How to Build a Simple Crate | i should be mopping the floor
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How to Build a Simple Crate

This post for How to Build a Simple Crate contains affiliate links. I make a small portion when these links are used, at no additional cost to you.

A simple crate is the perfect way to organize in style and on a budget. They're great for pantries, toy boxes, closet storage and more (it's a stylish alternative to storage baskets). We've taken storage bins to a whole new level. This is a beginner-level project. See how to build a simple crate below.

How to Build a Simple Crate
If you've been around here much, you know when my dad helps out on a project, it always goes swimmingly. He's at it again today, sharing how to build a simple crate with step-by-step instructions. See all of the fun below.

Pantry Makeover

Last week, I shared my complete Pantry Makeover. The star of our newly-redone pantry are these wooden crates that corral my chaos (because I've got some serious chaos).

Pantry Storage

Now that the pantry has been fully-functional for a couple of weeks, I'm happy to report that the crates are working out beautifully. When I started on this pantry, I was inspired by Shelley over at House of Smiths. While her original pantry design in her own home was completely mind-blowing, I've also been in awe of the pantry and crates she created for the DIY Bloggers' House she was a part of. I was on the search to either buy or make some crates for myself.


How to Build a Crate


I first priced out vintage crates...and at $30-$40 a piece, and a bunch of weird, wonky sizes, I decided this would be a DIY project. And by DIY, I mean I called my dad and asked his opinion on it. And by asked his opinion on it, I mean I know the man well enough to know he wouldn't let me handle this one on my own.

And would you believe we spent less than $30 for all SIX of these? Seriously.

While I truly envisioned this being a complete me job with him standing in the background giving me pointers, it turned into our usual. You know, my dad doing 90% of the work while I click away with the camera. And manage to break in half three of his drill bits when I was helping. We're a great team. I smooth things over with coconut-cream pies and endless cups of Donut Shop Coffee.

I did do all the painting and distressing on my own. For some reason, I feel the need to justify myself here.



How to Build a Vintage Crate

How to Build a Simple Crate

We built six total crates (five are all the same size, but the one for the top shelf of my pantry is a longer size to accommodate my overflow items). 

My standard-sized crates were 15"x12". We cut all of our boards accordingly...keep in mind, we had to subtract the amount that the end pieces took up in order to keep our sizes accurate for our pantry's shelves. If we had just cut boards in 15" and 12" lengths, this wouldn't have worked. You'll need to take into account how long the sides will be once they're attached to the ends in order to get your correct measurement.

Crate Supplies

  • We used 1x4s for all of the exterior boards, and used "rough one side" to cut costs (the rough side faces inward). 
    • Your amount of 1x4s completely depends on the size of your crates and the number you plan to build.
  • We used 1x2s in the inside corners of each crate to add stability and, well, hold them all together.
    • Your amount of 1x2s completely depends on the size of your crates and the number you plan to build.
  • We used 1/8" paneling for the bottoms (this the same stuff furniture-makers use to make drawer bottoms...while it may sound skimpy, it's very durable for this purpose).
    • One large, standard-sized panel was all we needed for all six of our crates.
  • You'll need sandpaper in a variety of grits.
  • We used 1 1/2" screws for the main body.
  • We used wire nails to attach the paneling to the bottoms of the crates.
  • You'll want wood glue.
  • Your paint finish or stained finish is up to you. (I used this Chippy Paint Technique for my finish on my crates)
  • Felt Circles (I used these on the bottoms of my crates to protect whatever I would sit them on). 
  • drawer pulls (we used these as the handles on these crates)

Building a Crate

Materials for Building a Crate
Of course, Dad shows up at my house with a lot of the work already done (see the above photo). He's a keeper. These are all of the ends of the crates (1x4s and 1x2 braces). You can also see the pile of 1x4s we used as the sides. 
  • After cutting all of your boards, be sure to sand them well.
  • To create the ends of your crates, attach two of the 1x2 boards on the ends of two stacked 1x4 boards. You can see how my dad did this above, using screws to attach everything. He used wood glue on the boards before screwing them all together.
  • It's best to pre-drill your holes before screwing everything together, so you don't split your wood.

Crate Template

  • Make a simple cardboard template so all of your screw holes will be identical on each crate (see above photo). This isn't a necessary step, but it makes it aesthetically nicer.

Vintage Crate Tutorial

  • You'll go ahead and line up your side pieces onto your already-created ends.

Vintage Crate

  • Be sure to use wood glue on your pieces prior to screwing them together.

How to DIY a Crate


  • Again, you'll want to pre-drill your holes (that you marked with your template if you're using one). You can see in the above photo how we did this. Pre-drilling prevents the wood from splitting once the screw goes in. I managed to break three drill bits when I did some of these...it wasn't pretty. There's three drill bits sunk into random crate holes in my pantry somewhere. Niiiiiiice.
How to Make a Crate


  • Drill your screws into your predrilled holes. If you noticed on our cardboard template I showed you above, one screw hole is a bit offset. That's the screw that catches into the corner 1x2 that holds the whole piece together and makes it super strong.
  • Allow all of the wood glue on the assembled crates to dry completely before attaching the bottoms of the crates.

