DIY Shoe Rack from Scrap Wood

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Learn how to make a DIY Shoe Rack from Scrap Wood in this simple tutorial!

If you’re looking for a simple storage solution for shoes for your busy family, you have come to the right place!

DIY shoe rack with shoes on it.

DIY Shoe Rack from Scrap Wood

Why am I showing you a shoe rack? This is a Big Daddy DIY craft project!

I have neglected to photograph other projects he’s done since I started blogging. It just didn’t occur to me until after he put the water fountain in the backyard, and after he made the coat/backpack rack (shown below).

I’m a quick thinker like that! But, this time, yes, this time I grabbed my camera before he finished the statement, “I’m thinking about making…..”

Pieces of scrap wood for a craft project.

Supplies for This Scrap Wood Project

I started with a machine shipping box that we found near our home. It came from an old machine manufacturing warehouse in Chicago.

  • 6-inch scrap pine bead boards – I picked through and found undamaged boards.
  • Dishing Washing Liquid
  • Scrub Brush – I used Dawn detergent and a brush to clean the grime off the box.
6-inch pieces of scrap pine bead board.

The scrap boards were scrap pieces from a friends’ building project. The box was exactly 12 inches wide (inside to inside).

I cut the bead board length to fit tightly in the box, from side to side.

Making a shoe rack from scrap lumber.

The coat rack/backpack project mentioned earlier is shown below. It is another reclaimed project using the  scrap bead boards and old doorknobs.

Scrap wood coat rack

It provides a place for coats and backpacks to “hang around” Ha Ha.

Little boys carrying a homemade shoe rack.

I had great help from the boys and Summer.

Two little boys making crafts with scrap lumber.

I wish this was in video so you could hear them grumble, complain, and argue with each other every step of the way!

Young boy next to his handmade shoe rack.

Get the littles to help!

Lincoln wiping the dust and grime out.

Young boy making a scrap wood shoe rack project

And, Ryder did not want to miss out on the photo op, so he did a little ‘cleaning’.

Child cleaning dust and debris off of a wood shoe rack.
wooden shoe rack, partially built.

I pre-fit the cut shelves before nailing them to the sides of the box. The scrap wood pieces fit together perfectly to make a rigid shelf.

Man cutting piece of bead board with hand saw.

I really needed a miter saw, but had to get by with a circular saw. I used a handheld saw to clean up my cut.

Craft project measurements written on a piece of white paper.

All weekend DIYers must have a set of plans, right? Well, here are mine, on the back of an envelope, that I sketched out during breakfast.

Finishing My Scrap Wood Shoe Rack

It all comes together!

Hand built rack for shoes built with scrap lumber.

I concluded from shoe racks at the home store, that you need about six inches for each pair of shoes. I divided the length of my box by six to determine that I could get 7 shelves in my box.

Young boy building something with scrap wood.
Boy staining pieces of wood.

The boys were great at helping me stain the shelves before permanently attaching them inside the box. I used a walnut stain with polyurethane already mixed in. I found it closely matched the existing patina of the wood box.

Using a pneumatic nail gun to build a shoe rack.

Use a pneumatic nailer with small nails to attach the shelves at 6″ intervals.

Installing shelves onto a DIY shoe rack.

Oh yea, it is really coming together, this is exactly what I envisioned over breakfast.

Shoes on a hand made wood shoe rack.

Yippee! Organized shoes! Now if we can just get the boys to put their shoes in here!

Scrap wood project rack for shoes.

You may also like this easy Wine Cork Craft. To see all my easy craft and DIY projects go here.

I mainly post recipes. You can see them all here.

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20 Comments

  1. Love this idea! I’ve been looking for a creative way to store my shoes and this DIY shoe rack is perfect. Using scrap wood is a great way to reduce waste and make the project even more sustainable. Can’t wait to try it out!

  2. This is a great idea. I have an old shoe rack which I want to recycled and is black in color…so you gave me an Inspiration to liven up my rack… thank you.

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