Inspiring you to Do-It-Yourself
Hey there! So I thought I had published all my kitchen renovation posts…and then I saw this little draft sitting all alone, ready to be published but not! Lol! Here it is, all about how to paint kitchen cabinets!
I am telling you, I was beyond skeptical about painting my kitchen cabinets…but ordering a whole new kitchen this large of cabinets was out of the question for my budget!
Hola peeps! This week I am sharing my FAVORITE project in my kitchen renovation…my DIY coffee bar cabinet! I mean, let’s face it, this is the place that the magic happens! Lol! Coffee is life for me! 😂 It’s really more than just a coffee bar, it houses our 5-gallon water jug…which is used to make coffee…and a small fridge…to house creamer…and drawers…to hold my K-cups! Okay, okay, it could be a drink station, then you could use it for beer, wine, sodas…whatever would make you happy, I just use it for coffee!😏
(Don’t mind where my hubby taped and floated behind those little cubbies and I didn’t texture and paint!😂🙈)
I built this to my needs and you can always alter the plans to fit your custom needs, I say it all the time, and I will say it again…that is why I DIY! I love building exactly what I want to serve my purpose best! And you can too!
So I built it to match all the other cabinetry in the kitchen! It has the same MDF on the sides, the same baseboards I placed on the island and peninsula, and I routed the drawer edges to match the other drawers in the kitchen! I think it turned out great and serves my needs perfectly!
Want to see all the other DIY posts we did on the kitchen renovation?
I love the warmth that the wood countertop adds to pull the shelves together on the opposite wall! And the hexagon tiles above, match the Gauntlet Gray of the island and vent hood perfectly! It could not have worked out better if I tried! Lol, don’t let me fool you, I did try…it took me forever to get the plan finalized and find everything that I wanted, for a price I was willing to pay!😆
Anyway, enough about me and this beautiful DIY coffee bar, let me show you how to build one!
Don’t have time to build it now? PIN IT for later!
In an effort to keep my plans FREE, I have recently started asking for your email in exchange for the printable plans! I will never share your information and I will never send you spam…plus you can unsubscribe at any time!
The link for printable plans will be here soon! DIY Coffee Bar Cabinet Plans.
1 – 4×8 sheet of 3/4″ plywood
1 – 2×4 sheet of 3/4″ plywood
1 – 4×8 sheet of 1/4″ plywood (drawer bottoms and back of the cabinet)
1 – 4×4 sheet of 1/2″ plywood (drawer boxes)
1 – 2×4 piece of 1/2″ MDF (side molding)
2 – 1x2x8 (front face frame)
1 – 1x2x10 (front face frame)
1 – 1x4x8 (front face frame)
1 – 1x10x8 (drawer fronts)
1 – 8 ft stick of baseboard of your choice
2 – 2x2x8 (I used furring strips to keep costs down, and they are in the back where they will not be seen)
1 – 2x4x10 (extra support in the back)
4 – 2x6x8 (top)
–pocket hole screws 1″, 1 1/4″, and 2 1/2″
Cut List:
-2 – 3/4″ plywood pieces cut @ 17 1/4″ x 34 1/2″ (sides)
-1 – 3/4″ plywood piece cut @ 17 1/4″ x 56″ (bottom)
-2 – 3/4″ plywood pieces cut @ 15 3/4″ x 28 1/4″ (dividers)
-2 – 3/4″ plywood pieces cut @ 15 3/4″ x 20 1/4″ (shelves)
-2 – 2×4 @ 56″
-1 – 1×2 @ 56″
-2 – 2×2 @ 15″
-2 – 2×2 @ 24 3/4″
-2 – 2×2 @ 20″
-2 – 1/2″ MDF @ 3 1/2″ x 17 1/4″ (side molding)
-1 – 1/2″ MDF @ 2 1/4″ x 24 3/4″ (side molding)
-1 – 1/2″ MDF @ 3″ x 24 3/4″ (side molding)
-1 – 1×2 @ 58 1/2″ (face frame top)
-4 – 1×2 @ 26 1/2″ (face frame vertical)
-2 – 1×2 @ 19 1/4″ (face frame shelves)
-1 – 1×3 @ 19 1/4″ (face frame drawer divider)
-1 – 1×4 @ 58 1/2″ (face frame bottom)
-2 – scrap 1/2″ MDF pieces (can be any width that will fit below the side molding) @ 17 1/4″
-1 – 1×2 @ 58 1/2″ (bottom support to attach baseboard to)
-4 – 2×6 @ 60″ (top)
**Make sure and measure your cabinet for your baseboards as they will probably be slightly different from the measurements below.
-2 – 2 baseboards cut @ 18 5/8″ beveled on one end at 45 degrees off square (sides)
-1 – baseboard cut @ 59 49/64″ beveled on both ends at 45 degrees off square (front)
-4 – 1/2″ plywood pieces cut @ 17″ (drawer boxes sides)
-4 – 1/2″ plywood pieces cut @ 17 3/8″ (drawer boxes front and back)
-2 – 1/4″ plywood pieces cut @ 17″ x 18 3/8″ (drawer bottoms)
-2 – 1×10 @ 20 5/8″(drawer fronts)
-1 – 1/4″ plywood piece @ 56 1/2″ x 25 1/2″ (back)
Okay, I did a horrible job of taking pictures of this coffee bar as I built it, so I will improvise with Sketchup pics where I don’t have actual pics to show you a step! You can still download the full printable plans above!
NOTE: All joints on this project will need to be GLUED as well as pocket holed! Just know, I will not state it in EVERY step but you will need to GLUE in every step unless I state otherwise!
