DIY mudroom cubby Ikea hack

In my life, necessity is the mother of invention. Let me explain how this applies to our mudroom. As a family of 5, our mudroom is one of the busiest spaces in our home. As such, we needed a place to sit, to store shoes, hats, mittens, jackets, and bags. Plus, there was that big open wall that was just asking for something pretty. We already had the Ikea Hemnes TV unit and I thought I could just add onto it and create a unit that would be functional and stylish. In about 2 days I had built and painted this DIY mudroom cubby Ikea hack using some basic tools and lumber from Home Depot. I completed this project on my own, but a helper would be a benefit for this project.

In this post, I provide detailed instructions on how to turn an Ikea storage bench into a full-size storage unit. These mudroom cubbies would also work in a front hall. You may have seen the price tag of custom made storage lockers and hall trees and it is definitely worth it to DIY.

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A note on the Ikea Hemnes TV Unit

You can use any solid bench or TV unit that has a flat top as your base for this project. Ikea no longer sells the 2-drawer unit that I used for this project. Rather, you can purchase a medium-sized 3-drawer unit (58.25”x18.5”x22.5″) for $199 or a large-sized 3-drawer unit (72”x18.5”x22.5″) for $229. The TV unit is also available in wood tones. Additionally, you could likely find a used 2-drawer or 3-drawer unit for sale on a local buy-and-sell site. For my tips on purchasing second-hand treasures, click here.

The instructions provided here will work for any sized unit. The Ikea TV unit I used measures 48.5” wide by 21.75” tall by 17” deep.

Tools

• Compound mitre saw
• Drill and drill bits
• Level, stud finder
• Tape measure, pencil, screwdrivers
• Brad nailer (and brads) and air compressor or hammer and finishing nails
• Paintbrushes and mini roller and paint tray

Supplies for the DIY mudroom cubby Ikea hack

• Ikea TV unit (diagram provided is for the 48.5” x 21.75” x 17” size)
• 5” MDF base moulding- to get the amount needed, add the Ikea unit width plus 2 times the Ikea unit depth plus about 10” to allow for corner mitring
• 2 side pieces- pine 1 by 12’s (i.e. ¾ inch thick by 11” wide), each cut to 72” long
• 2 shelf pieces- pine 1 by 12’s, each cut to 45.75” long
• Front trim pieces (sides and middle)- pine 1 by 2’s, two pieces cut to 72” long, one piece cut to 45.75” long
• Front top trim piece- pine 1 by 4, cut to 45.75” long
• Beadboard backing- pine 45.75” wide by 51” tall, cut to size in store unless you own a table saw
• 5” tall crown moulding (I think 4” would suffice)- to get the amount needed, take the amount of base moulding you calculated and add about 30” to allow for the mitring (crown moulding mitring is tricky and you may need extra to get a perfect fit). I used pine moulding because I had this leftover from another project, but MDF moulding would be fine.
• No more nails and caulking gun
• Wood dowels, wood glue
• Screws
• Wood filler, putty knife

Supplies for finishing

• Sandpaper, clean cotton cloths
• Paintable caulking and caulking gun
• Painter’s tape
• Stain blocking primer for raw wood
• Paint for seat top (Choose a durable paint- I used Fusion Mineral Paint in Ash)
• Paint for the base and top units (any cabinet/trim-quality creamy white paint)
• 2 or 3 (depending on the number of drawers) cup-style pulls, matte black
• Coat hooks, matte black

*Note- I added ¼” thick trim pieces to the insides and outsides of the side pieces to add shaker-style charm, but this is a completely optional extra step and I didn’t include directions for that.

Instructions for the DIY mudroom cubby Ikea hack

• If you want your cubby unit to be flush against the wall, you may need to cut the baseboard trim away where the unit will be positioned. Do this after you have applied the base moulding to the Ikea unit.
• Mark the location of all wall studs in the vicinity of where you plan to place the mudroom cubby.

