DIY Mudroom {Create Your Dream Custom Mudroom}

$300
3 Weeks
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So after 2 years of waiting – I’m happy to be revealing our DIY mudroom!

Tired of your current “drop zone”? For us, it was the kitchen island. We have a beautiful kitchen but the island was always covered in stuff! Our building plans had an empty 12 x 12 room and had always planned to build a custom mudroom later on.

Features of our DIY Mudroom include:

  • Custom Built Mudroom Cubbies
  • L Shaped Bench Seat
  • Shiplap Feature Wall


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DIY Mudroom

Whether you have a dedicated mudroom in your home or not – this post is for you!


My husband and I dreamed of having this space to hang our “stuff” before we even moved into our home! You can insert a mudroom storage system like this pretty much anywhere you have space, a hallway, garage, entryway… I promise, you’ll be glad you did!


First and foremost, I must give immense credit to the “man behind the curtain”, my extremely talented and super handy hubby who made this project come to life!


Mudroom Lay Out Ideas

Our mudroom is right off of our 2 car garage. Our architects originally proposed this space a little differently but it was the first time I had heard of – “the drop zone”.

Original Floor Plan

I loved the concept but I’m all about the functional & organized so we made a few changes during the build process. I needed a functional bathroom. I’m so glad we added this – it is probably the most used bathroom in the house!


Mudroom Storage

Right off the garage when you come in and right next to the kitchen where we spend a ton of time. I still needed to fit a decent sized closet – this is where we keep the vacuum, mop, extra batteries, extra light bulbs, umbrellas, and allll the coats.


I seriously don’t know what we would do without the closet – I use it for so many things! There was also a door between the kitchen and the mudroom in the original plans. I definitely wanted the open concept so I asked our builder to delete the door and saved myself about $100 bucks in the process!


Mudroom storage was a very important aspect or me. Between the closet and the built-in cubbies, I feel like we have the perfect amount of storage space!


Mudroom Design

Before we even moved in, we had measured and planned the mudroom lockers and custom mudroom bench. It was the perfect add to round out the room!


We picked the flooring out as we were building. I love this tile & highly recommend!


Love this DIY mudroom layout?

We’re sharing our custom mudroom cubbie plans with exact measurements for FREE! Click here to get a PDF copy!.


My super handy DIY’er husband said it was a lot of craftmanship but he was up for the challenge! I love a good before and after! Check out the before…

Cubbies for Mudroom

When we decided we were ready to do the project, there were more things to design then I expected.


Mudroom cubbies are also sometimes referred to as mudroom storage lockers – I’m not sure which one is right so I use them pretty interchangeably.


One of the first key mudroom design decisions was what type of wood to use for the mudroom cubbies. We researched and talked to some friends who had done similar wood built in projects.


At the end of all that, we decided to go with birch plywood for the mudroom lockers. We like to place our Home Depot orders online & pick up in store!

There were some other decisions like – how tall wide and deep did we want to make the mudroom cubbies, how big do you want the opening for the baskets?

Custom Mudroom Bench

The more difficult decision was what type to wood to use for the L shaped entry bench.


I was on the fence about the bench seat – stained wood or painted ?? There are so many gorgeous pictures of both online – eeek what to decide!


Side note – I can be very indecisive – any one else? Somehow I have learned to be able to tell myself, make a decision and go with it when the rubber meets the road.


So thinking about it from a functional standpoint, having two young kids, I decided to go with stain to hide the dirt, the mud, the grime that will inevitably happen – after all it is a mudroom!


We ended up going with butcher block for the wood mudroom bench. It’s not available in store but you can easily pre-order online and do store pick up.


There were some other decisions like what’s the height/depth of the bench seat and how to attach the bench to the bottom cubbies. Decisions, decisions!


Mudroom Cubbie Paint

Once we got that all squared away, it was time to decide on the paint. We painted our entire home in Sherwin Williams and this project would be no different.


