Under The Bed Storage Boxes...

This is a really nice way to create storage boxes from items you have right at home, in the basement, garage, attic...or myself I look at Yard Sales, Flea Markets, Goodwill...there are so many different ways to personalize these storage boxes from plain and no frills to elegant and stylish. Let your imagination be your guide...  

You will need... Drill, Screws or nails, Screwdriver, Hammer, Measuring Tape, Wood Glue, Drawer Pull of choice. Paint [colour of choice], Vinyl [I used vinyl tablecloths from dollar stores], Velcro [Self adhesive or use Velcro glue to adhere], 4 Casters suitable for box size. Brass thumb tacks, Shelf liner or wallpaper scraps.

Let's Get Started  

Begin by measuring the space available under your bed.  Measure the width, length and most important the clearance that is available from the floor to the bed frame or box spring.
My boxes were made for a double bed and measure 18 inches wide by 24 inches long and 5 inches high. I have a clearance of 7 inches in height under my bed and to allow for the height of the casters and a bit of clearance for the vinyl lid, I made my boxes a 5 inch height.  

You will need to drill the holes in the front centre of your box panel to hold the handle. This will vary depending on the handle you choose. If your using a drawer that has existing handles, try to find handles that will line up to the existing holes. I used a 3 inch centre handle. This means that the centre of the hole on each side of the handle is exactly 3 inches apart. I measured the 3 inches and drilled the holes with the drill bit suitable to the handles I chose. Once you have your handle in place, you can sand the boxes and clean away any dust, or if it is in good condition you can paint over existing paint. Mine were used to hold extra sheet sets and pillow shames and other decretive items for the room. So I made them to match the theme of each room. Paint the entire box with a paint of choice. I used a good quality primer and then varnished over the primer for one of mine and painted the other.
Allow the paint to dry. If you're really a crafty person you can do decoupage and use everything from silk flowers to pictures from photo albums...or get on the internet and print out anything you like. Then coat with polyurethane...

Next it's time to measure the inside bottom of the box to fit either a strip of wallpaper or shelf liner; you can also use a heavy wrapping paper. Attach the liner of your choice according to the manufacturer instructions. If its wall paper that is pre pasted you can just use glue to hold it in place. I would suggest that you only run a line of glue on the far outer edge so you don't get that wrinkly  bumpy look all over.  

Attaching your casters, though not complicated requires that you measure. Simply attaching your casters randomly may result in the box not rolling smoothly as they will not be lined up evenly.  Measure a distance from each side [at each corner] equally for all four casters. Pre-drill the holes required to attach them and attach with screws that are suitable to the casters.  

Making The Cover

To make the covers, measure your box top, add 1 inch to each side [1/2 inch seam allowance and 1/2 inch allowance for Velcro strip] and approximately 2 inches to the length [this will be secured at the back of the box with tacks.  I used two different colour pieces for the lid and sewed them [right sides together] along the front and 2 sides.  Turned them right side out then stitched a 1/4 inch seam along the side edges for a little more security when pulling the Velcro sides. I have used both self adhesive Velcro and Velcro that required sewing.  Both worked just fine.If you use self adhesive, simply attach a full Velcro strip to the top side of the box. Be sure to attach the Velcro the full  length of the box.Then, attach the matching strip to the side of your vinyl cloth. If you choose to sew the Velcro [much less expensive], sew the Velcro along the edges and if using Velcro glue, attach the matching strip to the box side top. Line up the front top and sides of the lid and pull the material taught toward the back of the box, secure the material using regular thumb tacks.

FYI: You can also use a piece of rope for the handle and skip the casters, using foam pads or some other kind of floor protector on the bottom [though the casters make these much easier to move around].

There are endless ideas you can use these boxes for and you don't have to limit them to under the bed...Use them in a child's room for storage..Get a deeper drawer or box if it will be for toys..or make smaller flatter ones to store coloring books crayons...

Have Fun    =)