DIY Storage Bench – Great for Toys or Blankets!

Need some more hidden storage? Build this DIY storage bench! This bench was designed to be at the foot of a king bed for blanket storage, but it would work great in an entryway or playroom for toy storage as well! Note: it’s pictured in front of a California King, so in front of a King, there will be a few extra inches of the bed visible on each side.

Because this storage bench was designed for a home with a curious baby, we decided to use toybox hinges to give it a little bit more of a softer close. You could also use the same hinges that we did on this DIY coffee table with hidden storage, but that does not offer any sort of soft close. Toy box hinges don’t close as softly as I expected, but they do slow down the close at the beginning, which is helpful.

This bench works great whether you want to upholster the top to make it a cushion or if you prefer to just stick with wood. 

Alright, let’s dive in and start DIYing a storage bench!

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How to Build a Storage Bench

Recommended Tools:

• Miter Saw (we use this blade with ours)
• Circular Saw 
• Kreg Jig (not sure which to get? Check out which Kreg Jig to get)
• Drill
• Random Orbital Sander 
• Optional: Brad Nailer 
• Clamps 
• Measuring Tape (new to DIY? Be sure to check out this post with measuring tips) 
• Safety Equipment 

Shopping List: 

• (2) ¾ x4x8 sheet of plywood (we used maple)*
• (1) 1x2x4 (we used common board since it’s not visible)
• (4) 1x2x8 (we used select pine)*
• (1) 2x2x8 (we used select pine)
• 1.25” Kreg screws
• Optional: 1.25” nails
• Wood filler
• Wood glue
• Pair or toy box hinges
• (2) 24″ piano hinges
• Optional for Cushioned Top:
  • Stapler with 3/8″ staples
  • 2″ foam (need at least 66×16.5″ piece)
  • Batting (need at least 72×22.5″)
  • Fabric (need at least 72×22.5″)
  • Spray adhesive
• For our finish, we used Minwax Polyshades in Satin Espresso

Dimensions

The complete cut list is available in the printable plans. The shopping list above is for the 66” version which is perfect for a king sized bed. The printable plans also come with a 50” version which is great for a queen mattress. The 50” version also requires less wood, so your costs will be significantly cut! 

STEP 1: DRILL POCKET HOLES 

After cutting down your plywood according to the cut list, drill pocket holes using the ¾” settings on the following pieces: 

• (3) on each short end of the front, back, and side panels
•  All the way around the bottom, placing pocket holes 1-2″ from the ends and then every 6-8″.
• (2) on each short end of the bottom supports
• (2) on one short end of the middle leg

And yes, we still recommend that you use the 3⁄4” setting for the 2×2. This will prevent you from having to get different-sized screws. This does mean that you won’t be able to use a Kreg 720 to drill the pocket holes on the middle leg if you want to use the ¾” settings.

STEP 2: ADD THE SIDE DETAILS 

Glue the side detail pieces onto the sides, lining them up with the top and bottom of the sides. Make sure that the side detail pieces are on the opposite side as the pocket holes. If you don’t want to wait for the glue to dry or don’t have a lot of clamps, you can secure them with 1 1/4″ nails as well.

STEP 3: ASSEMBLE SIDE PANELS

Using glue and 1 1/4″ Kreg screws, secure the side pieces between two legs. The side panels should be flush with the top of the legs and the front of the side detail pieces should be flush with the outside of the legs.

STEP 4: PREP THE BOTTOM 

Use glue and 1 1/4″ nails (optional) to secure the bottom supports to the bottom piece. The middle piece should be placed 30 3/4″ from either side to ensure that the middle leg will be centered later on. The other two supports should be about evenly spaced, but they don’t need to be exact since they won’t be seen. Place those ones so that they don’t cover pocket holes on the bottom piece.

STEP 5: PREP THE FRONT AND BACK PIECES 

Using glue (and 1 1/4″ nails if you would like to), position the horizontal detail pieces so that they are lined up with the top and bottom of the front and back panels. Then use glue (and 1 1/4″ nails if you would like to), to secure the vertical detail pieces.

STEP 6: ATTACH THE FRONT 

Attach the front to one of the side panels using glue and 1 1/4″ Kreg screws. The pieces should be flush at the top and the front of the front detail pieces should be flush with the front of the leg.

STEP 7: INSTALL BOTTOM 

Using glue and 1 1/4″ Kreg screws, secure the bottom to the front and side panel. The bottom of the bottom supports should be flush with the bottom of the front, making the rest of the bottom inset 3/4″. We recommend starting with screwing in the bottom supports and then screwing in the bottom.

STEP 8: ATTACH SECOND SIDE 

Using glue and 1 1/4″ Kreg screws, secure the second side to the rest of the structure. The side detail pieces should be flush with the outside of the legs.

STEP 9: ATTACH BACK

Next, attach the back to the rest of the structure using glue and 1 1/4″ Kreg screws. The back will be indented 1/16″ from the top of the legs to account for the piano hinges later.

