Disclaimer: I am a serious pet parent. I’ve wanted a baby Golden Retriever for years, so when it finally came time for my fur baby to start “nesting” before going home, I really invested myself in it. It also involved a lot of DIY work.
The crowning jewel of my living room is my puppy’s crate, which looks like furniture. I call this dog crate furniture. I compliment you endlessly about it, but you’ll hardly notice that what’s inside is just a standard dog crate. I live and die by a clean, sophisticated aesthetic, so although I intended to crate train my pup, I didn’t want to have a black wire dog prison as the centerpiece of my living room. . . So I decided to make my own dog crate furniture.
Nice looking wooden boxes (wooden boxes that look like furniture) are available for purchase all over the world, but they are usually not as sturdy and are definitely chew-proof. It’s also prohibitively expensive, so I wasn’t going to drop $500 (or more!) on something that might fall apart within minutes of use.
After an embarrassingly large amount of fruitless research, a little light bulb went off. I was able to make my own crate for a medium-sized dog. All I have to do is take a wire wooden box and build a simple frame and lid around it to give it the beauty of a piece of furniture and the functionality of a table top.
I immediately called my dad (a former construction company executive and regular Home Depot customer with a tool shed like Tim Allen) and asked him if he thought it was possible. I asked if it was affordable. After taking some screenshots and specs, we gathered in a hallowed hall with hardware, orange aprons, and sawdust on display.
Why this dog crate furniture works
Not only is it much more aesthetically pleasing than a standard medium dog crate, this is a safe choice for your dog. The crate fits inside a wooden frame, so your puppy won’t have a chance to chew on wood while teething. Paint can be toxic to dogs. You don’t want any debris getting stuck in your dog’s tiny gums, so this is a way to get the look you want while still protecting your pup.
Additionally, it acts as a more functional convertible furniture than a wooden box (taking up the same amount of space in your home) and is perfect for storage, decoration, and lighting. It also gives the crate a den-like feel, making your dog feel safer and more cozy when camping inside.
This is a frame structure. There is no bottom part and the wire box is not attached to the “furniture” at all. It’s very simple and one of the least complicated furniture DIYs I’ve ever tried, as it involves assembling a basic frame and lid.
dog crate furniture materials
I decided to make the whole thing out of melamine, which was in stock at my local hardware store. This saved me time and money by not having to (1) buy paint and (2) use paint. Melamine is cheaper than wood, so we saved even more money. There is no need to use melamine. If you’re looking for a good value on plain white, especially if you want your furniture to be a different color, I have the materials for you.
Also note: You will need to cut the melamine part. As in, sawn. If you don’t have a saw or don’t feel like using one, great. Me too. You can ask the friendly staff at your hardware store to cut it for you and take home the perfect size piece for your project.
In addition to melamine, I used the following:
Melamine finishing tape Melamine finishing dots Screws Drill (to drill holes for screws) Electric screwdriver (if you have one). Otherwise, biceps.
Dog crate furniture specifications
The size of the wood pieces depends on the specifications of the wooden box. I chose a 36 inch crate. This is the average size of a fully grown female Golden Retriever (anything over this would be a joke). Once you get your puppy, remember that you can divide the large crate (most crates come with it!) so that it feels more snug and secure in a smaller space, and move the partitions around as your puppy grows. Please leave it there. If you want to get the most out of your furniture, we highly recommend purchasing the largest crate needed for your puppy’s expected adult size. That way you don’t have to make a separate crate.
The sizes of the purchased products are as follows.
One piece of 42x29x1 inch melamine for the lid Four pieces of 38×2.5×0.75 inch for the long top and bottom crossbars Four pieces of 26×2.5×0.75 inch for the short top and bottom crossbars 28×2.5×0.75 4 inch pieces for side A of the corner post 4 pieces of 28×1.5×0.75 inch for side B of the corner post
Cost and time required to assemble dog crate furniture
Assembly took approximately six hours over two days. The out-of-pocket cost for the melamine material was about $100. I bought this crate on PetSmart’s mega sale for about $25. Amazon has a lot of great deals on wooden crates that are inexpensive but highly rated. Continue reading for instructions.
