DIY Rolling Storage Drawers for Under the Bed

If you suffer from a shortage of square footage or are missing a cabinet or two, or you just need a handy place to stash additional stuff in the bedroom, use the wasted space under the bed. Custom storage units aren’t required for those winter blankets, guest cushions, kids’ toys or board game set — all you need is an old dresser to cannibalize and a few screw-on casters.

Measure the distance from the bottom of the bed frame into the floor to ensure that a drawer in addition to the height of the casters will easily clean the framework and the bottom of the bed.

Clean the drawers and remove the hardware to paint or whitewash the wood. Sand any rough spots and apply a coat of primer. Give each drawer two coats of paint, or even, to get a shabby chic-style finish, paint the bottom coat and follow instructions for applying crackle glaze into the exterior of the drawer just, before inserting the final coat of whitewash. The glaze causes the top layer of paint to craze into fine lines which symbolize the effects of aging.

Protect your work with a final coat of clear lacquer, allow it to dry, and bend the casters on each of the four corners of the bottom of the drawer. Duplicate for each drawer to provide storage under the bed.

Expand the drawer-pull hardware to each drawer to make it easier to retrieve the drawer when you need to get the storage.

Cut a piece of fabric to just cover the inside bottom of each drawer and secure the fabric to the drawer using a dot of glue in each corner. This measure is optional and is not required if your drawers have a smooth paint or lacquer finish inside.

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