Furniture

Shoe bench with storage and seat

Looking for a place to sit and put on your shoes?

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 3.3–6.5 hours
Cost: $$

About this build

Looking for a place to sit and put on your shoes? This DIY shoe bench is a simple build that will let you store shoes, put them on, and look great in your entryway!

Tools

Essential

Drill / Driver
Miter Saw
Pocket Hole Jig
Random Orbit Sander
Router

Optional / nice to have

Bar / Pipe Clamps

Materials

Item	Qty
1x4 Boards, 3/4" x 3 1/2" x 8'	8 board
1 1/4" pocket hole screws	100 each
Wood glue	1 each
Stain	1 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.

Cut list

Part	Qty	T × W × L
Front/Back Span	4	3/4" × 3" × 29"
Legs	4	3/4" × 3" × 17"
Side Braces	4	3/4" × 3" × 14"
Middle Brace	1	3/4" × 3" × 14"
Tops	5	3/4" × 3" × 38"
Slats	7	3/4" × 3" × 15"
End Slats	2	3/4" × 2" × 14"

What to buy

Buy 8 boards at 8 ft.

3/4" × 3"

7 boards

38"38"17"
38"38"17"
38"29"17"
29"29"29"
17"15"15"15"15"15"
15"15"14"14"14"14"
14"

3/4" × 2"

1 board

14"14"

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 →

Start building →

Instructions

1Drill pocket holes
- Drill pocket holes in the following locations on these boards: (2) Front/Back Spans- 2 on each end (2) Front/Back Spans- 2 on each end and 3 along one long edge (2) Side Braces- 2 on each end (2) Side Braces- 2 on each end and 1 on one long edge (1) Middle Brace- 2 on each end and 1 on one long edge (4) Tops- 4 along one long edge
2Front/Back Panels
- Using wood glue and pocket hole screws, attach a Front Span (that only has pocket holes on the ends) between two Legs at the base of the long edge of the Legs. - Using wood glue and pocket hole screws, attach a Front Span (that has pocket holes along the long edge) between the two Legs with the pocket holes on the edge facing out. - Repeat to create the back panel using the remaining Legs and Back Spans.
3Attach side braces
- Using wood glue and pocket hole screws, attach the four Side Braces to the Back Panel with the pocket holes facing inward. - Attach to the four outer corners of the Legs. - Using wood glue and pocket hole screws, attach the Middle Brace to the Back Span on the top that has the pocket holes along the edges.
4Connect front
- Lay the back panel down with the Braces facing up. - Apply wood glue to the ends of the Side and Middle Braces. - Lay the front panel on top of the Braces and align them in the same places as the back panel. - Use pocket hole screws to attach the Braces into the front panel.
5Assemble top
- Using wood glue and pocket hole screws, attach one Top into another, connecting along the edge of the second piece that doesn’t have pocket holes. - Repeat for a second set of two Tops. - Face the two edges of the sets of Tops with pocket holes into the remaining Top without pocket holes. - Connect with wood glue and pocket hole screws. - Use a round over bit around the top edge of the seat to smooth it out, then sand.
6Stain/Paint
- If you want to make a two-toned look, stain now. Even if you want to stain all one color, it might be easier to stain now before it’s all put together. - If going for a two-toned look, stain the Top and Slats one color and the frame another.
7Attach slats to base
- Using wood glue and nails, attach the End Slats along the Side Braces on the ends of the base, between the Legs. - Using a Slat as a 3/4" spacer, attach each Slat 3/4" apart using wood glue and nails.
8Attach top
- Put a bead of wood glue around the top edge of the base. - Carefully align the Top on the base with 1” all the way around and clamp in place. - Using pocket hole screws on the Front Span, Back Span and Side Braces, attach the Top.
9Finish
- Add a coat of polyurethane to the entire piece to protect it from the wear and tear it will receive. - Give a light sanding.
10Enjoy
Enjoy your handiwork and tag @CharlestonCraftedBuilds on Instagram with a picture!