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Sometimes , the kitchen is too smallto prep a multi - course meal for ally or family . If only you had 12 straight inch more counter space to chop vegetable , or an extra shelf to move the unused toaster out of the way … Sound conversant ? Then this tutorial is for you ! Without breaking your budget , you could create a kitchen island that goes above and beyond your wildest culinary workspace and storage dreams . Just follow these architectural plan for how to build a kitchen island with room to do it all — chopper , mix , shelve , storehouse , and more . Ours measures 57 column inch long , 21 inches deep , and a standard 35-½ inches high , but , of course , you may change these dimensions as you see set to better address your kitchen ’s needs .
MATERIALS AND TOOLS – 10 - foot - long 2×2 lumber ( 5 ) – Ruler – Hand saw – laurel wreath sander – Sandpaper ( 80- and 120 - gritstone ) – Wood glue – Drill – 3 - inch nooky ( 4 + 80 ) – 2 - in alloy corner pair ( 20 ) – 6 millimetre plywood ( 2 4 - by-8 - understructure sheets ) – Wood clamps – 8 - ft - farsighted 1×2 lumber ( 5 ) – Acrylic paint – Brush – 10 - foot - tenacious 2×8 timber ( 2 ) – 4 - in fix plate ( 9 ) – 1 - column inch screws ( 36 ) – Varnish or mineral oil – ½-inch nails ( 18 ) – Hammer – Scrap wood – metallic element drawer pulls ( 4 )
Photo: Elizabeth Beard via Getty Image
Step 1
Cut your 2×2 lumber into the follow lengths to make up the bodily structure of the DIY kitchen island :
• Four 33 - inch piece for the legs• Two 57 - column inch pieces for the countertop support• Four 54 - column inch pieces for framework for the top and bottom shelf• Six 18 - inch pieces for shelf and countertop financial support
Sand all edges of your cut , and set up one side of the kitchen island by arranging a 57 - inch 2×2 with two 33 - inch legs to make a uracil - shape as pictured . paste the two legs to the bottom of what will be the countertop support , then pre - exercise holes for and fasten with two screws through the top at each end .
Step 2
Place two 54 - inch shelf patronise between the island ’s legs ( the first 12 inches from the bottom of the island ’s top , and the second 10 inches beneath that ) . supplement with a pat of wood mucilage on both remnant of the 54 - inch ledge living , and reinforce with a 2 - inch metallic element corner brace beneath each end .
Step 3
Repeat step 1 and 2 to make a 2d monovular structure .
Step 4
Join the two superposable halves using the six 18 - inch pieces . To accomplish this , place half of the frame on the floor and affix three 18 - column inch lengths to each pegleg using wood gum . observe : Each 18 - in 2×2 should align with the horizontal 2×2s already link up ( the ledge and countertop support ) . Screw corner pair beneath each connectedness for extra support .
Step 5
Lay the 2nd one-half of the DIY kitchen island ’s frame ( without the attached 18 - inch cuts ) insipid on the floor . To fix to connect both halves , you ’ll want to drive in three metal niche braces to each ramification , one at each point . Scoot each corner twosome to the sharpness of the leg so that it ’s perpendicular but perfectly coordinate with the corner duet already in place sustain either a shelf or countertop , then screw each into the wood .
Step 6
Lay the two halves in front of each other , corner braces and 18 - column inch supports face in and foot facing up . hold wood gum to the give away end of the 18 - column inch supports , iron them to the opposing kitchen island ramification , and screw the second one-half of each street corner gallus into the woodwind instrument backup . Stand your DIY kitchen island vertical .
Step 7
reduce a rectangle of 57 inches by 21 inches from the 6 millimeter plywood bed sheet to make the lowest shelf . At each recession , cut out a small pass the same dimensions as the legs ( 1-½ column inch second power ) . Sand the plywood , especially the cutting edge .
Step 8
Apply wood glue to the tops of the low level of 2×2s and fit the plywood part through the open top of your DIY kitchen island into topographic point onto the adhesive . Press the wood pieces together with clamps until the mucilage dries .
Step 9
Make the 2nd shelf using 1×2 lumber cut into 22 21 - inch length . consist them out over the structure ’s middle - tier supports , leave a ¾-inch gap between each , and glue down the 1×2s at each close .
Step 10
Sand all part of the kitchen island , first using 80 - backbone emery paper on a decoration smoother , then again with 120 - guts for a politic polish .
Step 11
Wipe down all the dust with a clean tag before you move on to hold two coats of acrylic paint . We chose a charcoal color , but you could tarnish and varnish it instead , if you prefer .
Step 12
While the paint ( or discolouration ) dries , you’re able to build up the countertop using the 2×8 lumber . edit the 10 - foot planks into three 5 - foot - long piece to make a countertop that is a little longer and wide than the base of your DIY kitchen island . Carefully align the pieces side by side so that no one extends past the others , then apply wood gum along the 1-½-inch side of each where they meet . As the glue dries , screw three 4 - column inch mending plate along each furrow on the back .
Sand the completed countertop down , and protect it with a coat of varnish or mineral petroleum . Once the varnish is juiceless , lay the countertop on your kitchen island ; it should give ear ¾ of an inch off the front and back and 1-½ inch off the left and right side . Center it as well you may , then glue and clamp the countertop onto the structure while the adhesive dries .
Step 13 (optional)
Sure , you could purchase depot boxes or crate from your near home plate goods storehouse or workmanship centre — or you could build a hardening to dead fit the allotted space on the low ledge for less money than you ’d spend otherwise . We made four boxes of 13 inches spacious , 8-½ inch tall , and 18 inches deep with a quarter - sheet of plywood .
For each box , you ’ll need to cut five rectangles in the plywood sheet:• One 12-½ inch by 18 inches for the box bottom• Two 8-½ inches by 13 in for the box seat front and back• Two 8-½ inches by 17-½ inches for the box sides
To tack the box , give wood gum along the edges of the loge bottom ( the 12-½-by-18 - inch rectangle ) . place it flat and on the earth and press the front and back panels ( the 8-½-by-13 - inch rectangle ) in spot , then apply glue to the exposed edge of the front and back panel — except for the tops!—and slideway the sides ( the persist 8-½-by-17-½-inch rectangle ) into place . Essentially , all sides should roll the bottom of the box , and the front and back should cover the edges of the face . Reinforce the grammatical construction with ½-inch nail ; power hammer three along each side of the front and back .
iterate to make four box total .
Step 14 (optional)
Once the woodwind instrument mucilage has dried , sum a metal draftsman pull for easy opening and windup of each young “ drawer ” on your DIY kitchen island . As we used only 6 millimetre plywood to build these , you may have to paste an surplus piece of scrap wood on the interior directly behind where you want to add the drag so that there ’s enough heaviness to drill screws into for the drawer pull . measuring to happen the centre of attention near the top of the box seat ’s front , site your draftsman pull in 2 or 3 inches from the top ; when happy with the position , fall guy and practice yap . Screw this drawer pull into place , and repeat on the remain three boxes .
Once you ’ve hold over these box to the lower ledge as pants , and ready to enjoy your unexampled DIY kitchen island .
Ama is a DIY addict and the creative mind behindOhoh web log . She likes household decor , ignition , and furniture projects that may imply picture , sewing , drilling … no matter the technique ! Whatever she has on hand is inspiration to make , and fodder for her serious habituation to upcycling .
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