Entryway Shoe Tray

Hi all, I’m Tylynn from Bitterroot DIY – a DIY blog full of free woodworking plans and home improvement tutorials. My husband and I bought our first house this past spring and have been working our way through remodeling the kitchen and living room. It’s a rambler, so the kitchen and living room are one space … which also happens to be the entryway. So we started with a kitchen makeover but it’s been pretty much all downhill from there … one project leads to the next and the next and the next. You know how it goes 😉

From cabinets to trim to electrical, it’s been a whirlwind of construction lately. I finally finished up the last of the trim and caulking in the kitchen/living room/entryway a couple weeks ago, so now I’m starting on all the furniture for the space – shelves, stools, a dining table, end tables … all the necessities for a main living area! Head over to Bitterroot DIY to grab the latest woodworking plans!

Today I’m dropping in here at  Hazel & Gold Designs to share the latest DIY furniture addition – an entryway shoe tray. I’ve seen a lot of shoe trays with rocks lately, but I was a little worried my son would try to pull the rocks up … even if they’re glued down … the man has to have his rocks! So I opted for a simpler design.

Hope you enjoy the free plans!

Tools & Supplies

• Saw
• Drill
• Finish Nailer
• Wood Glue
• Kreg Pocket Hole Jig
• 1 1/4″ Pocket Hole Screws
• 1 1/2″ Finish Nails
• Stain and Polycrylic
• Handles (optional)
• Interlocking Rubber Floor Tiles (I found them at Menards)

Lumber:

• 1  |  1 x 2 @ 8′
• 1  |   1 x 4 @ 10′ (or two @ 6′)

Cuts:

• 2  |   1 x 2 @ 26 1/2″ (sides)
• 2  |   1 x 2 @ 14″ (ends)
• 4  |   1 x 4 @ 25″ (base)

Step 1.

Build the base of the tray by attaching four 25″  1 x 4s with wood glue and 1 1/4″ pocket holes. Place the pocket holes on the bottom of the tray to best hide them.

If you’d like more clarification on how to stagger and attach with pocket holes, check out this post: How to Build a Tabletop. I build all my trays and tabletops the same way, so just follow that pattern. I used three pocket holes on one edge of each of the 1x4s and two on the other edge for good, strong joints.

Step 2.

Place the end 1x2s flush with the edges of the 1×4 base and attach with wood glue and 1 1/2″ finish nails.

Step 3.

Lastly, attach the 1×2 sides with wood glue and 1 1/2″ finish nails. Place a few finish nails along the length of the sides into the tray base, as well as into the tray ends.

Step 4.

Sand and finish as desired! I used my new absolute favoritest stain ever – Weathered Wood in Brown by Varathane. It’s the perfect brown barn wood finish. And, since this tray will definitely see some moisture from boots, I sealed it with multiple coats of spray-on polycrylic from Varathane. The spray-on poly gives such a nice, smooth finish. But you do have to use more coats since it goes on so thin. You could also use a brush-on poly for thicker coverage in fewer coats.

Step 5.

I added some handles on each end of the tray for an industrial/rustic look. They’re the same handles I used on our updated kitchen cabinets, so it ties everything together nicely! Handles are completely optional, but you can find the link to the ones I used over in the kitchen cabinet update Tools & Supplies List.

Finally, I placed interlocking rubber tiles in the tray for easy cleaning. I snapped the tiles together, cut them to size for the tray, and plopped them in. It’s super easy to remove when it gets messy from shoes and boots, so I don’t have to worry about all the mud and moisture damaging the wood!

And there you have a brand new entryway shoe tray!

For more project ideas like this, I’d love it if you stopped by my blog. You can also find me on Pinterest. And to stay up to date with the latest shenanigans, follow me on Instagram!

Don’t forget to pin it for later!