Cubby Shelf Makeover

Sharing is caring!

Once upon a time I found a nasty old cubby shelf and decided that it’s home by the dumpster was not good enough.
It needed, no…it deserved a makeover. Which is why I came back an hour later with my 14 year old boy and somehow got it into my van.
With a little TLC it is ready to start a new life… Here is my Cubby Shelf Makeover.

MyLove2Create-top-left-side
It will start it’s new life at my daughter’s dance studio. Working to hold dance bags, coats and whatever the dancer’s need to store away while they are in class. It is the perfect home for it and although I am sad to part with it, I am happy to give.MyLove2Create-before-front
Here is a blurry before shot. The wood was pretty water damaged and very dirty, with globs of, I have no idea what, stuck to it in spots. And there was a divider shelf missing on the bottom.

MyLove2Create-before-back

A shot from the back shows the gravel that was stuck to the wood. I did quite of bit of nailing to sturdy it up because it was pretty wobbly. There were random holes drilled in the boards you can see them, I have no idea why they are there but I decided to leave them.

MyLove2Create-toy-storage

When projects don’t get worked on right away at my house this is what happens. For a few months my kids used it as a huge “doll” house (don’t tell my boys I used the word doll) and they were pretty upset with I said they had to clean it out!

 

Add boards for strength

MyLove2Create-gluing-in-missing-board
After I had nailed all the boards in place and made it sturdy, I measured and cut a piece of plywood to replace the missing divider. I used Gorilla wood glue and clamped it while it dried. Sunny is always a good helper these days, except when she helps too much. 🙂

TSP for cleaning

MyLove2Create-scrap-off-gunk-and-clean-with-TSP

While the glue dried I started scraping off the gunk. I am not sure what this was but maybe tar? It was nasty and I had quite a few cubbies to scrape. When I was done I cleaned the whole thing with TSP a great cleaner that I got at HomeDepot. It took care of any residue so I could paint. I was really impressed with it, since this was my first time using it.

How to add a face frame

MyLove2Create-fitting-face-frame-boards

Since it was made out of plywood and water damaged the edges were pretty ugly and rough. So I bought some 1×2’s to make a face frame. I set them to measure where to cut. Then I grabbed some old barn wood that an awesome friend had given me, and dry fitted it on the top and sides. I ended up just using a board for the top, and not the sides.

MyLove2Create-drilling-pocket-holes

I drilled pocket holes and built an outer frame.

Need more details on using a Kreg Jig? See my article How to use a Kreg Jig Pocket Hole System

MyLove2Create-outer-frame

I love how pocket holes work and join the boards flush. Once I had it placed on, I measured for the vertical boards and cut them.

MyLove2Create-measuring-for-short-boards

I placed them where they needed to go and then measured for the small horizontal boards. After I got all the boards cut I drilled pocket holes in the horizontal boards.

MyLove2Create-attaching-long-boards
I used the short boards as the spacers to make sure I was placing my horizontal boards in the right place, then I glued and screwed them on.
MyLove2Create-using-small-boards-as-spacers
After I got them all attached I removed my spacer boards.

Framed out cubbies

MyLove2Create-pre-paint-face-frame
I was so excited I placed the boards on to see how it was going to look. It is amazing the difference trim makes!

Time to paint

MyLove2Create-paint-booth
I busted out my command max sprayer to paint and it worked great, but I soon realized my mistake. The warning voice in my head told me I needed to fill all the cracks with spackle before hand, but I stubbornly ignored it. Can you see the cubbies, and how bad they look? The wood cracks were not going to disappear no matter how much paint I used. So I started over, filled in all the cracks and used caulk on the seams. Then I primed.
MyLove2Create-primed-after-filled-in-cracks (1)
And I painted. Again. The difference is night and day. I had to bring it on my covered porch because it was sprinkling all day, when I went to pick up the kids from school there was a huge downpour and the rain splattered all over it, I had to wipe the whole thing down. Thank goodness the paint was dry!

Adding Caster Wheels

MyLove2Create-adding-wood-and-casters
I added some scrap wood and casters to the bottom.
MyLove2Create-glue-and-nail-on-top
I glued and nailed on the top board. Mmmm, I love 80 year old barn wood.
MyLove2Create-glue-for-face-frame
Once the top board and casters were on I added glue and nailed on the face frame.
MyLove2Create-adding-face-trim
Lastly, I added all the small boards with glue and nails.
MyLove2Create-painting-trim
After filling in the nail holes I re-painted the trim. Then I added a few coats of poly to the top wood board and I was finally done!

The cubby shelf makeover is complete!

