5 Diy Entryway Storage Projects (ranked by Skill, Hours, and Cost)

Five DIY entryway storage projects, ranked by the math that matters: cost, hours, tools, and ‘will my spouse forgive me’.

The entryway is the room everyone sees first and furnishes last, which is exactly why it is the best room to build for. A weekend of honest work turns a shoe pile and a coat tree into a landing strip that looks like it cost a thousand dollars — for the price of one decent dinner out. Every project below is built from hardware-store materials, uses tools a normal human owns or can borrow, and comes with honest difficulty tags. No fake angles, no ‘just a quick cut’ nonsense.

Here is the whole lineup, ranked by cost, hours, and skill level:

Project	Skill	Hours	Cost	Drunk-tool risk
Project 1: Floating Shelf + Hook Rail	Easy	2–3	$30–45	3
Project 2: Bench With Hidden Bin	Medium	4–5	$40–60	4
Project 3: Pegboard Wall	Medium	3	$35–55	5
Project 4: Shoe Tray Upgrade	Easy	1–2	$15–25	2
Project 5: The Built-In Look	Hard	8+	$80–120	7

Each project comes with a ‘drunk tool’ risk rating. Project 4 is a two. Project 5 is a seven.

5 DIY Entryway Storage Projects (ranked: skill / hours / cost)

The five projects below are ordered by difficulty, not ego. Start at one and climb; by the time you hit Project 5 you will actually be good enough for it.

Project 1: The Floating Shelf + Hook Rail

The simplest project on the list delivers the biggest visual win: one floating shelf with a row of hooks beneath it becomes a coat station, bag drop, and catch-all surface that reads as furniture.

Materials: 1x6 pine or a reclaimed board (2–6 ft), two floating-shelf brackets with toggle hardware, three to five coat hooks, stain or paint, a level, a stud finder. Time: 2–3 hours. Skill: Easy. Difficulty tag: Beginner. Drunk-tool risk: 3.

1. Finish the board first. Sand, stain, and seal while it is on the workbench; finishing on the wall is how you end up painting your floor.
2. Find the studs. Mark them, and anchor the brackets with the hardware that matches your wall — toggles for hollow drywall, screws for studs.
3. Level the brackets, then set the shelf in place and let the chemistry of physics hold it.
4. Screw the hooks into the wall 6 to 8 inches apart, centered under the shelf, and keep the heavy hooks at the ends.

Project 2: Bench With Hidden Bin

Every entryway needs a place to sit, and every bench wants to hold something. This version combines a sturdy base with a hidden bin under the seat, so shoes vanish while the bench does bench things.

Materials: Two wooden crates or a reinforced plastic crate base, a 3/4 in plywood seat, 2 in upholstery foam, canvas drop cloth, a staple gun, zip ties, a hinged drop-lid bin if you skip the crates. Time: 4–5 hours. Skill: Medium. Difficulty tag: Intermediate. Drunk-tool risk: 4.

1. Build the base. Zip-tie or screw the crates together side by side so they act as one unit — this is the frame, so make it rigid.
2. Cut the seat from plywood to overhang the base by half an inch on all sides.
3. Upholster the top. Foam on plywood, canvas pulled taut, stapled from the center out — the gift-wrap corner trick makes a professional edge.
4. Add the hidden bin. A drop-lid bin fits behind the front slats of the crates, or build a simple plywood box with a piano hinge and a leather pull. Shoes go in the bin, seat stays clear.

Project 3: Pegboard Wall

A styled pegboard is the most adjustable storage surface ever made: hooks, baskets, and tiny shelves move in seconds, so the board adapts to every season without a new build.

Materials: One pegboard sheet (2x4 ft, cut to fit), 1x2 furring strips, paint, a foam roller, assorted pegboard hooks, two small wire baskets, optional small shelf. Time: 3 hours. Skill: Medium. Difficulty tag: Intermediate. Drunk-tool risk: 5.

1. Frame the back. Glue and screw furring strips around the board’s perimeter so hooks have clearance behind the holes.
2. Paint both sides with a foam roller — thin coats keep paint out of the holes, and a color-matched wall paint makes the board disappear.
3. Mount it with heavy-duty adhesive strips on the furring strips or screws into studs, depending on the wall’s temper.
4. Accessorize with intent. Keys on hooks, sunglasses in a basket, mail in the second basket, and a small shelf for the plant that makes it all look like a designer’s.
5. Leave room to grow. The whole point is rearrangeable, not maxed-out.

For a full tour of what this surface can do — grids, baskets, shelf brackets, the works — see our guide to customizable pegboard entryway storage systems.

Project 4: Shoe Tray Upgrade

The least glamorous project is the one you will use twice a day: turn a cheap boot tray into a proper entryway shoe station that catches slush, mud, and identity crises.

Materials: One commercial-grade boot tray (18 x 30 in or bigger), two half-inch riser blocks or furniture feet, spray paint or appliance epoxy, a textured non-slip mat, optional grip-tape. Time: 1–2 hours. Skill: Easy. Difficulty tag: Beginner. Drunk-tool risk: 2.

1. Prep the tray. Degrease it, then paint with spray enamel made for plastic or metal — two light coats beat one heavy sag.
2. Raise it. Screw the riser blocks to the underside so water and grit fall through instead of pooling under the shoes.
3. Line the floor of the tray with the non-slip mat so dripping soles don’t slide.
4. Place it beside the door with the daily pairs on top and the hour-arrivals in a basket alongside.

Project 5: The Built-In Look (without built-ins)

This is the weekend-eater: two painted columns, a floating shelf across the top, and a couple of coats of patience, which together read as custom millwork. Worth every hour of the seven-drunk-tool risk.

Materials: Two 4-ft columns of 3/4 in plywood or MDF, one 6-ft floating shelf kit, crown molding off-cuts, paint, wood filler, a level, toggle anchors, and a calm disposition. Time: 8+ hours across a weekend. Skill: Hard. Difficulty tag: Advanced. Drunk-tool risk: 7.

1. Build the columns — square boxes with a keder or shaker profile; paint them before install.
2. Anchor to the wall. Toggle anchors rated for the bracket kit, then level the shelf with the patience of a monk.
3. Tuck the columns against the wall, shim them plumb, and screw them to the shelf brackets from inside.
4. Crown the top with the molding off-cuts and fill every seam with wood filler; sand and touch up.
5. Load it like a display — coats at a glance, bags in the baskets, keys in a tray, and the whole wall doing a very convincing impression of a $4,000 built-in.

Five projects, one weekend each, zero regrets. Start with the shoe tray on a Saturday morning and end with the built-in look by Monday, and every single project will still be working — and still be honest about what it took to build. If the itch for more extends past these five, there is a whole library of project-shaped entryway storage ideas in our 15 genius entryway storage ideas roundup — pick your next one, and go make some sawdust.