Cut your side plywood pieces (3/4″ x 17 1/4 x 34 1/2″). Attach the bottom board inside the two side boards, up 5 1/2″ from the ground. Drill pocket holes at 3/4″ deep (since the plywood is 3/4″) and then attach with wood glue and 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws.
I like to use a scrap piece of wood cut to the height I am attaching the bottom board, to make sure it is attached at the same height on both sides. This board gives me a brace to press the board against to make sure it is at the exact level it should be!
Make sure and drill pocket holes along the top of the side boards as well to use later to attach the top!
Add the 2×4 brace to the top back and the 1×2 to the top front. You could also you a 2×2 here is you would rather, I felt a 1×2 was sufficient since I was gluing another 1×2 to this one as a face frame board.
The back 2×4 will have pocket holes drilled at 1 1/2″ (since a 2×4 board is actually 1 1/2″ thick) and you will use 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws to attach, making sure to use adequate wood glue as well. The 1×2 will have pocket holes drilled at 3/4″ deep (since a 1×2 is actually 3/4″ thick) and you will use 1 1/4″ pocket holes screws to attach!
(this was the only picture I took of this step😆 but it helps to show the pocket holes so I shared it)
NOTE: If your 1×2 is actual width 1 3/4″ (one store I buy them at they are 1 1/2″ and Home Depot they are 1 3/4″ so measure yours) you will have to notch out your plywood, so I would rip it down to 1 1/2″ before attaching it! I didn’t pay attention to this when I was building mine and had to notch out my plywood which isn’t that big of a deal, but I feel it is important to mention!
Add an additional 2×4 below the bottom shelf of the coffee bar cabinet. Added support, it may be overkill but I’d much rather that than have it fall apart later! Lol! Again since it is a 2×4 drill the pocket holes at 1 1/2″ deep and use 2 1/2″ screws to attach.
Add a brace in the middle to keep the bottom shelf from sagging! Attach using pocket holes drilled at 3/4″ deep and 1 1/4″ screws!
Add 2×2 supports along the top! Drill pocket holes at 1 1/2″ deep and use 2 1/2″ screws to attach. You may also want to drill 2-3 pocket holes along one long side of each 2×2 to use later to attach your top. Drilling them along the side that faces the 13″ opening will help you not need to use a right angle drill, although you will still need one for the far sides.
Add 2x2s to the back of the frame! Your plywood shelves and dividers will be able to be pocket holed into these 2x2s to make them sturdy! Drill the pocket holes at 1 1/2″ deep and use 2 1/2″ screws to attach!
Add your plywood dividers! The pocket holes will be drilled at 3/4″ and 1 1/4″ screws will be used to attach.
Add the shelves. Again, the pocket holes will be drilled along the back and sides at 3/4″ and 1 1/4″ screws will be used to attach.
Add the side MDF molding! This came from a sheet of MDF, so I was able to rip boards to the small sizes I needed. I was able to adjust the size when needed, such as I ripped the board to 2 1/4″ where it was meeting up with the face frame board, so it would look like it was the same size as the back board that I cut at 3″. Hope that makes sense.
Also, the picture doesn’t show, but the top board is also ripped at 3 1/2″.
Add the face frame. This can be built as one solid piece (pocket holing it all together) and then brad nailed on, or you can individually brad nail the boards on. I just brad nailed those babies up there! Make sure and use glue either way!
Add the scrap boards to the bottom! They do not have to be any specific width, just as long as the side ones are 1/2″ MDF cut at 17 1/4″ and the front one is a 1x board cut at 58 1/2″ (in the materials list, there is a 1×2 for this) but you can use any scrap boards you have that will fit there, just to give you something to brad nail your baseboard to!
Next step, add the baseboards. The side baseboards will be beveled on one end at 45 degrees off square and the front baseboard will be beveled on both ends at 45 degrees off square! The measurements below are if your cabinet is built exactly as this one was, ALWAYS measure your cabinet so that the baseboards will fit well!
I cut the rounded edges of 2x6s off with my table saw and that cut them down to 4 3/4″. I then planked them together with pocket holes (drilled at 1 1/2″ deep and 2 1/2″ screws). The pocket holes will be drilled along the long edge of the boards to plank them.
If you are worried about wood movement and using pocket holes, you can just use wood glue and clamps to glue it up!
Sand and stain countertop the color of your choice! I used Old Barn Milk Paint Stain in Weathered for mine! It is my FAVORITE stain right now, I cannot get enough of it! Lol! It is natural and non-toxic… with a built-in sealer! What more could you ask for? I did still add a couple of coats of water-based poly though just to be safe…I spill a lot of coffee!🙃
Using the pocket holes you drilled earlier into your plywood and 2x2s, you will connect the top to the cabinet. You will need a right-angle attachment for your drill, and the short square bit to have enough room. If you cannot get a drill in there, you can also just liquid nail it if you would like.
Using the 1/2″ plywood, build drawer boxes! You will use holes drilled with your Kreg Jig at 1/2″ and you will use 1″ screws along with glue to attach!
**Your drawer boxes may be a different size than mine based off of your cabinet and your drawer slides! Make sure and measure before building the drawer boxes so you know they will fit!
Using 1/4″ plywood, cut it to the same size as your box, attach the bottom with wood glue and brad nails!
You could also route out the bottom of the drawer box so that the 1/4″ plywood would be flush with the 1/2″ plywood, but I wanted to keep it easy! Lol!
Add your drawer fronts.
The overhang shown in the photo above is on the sides.
