How to Make a Cabinet From Scratch For Extra Storage Space

by Laura Mitran · May 9, 2017

Making your own kitchen cabinets or an extra cabinet in the bedroom or bathroom when you find yourself needing more storage space can be a nice and rewarding do-it-yourself project. Regardless of whether you are building a stereo cabinet or dresser, a kitchen cabinet or bathroom vanity, basic cabinet construction is the same. A cabinet consists of the carcass or case with two sides, bottom and top, a back and a front. The front may contain drawers, doors or shelves or combinations of the three. Here are the basics of cabinetmaking.

In theory, cabinetmaking is not complicated as it’s basically building simple box shapes over and over. The project gets a little tricky when making the cabinet doors and matching drawer fronts that finish the job and complete the look. So cabinet building has several variations which may be used in construction, but basically involves box or case construction.

Get plywood

The simplest case construction is a box made of plywood. These can be softwood or hardwood plywood, and they can be painted or stained and varnished. Particle board, finished on one or two sides, is a common material for construction of some cabinetry. A case can also be constructed of solid wood, but these days solid wood is used only on small pieces or for extremely fine furniture.

Assemble

Once you have chosen your wood and other materials, you’ll want to take stock of your various parts and wood pieces. You’ll want to label them according to where they will go in order to avoid confusion once the cabinet construction begins. You will then begin to assemble the cabinet base (all sides but the front) with heavy wood glue and/or screws. You can add shelving inside your cabinet base using wood glue and finishing nails. Vertical shelving dividers would also be nailed in next if used in your cabinet design.

When the base is put together, resembling the aforementioned simple box, you will then lay the base on its back, place your cabinet door on top and measure and mark where the hinges will be attached. The hinges can then be screwed into place and the cabinet door can be attached. You’ll want to check to make sure that the cabinet door opens effortlessly and that it rests evenly on the base before moving to the next step.

Add handles and pulls

At this point you can install the decorative cabinet components, including handles and drawer pulls. You may need a drill and screwdriver for this step. Finally, you can bring the cabinet upright. If it goes on your wall, install it using a drill and screws.

Credits: hgtv.com, extremehowto.com

Photo credits: hgtv.com