Constructing Crates

Creating the Bottoms of the Crates

  • Pencil out the lines for the crate bottoms on your paneling in the dimensions of each crate. 
  • Use a circular saw to cut them out (pictured above). Sand any jagged cuts with sandpaper for a nice finish.
  • Use wire nails around the perimeter of the bottoms to attach them to the body of each crate.

Crate Tutorial


When I first explained this whole project to my dad, he couldn't understand why I would want the screw heads showing. But, he totally got it later. It's a part of the vintage-y appeal to these.

After your crates are assembled, sand them well and paint or stain them in your desired finish. Again, I used this Chippy Paint Technique.


How to Build a Crate
Attach your drawer pulls as handles onto your painted (and dried) crates. I use the handles on my crates all the time.


DIY Crate
And be sure to add your felt pads to the bottoms of each crate, to protect any surface it will sit on.


Crate Tutorial
If you have any questions on how to build a simple crate, let me know in the comments. 




69 comments:

  1. Love'em! Going on my list of things to make :o)

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  2. They turned out cute & functional! I think my favorite part is what seems to be the great relationship you have with your dad {and maybe a tad jealous you live so close to yours ;-) } Makes me miss mine tons! Thanks for sharing!! :-)

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  3. Oh...I loved them in your pantry...now I can have my own. Think your dad will come over? :)
    I've got cookies.
    Kelly

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  4. Pinning these--they're great! Will be sending my address to your Dad!
    Nancy

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  5. These are awesome! Thanks for the tutorial.

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  6. Great tutorial and what an awesome project.

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  7. These are great. I could really use them in my house : )

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  8. Ooooh honey please make me.... list just got 1 item longer.. these are great

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  9. This is amazing! I 'm going to pin it on my diy board. Found you on Shine on Friday.

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  10. Yeah. I have a question: Does your dad travel? Probably everyone reading this post wants him to come help with their projects. LOL Great dad, and great project!

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  11. I love these! Cute and functional! Stopping by from T T and J - feel free to check out my fall front porch that I linked up.

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  12. they look so so nice! thank you for the tutorial!

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  13. Your crate tutorial is awesome. What a great and pretty way to organize. I have to tell you--I just love the name of your blog. So fun--made me smile!

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  14. My daughter needs these. Pinning for her hubby. Thanks.

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  15. Such a great idea and tutorial Kristi!!

    Thanks for linking up! I featured your post in my wrap up http://tidymom.net/2012/12-diy-projects/

    Have a great rest of the weekend!

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  16. Hey there! I'm brand new here from Transformation Thursday! LOVE these crates! Dying over the handles!

    Xoxo
    Dawn@EventuallyCottage

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  17. Girl! You totally rock! I know it's bad form to feature someone two weeks in a row but seriously, how could I not? Pinning and featuring this week! Thank you so much for sharing at Mom On Timeout! - Trish

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  18. Thanks so much for linking up to Tasty Thursdays on The Mandatory Mooch. I loved this project so much that it will be featured this week. The party will be live tonight!! Thanks, Nichi www.mandatorymooch.blogspot.com

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  19. I just saw this project featured. Your crates are beautiful. I love that you put handles on them. It adds just the right touch. Great job.

    I'm visiting from OneCreativeMommy.com. I'd love it if you stopped by. Pinning!

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  20. I really love these! So cute and a chance for me to play with my power tools! LOL Pinned this one! Thanks for the great tutorial!

    Come by and visit me sometime! Would love to have you!
    Kristy @ Shona Skye Creations
    http://shonaskye.blogspot.com

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  21. Congratulations! I loved your idea so much that I featured you on OneCreativeMommy.com today. Please stop by and grab a featured button if you’d like. I hope you’ll be back to share more great ideas at One Creative Weekend tomorrow.

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  22. Also featuring this project on my Facebook page today. Thanks, Nichi
    http://www.facebook.com/TheMandatoryMooch

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  23. I noticed your Dad's hands must be a challenge for him.. hugs to you both for the relationship you have...

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    1. I meant to reply to this ages ago. Sorry about that. But, yes. He was burned in a fire over 50 years ago and has had many skin graphs to repair the damage...most of which was to his hands and arms. I've never known him any other way and it has never slowed him down once! Thank you so much for stopping by! :)

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  24. I think I Love these more than the wicker baskets that you see everywhere. Awesome-sauce is right!!! Can't wait to make some w/ my hubster. Thank you.

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  25. These look fantasic!! Love the finish.

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  26. found it on pinterest and i've been telling my hubs to make some forever we are even going to make a large one for throws by the couch. :) thanks for the measurements it means I can get him to do it faster! :)

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  27. No way - this is fabulous. I love the hardware. Can yo come make my pantry look like that!

