How to Make a Cobblestone Boot/Shoe Tray

I was not looking forward to getting out the "dreaded towel" this Fall/Winter! In the past I have put down a towel by the front to protect the floors from the abuse of wet shoes and boots during the winter months. After sitting out for weeks and months the towel shifts around and gets dingy and starts driving me nuts!
I was determined this year to find a more orderly and attractive way to contain the wet boots and shoes and without spending much. Below is the solution I came up with--a grouted cobblestone boot tray.
I am loving it! This is definitely a project even a novice diy-er can do (you don't even needs power tools). Here is how I made it--First have 1x2's cut to the measurements below and a piece of melamine cut too (you can usually have it cut for you Lowes or Home Depot if you buy it there).
Using Liquid Nails I adhered the 1x2's to the sides of the melamine and let it dry for a full 24 hours.
I bought a bag of cobble stone at Home Depot (it's in their garden center) for $3.50. Wash and dry them and have them out and ready.
Next put down a generous layer of mastic/thinset on the entire bottom of the tray.
Take the cobble stones and spread a layer on to the mastic so that cobble stones cover the whole tray
Because I have little ones and didn't want to find stones all over the house I decided to take it one step further and grout the stones like you would a backsplash. Below shows how it looks with tan grout.
Grouting may sound scary but I promise it isn't scary at all--messy, yes, but difficult not at all!! Come on over to see how to grout the stones and get more details on this project at the link below!!:-)
Tamara @ Provident Home Design
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Margaret Margaret on Aug 15, 2017

    Really great idea, and you don't need rocks all over - even if you don't have kids. Do you think you could use Kwik-Crete instead of grout?

    Thanks for sharing.

  • Lyn Lyn on Jun 18, 2019

    How do you keep the moisture/dirt from the boots dripping on the stlnes & getting musty ?

  • Lbo27671345 Lbo27671345 on Oct 01, 2021

    How heavy is the tray? Would the frame and melamine support the weight?

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  • Connie Connie on Mar 04, 2019

    This is a wonderful idea. To take it one step further, if you live in a coastal area, have your children collect shells at the beach & do the same thing with the shells as the top layer of it. If you go to the beach after a big storm, the larger shells & different colors wash up on the beach.

    • Jess Jess on Aug 17, 2021

      We have overused shells so much that marine animals honestly can’t find the correct size shells to live in! Stick with pebbles

  • Jody Cotton Jody Cotton on May 26, 2022

    I’ll make this for myself and as gifts for family too. I’ve already got all of the supplies except the cobblestone so I’ll grab some from Home Depot this weekend.

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