20 Free DIY Shoe Rack Plans You Can Make Today

Last Updated: May 21, 2020

 Shoe racks are an ideal woodworking project for several reasons. Everyone knows the pain of having shoes scattered all over the floor, taking up space and making your home’s entryway less appealing. A good shoe rack can save room, brighten up a space, and keep your kids from losing their favorite sneakers.

Building a shoe rack is also an excellent way to develop solid woodworking fundamentals. A shoe organizer demands caution and patience, but might be the most rewarding thing you’ve ever put together.

We’ve gathered some of the best free plans for DIY shoe racks available online. Pick one you like and get started today on your new favorite project!

 1. Easy Shoe Rack by Home D-Zine

This easy shoe rack design by Home D-Zine has a simple, versatile design that can fit in a closet or stand free in your entryway. It’s so stylish you might not believe you can build it in an hour—but this is a project where even beginner woodworkers can shine.

2. Closet Shoe Organizer and Rack by Our House Now A Home

Emily of Our House Now A Home built this rack for her closet to organize the mess of shoes that always filled up the space. It’s cheap, fun to build, and extremely effective for getting your closet in order—or for any other room where you want to cut down on mess. The design includes big spaces that work great for boots.

3. Entryway Shoe Rack Bench by The DIY Plan

This shoe rack by The DIY Plan is incredibly useful—and it also looks awesome. It’s both a shoe organizer and a bench, with a cool asymmetrical shape that will add real character to your foyer. As a bonus, it’s easy to construct from affordable Tools.

4. Minimalist Shoe Rack by Instructables

Linn posted this design for a minimalist shoe rack on Instructables. It’s narrow enough to fit in a wide variety of spots, and the angled shelves help you store even more pairs of shoes while taking up less space.

5. Shoe Rack Plan by My Outdoor Plans

One of our favorite plans for a tall, classic shoe rack comes from My Outdoor Plans. This is a more involved project that requires a lot of accuracy and precision, but is still straightforward enough to get done in a single day of work—and once that day is over, you’ll never lose your shoes again.

6. Super-Sized Shoe Rack by 100Things2Do

When Shelly of 100Things2Do couldn’t find a design for a shoe rack with more than two rows, she decided to make her own. The result is a jumbo-sized DIY rack that’ll help you make much more efficient use of your closet space. It’s nice and quick, too, taking about half a day if you know what you’re doing.

7. Scrap Wood Shoe Cabinet by Reality Daydream

This ingenious folding shoe cabinet is the result of Nick and Bethany from Reality Daydream being challenged to build something out of their leftover scrap wood. It has a hinged panel that swings open to reveal three layers of shoe storage.

8. Gentleman’s Stand by Woodworking for Mere Mortals

The Gentleman’s Stand, designed by Woodworking for Mere Mortals, is a combination shoe rack and side table, with drawers that are fine places to store your other going-out accessories. It’s a good fit for entryways, bedrooms, and living rooms, and looks best unpainted.

9. Unique Shoe Rack by Instructables

User Molarin posted this unique shoe rack design on Instructables. Its dowel-based structure makes it a very different kind of project than most. With the freedom to design your own side panels, building this rack is a treat for the artistically minded woodworker.

10. Entryway Shoe Rack by Angela Marie Made

This design by Angela Marie Made is an easy way to turn an unsightly pile of shoes into a feature that’s both aesthetic and functional. It’s as easy to build as it is to use, and can be put together for no more than $15 worth of Tools.

11. Easy Mudroom Bench with Shoe Storage by Bitterroot DIY

Yeah, it’s called a mudroom, but that doesn’t mean you want to see muddy shoes everywhere — and with this shoe rack bench design from Bitterroot DIY, you won’t have to.  While it might look intimidating at first, this bench comes together with surprising and rewarding ease.

12. Shoe Box Organizer Rack by Jay’s Custom Creations

If you like to store your shoes in plastic containers, this plastic shoebox organizer by Jay’s Custom Creations might be the perfect project for you. Those immensely useful dollar-store plastic containers can hold shoes, craft supplies, or anything else you want — and this rack holds 10 of them. It’s also lightweight, and comes together without wood glue.

13. Vertical Shoe Rack by Instructables

This genius space-saving solution comes to us from Instructables user andysewell. It’s a vertical rack of parallel slats where you can wedge your shoes by their toes, keeping them out of the way yet easy to grab. This design is elegant, effective, and a joy to build.

14. Shoe Cubby by Brittany Goldwyn

Brittany of the blog By Brittany Goldwyn provides this design for a minimalist, multi-use shoe cubby. It features ten shelves of varying sizes that can accommodate shoes, sandals, and boots, plus a flat top for extra storage and decoration. Build it, and enjoy surprising all your friends when they ask if it’s from IKEA!

15. Industrial Shoe Rack by Two Feet First

If you’re a fan of the rough-edged exposed-brick look, consider gracing your foyer with this industrial shoe rack from Two Feet First. This small yet effective floor shelf can be made quickly and used forever. Since it incorporates metal pipes into its structure, it’s a good way to broaden your skills.

16. Shoe Organizer by Jen Woodhouse

Aptly named star woodworker Jen Woodhouse shared this plan for a DIY shoe organizer. It’s small enough to fit in most closets, yet its shelves are high enough to fit the tallest boots. On top of that, it’s easy to throw together out of scrap wood.

17. Floating Bench and Shoe Shelf by The Schmidt Home

This unusual shoe rack and bench combination from The Schmidt Home is meant to hang between two walls in your mudroom or foyer. It’s a bit more involved than most of the other projects, since to get it looking like it belongs, you’ll have to remove some drywall. We recommend having a contractor check out your building space before you get started.

18. Behind the Door Shoe Rack by Instructables

Instructables user bgrprojects shares another idea for a hanging ladder-style shoe rack. This one is made to hang from the back of a door, and can be freely detached and moved to anywhere else in your house. If you’re on the hunt for a design that demands fewer specialized tools, this shoe rack can be made with almost any type of saw.

19. Wooden Boot Rack by Stephanie Lynn

These boot rack plans from By Stephanie Lynn will be useful for anybody who lives in a damp or snowy climate. A base of sturdy boards is studded with thick dowels that can hold your boots upside-down so they don’t collect moisture. The seeming simplicity is a bit deceptive — this plan requires you to be very precise at cutting holes.

20. Shoe Cabinet by House Becoming Home

If you’re after a truly ambitious project, look no further than this shoe cabinet from House Becoming Home, which is big enough to hold an entire family’s shoes, hats, gloves, and scarves. Put in the time to build this right, and watch all your clutter disappear.

Featured image credit: Shoe rack by Duong Nhan, Pexels