STEP 10: ATTACH MIDDLE LEG 

Mark the center of the middle bottom support board and install the leg support leg with glue and 1 1/4″ Kreg screws. Make sure the pocket holes face towards the back of the bench.

STEP 11: SAND AND FINISH

We like to knock out the majority of our sanding after the boards are cut, but prior to assembly, so everything at this point was already sanded with 180 grit sandpaper. Now that it’s assembled, we added wood filler to any nail holes and seams.

Once dry, we sanded off the excess and sanded the entire bench with 220-grit sandpaper.

For the inside of the bench, we finished it with one coat of Minwax Polycrylic MAX in satin. I prefer a semi-gloss or glossy finish for the inside of drawers and storage benches because it makes it super easy to wipe down, but that’s what we had on hand.

For the outside of the bench, we used 3 coats of Minwax Polyshades in Espresso, following the directions on the can. Despite my best efforts to keep it even, my first coat of Polyshades always looks pretty bad, so if you decide to use it, don’t freak out after the first coat!

We didn’t apply any finish to the top because it was going to be upholstered.

OPTIONAL STEP 12: UPHOLSTER THE TOP

If you want to leave the top to be wood, you can apply edge banding to cover up the plywood edges.

If you want to upholster it, I’ll share what we did. Fair warning: upholstery is not my area of expertise.

Cut your foam to the same size as the top of your bench. A bread knife works great if you have one available. Place your foam on the plywood and then lift up one side and spray the plywood underneath with the spray adhesive. Add a little spray adhesive to the bottom of the foam as well. Press the foam onto the plywood and repeat with the other side of the foam that’s not already attached.

Cut your batting to be a few inches larger than the size of your plywood. Center your plywood onto the batting with the foam side facing down.

Starting at one edge, staple the batting to the back of the plywood. I gently pulled it so that the batting wasn’t loose, but the foam on the edges weren’t getting too flattened. Keep working your way around all of the edges of the plywood. For the corners, I pinched the fabric around the corners so that they were smooth rather than folded. Cut off any excess batting.

Cut your fabric to be slightly larger than what you cut your batting to. Place your fabric face down and make sure it’s flat and unwrinkled. Place your plywood onto the fabric with the batting side face down.

Use plenty of staples as you secure the fabric. Pull your fabric tight as you staple it. Try to keep the tightness level the same so that you don’t have a lot of waves in your fabric.

For the corners, I decided to fold them rather than trying to make them smooth like we did on this ottoman coffee table. I folded the long side down first and then folded the short side on top. Cut off the excess fabric in the corners before fully securing the second side with staples.

We also decided to get some black dust cover fabric to make it look a little cleaner when opened. We stapled this onto the bottom to cover as many staples as possible. Rather than stapling all around, we only added 12 staples total to secure this.

STEP 13: INSTALL THE TOP

To install the top, we used a mix of piano hinges and toy box hinges.

Start by installing the piano hinge to the top of the back piece of the bench. We like to fold the piano hinge to a 90-degree angle and press it up against the wood to ensure that the piano hinge is installed straight.

The spacing here doesn’t need to be precise, but we installed our piano hinges approximately 5″ from the edge on each side.

Next, we flipped the bench on its back and leaned it against the cushion. If you upholstered your top, the cushion will be slightly larger than the bench itself. Center your bench top from side to side and then install the piano hinges on the bottom of the top piece. The hinge should be lined up with the edge of the plywood.

Next, it’s time to install the toy box hinges. If you got the same ones we did, there’s an installation video on the Amazon product listing that is helpful.

First, you’ll install the piece that attaches to the top of the bench. We positioned ours 2″ from the back of the top. To get the position from the side of the top, we put together the rest of the hinge and placed it in the box. Secure the piece that attaches to the bench with the provided screws.

To get the position for the piece inside of the box, we marked 3″ from the top of the box. This is where the center of the hinge will be. To get the exact location, we put the hinge onto the piece that was already installed and pulled it down until the center was over our 3″ mark. If you don’t have the back plate on that hinge, you can use a pencil to mark the center.

Then you can pull the hinge back up, place the center of the back plate on your mark and then pull the hinge back down to get the approximate angle of the back plate. Put in one of the top screws to hold the plate in place and then pull the hinge down again to ensure that your angle is correct. Pull the hinge up and add the rest of the screws. Put the hinge onto the back plate and then add the final screw to secure it in place.

There you have it! Now you know how to build your own storage bench with (or without) a cushioned top!

Now that you have a new storage bench, what are you going to store in it? Don’t forget to grab your printable plans if you’re ready to build your own!

If you need more storage, check out these other DIY tutorials:

• DIY Simple Cabinet Box
• How to Build a Wall Cabinet
• DIY Sideboard with Tons of Storage
• DIY Bench With Storage Drawers (This one’s a Pottery Barn knock-off)
• Replace your pedestal sink with a floating vanity with drawers
• DIY Bar Hutch Cabinet