To fit a metal shoe rack under the stairs, measure the height at both ends of the sloping soffit, choose a rack whose tallest point clears the lowest usable height, and slide it in with the tall end towards the high side of the slope. Most standard metal racks between 45cm and 75cm tall will fit under a typical UK staircase if positioned with the slope rather than against it. Where the rack is slightly too tall, an adjustable or stackable design lets you remove a tier instead of cutting anything.
The whole job takes under an hour and needs nothing more than a tape measure, a spirit level and a torch. The measuring is what determines success, so it is worth doing properly before buying.
Under stairs voids are wedge shaped. In most homes the highest point sits around 190cm to 210cm at the top of the run and tapers to almost nothing at the bottom. The usable zone for a shoe rack is normally the middle third, where the height falls between roughly 60cm and 130cm.
Some staircases are boxed in with a closed cupboard, some are open with an exposed stringer, and some have the space part occupied by a gas or electricity meter. Each of these changes the approach, so start by identifying which you have and where any services or access panels sit.
Measure the full width of the opening along the wall. Measure the depth from the front edge to the back wall. Then measure the vertical height at three points: the front left, the centre and the front right of where the rack will sit. Note them all down rather than relying on memory.
The critical figure is the height at the front face of the rack position, not at the wall behind. A rack pushed fully back may fit under the slope at the rear while its front edge fouls the underside of a step. Measuring at the front edge prevents that mistake.
Also measure any skirting board thickness. Skirting typically adds 15mm to 20mm and will hold the rack forward of the wall, which changes the height available at its rear edge.
Three metal formats work well in a sloping space. Tiered flat racks are simplest and slide straight in. Stackable modular racks let you build a stepped profile, running three tiers at the high end and two at the low end. Narrow tall racks on castors can be pulled out into the hallway when needed, which suits deep voids where the back is otherwise unreachable.
Metal is a sensible material choice for this location. Under stairs spaces are often cooler and slightly damper than the rest of the hallway, and a powder coated steel frame handles that better than board. Airflow through an open metal frame also helps damp footwear dry. Our metal shoe racks UK sale range includes tiered and stackable designs in widths that suit narrow voids.
There are two reliable ways to work with the angle. The first is orientation: place the rack so its tallest section sits under the highest part of the slope. Even a small rotation of the unit can gain several centimetres of clearance.
The second is stepping. Use two shorter racks side by side rather than one long one, with the taller unit at the high end. This follows the diagonal closely and wastes far less volume than a single rectangular rack that has to fit under the lowest point.
If the rack is only two or three centimetres too tall, check whether the feet are removable or whether the top tier can be reversed. Many metal racks assemble with the same components in either direction, and dropping one tier is easier than modifying the frame.
Hallway floors near a staircase are frequently uneven, particularly in older homes with floorboards. Set the rack in place and check it with a spirit level along both axes. Adjustable feet solve most of it, and a thin packer under one corner solves the rest.
Leave a gap of two to three centimetres between the rack and the back wall. This prevents the frame marking the plaster, keeps air moving behind the shoes and gives you room to run a vacuum nozzle along the back.
Metal feet can mark wood, laminate and tiles. Fit felt pads or rubber cups before the rack is loaded, since moving a full rack to add pads afterwards is awkward. If the floor is carpeted, wide feet or a thin board under the frame stop the legs sinking and leaving permanent indents.
A boot tray on the lowest tier is a worthwhile addition. Under stairs storage is usually close to the front door, which means it collects the wettest footwear, and a tray keeps grit and moisture off the floor beneath.
Never block a gas or electricity meter, a consumer unit or a stopcock. These need to remain accessible, and an obstruction can cause problems during a meter reading or an emergency. If a meter sits in the middle of the void, use the space on one side only and keep the rack clear of the cupboard door swing.
Where a service pipe runs at low level, a rack on castors is the practical answer, since it can be pulled forward to give full access in seconds. Mark the floor lightly so the rack always returns to a position that keeps the panel clear.
