My daughter has one of those cozy lockers at school, you know like those you see in high school movies. At the same time, I noticed an old locker was present in the garage of the condo we bought a couple of months ago.
This made me able to relate to my 15 year old daughter in ways I haven’t been able to before.
We both faced the same issue: a vertically spaced out locker that allows you to put a bunch of stuff in the bottom - but above that? Nothing else. So how to make a DIY locker shelf that doesn't break the bank?
It’s astonishing that lockers like that don’t come by default with locker shelving or any other way to maximise the vertical space…
Anyway, I’m ranting. Point is that we both needed our locker space to be maximised. Since you’re reading this, you probably have the same thought.
The web has many ideas on how to do this. But many articles seem either hard to replicate, are unclear of or don’t explain the full picture. Some of them require me to me modifications to the locker, which in case of my daughter’s high school locker won’t fly.
Here are my 5 favourite ideas on how to put together a locker shelf handpicked from the web, each rated on their ease of building, cost, strength, looks, and wether or not the build requires permanent adjustments to your locker. You can pick your strategy based on how much time, skill or dollars you're willing to invest in your locker organization.
5. LOCKER SHELVING #1: Easy, cheap - but not very pretty carton shelf.
Link
https://www.instructables.com/Simple-and-Cheap-Locker-Shelf/
Chimera Dragonfang at instructables.com has shared his steps on how to create a locker shelf from carton, without any hardware outside a box cutter knife.
This is what’s needed:
- Corrugated cardboard; the thicker the better
- Knife
The process is easy. Take a piece of thick cardboard that corresponds to the depth of your locker. Cut the middle part out that corresponds to the width of the locker. Now use the two cut-off side parts as side support pillars for the shelf.
Don’t spill any juice on it though, as we all know, corrugated cardboard does not like liquid at all.
Who’s this design ideal for?
Function over aesthetics: Someone that wants some extra organisation whipped up in a minute at no cost and does not care about the aesthetics at all.
Rating
Ease of making: 10/10
Cost: 10/10
Strenght: 4/10
Looks: 2/10
Requires permanent modification: No
4. LOCKER SHELVING #2 Simple, beautiful, but limiting.
Link
https://www.thriftyfun.com/Making-Wooden-Locker-Shelves.html
‘Lalala…’ shared her locker shelving strategy on thrifty fun and it caught our eye due to its simplicity. It’s solid, using hard wood, but it does not require any puzzling or complex setups.
This is what’s needed:
Supplies:
- plywood or craft wood, 3/4 in. thick
- paint
- paint brush
- table saw
- screws
Our recommendation: If you want to get the same results cheaper and quicker, I recommend you to use MDF wood and get it cut to size at Home Depot. You can get panels with a finished veneer so that will save you painting as well.
Why do I like this design? It’s simple, requires minimal cutting and measuring. What I don’t like about it is that it’s not so suitable for tall lockers, unless you’re willing to purchase and install a long and bulky panel on each side.
The design is cleverly thought out. Because the top panel is holding the side panels in place, there is no need to fix the side panels onto the locker walls. This way, you prevent damaging your locker. Smart. You can permanently permanently fix additional locker shelves onto the insides of the space you built inside your locker.
Who’s this design ideal for?
Function AND aesthetics: Someone that has a little bit of time and budget but doesn’t have elaborate skills or time to build a complicated shelving system.
Rating
Ease of making: 8/10
Cost: 6/10
Strength: 9/10
Looks: 8/10
Requires permanent modification: No
3. LOCKER SHELVING #3: Clean and practical but takes a bit of effort.
https://www.thenavagepatch.com/diy-shelves-for-metal-lockers/
The builders at thenavagepatch.com came up with a brilliant way to vertically organise locker shelf spaces in their old miltary lockers.
Note that they discuss two topics here: the first one is outer locker shelf creation with magnets. The topic we’re addressing here is the second topic of their article, the creation of the inner shelves with wooden frame.
Without going in too much detail, these guys built two ‘ladder-shaped’ structures, attached them to both side of the lockers and then place the shelves in this structure.
The downside of this project compared to the one we discussed above, is that the sides are permanently fixed to the walls of the locker. However, this can be avoided by placing magnets on the structure instead, or just using the friction of the horizontal shelves to keep the ladders in place.
Interesting about this design is the relative low cost. The structure uses only small strips of wood which can be purchased at any big box store for a very small price and can be cut down easily. It will however require slightly more skill than the previous method.
Who’s this design ideal for?
- Function AND aesthetics: Someone that has a little bit of patience and skill and value something that looks great.
Ease of making: 8/10
Cost: 6/10
Strength: 9/10
Looks: 8/10
Requires permanent modification: Yes/No
2. LOCKER SHELVING #4: This is how the PROs organise their locker shelves.
For real, this is how I imagine lockers in professional carpentry workshops must be modified.
This is what’s needed:
MATERIALS
- 3/4" plywood, 1' wide by at least 4' long
- 3 or more pieces of 1/2" plywood at least 12" wide x 18" long
- 4 @ 48" shelf standards
- pack of shelf clips
- 4 @ small magnets (optional)
TimS124 at https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Add-Make-Your-Locker-Hold-More-Stuff/
found out how to make his locker hold more stuff. If you’re looking for a quick, easy and inexpensive fix, this might not be the best solution for you. But if you’re willing to do the effort, you’ll have a shelving system in your locker that will allow you to change shelf height on demand. TimS124 used vertical shelf standards that allow you to insert shelving brackets on varying heights. Opposed to the last example I described, the shelves won’t be permanently fixed as you can take out the shelving brackets and reposition them as needed.
Needless to say, these materials will set you back a bit more than those in the other articles we covered.
Rating
Ease of making: 5/10
Cost: 5/10
Strength: 9/10
Looks: 10/10
Requires permanent modification: Yes
1. LOCKER SHELVING #5: Removable, adjustable tension mount shelf.
There’s a simpler way to install shelving in your locker. A method that’s very strong, aesthetically pleasing, and requires no tools or installation time. I’m talking about the no-drill tension locker shelves offered here on myhomeinbold.com. We designed them ourselves to place in our own lockers. And just like many of our customers, we’re pleased to report that the shelf is holding up great. We're also proud to share that our shelf is currently the highest rated locker shelf on Amazon.com.
Rating
Ease of making: 10/10 (Already made!)
Cost: 8/10 (Imagine the time you save)
Strength: 10/10
Looks: 10/10
Requires permanent modification: No
Do you have any other ideas on how to add storage space to your locker? I’m looking forward to hearing it in the comments!