DIY Mudroom Lockers

With 4 kids and a new puppy we needed more storage in our mudroom quickly. DIY Mudroom lockers can be made in so many different styles. Some DIY lockers have open cubbies and some have doors. We really wanted closed storage so all the coats, backpacks and new puppy items were out of sight and had a place. We headed to an amazing salvage yard and decided to recycle these metal lockers in our mudroom locker design to keep this project budget friendly and add character to the space with some fresh black mudroom lockers.

If you are heading to a salvage yard it is always a good idea to bring a few tools along in case you need to take apart a set of lockers. A few screwdrivers, wrenches, and a ratchet set will come in handy. We only needed 5 lockers but needed to buy all 6 shown below. We had to split the lockers down the middle to fit them in our vehicle.

When starting a project we always start by coming up with a few sketches to nail down the design. I typically do this by hand but sometimes I use google sketch up. You should check it on on your next project! It is a great free 3d drawing program. Once we have a design concept we create detailed prints that specify all the dimensions needed to make the mudroom locker parts.

DIY Mudroom Locker Materials:

3/4″ poplar hardwood for face frame
3/4 MDF for cabinet box and cubbies
1/4 plywood for cabinet back
3/4 white oak for bench

Once we had the mudroom lockers built we brought it into the house for a dry fit. We are so glad we did because we needed to make a major change! The unit looked great, but the lockers were too high with the 3 drawers. Our only solution was to rotate the upper unit and put the drawer openings on top. They would not be drawers anymore but small doors that tip up.

With the unit reworked we were ready to paint mudroom lockers! The paint we used was SW Tricorn Black. Sherwin Williams recommended this Waterbased Alkyd Urethane as a a great option for painting lockers. It comes in gIoss, semi-gloss, and low luster. We decided to go with a low luster (which is basically flat). I always prefer waterbased products as they smell better and clean up is easier. We are so glad we went with black mudroom lockers.

I have the sprayer I used linked here. I really recommend the Wagner Airless Sprayers.

Once the painting was complete it was time to put on the finishing touches. We had some great hardware options but ultimately decided to go with option 1. We added the white oak top and put some blocking in the spaces being covered by the lockers.

We are beyond excited to start using the additional storage in our DIY mudroom lockers. If you are looking to quickly add storage with a custom look DIY Lockers may be perfect for you. The salvaged lockers really help speed things along and instantly add character.