When David and I started looking to buy a new house, we both agreed that we wanted a mudroom for a catch all, especially with the two dogs. When he found this house while I was in Tampa, the first thing he said was “it has a mudroom, so start pinning ideas.” Imagine my surprise when I got home from TBS Conference to find a partially completed mudroom.  We took pictures along the way to share how to install a mudroom bench with shiplap.

I enlisted David’s help for writing this post to share the details on how he determined next steps.

How to Install a Mudroom Bench with Shiplap

This is our before photo, which was the image I saw on realtor.com, and I instantly started pinning inspiration for the space based on that perfect nook.

Step One: Measure & Acquire Supplies

David measured the space in general to determine how many pieces of shiplap he needed.  He opted for tongue and groove wood from Home Depot to create the shiplap.  For the cubbies, he used some scrap 3 x 6 pieces of wood we had from previous projects and had specific pieces measured for the tops and bottoms of the cubbies.

Step Two: Prep Work

He pulled up the baseboards in the nook where the bench was going and wiped up the floors.  There wasn’t a ton of prep work to be done since the space was already empty, which made the process go by faster.

Step Three: Build the Bottom Box

Our friend Frank helped him build the bottom box for the cubbies, and they measured three even spaces for those cubbies.  These same measurements were used for the top space as well.  The bottom box went over the hardwoods.  After he built the box, he added baseboards to the bottom portion to keep the flow in the space.

Step Four: Attach the Shiplap

Since David and Frank used tongue and groove wood, the spacing was even between the boards.  Because they wanted to keep consistent sizing with the bottom cubbies and top cubbies, they measured the shiplap for that space.  They ended up using 12 pieces of wood to create the shiplap.

Step Five: Build Top Cubbies

Then, they attached the top box for the cubbies.  The major difference between the bottom and top was the finishes.  On the top, the dividers are not quite as thick, and moulding to  finish both the top and bottom portions of the upper cubbies.

Once the hard work of building was done, I made sure the cushion I had made would fit.  This cushion was custom made for our first house for a window seat David built me, and it took me forever to find the perfect fabric.  I was so excited to see that it fit perfectly in this space.

Step Six: Paint

I opted for Sherwin Williams Alabaster White for the shiplap and details for the bench. The smooth pieces of wood that David used to create the cubbies and the base of the boxes soak up paint unevenly and it took a few more coats than I expected to get it smooth. For the shiplap, I did not worry as much about even coats since that is the kind of look I was going for in the space.

Once I was done painting the boards, I also painted the walls Sherwin Williams Repose Gray, which is the color we have used in most all of our rooms in our ranch.

Step Seven: Finishing Touches

I wanted an updated light fixture in the space, so I opted for this lantern. We added three hooks under the cubbies to hang coats and hats, which came in really handy with the cold weather and snow we had this year.

Last 2 Photos by Glory Roze Photography

Materials:

• boards for base and top
• boards for cubbies
• 12 shiplap boards
• baseboard
• trim
• Sherwin Williams Alabaster White
• Sherwin Williams Repose Gray
• 3 Prong Hooks (black discontinued but similar here)
• Rifle Paper Co Fabric (love this and this as well)
• Lantern (on sale!)

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