Okay, let me tell you about this little project I did, the ‘shoes tucker’ thing. It wasn’t anything fancy, just something practical I needed to sort out.
My entryway was getting ridiculous, honestly. Shoes everywhere. Tripping over them constantly. You know how it is. I just wanted a way to get them off the floor, tucked neatly somewhere, without spending a lot of money or building some big complicated rack I didn’t really have space for.
Getting Started – The Idea
So, I looked around. I got this low bench near the door, but stacking shoes underneath just looked messy, they’d slide out. I thought, what if I could just hold them under the edge? Keep ’em pinned there, like. Simple. Needed something flexible but strong enough.
I rummaged through my workshop bits and pieces. Found some leftover wide elastic strapping, the kind you might use for upholstery or something. Strong stuff. Also grabbed a handful of short wood screws and some small washers. That seemed like all I’d need.
Putting It Together
First, I measured the underside lip of that bench. Then I cut the elastic strap into several pieces, maybe about 6 inches long each? Didn’t need to be exact. The idea was to make loops.
Next, I took one piece of elastic. I folded over one end just a tiny bit, put a washer on a screw, and screwed that end tight to the underside of the bench, near the front edge. Then I pulled the elastic snug horizontally along the underside for maybe 4-5 inches, folded the other end over a bit, used another washer and screw, and fastened that end down too. This created a tight elastic band running parallel to the bench edge, just underneath it.
It wasn’t a loop hanging down, more like a tight strap across. I did this three or four times along the length of the bench underside, leaving space between each strap section.
Trying It Out – The ‘Tucker’ in Action
Alright, moment of truth. I grabbed a pair of my everyday sneakers. I slid the toe of one shoe under the first elastic strap. The elastic stretched just enough to grab the shoe firmly and held it flat against the underside of the bench. Tucked right in! Did the same with the other shoe on the next strap.
It worked way better than I expected! The shoes were completely off the floor, held securely, and pretty much hidden unless you bent down to look. Easy to pull out when I needed them, and just as easy to tuck back in.
Final Thoughts
So yeah, that’s my ‘shoes tucker’. Took me maybe 20 minutes total. Used scrap elastic and a few screws. Cost basically nothing. The entryway floor is clear now. It’s not high-tech, just a really simple fix that solved a daily annoyance. Sometimes the basic solutions are the best ones, right?