Add scrap pieces of wood to bring a level surface from the face frame to the rest of the cabinet. This will allow the drawer slides to pull out. Otherwise, your drawer slide would hit the face frame! This can be any wood you want to use, but you will need to measure your space to see what exact width you will need to cut them at!
The drawer front size is shown in the photo below! You can wait until after you have installed the drawer boxes and drawer slides if you would like, to attach the fronts. That is my favorite method, just in case my drawer slides are not completely level or something.
Attach the drawer slides and slide them drawers in!
Last but not least, add the 1/4″ plywood to the back of the coffee bar cabinet. Make sure and cut a small hole in the plywood if you plan on plugging in a refrigerator. If your fridge is a back vent fridge, you will need to leave that whole side backless and you may want to supply ventilation through the wall. Ours has a hole in the sheetrock into a closet that is behind it. They do make front vent fridges though.
Boom shocka-locka! It’s finito! And it looks so good!
Isn’t she lovely?🎶 Isn’t she beautiful?🎶 I don’t even know if that’s the words to the song, but it works for me!😀
Want to make her even more beautiful? Add some hardware to those drawers! I used this particular hardware from EBAY, y’all JennaSue told me about these drawer pulls and I could not have been more ecstatic when I got them in, for the price I was SHOCKED at the quality! I will never but from anywhere else again! Lol, okay I may have to buy from other places from time to time, but I will always check them out first!
Well, I think that pretty much sums it all up! Lol! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below! 😊
Know someone else who may want to build a coffee bar cabinet? SHARE IT!
Happy Building!
Make sure and PIN this for later!
Do you have basic, boring hollow-core doors in your home? I sure did until recently when I worked a little DIY magic during my kitchen renovation to make my pantry and storage closet doors over! There are so many variations of door makeovers you can do on hollow core doors and this is just my version of a DIY budget door makeover! It’s amazing that by adding a few strips of 1/4″ plywood and a little paint, you can get a WHOLE NEW LOOK!
Check out the door before the plywood! It was just a stained, flat door that I was able to transform with a few pieces of 1/4″ plywood!
I would say that is one heck of an instant upgrade! I did update the door trim as well, you can see that here!
I also cannot emphasize what difference baseboards make in a home either!😳😄
The whole sheet of 1/4″ plywood cost me 14 bucks and there was enough to do 2 full doors! A little caulk, wood glue, and brad nails…and boom…it looks 10 times better! I used the same hardware that was on the door to start. So I really didn’t spend but 7 dollars per door… and still had enough to do another door!
Want to create your own beautiful doors? Here’s how I did it!
**Note: Amazon links below are AFFILIATE LINKS! When you click an affiliate link, and make a purchase, I make a tiny amount of money off of that purchase at no extra cost to you! All other links are just to be helpful, I do not make any money off of them!
Materials:
-1 – 4×8 sheet of 1/4″ plywood (I bought Luann underlayment)
Cut List: (for one door)
– 2 – pieces of 1/4″ plywood ripped at 4″ and then cut to the length of your door.
-1 – piece ripped at 4″ and cut to fit the width of your door at the top and middle.
-1 – piece ripped to 6″ and cut to fit the width of your door at the bottom.
Start with laying the door on a flat surface where you can easily measure the length of the door. Cut the first two strips you ripped down to the length of your door! Mine was 7′ 6″. Once they are cut to the length of the door, glue and brad nail them with the edge flush with the outside edges of the door.
Pretend that the doorknob hole wasn’t drilled yet! Lol!
You will need to re-drill the hole for the doorknob through the 1/4″ plywood if your door was already used before…if it is a brand new door, you will need to drill a hole through the door and your plywood to attach a doorknob and you may need a kit! It takes a 2 1/8″ hole saw to cut the hole.
Make sure and use ample wood glue when you put your strips down to make sure they adhere well!
If you cut your boards and put them in place for the bottom (6″) and top (4″) then measure up, 25 3/4″ and place the middle board. That gives a longer on the top, sleek look to the door!
And what do you know, I didn’t get a good finished shot before painting! Ugh!
Make sure and caulk all of the edges so that the paint looks beautiful, I sand the caulk after it is dry as well, just to make sure there aren’t any raised areas that will show up after the paint!
So I primed it with the same primer I used on the rest of the cabinets in the kitchen, Zinsser Bullseye Primer. Then I sprayed it with Dorian Gray by Sherwin Williams Snap Dry paint! I do suggest spraying the door vs brushing it, simply because there really is a huge difference between the finish of the sprayer and the brush!
A sprayer is not expensive and it is worth its weight in GOLD! I have the HomeRight TPS sprayer and completely recommend it! I heard a blogger recently say they could not recommend this sprayer because the finish had raised spots all over like the sprayer was spitting the paint… this ONLY happens when you don’t thin the paint properly!
Anyway, so after the paint dried, I put the old doorknob on and hung the doors back up!
They look pretty amazing if I do say so myself! 😄😉
Do you have a door that you are already thinking about using this DIY door makeover tutorial on? It’s perfect so that you don’t break the bank but get a classic upgraded door! If you try this out, I would LOVE to see it!
Have someone you know that would love to do this to one of their doors? SHARE IT with them!
Happy renovating!
Wanna save this awesome project for later? PIN IT!
Hey there everyone! It sure has been a long time since we have hung out here! Lol! I may have been in hiding, but I have been working! My latest installment of, make our house look decent, is our Fireplace Makeover! I could not be more excited with how it turned out!
I bet you are curious to see what it looked like before! Well, here you go!
