Building a Functional Mudroom Space

Here we are in full swing of this project…and Michael and I are out of town! We’re on our annual family vacation in Florida, but don’t you worry because we planned ahead. Spending quality time with our family is an essential part of who we are and travel is a MUST in our world.

In order to keep all the things moving we had to put detailed plans in place, including the One Room Challenge. What we did not plan for was a severe 72 hour outage on our website. Fortunately we have an awesome team of support and were able to troubleshoot and identify ways in which we can make things more secure and streamlined. So there’s that.

Before we go any further make sure you check out our week 1 project introduction and week 2 where we show all the before pics before the hammers started swinging. Then you can jump into this weeks project…how we built a custom mudroom for the space.

This mudroom is about to be a show stopper and it isn’t even finished yet! We are beyond excited with how this space is coming together. With two little girls and parents who love shoes we knew this space needed to be extra functional for all their awesome things! This is why we built a custom mudroom with extra storage for everyone. The upper is two tiered with storage for shoes, hats, gloves and mittens, any any seasonal rotational items their heart desires. The lower bench will have two built in dog bed nooks along with additional shoe storage on both sides!

Michael will breakdown the entire process for you and all the things he did to make this space that much more functional for everyone involved!

HOW TO BUILD A CUSTOM MUDROOM

Hey there! Hope you’re all enjoying our One Room Challenge project thus far. This space happens to be my favorite we’ve created to date, not only because it turned out absolutely stunning, but because it was designed with function to the inch. The more purposeful a build is the happier it makes me. I never thought of myself as a custom builder (of furniture or built-ins) but the more I’m pushed and the more I perfect my craft the more I love it.

Before I go any further on my process I have to throw a huge shout out and thank you to two people who got me out of my comfort zone. Rob Tomlinson and Adam Weekley are two distinctly different makers, but equally as talented and supportive of others in the industry. So dudes, thank you! And keep pushing the boundaries!

MATERIALS LIST

4 x 8 Red Oak Plywood (or premium plywood of choice)
1 x 4 red oak (or premium wood of choice)
1 x 2 red oak (or high density fiberboard)
Crown Molding (profile of choice or one that matches your existing space)
Nickel Gap Primed Shiplap
1.25” 18 guage brad nails
2” gold construction screws
150 grit sandpaper
220 grit sandpaper
Paint (color and sheen of choice – we always prefer Sherwin Williams Emerald Interior Satin)
Matte Polyurethane

TOOLS NEEDED

Table Saw
Miter Saw
Brad Nailer
Impact Driver
Rotary Sander
Paint Brush
Stain Brush
Foam Brush

As with any project Danielle and I start by taking measurements and sourcing storage components for the space. We’ve received a ton of questions regarding the size of this space – it is approximately 8′ x 8′. For this project we used these baskets for the top layer and these baskets for the bottom layer. This allows me to design a built-in to spec and utilize every inch. I sketch out all of my builds on my iPad Pro…no fancy software here. While I’m nerdy on the tech front I am old school when it comes to sketch and see this as the perfect marriage of two sides. Prep has always been key, especially for the projects where I built on-site at client homes. Now we have converted our garage to a workshop which is convenient, but means we have to be extremely accurate when taking measurements.

Next up is materials selection. I construct nearly all of my builds with sanded red oak plywood. It’s a premium product that is sturdy and has an amazing grain that really stands out when painted. I rip down solid red oak to use as the face of the built-ins, which I secure using a pin nailer. I have used MDF casing in the past, and while it works well, it has no grain. Just depends on the space.

With the workshop up and running this next phase is even more convenient. I begin by ripping down all of my plywood for the sides, backs and shelves needed. Once I have them all I clean the workshop space, and fire up my Festool Domino. The domino is my new favorite tool that allows me to join every piece together with wooden dowels and locking connectors. And if we’re adding adjustable shelves I will pre-drill hole sets with my Festool Router. Just picture putting together Ikea furniture, but way stronger and easier to use…it’s like that. This is also the time where I would build the bench top. I primarily use oak for this as well, but stain instead of paint. To be continued below.

Once everything is prepped I dry fit the pieces together. No glue, just plug and play to ensure we’re 100% accurate on the cuts and placements. If we’re good to go I prepare myself for hours upon hours of sanding. This process is an absolute must and can make or break a build. I always sand while components are dry fit, and then do a final pass or two when they are apart. NEVER skip out on the sanding needs…the final result will be well worth it.

With a fully smooth surface it is time for paint. Since I don’t have a paint booth (or even a makeshift one at this point) I cover all of my surfaces with paint cloths and plastic wrap. Note that plastic wrap is NOT good to use on floors as any overspray (if you use a sprayer) will stay wet for quite some time. And if you’re working in a tight space that means stepping in wet paint…no good. I will do a post on using a sprayer to paint in the near future, but for now just know it’s paint time.

After the paint is applied I will begin the staining process. I first start with my sanded oak top and get a wet Terry cloth to wipe down the entire surface and edge. This is called “water popping” and it pulls out the grain after sanding. The grain is where the stair settles in and shows those deep colors. Trust me on this process…it’s essential.

The last step upon paint and stain completion is install. Again, I will do a full install post soon…but a couple of notes. Always come with paint and a brush as touch ups may be needed. This is also the time where I add any trim molding to give that permanent built-in look. Once the bench top is set I polyurethane the top (typically twice) with a triple thick poly (see what I did there)?!?

More to come as Michael mentioned, but for now here is this awesome mudroom transformation. Come back to see us next week for week 4 of the One Room Challenge.

And if you’re local and want to add some function to your space, give us a call. We’d be happy to build a custom mudroom for you too!