Blog Post
Black Walnut Mudroom Lockers Built with PureBond® Plywood
5/26/2026
Project Spotlight: A Black Walnut Mudroom Locker Build That Turns Daily Chaos into Calm
When a home “drop zone” isn’t working, it doesn’t just look messy—it makes everything feel harder. Coats pile up, backpacks migrate, shoes multiply, and suddenly the space between the garage and the kitchen becomes a stress test.
That’s why we love seeing makers turn an underperforming closet into something that actually supports real life—and does it beautifully.
In this project, DIY builder and content creator transformed an ex-closet into custom, built-in mudroom lockers with a refined, furniture-quality look—using PureBond® Black Walnut hardwood plywood from Columbia Forest Products.
If you want the full walkthrough from , her final reveal is here: DIY Mudroom Lockers: Trim, Organization, and the Final Reveal!
Why this mudroom build works (function first, then beauty)
This wasn’t a “pretty but precious” makeover. The goal was a hardworking storage system: upper cabinets for backstock and less-used items, deep drawers for shoes, and lockers for bags, jackets, and sports gear.
The details that make it feel truly custom:
- Built-in proportions that match the space (instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all unit)
- Inset doors and drawers for a crisp, high-end finish.
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Thoughtful organization features—including a boot tray inside a drawer to help protect the interior from wet, muddy footwear
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A relocated outlet inside a locker, turning “drop zone” storage into a charging station.
The space + cabinet dimensions (for anyone planning their own)
One of the most helpful things about ’s series is that she shares real measurements from the finished build—so you can sanity-check your own layout.
Here are the published dimensions from the final reveal:
- Ceilings: 9 ft
- Mudroom: 63" wide x 41" deep (not including cabinetry depth)
- Upper Cabinet: 16 1/2" wide x 12 1/2" high x 24" deep
- Locker: 18" wide x 71 1/4" high x 24" deep
- Drawer: 16 1/2" wide x 12 1/8" high x 24" deep
PureBond®: the “what you can’t see” benefit in a space you use every day
When people think about plywood, they usually think about what shows: face veneer, grain, color, finish.
But one of the biggest differences in a panel—especially for interior spaces—is the assembly technology.
PureBond® hardwood plywood is made with a soy-based, no-added formaldehyde (NAF) assembly technology—a change Columbia Forest Products introduced in 2005 and then converted across its hardwood plywood platform in 2006.
PureBond® technology is formaldehyde-free and soy-based, and PureBond veneer-core panels are cost-competitive with traditional urea-formaldehyde constructions.
That matters in any interior millwork project—but it’s especially meaningful in spaces like mudrooms, where cabinetry, drawers, and enclosed storage are opened and closed constantly.