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Dog Bed Under the Stairs: How to Turn the Old Cupboard Into a Dog Nook

ByCozy Room Co Published
Left: a woman pulls a white cupboard door off under the stairs as a small spaniel watches. Right: the same spot as a white house-shaped dog nook with shiplap inside and the spaniel curled up on its bed, a plant and a raised bowl stand beside it
The same stairs after: a white house-shaped dog nook with a dog asleep in its bed
Slide the line to compare Same stairs. The cupboard becomes a dog house.Save

Picture a quiet Sunday afternoon. Sunlight falls across the stairs. Your dog trots past the plant, steps into a little white house under the steps and curls up on its own bed.

No more dog bed in the middle of the living room. A friend dropping by stops at the bottom of the stairs and asks, "Wait, was that always there?"

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You built it yourself, from the old cupboard under the stairs. That's the dog bed under the stairs from our video. The door comes off, shiplap lines the inside, and a white house-shaped frame goes around the opening. You can build it in a weekend, plus drying time. For a cupboard like the one in the video, it costs about $140 to $175, not counting the bed.

When an under-stairs dog nook video goes around, the comments ask the same things. Is it safe to cut into that wall? Will it fit a real dog? Will the dog even use it? Every answer is below, with 7 steps and a picture for each, plus the five mistakes that make a dog nook fail.

At a glance

  • Time: a weekend: one day to line and trim it, one to paint and let it air out
  • Skill: beginner to intermediate. You nail on boards and cut a few angles with a saw.
  • Cost: about $140 to $175 for a cupboard like the one in the video, not counting the bed
  • Best time to build: now, so the paint is dry and aired out before the holidays. Built this month, it's your dog's quiet spot when the house fills with guests.
Watch the whole build (24 seconds).
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If you buy one thing

Pick a washable bed

The nook stays the same for years, but the bed gets muddy paws, fur and the odd accident. A bed with a zip-off cover goes straight in the washer, so the nook always smells like home.

See options on Amazon →

How the Dog Nook Goes Together

Diagram of the dog nook under the stairs: the old 30 by 36-inch cupboard opening kept as it is, shiplap inside and in a gable on the wall above with its peak 10 inches above the opening, a white 1x4 house-shaped frame around it all, a bed inside and bowls on a mat outside; a detail shows the roof boards cut on one line at the peak and level with the top of the opening at the eave

The video cuts a roof shape into the wall above the cupboard door. Behind that drywall sit studs, a header and sometimes wires. So here the roof goes on the wall around the old opening instead. Nothing gets cut.

  1. The old cupboard opening stays as it is. In the video, it's 30 inches wide and 36 inches tall.
  2. Shiplap lines the back and sides inside. More shiplap fills the gable, a triangle on the wall above the opening, with its peak 10 inches above the middle.
  3. A white 1×4 house frame goes around it all. Two side boards stand beside the opening, and two roof boards meet at the peak.

Your dog should be able to stand up and turn around inside. A 30 x 36-inch opening suits a small or medium dog. For a bigger dog, you need a bigger cupboard.

What You Need, and What It Costs

A woman sets a potted rubber plant beside the finished white house-shaped nook under the stairs, with a bed and a teddy bear inside
  • Primed shiplap boards, about 21 square feet: one box of six 8-foot boards lines a cupboard like the one in the video.
  • Two 1×4 boards, primed, 8 feet long, for the house frame.
  • Construction adhesive, one tube, to hold the boards while the nails go in.
  • Brad nails, 2 inches long, or 2-inch finishing nails and a hammer.
  • Wood filler and paintable caulk for the holes, gaps and corners.
  • White semi-gloss paint, water-based, 1 quart.
  • Washable dog bed, about 2 inches smaller than the floor each way.
  • Stud finder to locate the studs.
  • Tools: drill, saw (a miter saw is easiest), tape measure, level, caulk gun, sanding block and brush.

What it costs: about $140 to $175 in all, not counting the bed. That's with prices we found at US stores on October 15, 2026. The shiplap is about $76 to $81 a box, and the 1x4s are about $18 to $33. Adhesive, nails, filler, caulk and paint add about $45 to $60. A deeper cupboard can need a second box of shiplap, about $80 more.

Two buying tips:

  1. Measure inside the cupboard before you shop. Multiply the width by the height for the back wall. Add each side wall, plus about a square foot for the gable.
  2. Buy the bed last, once the shiplap is on. Each layer takes a little room from the floor.

Step 1: Check the Cupboard and Take Off the Door

A woman holds the old white cupboard door she has just taken off, showing the empty cupboard under the stairs, as a small spaniel watches
  1. Empty the cupboard. If the electrical panel, a water heater or a gas meter is in there, pick another spot.
  2. Unscrew the hinges from the frame, and lift the door off.
  3. Take off the latch plate, and fill every screw hole with wood filler.
  4. Measure the opening and the floor inside, and check that your dog can stand and turn around in it.

Watch out: in a home built before 1978, the old paint on the door frame may contain lead. The EPA warns that even small jobs that make dust can be a health risk. Test the paint before you sand the filler.

Step 2: Line the Back and Sides With Shiplap

A woman presses a white shiplap board onto the back wall inside the opening under the stairs
  1. Find the studs inside with a stud finder, and mark them.
  2. Start at the bottom of the back wall. Run a bead of adhesive on the back of a board, press it on and nail it at each stud.
  3. Work up, board by board, then line the side walls the same way.