Assemble the Ikea Hemnes TV unit

• If you have purchased a new Ikea Hemnes unit, follow the manufacturer’s directions for assembly, omitting the addition of the knobs if you plan to change them, and delaying the addition of the top (seat) piece. It is easier to paint the top piece using the grey paint prior to connecting the seat to the Ikea base unit.
• Paint the seat piece with two coats of paint, allowing to dry between coats and prior to installation.

Apply the base moulding and position base unit against the wall.

• Cut the base moulding several inches larger than you will need, then cut mitred corners for the front two corners. Attach the moulding to the base unit with wood glue and brad nails.
• Position the unit flush against the wall in preparation in preparation for the next steps. For safety, the unit will be attached to the wall.

Attach the backing

• Attach the beadboard backing onto the wall using no more nails and brad nails driven into studs.
• Your top unit will be built around the beadboard backing, flush against the wall.

Build the top unit

• Cut your two side pieces and attach them to the seat base with wood glue and wood dowels. For added safety, secure the side pieces to the wall studs at the very top (as this part of the unit will be hidden behind the crown moulding).
• Cut your two shelf pieces and attach them to the side pieces with screws drilled from the outer edges of the side pieces into the ends of the shelf pieces. Install the screws so they are slightly depressed into the wood to allow for wood filler to disguise the screws.

Attach the trim pieces

• Join the 1 by 2 trim pieces to the fronts of the side pieces and lower shelf piece using wood glue and brad nails.
• Join the 1 by 4 piece to the front of the top shelf piece using wood glue and brad nails.

Attach the crown moulding

• Cut your crown moulding using the crown mitring technique. I used this YouTube video from This Old House to help me figure out how to cut the pieces. This was the most challenging part of the project for me and I spent a couple of hours watching videos and cutting my pieces. My tip is to cut the mitred ends of the wood first and then do the straight cuts for the trim that will be flush against the wall.
• Once your pieces are cut and dry fitted, apply wood glue and use brad nails to attach the crown to the top edge and crown to crown at the front corners.

Finishing and Painting

• If you will be changing from knob hardware to pull hardware, fill the knob holes with wood filler and allow to dry.
• Fill any countersunk screw holes and brad holes with wood filler and allow to dry.
• Sand the entire piece with 220 grit sandpaper. Wipe clean with a slightly dampened cloth.
• Apply paintable caulking around all seams and joints, smoothing and removing any excess with a wet finger. Allow to dry.
• Tape off the painted seat with painter’s tape.
• Prime the entire unit except the seat and allow to dry. Any wood knots should be coated twice using a stain-blocking primer.
• Apply two coats of paint to the piece excluding the seat and allow to dry.

Adding the hardware

• Drill holes for the base unit cabinet pulls and attach pulls.
• Drill holes for the coat hooks and attach hooks.

Storage

This DIY mudroom cubby Ikea hack has created tons of extra storage for us. We use the drawers to store the kids’ hats, mittens, and scarves. The open area above the drawers is for shoes, and the hooks get a lot of use storing jackets, long scarves, and my purse or market bag. We have a separate set of hooks in the room for the boys’ backpacks. My secret storage area is located above the unit, behind the crown moulding. I use this to store birthday and Christmas presents. So far, no one has figured it out! The upper shelf area is used for decorative storage right now, but I could place some pretty baskets up there and use them for storage.

Styling

This is one of my favourite little areas to decorate for the seasons. However, for daily use, I keep the middle area clear for kids to sit and put their shoes on and for jacket storage. I like to keep a pretty market bag here to remind me to bring a reusable bag to the grocery store. Pillows add a touch of softness and the wood sign, vintage glass jars, and other accessories add charm. I found a cute metal-frame laundry basket and added a blanket ladder to store extra blankets.

All styled for Christmas…

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my DIY mudroom cubby Ikea hack. If you love Ikea, check out some of my other Ikea posts.

My top 10 Ikea finds

My Ikea sofa review

20 favourite new Ikea pieces from the 2020 Ikea catalogue