Sorry I didn’t stage the photo! Lol! When I FINALLY start a project, I can’t even think about wasting time to stage it, and yes, I could have cleaned it since I had to take everything off to get started…but then I would have forgotten to take a before photo!???? I can’t win them all, you just have to have an ugly before photo!????
Now, I didn’t necessarily hate the concrete, it was just starting to flake off. Sometimes large chunks, and most often just powdery residue on the floor around it! It was frustrating to clean it up almost daily. Plus, I wanted to sit and enjoy my coffee by the fireplace…but I would get up and have cement dust all over my butt! ???? Now, I can enjoy it without any worries, and the best part is…I didn’t have to remove the concrete.
Remember the cement wall in my kitchen renovation that we took out? Well, after removing that and the MESS it created, there was NO WAY I was removing this from the fireplace. We decided to just cover it up to make it a quick and easy weekend project! I am hilarious, seriously…a weekend project…bahaha!! Who was I kidding that I can do anything over ONE weekend?! ???? Yeah, I am not sure when I even started this makeover, does that tell you how long ago it was?! I think it was before last Christmas but I am really hoping I am wrong! ????????
Would you like to see how I made this fireplace makeover happen…in way more than a weekend! Lol!
I am so eager to decorate this baby for winter! I can picture it already!????
Alright to start, I will show the materials I used but, if you wanted to makeover your fireplace, in the same way, you will need different amounts of materials!
*NOTE: Links below may be affiliate links! If you click a link, I make a small percentage of your purchase at no extra cost to you! I appreciate every time you click a link whether you make a purchase or not! I just love that you are here reading my blog!
Materials:
–3/16″ underlayment (like plywood but cheaper) ripped into 6″ strips
-2×4 board
–Caulk gun – this is one of my FAVORITE tools ever! No more hand cramps while caulking! I put a link to amazon to show you the caulk gun but you can pick it up at your local Home Depot for 39.99 without a battery or charger if you already have Ryobi 18v tools!
–caulk -Dynaflex Alex Flex – this is also my FAVORITE caulk! The main difference between this caulk and others, this one DOES NOT SHINE through paint! Take it from a woman who has been caulking baseboards, window trim, door trim and everything else in our home…it is the BEST I have found!
So the whole process of the fireplace makeover is simple as can be! The sheer size of this fireplace and the angles that most fireplaces do not have made it take a lot longer than any other fireplace makeovers will!
I started the makeover by covering the hearth. I ripped the 24″ pine panels down to 19″. The hearth measured a little under 18″ and the MDF was 1/2″ thick that I was adding to the bottom of the hearth. The underlayment was 3/16″ so this left around a 1/2″ hangover which I wanted! Pictures are a little blurry for the next few steps.????
Once I had the hearth, or seat as I think of it, covered I could just start working from the bottom up. I covered the whole base with underlayment. I did not bevel it or anything for the angles since I was adding the MDF molding later.
I then added the trim molding out of MDF, I did miter/bevel the ends for seamless fit! Our fireplace ended up having roughly 30 degree miters, so each board is mitered 15 degrees off square.
I bumped the base MDF up a few inches from the floor because I was adding baseboard over this.
I just kept adding the molding to make the fireplace base match my kitchen cabinets! I love the traditional squares made of molding!
So this was the work I actually accomplished in that one weekend. Then I left it to sit at this place for a long time, you want to know why? My brad nails kept hitting the concrete and curling back up through my shiplap boards…and that pissed me off! Lol! Once I was determined to get back to it, months later, it was quick progress though.
I just cut and brad nailed the shiplap boards over and over until I reached the top of the primed 1×4. Then it was time to figure out the mantel!
We don’t have any real salvaged wood yards around here, and I really didn’t want to build a faux beam mantel, so I decided I would use a real solid piece of wood but I would buy it brand new and let it weather outside for a while. Cedar is the only non-treated wood I could find in a 6×6, and for a reasonable cost, so I went with it!???? After weathering a few weeks it lost that orangy color that cedar tends to have (that I don’t like)! I love it now that it is a more warm wood color with gray tones!????
To hang the cedar post, I had my hubby do this for me while I was out and about on motherly duty! ????He screwed a 2×4 on the fireplace, using hex screws that were pretty big into the studs of the fireplace. You can see it in the picture even though this picture is out of order with the others!
He then traced the 2×4 onto the back of the cedar post, drilled holes in the corners, and using a router routed out the back of the post so it could be ‘hung’ on the 2×4 and screwed into it!
The router didn’t work as fast as he was hoping so he ended up switching over to the circular saw and only using the router on the ends.
We used our laser level to make sure everything was level throughout the entire fireplace makeover. It is so easy to get off and then with all the lines, it is very obvious! This laser level (affiliate link) I cannot recommend enough, it has saved me on ALL my renovation projects! I honestly do not know how I would have accomplished some of them without it!
Anyway, back to the shiplap boards! After the 2×4 was set, I just kept adding the shiplap all the way up to the ceiling! I also had my hubby move the lightboxes to the fireplace instead of in the ceiling. You know, I am not sure I love that I placed the lights there…I wasn’t even thinking that it was going to totally mess up my decor options!????????
If you notice, my very top board is larger than 6″, I had to cut one at 8 1/2″ because the ceiling was not level! Once again, same problem I have all over this house! Lol! I opted to trick the eye into thinking it was straight by placing the larger board. If I would have used a 6″ board, the line would have been under the crown molding on the left side of the fireplace and then you would have seen the line on the right side of the fireplace! Talk about distracting and bothersome! Oy! I would have gone crazy, but this little change-up saved me! ????
I added the crown molding, and boom, almost done! I will admit I was ready to party once I was at this stage in the project!
