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This is one of the most-copied laundry room builds ever posted, and the idea deserves its fame: a simple plywood box with lengths of 1-1/2" metal angle screwed to the sides as drawer runners, and standard rectangular laundry baskets as the drawers. Sorting happens at the machine — lights, darks, towels — and each 'drawer' carries straight to its bedroom.
The material spec is worth following: 3/4" plywood ripped into 15-1/2" strips (the plan calls them 1x16s), which one strip of a sheet yields per dresser. The metal angle intimidates people unnecessarily — the hardware store will often cut it, a hacksaw handles it in minutes, and pre-drilling three holes per rail is the whole trick. Wood-shy? The plan's own alternative is 2x2 wood cleats, glued and screwed.
Two details separate the good builds from the saggy ones. First, the installation tip hiding in step 3: screw each rail at a VERY slight downward angle toward the back, so baskets self-park backward instead of creeping out. Second, the safety line that isn't optional: if you stack two dressers, anchor the top one to a stud — a tower of laundry with a toddler pulling on baskets is a tip-over waiting for its moment. Measure YOUR baskets before cutting; the listed dimensions fit the common bushel style.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| Plywood, 3/4", ripped to 15-1/2" x 8 ftOne sheet yields strips for two dressers — this line is one dresser's share. | 2 each |
| Plywood, 1/4", 36" x 26"The back. | 1 each |
| Metal angle, 1-1/2" x 1-1/2", 15-1/2" lengthsAsk for it at the hardware store; they'll often cut it. 2x2 wood cleats substitute. | 6 each |
| Wood screws, #8 x 2", or 1-1/4" pocket hole screws | 24 each |
| Wood screws, #8 x 3/4"Metal angle to the box sides. | 18 each |
| Wood screws, #8 x 1-1/4"The back. | 20 each |
| Wood glue | 4 oz |
| Wood filler, primer, and paintSemi-gloss survives a laundry room. 'Oops paint' is the traditional finish. | 1 quart |
| Laundry baskets, rectangularBuy FIRST and identical — the box is sized to them. Not in the estimate. | 3 each |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Sides3/4" plywood | 2 | 3/4" × 15 1/2" × 35 1/4" |
| Bottom3/4" plywood | 1 | 3/4" × 15 1/2" × 24 1/2" |
| Top3/4" plywoodThe top overhangs — 26", not 24-1/2"; the plan flags it because everyone cuts it wrong. | 1 | 3/4" × 15 1/2" × 26" |
| Back1/4" plywood | 1 | 1/4" × 25 3/4" × 36" |
| Basket railsMetal angleOr 2x2 wood cleats. | 6 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 15 1/2" |
Buy 4 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
2 boards
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Rip the plywood strips, cut the parts, and join sides to top and bottom — pocket holes (source's method) or countersunk 2" screws, plus glue. Note the top is 26" against the bottom's 24-1/2": the top overhangs the sides by design.
Rack the box until the diagonals match, then glue and screw the 1/4" back on with 1-1/4" screws — the back holds the square.
Then do what the source did: finish at this stage, before the rails. Fill every hole and plywood edge void, sand coarse then medium (budget plywood demands it), prime, and paint semi-gloss. Painting around installed metal rails is the avoidable chore this ordering avoids.
Cut the metal angle to length (hacksaw, or the store's cutter), pre-drill three holes per rail, and mark the rail heights off your ACTUAL baskets — the lip rides the rail, so space each pair one basket-height plus a hand's clearance apart.
Screw the rails to the sides with 3/4" screws at a very slight downward angle toward the back — the plan's best tip. Gravity then parks every basket rearward instead of letting it creep out at you.
Slide the baskets in. Stacking two towers? Anchor the top one to a wall stud — non-negotiable with kids in the house. Then go sort some laundry into the only dresser that empties itself.
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