How to Make Gym Lockers for Decorating Kids Rooms

Measure the height of the ceiling in your child's room with a measuring tape. You will use this measurement when cutting the side and back pieces for your gym locker.

Cut two 1-by-12-inch boards to the height of the ceiling using a table saw. These pieces should be used for the sides of your gym locker. Cut a sheet of 3/4-inch plywood to a width of 17 inches and a height equal to the height of the ceiling to be used as the back of the gym locker.

Use the table saw to cut a 17-inch piece of 1-by-12-inch wood to be used for the top of the gym locker. Cut three more 17-inch pieces of 1-by-12-inch wood to serve as shelves inside the locker.

Stand the side panels upright on the ground and place the plywood back panel flush against them, aligning the outer edges. Use a nail gun to drive nails through the back of the plywood panel into the thickness of the side panels to secure them in place.

Set the top panel flat on top of the 3-piece frame you just assembled, aligning the edges with the side and back panels. Drive nails from the nail gun through the top panel into the side and back panels to secure the top panel in place.

Place the gym locker frame flat on the ground and make pencil markings inside the side panels to indicate the positions of the three shelves. Make a mark on both side panels about 12 inches below the top panel for the upper shelf. Make marks for the lower shelves approximately 5 and 16 inches from the bottom of the gym locker.

Slide the pieces of 1-by-12-inch wood designated for the interior shelves between the side panels where you made the pencil markings. The edges of the shelves should be flush with the sides of the locker frame. Insert nails from the nail gun through the outside of the locker frame into the thickness of the shelves at the sides and back to secure them in place.

Cut three pieces of 1-inch to 2-inch wood trim using a jig saw. You will need two pieces cut to the height of the gym locker minus the width of the trim and one piece cut to 17 inches to install across the top.

Install the 17-inch piece of trim across the top of the gym locker, aligning the top edge with the top of the locker. Use the nail gun to drive nails through the trim into the gym locker frame in order to secure it in place. Install the remaining two pieces of trim vertically along the outside of the side panels, aligning the top edge with the bottom of the first piece of trim.

Use wood filler to fill the nail holes in the gym locker frame. Allow the filler to dry completely; sand it gently using fine-grain sandpaper to create a smooth surface.

Apply a layer of interior-grade latex primer to the inside and outside of the gym locker. Allow the primer to dry completely according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Paint one or two coats of interior-grade latex paint in the color of your choice on the inside and outside of the gym locker. If your child has a favorite sports team, consider using that team's colors as inspiration for painting the locker. Once the paint has dried, move the completed locker into place in your child's room.

Slide plastic or canvas storage totes into the upper and lower shelf spaces to provide your child with storage options. The totes should be no larger than 16-by-11-inches in order to fit inside the shelves.

Install two large metal hooks inside the main compartment of the gym locker, one on each of the side panels. Your child can use these hooks to hang his coats and jerseys.