I’ve been busy-busy on finishing up the details for my boys room makeover. This room has taken quite the turn from it originally being a boy/girl, sister/brother shared bedroom, to a full-on boy hangout haven! Even though my little guy is only 7 (just shy of 8), I feel it’s a space he can grow with (until I get my hands on it for another makeover, hehe).

So my latest and greatest DIY project in the room is something that holds stuff that I often refer to as the ‘bane of my existence’… TOYS. Specifically, the little, itty bitty toys like Legos and Kinex that somehow always end up under my feet giving me a great big ‘OW’.

Often under my kids’ bed is the ‘stuffing place’ where things are put that don’t have a home. When I do a big cleaning, I never know what I will find… Do you have that problem? Please tell me yes and reassure me that I’m not the only one. My solution to a neat under-bed space? Make something to take up the space so there is no room to stuff!

Thus the creation of these rolling underbed wood storage carts.

Pretty + Functional! I’m in heaven.

Want to know how to make them? Let’s Go!

They are really easy & super inexpensive. Actually after making them, I did a quick search online (not thinking I’d find anything similar) and saw similar styles for a minimum of $40… Crazy that mine cost about $10/each to make.

Supplies You’ll Need:

for a 24″ x 24″ box (buy more or less if you want to change the size)

(2) 1″ x 6″ x 24″ long piece of wood

(2) 1″ x 6″ x 22.5″ long piece of wood

(4) 1.5″ rolling wheels

(1) 24″ x 24″ piece of 1/4″ plywood

1.5″ long wood nails

3/4″ long wood nails

optional: paint, chalkpaint, 1/2″ thick rope

Before buying the supplies, I determined that the size of rolling wood carts would be 24″ x 24″ and (2) under the twin bed would fit perfectly leaving some additional space for other awkward toys (like my little guys plastic skateboard ramp). Here is a sketch I did before heading to the store…

Note: a 1″ x 6″ is actually 3/4″ x 5-1/2″. To make a perfect 24″ x 24″ square box, (2) sides were cut to 22.5″ long.

Here are the steps I took:

1. Using the 1.5″ long wood nails, I attached the 24″ piece to the 22.5″ long piece. I first added a dab of wood glue, then followed it with (3) nails.

2. I continued attaching the other wood pieces so the box was created…

I’m not sure why my little girl in the background is holding a coffee cup, but rest assured she wasn’t drinking it. At least I hope she wasn’t…

3. Once the 4 sides were put together, I attached the 24″ x 24″ plywood using 3/4″ long wood nails. About 4 nails per side should be enough to make it sturdy.

4. The (4) wheels were next… Using 3/4″ screws, I attached a wheel to each corner.

The result of the rolling cart thus far…

The beauty of this wood cart is that it doesn’t have to be only for under the bed. Change the size – make it taller or less wide – and use them in the living room for toys, blankets, or DVDs. How about in the garage for tools? Or in the craft room for supplies? There are so many ways, so many uses!

To jazz up the rolling cart, I thought it would be neat + easy to add a fun + functional rope pull.

But first, I gave the overall cart a good sanding. Kids + Splinters aren’t pretty…

Yes I sometimes DIY with a leopard scarf…

And rest assured after posing for this pic, I put my eye protection on. Promise!

Now onto the rope.

5. In the center of one side, towards the top, I drilled a hole slightly larger than 1/2″.

6. I then cut a piece of rope about 12″ long (I think, I actually eyed it and didn’t really measure) and threaded it through the hole and tied it on both sides.

The rope was a bit expensive – I think this roll was about $8 – but I plan on using it for another project, so it made sense. You don’t really need rope if you don’t have it on hand. Instead try a piece of cabinet hardware or something you already have in the home.

7. Once the rope was in, I gave the overall wood surface a quick dry-brush paint application. One quick, imperfect coat and it was almost complete.

8. To jazz the cart up one more step, I added a chalkboard front using chalkboard paint. Using my eye, no measuring tape, I created a box with painters tape and painted 3 coats of the chalkboard paint.

9. Right after the last coat was brushed on, I had a little helper take off the painters tape while the paint was still wet.

Look at that beautiful straight line…

And the rolling wood carts were complete!

Check out the honeycomb shelves… My longest, most difficult project yet, but I’m in love. More to come on those later this week!

BTW, you can see more of that fabulous wallpaper on the wall to the left in a recent post I shared.

So what do you think? Could these wood carts be something you could use in your home? Each were about $10 to make and both took about a total of an hour (maybe a little more) to make. Not too bad!

What are your favorite toy storage solutions? What are your favorite under-the-bed storage solutions?







