Step One: Cut the pieces needed for the sides and bottom of your boxes. See the section above about determining the sizes you need. The living room may not need the same storage solutions as the bedroom or the office. But it still has a way of attracting clutter and mess all the same. Extra sofa cushions, blankets, the kid’s toys, phone chargers, headphones, you name it. If you can carry it, it ends up in the living room, and more often than not on the floor. Step Six: Paint or stain your boxes. I’d like to talk briefly about both options, because there really is a right and a wrong way to paint and stain wood. Turnaround times may vary during particularly busy periods, however, we generally deliver products within the timeframes stated. The planter is even simpler to build than the bench because the inner box has no top or bottom. Glue and screw the sides together, screw in the diagonal braces and then paint any visible surfaces. Add the slats using the same method as for the bench. Position the side cleats at a height suitable to the pot you’re setting in the planter. Don’t attach the platform slats. If the wood rots, they’ll be easier to replace. Planter Plans

I chose to make my boxes 1″ more narrow than the shelving opening to give myself and my children wiggle room when returning each box to its space. I also made the height of the boxes 3/4″ shorter than the opening. I’m happy with how this sizing worked out for me. Determine Lumber NeededStaining your Boxes: After sanding your boxes with 120 grit sandpaper, I recommend sanding one last time with 180 grit sandpaper before staining. You may choose to apply a wood conditioner to your wood before staining, which will help the wood accept the stain more evenly across its grain. Then apply your stain and allow it to rest for the period of time indicated on the label. Sandpaper— 80 and 120, and 320 grit (120 is for sanding after box assembly, when a palm sander is handy. I always use adhesive sandpaper when using my palm sander.) Make sure width of the bottom of your box is the same as the width of the left/right sides of your box. This process naturally darkens the wood. Left unfinished, it will weather gray like any other wood. When using the jig saw in this step, always err for a smaller hole rather than a larger hole. You can use sandpaper to make your jig saw cuts better match the hole saw cuts in step three.

But if you’re just painting the boxes, then a general smoothing down of the surface is good enough. After dry or wet sanding your primer, you may have to do some touch-up priming in spots where you sanded away the primer. No need to resand these spots, though, unless they’re substantial areas. Lastly, apply two or three coats of paint and your boxes are finished! After staining, you will have rough wood that needs sealed and smoothed down again. I usually use polyurethane to seal my stained wood. If you’re using a light stain or no stain at all, you may want to use polycrylic instead, as urethane does yellow slightly over time.Having a lot of scrap wood left from previous projects is a good thing, it shows you’re working hard. However, to make the most of your lumber, you will need to keep them organized so that you can utilize them whenever there is a chance. Everything jumbled up together in a pile will not only make it hard for you to figure out what you have laying around in your workshop, but may also damage your wood. Thus, it is quite important to have proper storage installed. We hope we have been able to help you decide or get an idea regarding what type of storage option you want and need. After deciding on the height, width, and depth of your boxes, determine how much lumber you will need. Plywood is sold in 4’x8′ pieces, so I chose to have 1/4″ plywood sheets cut into strips at the hardware store. The bottom of my boxes were left unpainted, because I didn’t want paint scraping against shelves as the boxes are slid in and out. I had considered waxing the bottoms of the boxes so they’d slide more easily, but in the end I decided to use felt pads instead.