Kitchen Redo- Adding a Cutting Board Shelf

The was the demo part of our "remodel." After using our kitchen for a few years we know where we cut things, mix things, and make things. It only made sense to put items that we use for cutting, for example, on the side of the kitchen that we cut things. Granted my kitchen is very tiny so walking across it to grab the cutting boards was not that big of a challenge, but it makes things so much more convenient when they are already right where you need them to be. So, to solve the cutting board dilemma, my husband created a cutting board shelf. We had, and still have, a large amount of wasted space which drives me crazy, but we can only do so much at a time. Right next to our drawers, we had a thin space that would be perfect for holding a few cutting boards.

We first had to make sure there was nothing behind where we wanted the shelf. We took off the side panel to find what we expected, wasted space. See all the space behind the drawers? They could be that much deeper or there could be something else done with that space! Ugh, wasted space!!!

After we knew we could make this work we took out the front panel with a screwdriver and hammer.

We created a bottom shelf and back, again out of the material we used for the doors.  There was already a panel on the inside part of the space (next to the drawers) so we didn't need to add anything there.

Here is a close up of how we got the bottom shelf to attach to the sides. We just notched out a space to slide the new bottom in.

Because there was already supporting boards on the front of the unit, we just had to rest the bottom of the shelf on it. We did, however, need to cut a notch out of the side to go around the 2 x 4 toward the front. 

Before we put the final side panel on, this is what it looked like.

Front panel

Stained

The counters are actually really crooked so this did happen, but not to worry because we will cover it with corner molding. 

We still don't have the corner on, but it looks pretty good!

To see the before and after pictures click here.

To see the sanding process click here.

To see the painting and staining process click here. 

To see the mess we created click here.

To see the cabinet doors click here.

To see edging choices click here.