM
Kreg Portable R3 Pocket Hole Jig - https://amzn.to/3uk2qMa
Kreg Track Saw - https://amzn.to/3uk4bce
Kreg ACS - https://amzn.to/2So0OUq
Kreg PRS5000 Router Lift - https://amzn.to/3fMLVTk
Kreg 1/4" Shelf Pin Jig - https://amzn.to/2TlgHLT
Kreg Foreman Pocket Hole Machine - https://amzn.to/3hXwP0l
Kreg Cabinet Hardware Jig Kit - https://amzn.to/3uemSy1
Kreg Deck Jig - https://amzn.to/2Slp61c
Part 1:
Part 2:
Links from the videos (affiliate links help sponsor the channel!):
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Trim Removal Tool - https://amzn.to/3arf6t5
6" Flexible Taping Knife - https://amzn.to/3FDxI7k
Magswitch Featherboard Pro - https://amzn.to/2XPAIfR
Magswitch Starter Featherboard - https://amzn.to/2YwmBfz
Magswitch Double Sided Featherboard - https://amzn.to/3Fz7NOg
Magswitch Magjig 150 (2-pack) - https://amzn.to/3u0HEm9
Herringbone Wallpaper - https://amzn.to/3G4vKNN
75 lb capacity wall anchors - https://amzn.to/3ngYXw6
Incra T-Rule (6-inch) - https://amzn.to/3A42AeN
Woodpeckers T-Squares - https://bit.ly/3x7BXDF
Pentel Mechanical Pencils - https://amzn.to/3CEoK7x
3D Printed Fenceless Stop Block - https://etsy.me/2SjN5OI
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