Introduction: Entryway Shoe Storage Bench

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In this Instructable I'll show you how I made this Shoe Storage Bench. It's a great way to capture all the shoes in our entryway and has been a welcome addition to the house. It's made out of wood from the home center (other than the walnut top which could be subbed for other material) and has easy construction methods.

Check out the Instructable and if you want detailed plans for the build you can head over to my DIY Shoe Storage Bench post on my site.

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Step 1: Get Your Materials and Tools

Here is what you'll need for the build. The links below are affiliate links and help support my channel and let me build more projects.

Tools Used:

Materials Used:

Step 2: Assemble the Sides

The sides of the entryway shoe bench have a modified frame and panel construction. I started by cutting the legs to 18-¼” from 2×2 material and cut a ½” wide ¼” deep rabbet on the back legs.

The legs are joined together by 1×2 side rails 12-1/4″ long using pocket hole joinery.

I cut two 3/4″ plywood panels to 16-1/2″ by 12-1/4″ and drilled pocket holes in the sides and one on the top. Since 3/4″ plywood isn’t really 3/4 of an inch, I used some playing cards to shim the panels up and make them flush with inside face of the legs. Then I locked everything in place with some more pocket screws.

Step 3: Plug the Pocket Holes and Drill Shelf Pins in the Sides

The base of the DIY shoe bench will be painted and for a smooth surface I filled the pocket holes with plugs and sanded smooth. I used ⅜” dowels for the plugs and glue them in them cut them flush with a flush cut saw.

I used a shelf pin jig and drilled the holes on both sides for the adjustable shelf.

Step 4: Cut the Bottom Shelf and Stretchers

I cut a piece of plywood for the lower shelf to 42” by 14-14” and drilled pocket holes along the ends and the front of the shelf. Then I cut a 1×2 to 42” clamped it to the lower shelf and attached the trim with pocket screws.

For the top connectors I cut it to 42″ by 3″ for extra support and got it from the left over plywood since it won’t be seen.

I drilled 3 large counterbore holes with a ⅜” forstner bit in the underside of the front and back stretchers then came back with a 3/16” twist bit and drilled all the way through the stretcher.

I attached the front and back stretchers to the sides with pocket screws, making sure to leave the rabbet in the back legs open. Then I flipped the base over and attached the lower shelf.

I made the adjustable shelf the same way I did the lower shelf, attaching 1×2 trim to the front. I waited until after the base was finished so I could get the size of the shelf just right and minimize the gap between the legs and the shelf.

Step 5: Add Trim, Cut the Back and Make the Adjustable Shelf

I added cove molding around the inside of the side panel for some detail.

To prepare the back I cut a 43" x 16-1/2" panel from 1/4" plywood.

I made the adjustable shelf the same way I made the lower shelf. The only difference is this shelf is 41-7/8" vs 42". I attached the 1x2 trim to the front wtih 1-1/4" pocket screws.

After getting all the parts cut and assembled I sanded everything to 150 grit then painted with 3 coats of semi-gloss latex paint.

Step 6: Make the Walnut Top

I cut 3 walnut boards to 5-1/2" wide and 48" long. Then I glued them together to make a 16-1/2" wide top.

Once dry I cut the top to size at 47" long. I added a bevel detail to the underside of the top then sanded everything to 220 grit.

I applied 4 coats of satin polyurethane for extra protection.

Step 7: Attach the Top and Back and Install the Shelf

With the top finished I clamped it to the base and screwed it to the base with 1-1/4" screws through the holes drilled previously in the stretchers.

I attached the back panel with brad nails in the rabbets in the legs.

Lastly I installed the shelf pins and installed the adjustable shelf.

That's it, you're done. If you want to see more details and downloadable plans you can go to the full blog post here: http://fixthisbuildthat.com/diy-entryway-shoe-storage-bench-plans/