DIY Shoe Rack (Space-saving for small spaces!)

DIY Shoe Rack (Space-saving for small spaces!)

Since we moved into our new house a couple years ago, our “shoe pile” at the front door has been a constant problem. 

(We have a no-shoes-in-the-house rule because it’s just plain unsanitary. I can’t even think about walking in public places and collecting all kinds of germs from everywhere and then bringing those onto the floor that my kids sit and play cars and Legos on. No…just NO.)

So, having a place to drop shoes at the front door is a must. 

And by the looks of this “drop area,” you can see that we definitely needed a better system, haha!

I dream of someday having a big mudroom with all sorts of shelves and cabinets to keep shoes, coats, and bags organized (this one that Erin from “The Sunny Side Up Blog” made is to die for!)

But for now, I decided that a custom-fit DIY shoe rack that used advantage of the empty height space was the best solution for us. 🙂 

Here’s how I made my DIY Shoe Rack:

What you’ll need:

• 6 pieces of 1.5″x1.5″ wood strips cut to 9″ each
• 4 pieces of 1.5″x1.5″ wood strips cut to 20″ each
• 15 metal rods (mine are hollow), cut to the length that you want your shoe rack to be. (mine are 25.5″ in length)
• drill (I use THIS DeWalt drill – it’s top-notch and affordable!)
• sanding block
• wood stain or paint

1. Measure and cut

The first thing I did was measure my space so I could plan how big to build the frames.

I went with 9″ length for the horizontal pieces, and 20″ for the side vertical ones.

Then I cut my 1.5″x1.5″‘s accordingly — 6 pieces 9″ long, and 4 pieces 20″ long.

(If you want your shoe rack to be deeper, for larger-size shoes, just make your 6 pieces an inch or two longer.)

2. Assemble the shoe rack ends

Next I assembled the 2 “ladder ends” for my shoe rack, as pictured.

(I drilled into the sides of each vertical piece and kept drilling on through to the horizontal….then I attached with screws.)

3. Drill holes for the metal rods

I cut my metal rods to size.  25.5″ was what fit my space perfectly. I needed 5 for each rung, so 15 total.

TIP: To  get your metal rods all the exact same size, tape them together into a bundle with masking tape, then cut them all at the same time.

Next, I clamped my 2 shoe rack ends together so that I could drill through both at the same time. I needed the holes to be perfectly lined up….if they’re a little off, your metal rods won’t be exactly straight when you assemble them onto the shoe rack ends.

I chose a drill bit that was the same size as my metal rods so that the rods would fit nice and tight.

After I marked 5 holes evenly across each piece, I drilled through.

Give everything a quick sand with a sanding block so that there are no rough spots.

4. Stain or paint and assemble to finish

White was what I chose for my space – I have a chalky gray cabinet next to it, and my floors are a dark marble, so I thought white was perfect. 🙂

I assembled by putting all of my rods into one shoe rack end (ladder). They fit nice and tight so I didn’t need to glue.

(If I had drilled too big of holes that allowed the rods to move, I would’ve put a little hot glue in each hole to secure the rods.)

Then I put the other end on top, which took a little time to align all the rods into the holes. 

But when it was finished, I was SO. HAPPY. with the result!

5. Enjoy your organized space!

If you love organization, you may like this IKEA tie rack hack! Nice for scarves, too!

Rachel Barkowski