Now everything just needed to be caulked to cover ALL MY IMPERFECTIONS!! ????
And last but not least, paint! I opted to spray the fireplace vs hand roll it because a few minutes taping everything off saves a TON of time not having to roll the paint on! Each coat literally only took 10 minutes to spray on! The most underrated tool in my tool arsenal I believe is my paint sprayer (affiliate link)! I LOVE my Home Right sprayer…no this post is not sponsored by Home Right, Ryobi, or anyone else, I just love sharing what makes DIY a little easier for me with you!
Here she is ready for her spray!
When using a paint sprayer, you definitely want to cover surfaces because the overspray/dust can go places you wouldn’t even imagine! Lol!
Another amazing product that I discovered recently is this painters’ tape (affiliate link) that comes with 24″ of plastic already attached to it, they even have it with 48″ already attached! Let me just tell you…it’s a freaking game changer…the real MVP of this makeover!????
Primer sprayed! I used the same primer on this as I did my kitchen cabinets, its called Zinsser Bullseye 1-2-3, and the best place to get it is your local WalMart, they have the best price!
I painted the fireplace Pure White by Sherwin Williams, two coats and it was time to add all the finishing touches! Woohoo!
Here is the link to the step by step post for the modern blanket ladder I built recently if you would like to build one for yourself!
And here are links to the items I used to decorate the fireplace! Some may be affiliate links, others are not!
Lights – Amazon – I only paid 36.00 for them, when I added this link they are charging 99.00… don’t pay that much they will go down!
Basket – Target – discontinued!
Horse – antique store locally – I would have bought this one off of Wayfair though had I seen it first, I felt like I was completely ripped off on the price of the horse I bought! Lol!
Small White Houses – Target Dollar Spot!
I hope you enjoyed following along with the process of transforming my fireplace in this post! Any questions ask away in the comments! Thank you so much for stopping by!
Love this tutorial and want to save it for later? Pin it!
Hey everyone! I am here to announce that I am joining the Fall One Room Challenge! I am going rogue on my DIY master bathroom renovation, I am completely remodeling it on a tight budget, in only 6 weeks, and with limited help! ???? I mean that’s the plan anyway! Lol!
I started the Fall ORC back in 2017 and didn’t finish my kitchen in the 6 weeks! Then I entered the Spring ORC in 2018 and started my master bathroom but I didn’t get it finished! As a matter of fact, I really haven’t even worked on it since! I know what you are thinking…this lady is crazy! ???? That I am my friend, that I am! But I have been in such a negative slump lately that I think a rush to actually get some things finished and accomplished around here will be just what I need! I make myself crazy sometimes the way I do things! ????
So here is where the previous attempt at my master bathroom started!
Don’t mind that if you go back, or remember because you have been following along for a really long time…I was using my bathroom as my kitchen still when I decided to renovate the bathroom! Can we say, delusional? Yep, I was! Lol! So now I have the kitchen finished and for my sanity am going to work my butt off to get the master bath completed in 6 weeks…which it is actually 5 weeks if you don’t start the week before the announce date! Make sure and stop by the One Room Challenge website to see what everyone else it doing this challenge as well!
Yep, this looks half demoed…but it wasn’t! This was before I ever got my hands on it!????
Don’t mind me…or the mess in the mirror! Lol!
Anyway, I hope to kick butt on this bathroom and get it renovated so I can move on to another bathroom and finally get my boys’ room done for them! Let me show you a little about where we left off and what my plan is for the room!
You can read all the details of what we did the first time around…
And then my hubby and I got into a fight…and I was DONE dealing with him and this bathroom! Lol! I mean I didn’t divorce him or anything, just needed a little break from the bathroom AND him helping me! And I realized how crazy I was for destroying a room when the last room wasn’t finished…so I went back to work in the kitchen! ????
Like most all my plans, it has changed slightly! I originally didn’t want to change the vanity or the mirror…but after realizing that if anything goes wrong with the bathtub plumbing, we will have to rip the vanity out at that point or mess up the tile work, I decided if I build a vanity I can build the last cabinet free standing and moveable so that we can slide it out to do any work. And that means I get to add the extra sink like I think all master baths should have and so then I also get to change out mirrors! Woohoo! I am excited to get started…and get finished! Lol! I have a NEW adventure I am starting soon and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!
Basically just switched a few things up but not too much different! Try not to make fun of my drawer pulls! ????
I am still going back and forth actually on whether or not to do a wood tone vanity or a gray vanity? Modern or more traditional vanity style? Wood tone mirrors or gold or black frame mirrors? Black or gold light fixtures? It is not easy deciding all the things at once! Lol! I have to just decide and roll with it since it’s GO time baby! I guess next week will show a lot of my decisions… hopefully anyway!
Have you ever tackled a DIY master bathroom renovation? Did it goes as planned? What do I need to be ready for? LOL! Help me out in the comments below! ????
I can’t wait to get started tomorrow! I say that because I really want to finish my fireplace that I started FOREVER ago! Lol! Hope you follow along as I update the master bathroom and cheer me on when I am ready to give up! Lol! Make sure and follow me on Instagram to see all the behind the scenes shenanigans! Have a great weekend!
Hey there! Happy Tuesday! I am behind on a few of my kitchen renovation posts as I cannot find a lot of the footage, I am not sure if it was deleted or it wasn’t ever recorded! Lol! Last week was supposed to be all about painting the cabinets, but yeah, I’m not sure where all the footage went! So today I am sharing how I built the cabinet above the fridge as my latest installment of the kitchen renovation and hopefully later this week I’ll get back to the painting post! ????
