What Happens in S23 E26: Mudroom Cubbies?

Originally aired on May 29, 2025, the 23-minute episode follows three related home-improvement lessons. Tom and Kevin build the mudroom cubbies, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada explains mulch choices and quantity calculations, and Mauro joins Kevin to prepare and paint the completed cabinetry.

The woodworking segment is the star for anyone researching DIY mudroom storage. Rather than constructing one enormous built-in, Tom creates three individual cabinet units. Each section includes a tall open compartment for hanging outerwear, storage at the top for baskets or accessories, and lower cubbies suited to shoes.

When the three modules are bolted together and covered with a continuous face frame, they read visually as one substantial built-in. That is a clever piece of design theater: the finished cabinet looks permanent, but its internal structure remains movable. It is the cabinetry equivalent of wearing formal clothes with comfortable socks.

Why the Modular Mudroom Cubbies Work

They Solve the Transportation Problem

Large cabinetry can be easy to draw and surprisingly difficult to carry. A completed eight-foot-wide unit may not fit around a stair landing, through a narrow doorway, or into an elevator. By building separate modules, the crew makes each section easier to handle. Connector bolts and cap nuts join the cabinets after delivery while still allowing future disassembly.

This approach is especially useful in older American houses, where charming architecture often includes staircases apparently designed for people carrying nothing wider than a sandwich.

They Give Every Category a Home

A functional mudroom should support the way people actually enter and leave the house. Coats need hooks. Shoes need low storage. Hats, gloves, sunscreen, pet supplies, and sports accessories need containers. The episode’s combination of open bays, upper shelves, hooks, and bottom cubbies addresses each category without requiring complicated drawers or doors.

Open storage also reduces friction. A child is more likely to hang a backpack on a visible hook than to open a cabinet, move a basket, solve a small logic puzzle, and place the bag perfectly inside. Good organization succeeds by making the correct action easier than dropping everything on the floor.

They Can Be Personalized

Three compartments naturally support a family-member system. One bay can belong to each person, or the sections can be assigned by function: work and school gear, outdoor clothing, and pet or sports equipment. Labels on baskets make the system even easier to maintain.

Design guidance from major home and organization publications consistently favors a mix of hooks, shoe storage, baskets, benches, and individually assigned spaces. These features transform an entryway into a practical drop zone rather than a decorative area that looks beautiful until somebody comes home.

Organization guidance synthesized from Lowe’s, BHG, HGTV, Family Handyman, Bob Vila, Houzz, and Architectural Digest.

Inside the Mudroom Cubby Construction

Using 3/4-Inch Plywood for the Cabinet Boxes

The crew uses 3/4-inch plywood for the main cabinet components. Full plywood sheets normally measure 4 by 8 feet, but Tom has the home center rough-cut them into strips approximately 16 inches wide. This makes the material easier to transport and reduces the amount of wrestling required in the workshop.

The rough cuts are not treated as final dimensions. Tom still trims and squares each component precisely. That distinction matters: home-center panel saws are useful for breaking down sheets, but finish cabinetry requires consistent measurements and square edges.

In the episode, the cabinet sides are cut to approximately 80 inches long, while the horizontal pieces are sized to fit each individual compartment. Instead of repeatedly measuring identical pieces, one accurately cut component becomes the reference for the others. This reduces cumulative error and helps matching parts remain truly matched.

Dado Joinery Adds Strength and Alignment

The shelves fit into dadoes routed across the cabinet sides. A dado is a flat-bottomed groove that receives another board. It creates a positive location for the shelf, increases the glue or contact area, and helps keep the cabinet square during assembly.

Tom uses wider dadoes where two layers of 3/4-inch plywood create thicker horizontal surfaces. Other locations receive a single plywood shelf. An adjustable router jig ensures that corresponding grooves line up across multiple side panels.

Pilot holes are drilled so the fastening screws enter the centers of the shelves. The pieces are then secured with 2-inch coarse-thread screws. Pre-drilling is particularly important near plywood edges because it improves accuracy and lowers the risk of splitting or forcing a screw off course.

A Solid Backer Supports the Hooks

Rather than attaching coat hooks to a thin decorative panel, the design includes a substantial plywood backer in each hanging compartment. The backer provides reliable material for the hook screws and helps resist the repeated pulling caused by heavy jackets, backpacks, and bags.

Hook placement should reflect actual users. Adult coat hooks can sit higher, while families with young children may add a second lower row. Leave enough vertical clearance for winter coats without allowing them to pile directly onto wet shoes below.

The Face Frame Creates a Built-In Appearance

Once the separate cabinets stand together, pine rails and stiles cover the exposed plywood edges. These solid-wood face-frame components make the combined structure look thicker, cleaner, and more like custom millwork.