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  28. LOVE this idea... so cheap and so cute! And LOVE the name of your blog- too cute!

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  29. Your crates look fantastic in your pantry! Nice job and I've got this linked to my DIY crates post too today, for inspiration!

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  30. Nice project, thank you for sharing
    www.upcycled101.com

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  31. Replies
    1. We spent less than $30 on supplies for all six. Thanks for popping by! :)

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  32. Can u break down how many boards of which size you bought and give measurements of what you did? I mean you made them look so beautiful, and I'd love to not have to make multiple trips to store !!!

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    Replies
    1. Let me ask my dad and see if he remembers...it's been awhile since we made these! Thanks for stopping by!

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  33. These are awesome! I'm adding these to the to-do list!

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  34. Beyond beautiful and functional...love the handles!

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  35. These are awesome! Thanks for the step-by-step instructions...pinning this one for future use!

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  36. Thank you for sharing! These are great and I plan to do some for myself soon!

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  37. These look great! Very professional job. I'm wondering if you should leave a little space in between the boards for ventilation if you were storing potatoes or onions? What do you think?

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  38. You said this was less than $30... AWESOME! Where did you purchase all of your wood for such a great price?!

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  39. Great stuff :) I was just wondering how did you attach the bottom bit onto the frame (wood glue and nails?) and how much weight it can hold?
    Lucky you have such handyman's help :)

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  40. I love the crates, you've given me some great thoughts on storage. AND if you used 'pallet' wood for the outsides it would be even less expensive.

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  41. These are great. I am hoping to make something similar myself. Did you do any sanding of the wood before you started, or was it smooth enough to prevent splinters? Thanks!

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  42. I'm working on my own set as we speak! Thank you for the tutorial!

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  43. you are so amazing and wonderful! thank you for this! (I found your website about an hour ago and.... i need to pace myself here!! i'm just so in love with it all!!)

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  44. When I used to live in NYC (years ago) I could get the crates that wine came in from liquor stores for free. This was before everyone discovered how useful they were. I made bookcases galore by stacking and securing them to each other, used them in my closet, living room (two stacked or one standing on end made great side tables), kitchen... Nowadays, it's very difficult to find liquor store owners who are tossing these out. They're either selling them, keeping them, or the wine is shipped in cardboard. How thrilled I am to see how you (and your wonderful Dad) built your crates, which are similar to the old wine crates. Inspires me to finally get started on making my own - something I've been planning to do for way too long now. I think I'll do some like yours and some with space between the boards. I love how you finished them! Nice job. Thanks so much for posting.

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  45. These are fabulous! Really want to make them, just one question...I am not seeing how the thin bottom wood is attached. Please help. Thank you for the tutorial!

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    1. We used small finishing nails to secrure them into place. THANKS!

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  46. What brand dark walnut stain are you using? I have Minwax but finding it hard to get the same aged look as you. I'm getting more of a black nasty look. Yours look like a true aged piece. Please let me know. Great job!

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    Replies
    1. Hmmm...I used Minwax, too. Are you using the gel or the liquid? Try diluting a bit first to see if that helps. You can always pull some of the stain off with a bit of furniture wax, if you want to try that.

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    2. Great thanks. I'll give that a whirl. My wife loves these by the way.

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  47. No dad, no husband, no boyfriend. I guess I should gather some courage and try to do these wonderful boxes myself! Sigh! ;)

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    1. You can certainly do this! I have since built more of these completely on my own for gifts. You got this...chin up! ;) xoxo

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  48. My husband just made one of these, but made 15" x 20" instead of 15" x 12".
    The cost was around $20 just for one. Either wood is way more expensive now or it's just way cheaper where you are.
    Thanks for the tutorial. (-:

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    Replies
    1. Oh goodness...that's a bummer! This was made almost five years ago at this point, and I do know I pay a bit more for lumber now...wasn't sure it was THAT much, but yeah. Hope you like your crate!

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  49. These are great and I wanted to let you know I'll be featuring you in a round up at tonight's Funtastic Friday Link Party! Thank you for sharing!

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  50. Love the idea of custom boxes out of skids but I would just use skids for the bottoms as well I would be using mine in Carlotta Craft Cottage for under my yoga bench storage Lots of space for them and can't waste any with all the art supplies I have lol.

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  51. This project is so adorable, I just luv it. I'd luv for your to share it with us as well on Wall to Wall DIY Wednesday!

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  52. Thank you so much for this! I just remolded my kitchen pantry and was thinking about buying wine crates but they didn't really fit my need size-wise. When I saw this, it inspired me to make my own in the exact size that I needed and I was able to put wheels on the bottom. They are perfect!!!!!!!!
    Thank you again!

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    Replies
    1. Oh, I'm so happy to hear that. We still use ours...eight years later! They're wonderful for storage. Enjoy your new pantry. xoxo

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