I went to my local store and discussed with the gentleman working that day. He gave me the run down on paint options as follows:


  • Emerald Eurathane – Best durability. pros. Hardens similar to oil paint. Easy to work with. Cons. Does take 2 weeks to cure and should not be below 50 degrees while drying. Could be overkill for our project. Most expensive option.
  • All Surface Enamel – easier to work with than pro classic. Comes in satin or high gloss.
  • Pro Classic – Latex paint. Pros – hardens similar to oil paint
  • Other options included porch or floor enamel.


I was surprised by all the various choices. After weighing the pros and cons, we decided to go with the All Surface Enamel because of the faster cure time.

We did this project in the winter so we painted in the garage and used a propane heater to help the paint dry faster. We used the Graco air assisted Paint Sprayer which made the job a breeze!


First we applied just a basic multipurpose latex primer. One coat of that. Then we applied two coats of the All Surface Enamel. The paint was very easy to use and hardened very nicely! It gives us that professional cabinet looking finish!

DIY Mudroom Bench

Next, we chose the stain for our custom mudroom bench and can I just say that stains really don’t look like they do on the picture on the can?


You really have to try them out, look at them in different types of lighting and see it with the other finishes in the room. This stain is by Varthane from Home Depot in the Jacobean color.


We also used a stain polyurethane to protect it. The satin is for a matte look vs glossy.


Don’t miss where I am sharing all my lessons learned about Polyeurathane in my kitchen table refinishing post.


DIY Mudroom Paint Process

As you can see from the photos, this was very much a step by step process!


Essentially you build out and place the entire thing BEFORE you paint.


Painting is also a multi-part process. Ever heard the phrase, watching paint dry?


It was kind of cool though to see how it all came together!


DIY Shiplap Wall

If you are standing in the kitchen like in this view, you see the bench seat and the shiplap wall. Shiplap was not a part of the pre build plan at all but once I was in the house and I saw how much that wall is in sight, I thought it would be a perfect way to make this room stand out. Such a pretty view that’s visible even from the other side of the house!


Ideas for Mudroom Decor

Mudroom Cubbie Hooks

And now for the oh so important finishing touches! I need to pick out hooks for the cubbies. I looked a few different places but I wanted simple and I also love the black and white. I found the perfect hooks at Wayfair and I put two in each cubbie.


Mudroom Cubbie Baskets

This took way longer than I expected but I was looking for a certain size so that added to the challenge. I probably checked about 10 different stores websites to find the perfect baskets. Across the top, believe it or not, I found the perfect baskets at Walmart. These are by a brand called Homezone and were $12.97 each!! Since I took these photos, I also found baskets for the bottom. These baskets are also from Walmart and were $9.96!! I decided to buy double for that price and keep the others in case I ever need to replace. They are also collapsible!


Mudroom Wall Decor

I also needed a nice statement piece for the shiplap wall! I found this very reasonably priced 26″ round clock from Target. I decided to add a clock to this feature wall because believe it or not, none of my appliances have a built in clock that stays on so I can easily look over and see what time it is!


Mudroom Throw Pillows

I’m personally loving the addition of throw pillows in my mudroom! I’ve styled pillows in the mudroom cubbies and a lumbar pillow for my mudroom bench seat. Here are some of my favorite picks!

Mudroom Trend

Hopefully if you have made it this far in my post, I have convinced you why you need to add a mudroom cubbie storage system somewhere in your home but if not, check out this article about mudroom trends.


I am curious, where is your drop zone? Do you have a mudroom? What is your favorite feature?


My New Favorite DIY Project

I am so happy this project is done! It really wasn’t too bad and I love the end result. The cubbies and bench seat are now our new drop zone and our kitchen island is now free and clear for cooking, eating and serving.


Please visit my contact page and let me know your thoughts and if you have any questions. I would love to hear from you!


i hope this post has given you lots of mudroom ideas. our DIY mudroom is now my favorite room in the house!

Clipper City House
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  3 questions
  • Tom Tom on Nov 19, 2021

    how wide did you make the bench and how wide are the cubbie sides

  • Tom Tom on Nov 19, 2021

    i tried to download the cubbie plans but was unable to do so. where can i get the free plans

  • Mary Mary on Jul 17, 2022

    Where is the closet? I think I see the bathroom but don’t see a storage closet.

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