The trim is fastened carefully so the modules can still be disconnected. This is a small but important detail. Permanently bridging every seam with nails would defeat the point of modular construction and produce an exciting surprise for whoever eventually tries to move the unit.

Construction dimensions, materials, dado process, backer, hardware, and face-frame details verified against the official episode guide and transcript.

How the Burgundy Paint Finish Is Built to Last

Mudroom cabinetry has a harder job than ordinary decorative furniture. It encounters wet coats, muddy footwear, metal zippers, sports gear, paw prints, and people who use their feet to push things closed even when nothing has a door. A durable finish is therefore essential.

Step 1: Sand the Wood

The crew sands the assembled cabinets with 220-grit abrasive. Corners and difficult areas receive attention during assembly because they become harder to reach after the boxes are joined. Dust extraction is helpful; otherwise, appropriate respiratory and eye protection should be used, followed by thorough vacuuming.

Step 2: Apply a Tinted Primer

Mauro chooses a gray-tinted, water-based primer because the final paint is a deep burgundy. A tinted primer improves coverage beneath a dark topcoat and reduces the risk of pale edges showing through. Kevin rolls the broad surfaces while Mauro brushes the corners and tighter areas.

Step 3: Fill Imperfections and Sand Again

After the primer dries, nail holes and small defects become easier to spot. They are filled, allowed to dry, and sanded smooth. The official project notes specify a finer 320-grit abrasive for this stage. Removing the sanding dust is critical; otherwise, the final coat may preserve every speck like an archaeological exhibit.

Step 4: Protect the Work Area

Spray finishing requires more preparation than brushing or rolling. Floors, walls, nearby tools, doorways, and anything that should not become burgundy must be covered. Pre-taped plastic, painter’s tape, and drop cloths help contain overspray.

Step 5: Spray the Semi-Gloss Finish

The cubbies receive a scuff-resistant semi-gloss paint in a color called Classic Burgundy. Semi-gloss provides a modest sheen and a surface that is generally easier to wipe down than a flat finish. The handheld sprayer is tested on scrap material before the cabinet is painted.

During application, the sprayer should remain perpendicular to the surface, move at a consistent speed, and overlap each pass by roughly 50 percent. This technique helps prevent thin stripes between passes and reduces uneven buildup. Two controlled coats are better than one heroic coat that immediately begins migrating south.

Painting sequence and finish details verified through This Old House, PBS, Wagner, Sherwin-Williams, and Benjamin Moore guidance.

How to Adapt the Design for Your Home

Measure the Room, Not Just the Wall

Start by measuring wall width, ceiling height, baseboards, door casing, switches, outlets, vents, and the full door-swing path. Then measure the route from the workshop or garage to the installation area. A cabinet that fits the wall but cannot enter the room is technically furniture for the hallway.

Use painter’s tape to mark the proposed footprint on the floor and wall. Live with the outline for a day. Confirm that the storage will not constrict an important walkway or interfere with the door.

Inventory What You Actually Store

Count everyday shoes, backpacks, coats, umbrellas, reusable bags, helmets, dog supplies, and seasonal accessories. Design around those objects rather than around an idealized photograph containing one straw hat and a pair of spotless rain boots.

Allow extra space for seasonal growth. Winter clothing occupies more room than summer gear, and children have a habit of acquiring new equipment immediately after the storage project is finished.

Choose Baskets Before Finalizing Openings

Storage baskets vary widely in width, height, taper, and handle placement. Select them before cutting the cubby dividers, then add clearance so they slide without scraping the paint. Rectangular bins usually use space more efficiently than heavily tapered decorative baskets.

Decide Whether You Need a Bench

The episode’s design resembles tall lockers rather than a traditional sit-down mudroom bench. That maximizes vertical storage, but some households may benefit from a separate bench or a modified center section with seating.

A bench is especially useful for young children, older adults, or anyone who prefers sitting while removing boots. However, horizontal surfaces attract clutter with astonishing speed. A bench must remain a seat rather than becoming a long-term parking facility for mail and grocery bags.

Safety Details That Should Not Be Optional

Tall storage units should be secured properly to structural framing or another suitable support. Connecting three modules to one another improves alignment, but it does not replace anchoring the assembled unit to the wall.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission repeatedly emphasizes the importance of anchoring tall furniture to reduce tip-over hazards. Use appropriate metal brackets, cleats, or manufacturer-rated restraints attached to studs or blocking. Do not rely on a lightweight plastic strap of unknown quality, especially in a household with children who may climb, pull on hooks, or treat the cubbies as an indoor mountain range.

