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Crate Shoe Bench: How to Build a Padded Entryway Bench From Crates

ByCozy Room Co Published
Left: an entryway with shoes piled on the floor under a round mirror. Right: the same entryway with a deep green bench made of two crates, shoes lined up in its cubbies, a basket and a folded throw on its cream padded seat
The same entryway after: a green crate shoe bench with a padded seat and shoes in its cubbies
Slide the line to compare Same entryway. Two crates, green paint and a padded seat.Save

Picture coming home on a rainy evening. You drop your bag and sit down on a soft cushioned bench by the door. Your boots slide into a deep green cubby under you.

The pile of shoes that used to trip everyone is gone. Your sister walks in behind you and says, "Wait, when did you get this?"

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You built it yourself. That's the crate shoe bench from our video: two crates on their sides, painted deep green, with a padded seat screwed on top. You can build it in a weekend, plus drying time for the paint. The two crates hold about six pairs of shoes, and a basket fits in beside them.

When a crate bench video goes around, the comments ask the same things. Does that one screw really hold two crates together? Will it fit a whole family's shoes? What about wet boots? Every answer is below, with 7 steps and a picture for each, plus the five mistakes that make a crate bench fail.

At a glance

  • Time: a weekend: one day to sand and paint, one day to build the seat and put it together
  • Skill: beginner. You drill, staple and cut one board, or have the store cut it.
  • Cost: about $220 to $280, most of it the crates, plywood and foam
  • Best time to build: now, before the wet months fill the hall with muddy boots. A bench built this weekend is ready for the first rainy day and the holiday guests' shoes.
Watch the whole build (30 seconds).
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If you buy one thing

Get crates deep enough for shoes

Crates about 20 x 14 x 11 inches give cubbies 11 inches deep, so most adult shoes fit without sticking out. The common 18-inch craft crates are only 9 1/2 inches deep.

See options on Amazon →

How the Crate Shoe Bench Goes Together

Diagram of a crate shoe bench: two crates about 20 by 14 inches lie on their sides end to end, screwed together through both touching walls, on three 2x2 rails, under a seat of foam and fabric on 3/4-inch plywood about 42 by 13 inches; the seat is about 18 inches high and the cubbies 11 inches deep

Two crates lie on their sides, open ends facing out, screwed together where they touch. A padded plywood seat screws on from inside the crates.

  1. Each crate is about 20 x 14 x 11 inches. On its side, it makes a cubby 20 inches wide, 14 inches tall and 11 inches deep.
  2. Three short 2×2 rails under the crates lift them off the floor and carry the joint in the middle.
  3. The seat is 3/4-inch plywood with 2 inches of foam under fabric, about 42 x 13 inches. The finished seat sits about 18 inches high, a comfortable height for pulling on boots.

Skip the common 18-inch craft crates for this one. They're only 9 1/2 inches deep, too shallow for most adult shoes.

What You Need, and What It Costs

Two raw wooden crates on their sides on loose rails in a workshop, as a woman brushes dirt out of them
  • Wooden crates, two of them, about 20 x 14 x 11 inches. They often come in packs of three.
  • Plywood project panel, 3/4 inch thick, 2 x 4 feet, for the seat.
  • Upholstery foam, 2 inches thick.
  • Upholstery fabric, about 1 1/2 yards, in a sturdy weave.
  • Staple gun with 3/8-inch staples.
  • Chalk paint in deep green, 1 quart.
  • Wood screws, 1 1/4 and 1 inch long, plus a short 2×2 board.
  • Sandpaper in 120 grit, two bar clamps, a drill and a saw if the store doesn't cut the panel.

What it costs: about $220 to $280 in all, at prices we found at US stores on October 14, 2026. The crates are about $80 for a pack of three, and the plywood and foam add about $65 to $85.

Two buying tips:

  1. Check the crates' depth before you buy. You want at least 11 inches inside, so most shoes fit without sticking out.
  2. Ask the store to cut the plywood to 42 x 13 inches. Many home stores make a few straight cuts for you, and then you never pick up a saw.

Step 1: Clean, Sand and Paint the Crates

A woman brushes deep green paint onto two bare wooden crates in a workshop
  1. Brush dust and loose splinters out of both crates.
  2. Sand the rough edges and the slats you'll touch, with 120-grit paper.
  3. Paint both crates inside and out: two coats, with drying time between, as the can directs.

Watch out: paint the crates before you join them. Once they're screwed together, you can't reach the walls where they touch.

Step 2: Clamp and Screw the Crates Together

A woman tightens a long bar clamp across two green-painted crates lying side by side in a workshop
  1. Lay both crates on their sides, open ends facing the same way, end to end.
  2. Clamp the two touching end walls together, edges flush at the top and front.
  3. Drill four pilot holes through both walls, near the corners.
  4. Drive a 1 1/4-inch screw into each hole from inside one crate.

