Have you ever wondered how to build a bathroom, kitchen or office cabinet yourself? Knowing how to build your own furniture can save you a lot of money. Having nice dressers at home can make a big difference, but most furniture stores are quite expensive. Here's how to build your own lockers for half and even less.
Steps
Step 1. Design the lockers
The standard depth of the countertop is 62.5cm, so the cabinet should be 60cm to allow the countertop to protrude. The standard height of the shelf is 90 cm, so the cabinet should be 86.25 cm to make room for the thickness of the top. Tallest wall units or cabinets should be 135-140cm. For the wall units you can use all the available space up to the ceiling. The width of the cabinets usually varies from 30 to 150 cm in increments of 7.5 cm. The most used sizes are 37, 5 cm, 45 cm, 52, 5 cm and 60 cm. When planning the width of a piece of furniture, don't forget the dimensions of the doors you are going to buy.
Step 2. Cut the side walls
Use plywood, MDF 1.8 cm thick or a suitable type of laminate. Since the sides are not visible, the aesthetic appearance of the material does not really matter, while it is important that it is resistant and sturdy. These panels should be 86.25cm high and 60cm wide. Secure the two panels with clamps and cut out the template for the baseboard in one corner. This will be the lower front corner of the panels.
If you have to build wall units, the measurements can simply follow your aesthetic taste. The standard depth is 30-35 cm. The height depends on how much you want it to be and on the space available. Obviously, the skirting board is not necessary
Step 3. Cut the bottom
It should be 60 cm deep, but the width depends on the size of the kitchen. Make sure that the width of the bottom takes into account the thickness of the side panels.
Also in this case, for the wall units, the depth varies between 30 and 35 cm. You have to cut two pieces of this size for each single wall unit
Step 4. Prepare the front and back panels of the base
Use two pieces of wood with a section of 2, 5x15 cm and length equal to the width of the bottom panel. Skip this step if you are building wall cabinets.
Step 5. Cut the upper supports
Cut two more pieces of wood of the same length and attach them to the upper ends. Skip this step if you are building wall cabinets.
Step 6. Prepare the front panels
They will be assembled like a frame and represent the main visible part of the cabinet. So it is advisable to use a type of wood that you like and that is aesthetically pleasing. The most suitable sections for these components are 2, 5x5 cm, 2, 5x7, 5 cm and 2, 5x10 cm. Obviously it all depends on the style you are following.
Step 7. Join the base panels to the bottom
Align and glue them so that the flat part of one panel is flush with the rear edge of the bottom and the other panel is 7.5 cm from the front end. Then, with "L" joints, screw the base of the cabinet into the thickness of the panels. Pilot holes should be drilled.
Step 8. Join the side panels to the bottom
Glue and then fix (always with L-shaped joints) the side panels to the bottom of the structure, matching the notches for the skirting board. Make sure everything is perfectly flush. Clamps and a protractor can make operations easier.
Step 9. Attach the upper supports
Now you have to glue and fix (with many "L" joints) the support closest to the "back" of the cabinet, so that it rests flat against the wall. The front support must be positioned so that it is flush with the kitchen top when it is installed.
Step 10. Nail the back panel
Cut to size and then screw in a 1.25 cm thick piece of plywood. For the wall units it is advisable to use a thicker plywood such as 1, 8 cm MDF.
Step 11. Reinforce the joints
Now you need to make the structure stable by reinforcing the corners with brackets and screws.
Step 12. Install the shelves
Measure, mark and level the points where you will fix the 4 supports to hold the shelves and then slide them inside the cabinet. If you are building wall cabinets, wait to insert the shelves.
Step 13. Add the front panels
Assemble them as if you were building a photo frame. You can cut out the corners at 45 ° to join the various pieces. Retractable nails, pins and tenon joints are all great solutions (evaluate your carpentry skills). Use the nails and countersunk screws to attach the front panels to the cabinet.
Step 14. Install the lockers
Screw them to the wall through the back panel and use dowels. The wall units need a much stronger anchoring, so use the “L” brackets (which can then be hidden with the splash guard): in this way you can also store heavy objects such as dishes.
Step 15. Install the doors
Follow the manufacturer's instructions. You can consider inserting drawers but it is not a simple procedure and recommended for beginners.