Under stairs voids are dark by nature, which is why shoes get lost at the back. A battery operated motion sensor light stuck to the underside of a step is the simplest fix and needs no wiring. If the space is being finished properly, a small recessed fitting works well and makes the whole area more usable.
Good light also encourages the storage to stay tidy, because you can see what is there. If you are planning a wired solution, our modern spotlights UK sale range includes compact fittings suited to low ceilings and confined spaces.
Under stairs areas can suffer from poor air movement, especially when boxed in with a door. Damp footwear stored there will take longer to dry and may develop an odour. Keep the cupboard door ajar for an hour after wet shoes go in, and avoid pushing footwear tight against the back wall.
If the space feels persistently damp rather than just cool, a small moisture absorber will help, but check for a genuine cause first. Cold external walls, an unsealed floor or a leaking pipe are all worth ruling out before adding storage.
A shoe rack usually only occupies the lower band of the slope, which leaves useful volume above it. Shallow shelves fitted higher up will take cleaning supplies, hats or bags without interfering with the rack below. Our hallway storage furniture UK range covers slim units that suit that upper zone, and you can see coordinating hallway pieces at Furniture in Fashion.
Keep heavy or rarely used items at the very back and everyday footwear at the front. Under stairs storage works best when access is graded by frequency of use, because reaching into the narrow end is never convenient.
Most metal racks are supplied as tubes and connectors that push or screw together, and it is tempting to build the whole thing in the hallway and slide it in. In a shallow void that works. In a deep void with a low front edge it does not, because the assembled rack cannot be tilted enough to pass under the slope.
The test is simple: if the assembled height of the rack is greater than the clear height at the front edge of the opening, build it inside the void or build the frame and add the top tier once it is in position. Assembling in place is easier than it sounds with tube and connector systems, and a torch propped on a step makes the difference.
Tighten the connectors in two passes. Push everything together loosely first, check the frame sits square against the back wall, then tighten fully. A metal rack tightened one joint at a time almost always ends up slightly twisted, which is what causes the wobble people blame on the floor.
An under stairs space fills up quickly once something is stored there, and a shoe rack can end up buried behind bags and boxes within a season. Draw a line, literally if it helps, at the front edge of the rack and keep everything else behind or beside it rather than in front. Access is the whole point of putting a rack there, and a rack you have to move something to reach is no better than a pile on the floor.
Give the void a proper clean twice a year, at the same time as the seasonal footwear change. Under stairs spaces collect dust in a way that open hallways do not, because there is little air movement and the corners are hard to reach. Pulling the rack out entirely for ten minutes makes it possible to vacuum the back corners properly.
Check the fixings and the feet at the same time. Metal frames loosen slowly with use, and a quarter turn on each connector once or twice a year keeps the rack rigid for years rather than months.
What height shoe rack fits under the stairs? A rack between 45cm and 75cm tall fits under most UK staircases when positioned with the slope. Always measure the height at the front edge of the rack position rather than at the back wall.
Do I need to cut a metal rack to fit the slope? Usually not. Reorienting the rack, removing a tier or using two stackable racks of different heights side by side follows the diagonal without any cutting.
Is metal better than wood for under stairs shoe storage? Generally yes. Powder coated steel copes better with the cooler, slightly damper conditions found in an under stairs void, and an open frame allows air to circulate.
Can I store shoes in front of the gas or electricity meter? No. Meters, consumer units and stopcocks must stay accessible. Use the space to one side, or choose a rack on castors that can be pulled clear.
How do I stop shoes smelling in an under stairs cupboard? Let wet footwear dry in the open first, leave the door ajar for a while after they go in, avoid overfilling the tiers and add a moisture absorber if the space runs cool.
A shoe cabinet can absolutely serve as a console or display surface, and in most…
Narrow hallways are the norm in terraces, semis and flats across the UK, and shoe…
A shoe cabinet with drawers keeps footwear behind flush fronts rather than on open shelves,…
A shoe storage ottoman is really two materials working together, so choosing well means looking…
Odour in a shoe storage cabinet is a moisture problem rather than a smell problem,…
Depth is the measurement people get wrong most often when buying shoe storage, largely because…
This website uses cookies.