Check for hidden wiring or plumbing before drilling. Heavy hooks should be fastened into solid backers rather than thin paneling. Sharp corners should be eased, exposed fasteners covered, and the finished cabinet inspected periodically for movement.

Furniture anchoring guidance based on current U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommendations.

Common Mudroom Cubby Mistakes

Making Every Opening the Same Size

Symmetry is attractive, but identical openings may not fit real belongings. Shoes, boots, helmets, bags, and baskets have different shapes. Maintain a balanced exterior while varying internal storage where necessary.

Ignoring Wet Gear

Do not pack dripping coats into tightly enclosed spaces with no airflow. Provide clearance around hanging garments, use washable trays below muddy shoes, and allow wet items to dry before placing them in closed baskets.

Installing Too Few Hooks

One hook per person is rarely enough. A single user may arrive with a coat, backpack, umbrella, and tote bag. Multiple strong hooks per bay prevent accidental layering, where everything hangs from one overloaded hook like a fabric lasagna.

Using Delicate Paint

Mudroom storage needs a washable, abrasion-resistant coating. Wall paint intended for low-contact areas may mark quickly on shelves and edges. Prioritize durability, adhesion, and cleanability over the romantic name printed on the color card.

Skipping the Maintenance Plan

No cubby system organizes itself indefinitely. Schedule a quick weekly reset, rotate seasonal items, and remove shoes or equipment that no longer fit. Labels help, but they are not magical force fields.

Practical Experience: What Building Mudroom Cubbies Teaches You

The most useful lesson from a project like S23 E26: Mudroom Cubbies is that successful storage begins with behavior, not lumber. It is tempting to focus on plywood grades, router bits, paint colors, and attractive hardware. Those details matter, but the cabinet succeeds only when the household can use it without thinking.

During the planning stage, a simple observation exercise can save hours of future frustration. Watch where people naturally drop their belongings for several days. The floor near the garage door may reveal more honest information than any design board. If backpacks consistently land on the left side of the entrance, place strong hooks there. If shoes spread outward from the door, create low cubbies within one or two steps of the threshold.

Another lesson is that modular construction reduces stress at nearly every stage. Smaller cabinet boxes are easier to cut, assemble, sand, paint, transport, and repair. When one section becomes damaged, it can potentially be separated without dismantling the entire installation. Modular units also allow a project to begin with two bays and expand later as needs or budgets change.

Precision becomes more important when modules meet. A small error repeated three times becomes visible across the complete face frame. Using one accurately cut component as a template is often more reliable than measuring each identical part independently. Matching dado positions should be routed from common reference edges, and all boxes should be checked for square before the screws are fully tightened.

Dry assembly is another habit worth adopting. Stand the unpainted modules together, install the connector hardware temporarily, and inspect the seams. Test the baskets. Hang a bulky coat. Place the largest shoes in the bottom cubbies. Confirm that the hooks do not interfere with the upper shelves. Discovering a problem at this stage is mildly annoying; discovering it after two coats of semi-gloss is the woodworking version of receiving a parking ticket at your own birthday party.

The finishing stage teaches patience. Sanding, priming, filling, sanding again, cleaning, masking, spraying, drying, and recoating can feel slower than building the cabinet. Yet the finish is what users touch and see every day. Rushing it can leave rough edges, visible nail holes, dust bumps, runs, and weak adhesion. Thin, controlled coats and proper drying time create a result that looks intentional rather than hurried.

Color also changes the personality of utility storage. The episode’s burgundy finish turns a basic plywood structure into a focal point. Deep colors can make large cabinetry feel like furniture, particularly when paired with contrasting metal hooks. Lighter colors may visually expand a narrow entryway, while medium tones tend to hide everyday dust and scuffs more graciously.

Finally, installation is not the moment to become casual. Level the modules, shim where necessary, connect them securely, and anchor the finished assembly to structural framing. Then use the system for several weeks before purchasing a parade of matching accessories. Real use will reveal whether you need additional hooks, boot trays, shelf dividers, labels, or smaller containers.

The best mudroom cubbies are not the ones photographed five minutes after installation. They are the ones still functioning on a rainy Monday morning when everyone is late, the dog is enthusiastic, and somebody needs the missing glove immediately.

Conclusion

S23 E26: Mudroom Cubbies presents a smart combination of cabinetmaking, modular design, practical organization, and durable finishing. The three-section layout creates accessible storage for coats, shoes, baskets, and accessories while remaining easier to transport than one oversized cabinet.

For homeowners, the larger takeaway is simple: design the storage around daily routines, build each module accurately, prepare the surface patiently, and secure the finished unit properly. Do that, and the mudroom becomes more than a place where wet shoes gather for secret meetings. It becomes a reliable transition zone that keeps the rest of the home cleaner, calmer, and easier to manage.

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