14 DIY Under-Stair Storage Plans You Can Build Today (With Pictures)
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Everybody could use more storage space to make tidying and organizing easier around the house. And if you have a staircase in the home, it’s a safe bet that you have some underutilized storage potential on your hands.
Transforming the area under the stairs will add function and neat design details to make the home feel complete. Create simple shelves, pull-out drawers, or even a private reading nook. There are plenty of cool and clever ways to enhance the space. Get inspired to update your home today with these DIY under-stair storage ideas.
The 14 DIY Under-Stair Storage Plans
1. Under-Stair Sliding Shoe Cabinet by Instructables
| Materials: | MDF panel, drawer slides, handles, furniture paint, screws |
| Tools: | Circular or table saw, plate joiner, router, screwdriver, rack, cleats, square, modeling software |
| Difficulty Level: | Advanced |
Sliding stair drawers require careful planning and accurate execution if you want them to stay level, function smoothly, and seamlessly mesh with under-stair paneling. With this under-stair sliding shoe cabinet, modeling software comes in handy to create a sketch and deliver detailed dimensions.
You’ll need a quality set of shop tools, including a table saw and router, and aligning the drawer slides can be challenging. The finished product is worth the extra effort, with adjustable shelves, inset racks, and a smooth paint job leaving a versatile build with a professional look.
2. Under-Stair Shelves by Instructables
| Materials: | Plywood, 2x2s, wood screws |
| Tools: | Circular saw, drill, sandpaper |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
If exposed stairs lead to a basement, you can whip up extra storage with spare materials around the shop. A few cuts of plywood, some supports (ripped 2x4s in this case), and fasteners are all you need for these under-tread storage shelves. Though limited in height and relatively unattractive in their raw form, these are great for hand tools, extension cords, and anything you’ll want readily accessible at the bottom of the stairs.
3. Under-Stair Cube Shelving by Ikea Hackers
| Materials: | Cube bookshelf, shelving brackets, scrap wood, screws |
| Tools: | Modeling software, drill, saw |
| Difficulty Level: | Intermediate |
Reimagined cube bookshelves remove the most challenging steps of building an under-stair shelving system from scratch. You can use a ready-to-build product from a certain Swedish modular furniture retailer, as the designer did in this under-stair storage build, or a similar setup from any big box store.
Modeling software helps create a plan, and with only a few diagonal cuts and some extra support brackets, you’ll have no problem making a functional and fashionable open-shelf system.
4. Simple Under-Stair Storage Cubes by Make Old New
| Materials: | Cube bookshelves |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Straightforward and inexpensive, a few cube bookshelves offer one of the fastest ways to upgrade your under-stair storage. In this instance, a vertical 4-shelf system and a square come together for a snug fit.
Decorative flourishes come in the way of tabletop ornaments or potted plants, and creative cube containers let you direct the style and color scheme of your simple arrangement. It’s a perfect option when you don’t want to involve power tools.
5. Roll-Out Under-Stair Shelves by DIY Projects Ideas
| Materials: | Chipboard, 1×2 pallets, nails, screws, caster wheels |
| Tools: | Saw, drill |
| Difficulty Level: | Intermediate |
Smooth pull-out drawers are convenient, offer abundant storage, and hide nicely under the stairs. But ball-bearing slides can quickly become a frustrating project for a novice DIYer, as you need precise measurements and placement for them to stay parallel and work correctly. Rather than fiddle with an overly complicated design, use a set of caster wheels and a simple guide to get similar utility without finesse.
The hidden storage system in these roll-out shelving plans is a clever solution to a tricky problem. Casters allow the shelves to roll out and in with ease. Meanwhile, a simple wooden bracket keeps it in place, so there’s no worry about it disconnecting and being difficult to reinsert into its hole.
6. Barn Door Under-Stair Pantry by the DIY Mommy
| Materials: | Lumber, stain, barn door track, shelves, support blocks, screws |
| Tools: | Table saw, drill |
| Difficulty Level: | Intermediate |
The modern farmhouse style is still as trendy as ever, and nothing will make you more proud of your DIY prowess than an elegant, made-from-scratch barn door accessory.
An under-stair pantry is a fantastic option for utilizing that spare space, and this sliding feature is a beautiful way to keep everything behind closed doors. Crafting the door and hanging the rail may be the most complicated steps, but with a couple of quick measurements and a helping hand, everything comes together in no time.
7. Under-Stair Hidden Closet by In My Own Style
| Materials: | Pre-hung door, 2x4s, 2×1 boards, drywall, paint, screws, caulk, wood glue |
| Tools: | Circular saw, miter saw, hammer, drill, pry bar, level |
| Difficulty Level: | Intermediate |
An empty cavity under the stairs is ready to transform into a hidden storage closet. Another essential modern farmhouse element, board and batten, creates a crisp completed aesthetic for the new paneling and integrated closet door. In these plans, a 2×4 frame holds up drywall to close off the nook, and a careful cut turns a pre-hung door into a custom entryway.