*Don’t mind that I tried a streak-free natural stainless steel cleaner recipe…that DID NOT work! ????
Building the cabinet above the fridge was one of the easiest projects in the kitchen and yet I feel like it was one of the most important! I was originally going to leave this area open until a later date, but after the rest of the kitchen was done, it needed a cabinet above the fridge and there was no way around it!
I realize that most people won’t have the same type of problems to work within their kitchen as most kitchens do not have two walls on either side of the fridge! I’m not really sure why there are two walls instead of a refrigerator cabinet but this is what I had to work with. I wanted the side wall facing the kitchen to seem less like a wall and more of a divider or refrigerator cabinet so I added the MDF while I was adding it to all the other surfaces in the kitchen! Lol!
If you already have a cabinet above your fridge but would like to extend them up to the ceiling, this post is where you will find that information!
What are we waiting for? Let’s dive in and I’ll show you how I did it!
Now, this may not be your exact situation, but sometimes just seeing someone solve a problem similar to yours will help the creative juices flow, and you’ll come up with the perfect solution to your problem! I’ve had it happen to me before! Lol!
Materials:
1 – 4×8 sheet of 3/4″ plywood
3 – 1x3x8
1 – 2×2 sheet of 1/4″ plywood
1 – 1x6x6
1 – a stick of crown molding @ 48″ to match another crown
This area above my refrigerator was exceptionally out of square! I was not about to build a square box out in my garage and bring it inside and hang it up…it would NEVER have fit correctly! Lol! I mean, the back is narrower than the front of the opening, and the top is wider as you go up. After taking all the measurements and realizing this, the cabinet was going to have to be built in place! That’s the great thing about DIY…you can make alterations to best suit your needs! ????
I started by cutting my two 25″x36″ pieces of plywood. I measured from the top of my fridge to the ceiling to get the measurement of how long the boards needed to be, 36″ (the actual measurement was 40″ to the ceiling but to leave ample space to move the fridge in and out, I subtracted 4″). Then I measured from the front of the smaller wall to the back wall to get the width of the board which was 25″. I then cut pieces with my circular saw and Kreg Accucut! If you do not have a table saw or if you work alone and can’t cut large pieces of plywood by yourself on your table saw…this is a MUST HAVE TOOL!
After cutting the two boards to size, I hung them straight onto the wall. You know how I was talking about how out of square this space was…I forgot to mention the ceiling is not level either! I used my handy dandy laser level though to make sure the bottom of the boards were at the same height. It was okay that there was a slight gap at the top of one board at the ceiling. As long as they are level at the bottom, the other will be covered!
I used 3″ screws and made sure I found the studs!
Don’t mind that how the picture was taken, they look uneven at the bottom…they are not, I promise! ????
Anyway, after attaching the two sides to the wall, I added the bottom board. This board literally had to be cut like a trapezoid to fit. It was larger in the front and tapered back on both sides to the back. I used pocket holes to attach. Since I was using 3/4″ plywood, the holes were drilled at 3/4″ and I used wood glue along with 1 1/4″ screws to attach it. The face frame will sit lower than this so the pocket holes will not be visible!
I failed to take pictures of every step…my bad! Hehe, seems to be a common occurrence with this darn kitchen!????
Next, I added the board that makes the top of the cabinet and the bottom of the shelf. It was again shaped like a trapezoid! I didn’t use pocket hole this time, I just glued and brad nailed support boards underneath it…lazy man’s way…because the support boards will be hidden inside the cabinet! ???? Don’t judge me for that either…you would be taking all the short cuts too if you had been working on your kitchen for over a YEAR, and you just wanted it to be DONE! ????
As I stated before, I didn’t take photos all along the way, but this photo shows the supports that I explained above!
After adding the shelf board, you can add all your face frame boards! Measure along with all the areas that need a frame and cut boards accordingly. For instance, the bottom board measured 35″ across, so I cut the bottom face frame board at 35″ and glued and brad nailed the board into place!
I used a 1×6 at the top so that after adding the crown molding, it would still show underneath. I made sure this board was level all the way across, I used the laser level to make sure of this, and it left a gap at the ceiling on one end. This is fine, the crown molding will be placed all the way up against the ceiling to trick the eye away from noticing that the ceiling is not straight. As long as the square areas are kept square…like the shelf opening is kept square by using the laser level…the eye will not notice the slight difference on one end of the board being slightly larger than the other end! Thank goodness for that or else I would be screwed in this kitchen! Lol!!
Originally I did the side face frame boards out of 1x2s but after getting it all painted, it looked like the right side in the picture was larger than the left side because it was blending in with the wall, and so it looked larger. I ended up beefing up the left side to make it look more like the right! Good call Cara! It looks so much better!????
See how small it looks on the left side in this photo! Now in the after photo, you can see that it is larger and matches the right better!
I LOVE this cabinet above the fridge! I cannot say it enough, “I’m in love, I’m in love, and I don’t care who knows it!” Bahahaha! Name that movie!
Once the box of the cabinet is built and in place, you have to build the doors. I wanted the doors to match the rest of the cabinets in the kitchen…if I would have had a bigger kitchen budget then I would have changed out all the cabinet doors to a more shaker style, but since I didn’t, I had to make them look like the rest. I made a mistake when building my doors so I’ll show you how to avoid this!
First things first, you will need to measure the openings of your box cabinet. Then you will need to buy hinges. Hinges are hard to find in a 1/2″ overhang like I needed for the actual cabinets but 3/8″ is pretty standard apparently, so I used 3/8″ overhang. So say my opening was 15″ wide by 18″ tall…the cabinet door will be made at 15 3/4″ x 18 3/4″. Easy peasy! Just add 3/8″ to each side which 3/8″ + 3/8″= 6/8″ which is reduced to 3/4″…and added to each measurement!
