Convert a tall, narrow cabinet into extra coat and shoe storage that looks great with this budget-friendly DIY makeover!
I’m just wrapping up the DIY details on the big Modern Farmhouse Laundry Room Makeover with this final tutorial. Today I’m explaining exactly how I made a standard tall, narrow broom cabinet look like custom coat and shoe storage in our mudroom. And the big secret to this DIY Tall Cabinet Makeover is trim. Nice trim work makes all the difference.
But don’t worry. This is an easy makeover. And these steps work on any cabinet you’ve removed the doors from, to make them look designed to be open! You can have this makeover done in a day, easy.
Now, let’s get this DIY Tall Cabinet Makeover into Coat and Shoe Storage makeover started!
Here’s the before picture, guys. The DIY mudroom bench conversion was just beginning. But I had already started trying out coat and shelf layouts for that tall cabinet. This was before I built that great Table over our washer and dryer too.
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DIY Tall Cabinet Makeover into Coat and Shoe Storage- Materials Needed
- Brad Nailer with Brad Nails
- Miter Saw or Circular Saw
- Saw Cutting Guide, I highly recommend using one to get the straightest possible cuts
- 3/4″ Lumber or Plywood for the shelf
- A Rod and Rod Brackets for the Coats
- Trim (moulding) to match your style or room
- Wood Filler and Wood Glue
- Dremel Rotary Tool or Hand Saw to cut corner molding with a straight edge on one side and a miter on the other.
DIY Tall Cabinet Makeover into Coat and Shoe Storage – Build Steps
Step 1
Start by removing the door and hiding the door hinge holes. You can hide them with corner moulding, like mine. Or by just filling the hinge holes with wood filler. Pick the option that you prefer. BUT if your cabinets are custom 3/4″ plywood built-ins, like mine, you might want to hide slightly crooked door openings with moulding, like I did. Use wood filler wherever needed for a seemless look. And finish with a 150-grit sanding.
You can see the mitered corner on the trim I used to hide the uneven edges on this opening.Step 2
Add a DIY Plywood Cabinet Liner that can be stained or painted if the inside of your cabinet isn’t very pretty and polished looking.
We use this upper cabinet to store anything we don’t want the kids to touch, like my purse and my husband’s laptop bag. Don’t worry, doggy will be safely returned to his owner. 😉Step 3
Add a Closet Pole Socket in any color, and a dowel from your local big box to hang your coats on.
Adding a closet rod here has made all of that winter coat storage so much easier!Step 4
Add a shelf divider near the bottom of the long cabinet to increase your shoe storage. Having the trim from the shelf overlap the cabinet frame gives it a true finished cabinetry look. Just check your windows with moulding, they look the same way.
Bringing the trim on the shelf to the edge of the other trim follows along with standard millwork designs. I think this little element was key to making this look like coat storage instead of just a cabinet without a door.
The shelf is resting on 2 3/4″ x 3/4″ square dowels. Scrap wood would work too.
I decided to add a white tray beneath the coats for extra shoe and gym bag storage. We don’t really need a tray in the summer, but it does look more polished with the tray. And the tray is great in the winter when the closet is full of coats. Just slide it out a bit to grab items from the back. I built this tray using the same steps as those 3 Larger Wooden Shoe Storage Bins.Step 5
Build Custom Wood Shoe Storage Boxes or buy some cute fabric storage bins to add storage and style, at the same time. 🙂
I love this open and Modern Farmhouse Style Laundry and Mudroom now! You can find the DIY for the Rust Paint on that candle holder, the Mudroom Bench, the plywood liner in the cabinet, and the Easy Wood Storage Bins and the DIY Laundry Table in previous posts.Check out the original Mudroom Bench DIY to see how I converted our cabinets into a bench and hall tree for less than $100.
And be sure to check out the full Laundry Room Makeover for more inspiration.
Feeling inspired? Get out there and do your own DIY Tall Cabinet Makeover into Coat and Shoe Storage. Have fun and let me know if you have questions. Don’t forget to sign up for the Abbotts At Home email newsletter to get DIY, Remodeling, and Crafty ideas in your inbox.
Looks awesome Stephanie! Thanks for sharing at To Grandma’s House We Go DIY, Crafts, Recipes and More Wednesday Link party! Pinned! Hope to see you next time!
Thank you, Sheri! Have a great week. 🙂
Love how you converted the cabinet so it is more useful. Thank you for sharing at Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make.
Thanks so much, Debra!
Great idea to utilize materials that you already have. Fab transformation!
Thanks so much!
Great idea. Thank you sharing your link on the Classy Flamingos Blog Party we’ve enjoyed it. Come back soon. poinsettiadr.com
Thanks, Linda!