DIY Stuffed Animal Storage Tower

If you are drowning in a pile of stuffed animals that is taking up way too much floor space, this DIY stuffy tower is a perfect solution!

We built this storage tower to corral all the stuffed animal in one place while keeping them visible and easy for the kids to grab. This project works great in a corner and can be customized to fit in any room and holds a shocking amount of stuffed animals!

This post will walk you through exactly how I built mine for the size I built mine.

Materials:

2 – 8ft. 1x3s
1 – 8ft. 1×4
4 – 8ft. 2x2s
36 – 5/8″ screw eyes
100 ft. 3/16″ Bungee Cord
1 – 2×2 sheet 1/4″ plywood

Tools:

Miter Saw (or circular saw)
Drill
Nail gun (optional but helpful)
Measuring Tape
Level
Paint

Step One: Cut Materials

I made all my cuts in my shed and then brought the project inside to assemble.

Plywood Base: Cut to 17.25” x 18”

2×2 Boards: 4 pieces @ 82″

1×4 Boards: 2 pieces @ 17.25″ and 2 pieces @ 16.5″

1×3 Boards: 4 pieces @ 17.25″ and 4 pieces @ 16.5″

Step Two: Build top & bottom supports

Start with the 1×4 pieces. Using a square line up the 16.5″ piece at the end of one of the 17.25″ and nail from the outside of the 17.25″ pieces into the end of the 16.5″ piece. Repeat on the other side and then with the second 17.25″ pieces.

Then, do the same with the 1×3 pieces. Only build one of the 1×3 squares.

Step Three: Attach Vertical Support to the Base

This is somewhat of a two part process. The vertical supports, the 2x2s, will be set inside of the outer supports. So I set my 1×4 bottom support and 1×3 upper support in place and laid the 2x2s on top against the plywood base.

I started with two 2x2s, setting them on the floor then holding the plywood base up in place. I then screwed the 2x2s to the plywood base through the bottom of the plywood into the 2×2. I added two screws into each 2×2.

Tip: Set the 1×4 base support in place and then drill pilot holes from the top side for where the screws should be placed to hit the 2x2s. this is much easier than trying to eyeball it!

Once I had the first two 2x2s attached to the base I then rolled the frame over, holding the 2x2s against the 1×3 board at the top. This is where a nail gun is helpful! I then quickly nailed the 2x2s to the 1×3 board to help hold them in place while I attached the other two 2x2s to the plywood base.

Step Four: Attach 2x2s to horizontal Supports

Now that you have the base of the 2x2s supported, while using some of the 1 by’s to support while you build, you need to go back and securely attach the 2x2s to the 1x4s and 1x3s.

Using 1 inch screws, I screwed each 1 by piece to the 2x2s. I did use my nail gun to hold as a temporary support where needed.

I first attached the bottom (1x4s) and then the top (1x3s) supports. Then I attached the middle support.

To attach the middle support, I started with the 16.5″ sides screwing them to the 2x2s, then added the 17.25.

Step Five: Paint/Finish

Optional, we used our tower unfinished (bare wood) for a few months before I decided to paint it and add the black bungee cord. I wanted to spray paint my tower, so I had to wait for a warm day to paint it but I could not wait to contain all those stuffys! I did remove the bungee and screw eyes before painting.

I painted my tower with Rust-Oleum Ultra cover Paint and Primer spray paint in White Gloss finish. I used 4 cans to fully cover the tower.

Step Six: Install the Screw Eyes

Evenly space three screw eyes on each of the 1×3 and 1×4 sides. You will run the bungee cord through these to hold it in place and best contain your wild stuffed animals.

Step Seven: Install Bungee Cord

To install the bungee cord I installed each side individually. Running the bungee up and down through the screw eyes. I did not cut off the bungee cord until I had ran it through all screw eyes on each side. I would then tie it off at the end and then pull it back though holding it as tight as I could before cutting and tying it off at the starting screw eye.