Going along with our hypothetical door here, the long ones are cut at 18 3/4″ and the short ones are cut at 11 3/4″ (the width of each of the boards is 2″ so I took a total of 4″ off the sideboards). Hopefully, that makes sense.
Here’s where I made my mistake though, I thought the boards were assembled and then routed to make this style of cabinet door…but I was wrong. The cabinet doors are first routed on the back to make the place for the plywood to fit (before the boards are joined together), but the front is actually a piece of molding mitered and placed on the inside that makes it look like it’s routed. Anyway, if you do it incorrectly as I did, then you will get rounded corners…which I do not like but no one has even noticed yet so I’m leaving it alone for now!
See the inside rounded corners!???? But oh well, what can you do?!
Moving on to build the door, I used the Kreg Jig to drill holes. If you want to be a fancy cabinet door maker, you will use a different kind of joint…but no one can even reach this cabinet so I don’t really have to worry about anyone ever seeing the inside of the doors! Lol! Holes will be drilled at 3/4″ since the boards are 3/4″ wide!
Then using wood glue and 1 1/4″ screws you will attach the boards together!
Next using the router and a 1/4″ round-over bit, you will route around the outside of the door to make it look just like the other cabinet doors, but do not do the inside like I did, unless you like the rounded corner look! Lol!
I used a rabbit bit to route the back of the door. Again, it made rounded corners since the door was already put together when I routed it. I just rounded the edge of my plywood to make it ALL GOOD! ????
I primed and painted to match the rest of the kitchen cabinets in Pure White by Sherwin Williams and it was good to go! I used the same inexpensive cabinet pulls from EBAY as well!
Done and done! Yesss!
If you are wanting to build a cabinet above your fridge but need help figuring out how to go about it, because your area is different than mine, shoot me an email ([email protected]) with some pics and I’ll help if I can!
I hope you have a wonderful week and stay warm! It feels so weird to be saying that in March…and in Texas!????????
Happy Building, Renovating or whatever you are up to!
Hey there! Happy Monday…err I mean Wednesday! I cannot believe we are already in the month of February! I mean, yeah January was long but seriously, time seems to be flying by! I have so many projects I am in the middle of, and time flying is not helping me feel productive! Lol! I do have a quick post for you on how I tiled our kitchen wall as part of the kitchen renovation we recently completed! Read on if you are interested in learning how to tile a wall or backsplash!
It was such a great learning experience for me because I had NEVER tiled a thing before, and I was able to figure this out… even after so many mistakes were made! That means you can definitely do it as well and maybe this post will save you from making the same mistakes!
Tiling a wall really is easy, I would say easier than tiling anything else. If you only have a backsplash to tile, you are even luckier! Lol! I have since tiled a floor in our bathroom and a shower floor…and they posed its own learning curves! Lol! You don’t have to be as great at tiling to do a statement wall as you need to be to do a floor! The process is simply time consuming, but it’s not hard.
The whole wall took me about 8 hours to tile, plus another 2 or 3 for the grout. I know that sounds long and as a first timer, I think this is to be expected. Obviously though, I would expect it to take half that time or less if you are experienced at tiling! Plus, I really get in my own world and start thinking and dreaming, and who knows what else while I am working, so that slows me down quite a bit! Lol!
I also made a crucial mistake that cost me a TON of time! My ceiling was not level…I mean like 1 1/4″ difference from one side to the other, couple that with the countertops being slightly crooked (read last weeks post pour in place concrete countertops to find out all about that tragedy, lol) and you have a complex tile job! Anyway, I watched a YouTube video showing to start to tile smack dab in the middle of your wall to make sure it is level. Bad idea! I’ll explain below, but for now, let’s get the materials together to learn how to tile a kitchen wall!
Don’t have time to read it all now, or need it next weekend when you are going to tile? PIN it for later!
**Note: Some links below are Affiliate Links! You know, where I provide a link and if you make a purchase after clicking the link, I make a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you! ???? The links are included to show you what the products are and look like, but almost all of them can be purchased at your local hardware store! I greatly appreciate any purchases made from the links though!????
Materials:
Getting started, it is best to have calculated the space you are tiling and have ample supplies to get the job done so that you don’t have to run out for supplies mid-project! Ahem, ask me just how I figured this out! ????
My wall was not bordered by two side walls, so very first I had to create a transition where the kitchen tile would end. I did this with the finished edge tiles in a vertical pattern going straight up the wall. Using my laser level, I just lined it up with where the counter ended and screwed my 1×2 into the wall as a guide to push the tiles against to keep them straight. I KNOW I took pictures of this process, but here again, when you go back a year or two later, they are not that easy to find! Lol! Here’s the best picture I have to show you the way I laid the side transition tiles.
As I mentioned earlier, I watched a YouTube video showing to start tiling in the center of the wall if you are dealing with an uneven floor (which would be the countertop in my case) or ceiling…which I had both…so I thought, that makes sense…I will start in the middle! Bad idea, let me explain why.
So, I measured and found the center of my wall, and got the laser level set up so I could start my first row of tiles perfectly level and centered. Buttering the wall with thin-set took some getting used to, but it really is full proof as long as you are touching the wall with the v notches as you trowel. They say hold the trowel at an angle as you smooth the thin-set into perfect grooves, and that keeps it level, no big globs anywhere!