MyLove2Create-Left-side-view
Oh, and I added hooks to each side so the girls can hang coats and bags as well. Can you see some of the holes in the plywood? I didn’t plug them up, I figured there was no need to. They add some character. 🙂
MyLove2Create-caster-close-up
The casters are really nice to have since this is a beast at over 6 feet long. They make it super easy to move.
MyLove2Create-back-shot-done
This is the back, it will be up against the wall so I didn’t fill in the cracks.
MyLove2Create-full-front
The front looks so pretty with the trim!
MyLove2Create-right-side-shot
This is the other side with hooks. I got my hooks, after Gail’s post DIY Coat Rack Repurposed Bunk Bed, because I loved them! Yep, I also ordered mine from DLawless Hardware but in Oil Rubbed bronze.
MyLove2Create-cubby-makeover-hens-nesting-box
I grabbed some of my daughter’s things to stage a photo. It is going to work great, I can’t wait to give it to her dance teacher!
MyLove2Create-hens-nesting-boxes-kids-cubby
I am in love with the top, so beat up and pretty!
MyLove2Create-cubby-shelf-hens-nesting-boxes-makeover


And that is how these sad little cubby shelves got a new life!
UPDATE: See the final project with some vinyl decals and more on Mindi’s blog.
Have you ever seen something by the dumpster that you went back for? I am glad I gave this guy a second chance.
Thanks for reading!
Mindi
See more of Mindi’s projects here

Sharing is caring!

About Mindi

Mindi is a wife, mother, runner, dancer, and a lover of all things fun and DIY.

A few years ago she discovered blogs and fell in love with the idea that she could do things she had always dreamed of doing. Like build furniture from pallets, and make cool projects for her home.... Mindi was inspired by other bloggers that empowered her to create.

Mindi decided to give back and possibly reach someone out there that has a desire to create like herself. She believes we all have that desire in some form or another, and we all DO create in our own way, every day. Whether it be crafty or not, even creating happiness in others is a gift that many share.

Mindi loves to learn and use that knowledge to make beautiful and useful things for her home.

ABOUT GAIL WILSON - A teacher at heart, Gail Wilson relishes the chance not to show off her projects, but to help others find their inner handywoman, step-by-step. Her blog, MyRepurposedLife.com, chronicles her scrap-saving adventures and has been featured on countless DIY magazines and websites, including Women’s Day, Design*Sponge and Apartment Therapy. She is a longtime influencer for both Homeright and Gorrilla Glue. With a tribe of more than 450,000 followers, Gail is inspiring a new generation of DIYers to pick up some tools and get to work.

Shop Amazon!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Sunny says

    October 5, 2014 at 5:53 am

    OMG- I LOVE big Cubby shelves like this- I had one that was 5 high and 4 wide like yours and I brought it home, cleaned it up and painted it gloss black. OMG- I loved it and it was one of my favorite pieces of furniture to date!!!

    Lovely piece you remade!!!!!!

    Reply

  5. Mary says

    October 4, 2014 at 12:13 pm

    So revived to a nice and clean cubby, now, Mindi You are giving a great gift, and it should be a tremendous help to her. Paying it forward. 🙂 I like a good story.

    Reply

  6. Sarah J says

    October 3, 2014 at 4:38 pm

    Just pinned this on my Two Uses Tuesday board. Love it! The dance studio I frequented for 20+ years could have used 1 or 7 of these. I kinda want it for my house. Where i’d put it, who knows. Awesome work!

    Reply

  9. gail@myrepurposedlife.com says

    October 3, 2014 at 11:13 am

    Mindi

    I LOVE how you transformed this piece that the nice folks on facebook say it’s for nesting hens (chicken coop) I’m a city girl, so I would never know that! 🙂

    Adding the front facing was brilliant! It’s amazing how much it adds to the piece. FYI I don’t fill till after I paint… because I always hope it magically won’t show (NOT) lol But to me, it is easier to do that between coats because it’s easier to find the places that need patch and putty.

    GREAT project! thank you for another wonderful contributor post!

    gail

    Reply

  11. Stefanie says

    October 3, 2014 at 9:43 am

    Wow and wow! You truly gave new life to a very needy cubby and the results are just awesome! Would have never thought to put a frame around it…brilliant and beautiful! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your tips and tricks!

    Reply

  12. Jenna says

    October 3, 2014 at 9:25 am

    I SO need this for my kiddo’s play area! Can’t believe what this looked like to begin with – its amazing now! The moldings made all the difference!

    Reply

  14. Bliss says

    October 3, 2014 at 8:27 am

    Lucky dance teacher, it turned out great…. elbow grease and paint a winning combo. Is that a Rhodesian Ridgeback I spy?

    Reply

  16. Christina in Cleveland says

    October 3, 2014 at 6:17 am

    STELLAR!!! Thank you for telling your “foibles” because my mind would have also wanted to ignore the nudge to fill holes and just paint. We are SO human! :)) I adore the project and admire your talent and hard work!! Just gorgeous!!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Left Menu Icon