8. Under-Stair Storage Cabinet by Instructables
| Materials: | Plywood, 2x2s, wood glue, screws |
| Tools: | Drill, table saw, router |
| Difficulty Level: | Intermediate |
A closed-off staircase may be hiding the perfect storage cabinet. All you need to do is add the doors! In this under-stair storage space walkthrough, the designer repositioned support studs and finished the cavity to create an undersized utility closet. After framing the opening, the most challenging part is cutting and forming the trim for the door panels.
9. Understairs Storage Unit by Family Handyman
| Materials: | (3) 1″ x 6″ x 8′ poplar, 1.25″ trim screws, 1.25″ wood screws, 2″ and 2.25″ construction screws, 0.5″ x 48″ x 96″ veneer-core birch plywood, (3) 34″ extra heavy duty drawer slides, fast-tack construction adhesive, primer, paint, shims, spackling compound, wood filler, and polyurethane |
| Tools: | 2′ level, brad nail gun, caulk gun, circular saw, combination square, drill driver, framing square, orbital sander, putty knife, and a table saw |
| Difficulty Level: | Intermediate |
If you’re looking for a great classic under-the-stair storage unit you can build yourself, this one from Family Handyman is an outstanding choice. It takes a classic design and improves upon it even more, giving you an outstanding storage unit you can use for years to come.
It’s not the easiest project for beginner DIYers, but the guide does a great job of walking you through everything you need to do. If you have the right tools and take your time, we’re confident you can tackle this project.
10. Understairs Storage Unit by WikiHow
| Materials: | 2″ x 4″ boards, 1.5″ screws, 1″ x 3″ boards, 0.5″ plywood, and a 0.5″ MDF |
| Tools: | Stud finder, drywall saw, circular saw, drawer runners, drill, and a circular saw |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
WikiHow is all things DIY, so when they put together a project for you, you know you can trust the results. That’s exactly what they give you with this under-stair storage unit. It’s a pretty straightforward project and guide, but it’s up to you to give it the premium feel you might want.
Still, the guide is highly customizable, so it works for a wide range of stair options, which is a big part of the reason you should check it out!
11. Simple DIY Understairs Storage Unit by Plank Hardware
| Materials: | Door handles, knobs, hooks, drawer slides, and runners |
| Tools: | Tape measure, fine-toothed saw, coarse cut saw, miter saw, drill, screwdriver set, and a level |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Sometimes, simplicity is the name of the game, and with this design from Plank Hardware, that’s exactly what you’re getting. The guide wants you to purchase the necessary hardware from Plank, and if you like the hardware, it certainly works, but feel free to get your hardware from any local hardware store.
Overall, the guide does a great job of walking you through everything you’ll need to do to build it, but if you’re looking for a more premium appearance, they leave that part up to you.
12. DIY Pull-Out Storage by Ideas 2 Live 4
| Materials: | Chipboard, 1″ x 2″ pallets, nails, screws, and (4) caster wheels |
| Tools: | Measuring tape, marker, saw, combination ruler, and a drill |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Some DIY understairs storage units are all about sectioning everything off, but not this one. This guide transforms the area into one large pull-out storage area you can use for just about anything you can think of. Sure, you can still store smaller things in there, but part of the advantage of a single-drawer pull-out storage area is the ability to store larger objects too.
So, if you have some large objects you need to put away but have within easy reach, this guide is for you!
13. DIY Storage and Railing Combination by Frugal Family Times
| Materials: | Plywood, 2″ x 2″ x 8′ clear pine lumber, 2″ x 4″ x 8′ studs, 5/8″ x 4.5″ primed MDF, piano hinge, trim/baseboard, screws, nails, construction adhesive, and paint |
| Tools: | Electric nailer, drill, level, pencil, and a measuring tape |
| Difficulty Level: | Intermediate |
If your stairs just don’t look finished yet, then this guide is what you’re looking for. Not only do you get a great sliding drawer under the stairs, but you also add a great handrail and some decorative pieces to go with it!
If you already have great railings, you’d have to tear those down to go with this guide though. But if you’re adding it all, this DIY storage and railing combination by Frugal Family Times is the clear way to go!
14. Sliding Drawer Under Stair Storage by DIY Doctor
| Materials: | Shims, packers, plywood, wood glue, screws, drawer slides |
| Tools: | Tape measure, fine-toothed saw, coarse cut saw, miter saw, drill, screwdriver set, sliding bevel, clamps, and a spirit level |
| Difficulty Level: | Advanced |
From blank wall to complete storage unit, this sliding drawer under stair storage by DIY Doctor covers it all. Not only does it walk you through how to cut out the wall sections safely, but it also does a great job of helping you measure out all the different sections for your custom drawers.
It doesn’t walk you through the sanding and finishing process, but that’s pretty straightforward, and it lets you customize the drawers to the existing décor in your home.
Conclusion
It’s time to give your staircase another look. Storage room has a premium in any home, and the space under the stairs is a goldmine of utility. Consider if these DIY under-stair storage ideas fit your current setup, and see how easy it can be to upgrade your home today!
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Featured Image Credit: Bilanol, Shutterstock
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