Media Cabinet into a Locker

 Hey all!  It’s Corey again from Sawdust2Stitches.  Now that kids are back in the routine of  school, and parents have had their parties,  it is time to get back into the swing of things. One thing I have noticed is that the “drop zone” has become a hazard area.

*Drop Zone  n. – Area at which any, and all things are dropped, or discarded  in the front entry way*

I kid you not,  my 5 year old is down to his underwear before I even shut the garage door. (Where is that speed when we are picking up Legos ?! )

Moving on… The drop zone can  become an unsightly danger zone at an impressive rate. I present to you a solution for the mayhem, enjoy!

 

Turn a Media Cabinet into a Mudroom Locker

DISCLAIMER:

 Unfortunately this is not a tutorial with detailed blueprints.  The purpose  of this post  is meant to help spur ideas,  help you think outside the box,   and RETHINK THE POSSIBILITIES!… and all the jazz.

A good friend of mine picked this up at a garage sale for $10!  For an all wood cabinet that was a good buy!  What  you can’t tell from the picture is that the original owner had  given a good attempt at trying to  give it a face lift.  They  had tried…  and kind of failed.  There were several layers of  paint.  No problem.  We can work with that!

First step  I took in the process, was ripping it completely apart!   I took on this project as if I were taking it apart to use it for scraps.

Remove doors While I had everything in pieces I sanded EVERYTHING.  It is so much easier to do it  when it is in pieces then when it has funky  angles and corners the sander won’t fit.

  The last thing I wanted, was for this to look like a cabinet someone repainted, and stuck hooks it.  In order to give it that “Locker” look  I wanted,   I  needed to give it a seating space. So, I cut out part of the frame to make it recessed.

When I started putting it back together I started with  front and back supports and went from there.

The cabinet seemed really short to me.  No problem. I  added a  little bit of height to the base of it.

I  then proceeded to trim it out.  Basically,  covering any ugly spots.  When in doubt,   just cover it with trim.  It will look pretty. I also added the center divider at this point as well.

Although I had added a little bit of height to the base,  it was still too short for my taste.  That and so many lockers  i had looked at,  had overhead storage.  Extra storage it always a bonus!  So  I constructed a frame and fastened it to the locker.

 If I had simply set crates on top for storage it would have looked like an after thought.  By adding the frame it looks like storage belongs and gives it height! All accomplished with using the wood I already  had.

  I also added the bench seating area.

  Adding paneling to the back was the last step before priming!

   I  primed the unit and decided to  go with a little two-tone action and stained the bench slats.

 Once the primer dried I painted it Ultra Pure White by Behr.

 

  I  made a few custom crates,  and stained them  (Jacobean  by Minwax)  to match the bench seating.

The last thing I did was added some the  hooks, handles, and knobs!  Ta-Da!

 

 

So pretty.

So, before you  toss that dated cabinet out on the curb,  or walk past one sitting on the curb.  Take a second to rethink it’s potential !  (At the risk of sounding like a motivational poster.)  The possibilities are limitless!
Take Luck,

Corey

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Love giving old furniture new life! See how to put your entryway to work as a drop zone/mud room with these other creative ideas, too:

Make a Hall Tree With Bench from an Old Dresser

Free Building Plans for a Corner Mudroom Bench

Turn a Closet into a Mini Mudroom

Update an Old Hall Tree Bench

Turn A Bookshelf Into a Locker Storage Unit

Build a Simple Storage Entry Bench

DIY Built-In Entryway Mudroom Locker Cubbies