Are you tired of dragging dirt, dust, mud, and even snow into the house? Keep it all outside where it belongs with this rugged homemade boot brush/scraper. The steel brushes (like those you would use to scrape paint) make this boot brush extra sturdy compared to the softer brushes which can fall off or mat. (You probably won't want to use this on your Sunday best dress shoes, since the bristles could scratch your shoes, but it would work fine for the bottoms.)
Materials list:
- 1 - 3/4" x 8-1/2" x 10-3/4" piece of wood (bottom)
- 2 - 3/4" x 6" x 8-1/2" piece of wood (sides)
- 5 - 2-1/2" x 7" steel brushes
- 20 - 1-1/2" deck screws
- 10 - 2" deck screws
- 2 - old 4" x 9" tile trowels with the handles removed (cut down from 9" to 7")
- 1 - piece 8-1/2" x 10-3/4" carpet
- 4 - 3/4" x 1-1/2" 45 degree gussets
- 12 - 1/2" staples
Instructions
Place one of the two wooden sides flat on your work area and space one of the trowels 3/4" from each side, and 1/2" above the top of the side. Next place a brush on top of the trowel using the same spacing except the brush should be flush with the top of the side leaving the trowel extended 1/2" above the side and the brush. Repeat the same procedure on the other side.
Pre-drill four holes through each brush, and trowel to prevent splitting. Fasten brush and trowel to sides using 1-1/2" screws.
Now set the bottom flat on the work area and place one side against the bottom, keeping bottom and side flush front and rear. Pre-drill five evenly spaced holes through the side. Using the 2" screws fasten the side to the bottom. Repeat for the other side. Now install the four gussets in order to reinforce the sides to the bottom.
Place the remaining three brushes on top of the bottom piece of wood spaced 1-5/8" from each side, and evenly spaced front to rear. Pre-drill and fasten with 1-1/2" screws.
Turn upside down and fasten the carpet to the bottom of the boot brush with 12 1/2" staples. This will help prevent the brush from moving around while you're scraping. You can also mount it to the floor surface with screws or cement anchors, depending on your location. Keep in mind you may want to remove it as the need arises to wash it off with a garden hose. You may also want to coat all wood surfaces with polyurethane or some type of wood sealer to prevent wood decay.