Here is me tiling for the first time! I way overthought the process but you know, it happens! Lol!
I used the three-row stagger pattern and tiled all the way to the ceiling, leaving a small space at the top that would need a cut tile…but since my ceiling was crooked, I was not placing tiles there. I knew better than to tile all the way up to the ceiling because it would drive me nuts to look at that uneven line every day! Lol!
This is where the laser level came in so handy when using the three tile stagger pattern, you have to start each row 1/3 of the way into the last tile. I was able to just line the vertical laser level line up with the previous row that started at the same spot below to make sure they were dead on.
I cut the tile pieces at the beginning and end of the rows with a tile cutter. This was best case scenario because it is small and compact without a lot of mess, vs the wet saw that needs a water hose and makes a huge mess! The small starting tiles are quickly cut inside by sliding the cutting wheel across the tile where you need it cut…it simply scores the tile.
Then you lift the handle and the little foot swings forward to rest on the tile.
Then you press down on the handle and it breaks the tile across the score line!
I then used the miraculous little diamond grit sanding block that I used on my concrete countertops to sand the edges of the tile!
I let the tiles dry overnight and the next day, I removed the 1×2 and tried to move it down on the way to start the next row of tiles, to meet up to my previously laid tiles…well guess what, here is where I realized what a mistake it was to start smack dab in the middle of the wall. I couldn’t for the life of me manage to set my 1×2 at the correct height to make the tiles meet up. It took me try after try, after try. I am talking measuring, then placing my 1×2, tiling a few rows and then taking it all down to move the board and try again! It was awful and I was ANGRY! Lol! I was so mad that I hadn’t thought about that happening…but after about 5 or 6 attempts and many hours later, I finally found the sweet spot and was able to finish tiling another section of the wall, leaving a small section to again figure out the next day.
The better way to do this would have been to set the board up at the very bottom, at the height of one subway tile. On one end, of course, it would be smaller than a full subway tile since it was not level but it would have saved me this nightmare! Then after tiling 5 feet the first day I could have come back the second day and tiled the rest…boom, done! So much easier! Now I know for next time!
If your countertops are level, then you can just start tiling with full tiles, straight from the counters and go up! You only have to complicate your life if you have uneven countertops….which shouldn’t be the case for most people. But I did talk to a contractor that said it actually happens more often than you would think! Yikes!
Anyway, the bottom portion included cuts around the outlets, I just used the angle grinder to make these cuts with a masonry cutting wheel.
I left the bottom row of tiles unfinished for quite some time trying to figure out the best option for the counters being unlevel. That would be dilemma #456 if you are keeping count! Lol!
I thought I had better pictures than that! Geez, I need to work on making sure I have thorough pictures!
Dilemma # 457: The uneven ceiling – When straight lines of subway tile, or any square or rectangle tile for that matter, meets up with crooked lines, it’s exceptionally obvious. I had two choices, I could use joint compound and build up (actually down) the end of the ceiling that was higher, or I could find a way to use molding to trick the eye into not noticing that it is not straight! After speaking with several professionals and other DIYers/bloggers that are much more experienced in this area, they convinced me that tricking the eye would be by far easier than feathering the joint compound out.
I opted to add molding, but a single piece of crown molding wouldn’t do the trick, it was still obvious. I added shims because they were perfect width at their largest end to meet up with the tile. That allowed me something to attach the 1×6 polypropylene board to and then place the crown molding over that.
Back at it with the laser level to make sure the 1×6 was level, not flush with the ceiling! In doing that, the eye wasn’t zeroing in on two lines going in different directions! Then when the crown molding is added over the 1×6 the distraction will take place! Lol! It will be flush with the ceiling but there is no obvious line for the eye to follow so it doesn’t notice the uneven line! Now if you stare at it, of course, the eye will find it, but generally, no one is looking for that!
Viola tricked your eyes! I’m like a magician…you saw nothing!????
Now for the bottom row, it is what it is, there was no way to fix the concrete, so the tiles are different sizes, luckily I broke it up with the black of the vent hood that raises out of the counter and with stuff sitting on the counters it is not obvious.
I was able to pick up a Ryobi wet tile saw at Home Depot on clearance for 50 bucks…I bought a more expensive blade, and it worked great to cut that last row of tiles.
Now to grout this fine wall! First time tiling means, first time grouting!????
I just mixed up the grout as the package instructions stated and used the float to push it into the tile gaps. Using the wet sponge, I wiped and wiped and rinsed and rinsed!
Brought in some back up when I thought there was no way it could be this hard! Lol! Then I realized if I took one swipe over it with the sponge, then let it slightly dry…I could easily wipe the tile down with a dry napkin and it acted almost like a dry erase board and came off pretty easily! It just wastes a lot of paper towel. I also made sure to rub the lines as well with the paper towel to make them straight and clean!
Boom, the wall is done! A new venture, complete! I can add tiling to my resume…I mean I won’t tell them how bad I was at it…just that I have done it! ????
Swing Arm Lamps – They do not have the exact ones I purchased, but these are pretty darn close! I painted over the gold with black Rustoleum enamel paint
Shelf Brackets – From Hobby Lobby, make sure they are on sale 50% off (they will be half off every other week)
Shelves – 1×12 pine board cut to 42″ long and stained Old Barn Milk Paint in Weathered
Want the plans for the vent hood? Want to pour your own concrete countertops? Find all the kitchen renovation posts under Remodeling!
This was a big deal for me to try tiling for the first time! Have you tried any new ventures lately? Tell me all about it below!
Know anyone who would enjoy this post? SHARE IT with them!
Have a good one!
Want to PIN this for later?
