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DIY Mudroom Lockers {Garage Mudroom Makeover}

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hey there! I'm monica 

I pride myself on making amazing style and design accessible for everyone, regardless of location, budget, or ability! My design philosophy is rooted in authenticity + attainability - If I can do it, you can too! My work has been featured in countless publications, but I take the most pride in homeowners that have been personally inspired by my DIY ideas and have tried something in their own homes!

learn more about ME + MY BIZ

The most important part of my Garage Mudroom Makeover (check it out HERE)  was definitely the DIY Lockers.  Honestly, even when our home was being built, and all we had were studs, I was envisioning a mudroom with lockers.  My hubs thought I was certifiably insane! 
I was pretty patient (especially for me!) and waited almost two years after moving in to create my garage mudroom. 

 

Just as a reminder here’s the before and after…

I surfed Pinterest for some inspiration, and then turned to the guru of all things woodworking… Ana White.  We had the awesome opportunity to meet Ana at Haven and she was so down to earth and man can she rock out a pair of heels and a power tool like no one else! 

 

The plans on her site are called Smiling Mudroom  and they were really simple to follow.  

 I definitely made some changes to fit our garage and our needs.  1- I’m never a fan of anything scrolly, so I made the dividers straight.  2- I knew I wanted to add the foot artwork above the lockers, so I didn’t add the top cubbies because I thought it would get a little busy.  3- I made four lockers, because well, I have four kiddos. 4- I added lots of extra wooden supports to the backside because my kids are crazy and because even I doubt the quality of my own woodworking skills.  

Since Ana has all the step-by-step directions, I’m just going to fill you in on a few things I learned along the way.

The very first steps were the trickiest for me.  I was working alone, so it was hard to get the pieces lined up and nailed in with only two hands.  A nail gun would have been SO helpful.  I’d highly recommend using one if you tackle this project.

Thankfully Jess came over to lend a hand and one of my husband’s buddies came by to see the progress and we totally put him to work as well! I had this wood leftover and used it as additional support on the backside.  It made the piece so much sturdier.

Have you used a Kreg Jig yet?  I used the Kreg Jig Junior for this project and it worked so well.  You use it to make pocket holes and it’s a piece of cake.  If you’re planning any DIY woodworking projects,  I’d recommend a Kreg Jig as one of your first purchases.

One thing I learned to love during this project was trim.  It makes a rookie’s work look all fancy-pants professional. Before trim…

After trim…Booyah!

Here’s a little tip that I figured out after making a few bad cuts when I was just trying to use a tape measure to get the length right.

If you’re planning a garage mudroom, make sure you check out the edge of your walls.  I overlooked the concrete lip and had to go back and notch out each base piece.

I gave it a quick sanding… AKA I sanded for about 30 seconds before thinking, This is for the birds! Let’s get painting!  Since I used a VERY cheap plywood it sucked the paint up and actually gave it more of a stained look, which I fell in love with.

I added some hooks to the back wall for backpacks, coats etc..  I didn’t have studs centered for each one, so I had to use mollys (wall anchors).  I picked up the grey bins at Walmart for $3.00 each, they don’t have any more, but I found them on Amazon and you can get them here.

The locker project was so simple and if my husband and I had worked on it together, we could have whipped it together in about an hour.  I was honestly surprised at how easy it was because of Ana’s plans. 

 

To check out the Before and After post click HERE
For the Painted Rugs post click HERE
For the Foot Artwork post click HERE 

Tell me, do you have a mudroom type place in your home?  

If so, do you feel like it’s functional?  Got any miracle tips for getting my mudroom to stay this clean? 

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The comments +

  1. I don’t have an official home yet but it is in my dream list to have a mudroom, especial if I move up to more northern states (I live in Fl, no snow).
    I love what you did and you will be really happy now with that organization.

    Thanks for sharing.
    Cody

  2. Anne says:

    Great job! I have one question, though, how did you get the jig to stay in place without a clamp??? or did you use one & just take it off for the photo? I can’t use that stupid jig because it skips all over the place when I try to use it. None of my clamps will hold it steady 🙁

  3. The most part of the my garage mudroom Makeover was definitely the die lockers,Lovely that a really happy now with that organization,This is a very creative and awesome blog because it skips all over the places when try to use it.

  4. Linda T says:

    I would love to do a mudroom space like this. The only problem is that the garage is cold during the winter, and is always dusty. The boys coats etc. would get so dusty!

  5. Kids Lockers says:

    Oh, that looks like a great and fun project (and hardwork too!)! Did your kids love their mudroom lockers? I am sure they are inspired and learning how to stay organized from you!

  6. Kristie says:

    I have attempted the mud room thing in my garage. (not as put together as yours) but tried it but in the winter the kids wet snow stuff NEVER dries because it is so cold. Do you have this problem and if so do you have a solution?

  7. Whitney says:

    I’m totally obsessed with mudrooms and storage lockers. I just need to figure out where to put it in my new house.

  8. […] the tutorials for all the projects in the room.   To check out the Locker’s Tutorial click HERE For the Painted Rugs post click HERE  For the Foot Artwork post click HERE    In the […]

  9. kat says:

    What paint color and brand is the door?

  10. […] mud room! Our feature project above, is from Monica at ‘East Coast Creative’. These DIY mud room lockers she made herself, with great free plans. (She even gives you the link, yay!) She didn’t have […]

  11. Amanda Nelson says:

    These are perfect for our house. We are about to begin this project today but cannot get the link for the bins on amazon to work. Do you have the exact name and size when I search around? Thanks so much

  12. MikeYandel says:

    Do you happen to have the plans to how yours is built. Want to do the same for my gym. Please reply to my email address. Yankee_161@yahoo.com

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