Watch out: each screw has to pass through both touching walls. A screw into just one wall holds nothing.

Step 3: Add the Base Rails

A woman kneels and drives a screw to fix the joined green crates to low wooden base rails
  1. Cut three pieces of 2×2, each 11 inches long.
  2. Tip the joined crates back, and slide one rail under each outer end and one under the middle joint.
  3. From inside the cubbies, screw down through the crate bottoms into each rail with 1 1/4-inch screws.

Watch out: the middle rail matters most. It carries the joint where two crates meet, right where people sit.

Step 4: Cut the Seat and Lay the Foam

A woman lays a sheet of cream foam onto a cut plywood board resting on two sawhorses
  1. Measure the top of the joined crates, and add 1 inch on every side for the overhang.
  2. Cut the plywood to that size, about 42 x 13 inches.
  3. Cut the foam to the same size, and lay it on the plywood.

Watch out: measure the joined crates, not the label. Two crates are rarely exactly the listed size once they're screwed together.

Step 5: Wrap and Staple the Fabric

Close-up of a staple gun fixing patterned cream fabric to the underside of the plywood seat
  1. Lay the fabric face down, then set the foam and plywood on it, foam side down.
  2. Pull the fabric over one long edge and staple it to the plywood every 2 inches.
  3. Pull the opposite side tight and staple it, then do the ends.
  4. Fold the corners like wrapping a gift, and staple them flat.

Watch out: work from the middle of each side out to the corners. Starting at a corner pulls the fabric crooked.

Step 6: Fix the Seat From Below

Close-up inside a green crate: a hand drives a screw up through the top slat into the padded seat with a screwdriver
  1. Set the seat on the crates, centered, with the same overhang all around.
  2. From inside each crate, drive four 1-inch screws up through the top slats into the plywood.
  3. Press on each corner of the seat, and add a screw anywhere it moves.

Watch out: use 1-inch screws here. Longer ones go through the plywood and into the foam, where you'll feel them when you sit.

Step 7: Set It by the Door and Fill It

Close-up of hands sliding a pair of white sneakers into a green cubby under the padded seat
  1. Slide the bench into place by the door, against the wall.
  2. Put the everyday shoes in front, two or three pairs per cubby.
  3. Set a basket in one end for slippers, gloves or dog leashes.

Then sit down and pull off your boots. That first evening without a shoe pile is the moment it stops being two crates.

The Mistakes That Make It Fail

The finished green crate bench in an entryway, shoes and a basket in its cubbies, as a woman lays a rust-colored throw on the padded seat

These five come up again and again under crate bench videos, and each one has a simple fix:

  1. One screw in one crate. It joins nothing. Screw through both touching walls, four times.
  2. Crates too shallow. Common craft crates are only 9 1/2 inches deep. Get crates about 11 inches deep.
  3. Painting after joining. You can't reach the inside walls. Paint the crates first.
  4. No support in the middle. The joint sags where people sit. Add a rail under it.
  5. Wet boots on bare wood. Water stains and swells the crate floor. Set a boot tray in the cubby for rainy days.

Get those five right, and you get the bench in the picture above: deep green and soft on top. It holds the everyday pairs by the door.

Keep It Tidy: Wet Boots, Dust and Wear

A woman kneels in the entryway and sets a pair of brown boots into a cubby of the green crate bench
  • Wet boots: use a plastic boot tray in one cubby, and empty it after the rain.
  • Dust: vacuum the cubbies once a week, since grit wears the paint.
  • Fabric: spot-clean with a damp cloth, and turn the cushion if one end wears first.
  • Wobble: if the bench rocks, check the rail screws and tighten them.

Then sit, slip off your shoes and wait for the first guest who asks where you bought it. For the rest of the entry, see our entryway ideas.

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

Start here

Want the shoe pile gone before the rainy days? Start with the crates: everything else is sized to them.

See options on Amazon →

FAQ

How Deep Should a Shoe Bench Be?

At least 11 inches inside the cubbies, so most adult shoes fit. A seat about 13 inches deep is comfortable for sitting a moment.

What Height Should an Entryway Bench Be?

About 17 to 19 inches, the height of most chairs. This one sits about 18 inches high with its cushion.

How Many Shoes Fit in a Crate Shoe Bench?

About six pairs: two or three in each 20-inch cubby. A basket in one end holds slippers or flats.

How Do You Attach Two Crates Together?

Clamp them, then drive four screws through both touching walls from inside one crate. Pre-drill so the thin wood doesn't split.

Can You Sit on a Crate Bench?

Yes, for putting on shoes, once the crates are screwed together, set on rails and topped with a plywood seat. Don't stand on it.

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