Watch out: keep to 2-inch nails. Through the shiplap and the drywall, they reach about an inch into a stud. The electrical code keeps wires running through studs 1 1/4 inches back from the face.

Step 3: Fill the Gable Above the Opening

A woman reaches up and presses a short white board into the roof part of the nook
  1. Mark the middle of the opening's top edge, and make a mark 10 inches above it for the peak.
  2. Draw a line from each top corner of the opening up to the peak.
  3. Cut short shiplap boards to fill the triangle, running each one a little past the lines.
  4. Glue and nail them on, starting at the bottom.

Watch out: first check that the stairs leave about 15 inches of wall above the middle of the opening. The roof boards stand about 4 inches above the gable's peak.

Step 4: Cut the House Frame to Fit

A woman holds a long white trim strip beside the nook as a small spaniel trots off with a short board offcut in its mouth
  1. Cut two 1×4 side boards as long as the opening is tall.
  2. Hold a roof board on the wall from a top corner to the peak. Mark where it meets the side board and where it crosses the center line.
  3. Cut on the marks, then mark and cut the second roof board the same way.
  4. Test-fit all four boards before any glue goes on.

Watch out: pick up the offcuts as you go. A short white board on the floor is just the right size for a dog to run off with.

Step 5: Nail on the Frame, Then Caulk and Paint

A woman taps a white trim strip onto the roof edge of the house-shaped nook with a hammer
  1. Glue and nail the side boards beside the opening, flush with its edges.
  2. Glue and nail the roof boards on, meeting at the peak.
  3. Fill the nail holes, caulk every joint and corner, and sand the filler smooth.
  4. Paint the frame, the shiplap and the gable white in two coats.

Watch out: cover every raw edge. Caulk and paint are what make the frame look built in, not stuck on.

Step 6: Let It Air Out, Then Add the Bed

A woman slides a cushioned dog bed with a teddy bear and a green throw into the white nook
  1. Let the paint dry as the can directs.
  2. Keep the dog out and a window open until the paint smell is gone.
  3. Slide in the bed, with a familiar blanket or toy on it.

Watch out: a small nook holds paint fumes. VCA Animal Hospitals notes that paint fumes can irritate a pet's eyes and lungs where the air doesn't move. Water-based paint is the safer choice, and oil-based paint and varnish are worse.

Step 7: Set Out the Bowls and Invite Your Dog In

A small white and chestnut spaniel trots toward the finished nook as a woman crouches beside a raised bowl stand
  1. Set the water bowl on a mat beside the nook, not inside it.
  2. Toss a treat onto the bed, and step back.
  3. Let your dog go in and out at its own pace for a few days.

Watch out: never shut your dog in. The nook works because it's a spot your dog chooses.

Then sit on the bottom step and wait. The first time your dog walks in, turns once and lies down by itself, the cupboard was worth giving up.

The Mistakes That Make It Fail

Close-up of a small spaniel curled up on a cushioned bed inside the white shiplap nook, its chin on a teddy bear

Most of these come up under dog nook videos, and each one has a simple fix:

  1. Cutting into the wall above the door. Studs, a header and wires can hide there. Build the roof around the old opening instead.
  2. A nook too small for the dog. The dog needs room to stand and turn around. Measure first.
  3. Fresh paint on move-in day. The fumes stay in a closed nook. Let it air out first.
  4. Raw edges and nail heads. Fill, caulk and paint every edge, and set the nails below the surface.
  5. Pushing the dog inside. Use a familiar blanket and treats, and let your dog choose it.

Get those five right for the nook in the picture: white shiplap, a soft bed and a dog that walks right in.

Keep It Cozy: Bed, Fur and Paint

A woman crouches and sets a raised wooden bowl stand with two steel bowls beside the white nook
  • Bed: wash the cover every week or two, and keep a spare for laundry day.
  • Fur: vacuum inside the nook when you vacuum the room.
  • Paint: wipe nose prints off the trim, and touch up scuffs with the leftover paint.
  • Bowls: wipe the mat, so spills don't creep under the bed.

Then set the plant by the door and wait for the next friend who asks if it was always there. For the rest of the space by the stairs, see our entryway ideas.

Watch this build, and the next ones, on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

Start here

Want your dog curled up in its own little house before the holiday guests arrive? Start with a bed that fits the floor and washes easily.

See options on Amazon →

FAQ

How Big Should a Dog Nook Under the Stairs Be?

Big enough for your dog to stand up and turn around inside. The 30 x 36-inch opening in the video suits a small or medium dog.

Can You Cut a Dog Door Into the Wall Under the Stairs?

Only after someone checks the framing. Studs, a header and sometimes wires sit behind the drywall, so ask a carpenter first.

Is It Safe to Paint a Dog's Space?

Yes, with water-based paint. Let it dry and air out with a window open before your dog moves in.

Do Dogs Like Sleeping Under the Stairs?

Many do. A covered, quiet spot with their own blanket can feel like a den. Give your dog a few days to settle in.

How Much Does a Dog Bed Nook Under the Stairs Cost?

About $140 to $175 at US stores, checked on October 15, 2026, for a cupboard like the one in the video. The bed is extra.

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