Have you always wanted to have the Kitchen of Your Dreams, but didn’t think you could? Too expensive? Not a DIY project you feel comfortable handling? Say no more… You have asked…I have listened. I am so excited to be sharing this with you today! We are going to begin our Kitchen Series…I can’t wait to dive in and show you all, that you can in fact build your own Dream Kitchen and you don’t even have to outfit your workspace with every crazy expensive tool known to man, to do it. You can also be a beginner and tackle this project given the way I have designed this plan. Nothing tricky, nothing difficult…just pure and simple goodness. This is a standard Base Cabinet Size so it shouldn’t be difficult to work into your kitchen in just the way your mind imagines.
As with all of our plans, you are building at your own risk and you should have a firm understanding of building in general before you attempt many of our plans (some are easy as pie and perfect for beginners). With that, go forth, have fun, take lots of pictures and share them in a showcase on the site or on social media with the hashtag #builtTDCtuff and we will share our faves! Be sure to tag @thedesignconfidential on Instagram / FB and @thedesconf on Twitter / Pinterest. If you are a blogger and you post about your build, don’t forget to include a link to your post on your showcase here. Don’t forget… for all of our newer plans, clicking on the images will let them expand to enormous sizes with much greater clarity. The older plans may need updating so please let us know if you need one fixed!
$50-$75
**You can buy full sheets if you plan to build several cabinets.
- 1/2 sheet- 3/4″ Plywood (a lower grade is fine).
- 1/2 sheet – 1/2″ Plywood (a lower grade is fine)
- 1/2 sheet – 1/4″ Plywood (this will be showing on the sides of outside cabinets, but will not show on the back or inside cabinet walls).
- 1 – 1×2 at 8′
- 1 – 1×2 T 6′
- **5″ kick plate or you can use any of your plywood sheets above to cut this out.
- 1″ Pocket Hole Screws
- 1 1/4″ Pocket Hole Screws
- 1 1/4″ Screws
- 5/8″ Screws
- 2″ Finish Nails
- 1 pair of 22″ Full Extension Side Mounted Drawer Slides with standard 1/2″ clearance.
- Wood Glue
- Wood Filler
- Sandpaper
- Finishing Supplies
- 2 – 1/4″ Ply at 35 1/4″ x 23 1/4″ Outside Panels
- 1 – 1/4″ Ply at 35 1/4″ x 17 1/2″ Back
- 2 – 1/2″ Ply at 29 1/2″ x 22 7/8″ Inside Upper Panels
- 2 – 1/2″ Ply at 5″ x 22 7/8″ Inside Lower Panels
- 3 – 3/4″ Ply at 5 1/2″ x 16 1/2″ Supports
- 2 – 3/4″ Ply at 4″ x 22 7/8″ Drawer Hangers
- **1 – 3/4″ Ply at 5″ x 18″ Kick Plate, you can also use any of the other plywood thickness’ or a prefab kick plate.
- 1 – 1×2 at 16 1/2″ Cleat
- 2 – 1×2 at 31″ Stiles (Face Frame)
- 3 – 1×2 at 15″ Rails (Face Frame)
Before beginning to build, always check in on my site to make sure you have the most up to date set of plans, I occasionally update and change the plans to make the building process easier or to allow for less expensive purchasing of materials! Read through the entire set of instructions and all comments before beginning this project. If you print out or save plans, be sure to check in on my site to be sure you have the most up to date set of plans, as I occasionally update things for ease of building or buying. If you are new to building, read through the GETTING STARTED section and other articles found under the BUILD tab in the menu on my site, it has valuable information about how to get started, tools and techniques. If you are unfamiliar with the finishing process, visit my Finishing school for some tips and tricks for painting like a pro and for special finishing practices. Use glue to secure your joints and Consider Painting or Staining individual sections prior to assembling. This makes the paint application virtually flawless. Coat with a spray on Poly or Wipe on Poly to protect your finish and your piece and it will last for ages. Adhere to all safety standards and guidelines, and be sure you follow safety protocol throughout your build. If you are unsure about whether you are building safely, run a quick online search for the tool or technique you are using, or contact me via email or post to the forum before you move ahead. My contact info can be found in the menu of my site.
Cut your Side Panels to size as indicated in the diagram below.
We will begin constructing the interior panels: I have made this so easy for you in the way I have designed this. You don’t need a table saw to create Dadoes, or a stopper on your drill for Shelf Bracket holes…it’s just plain easy. Cut your interior panel pieces to size (this will be mirrored on the opposite side, so truly you will need 4 pieces total) and mark out the area for your shelf peg holes. You won’t need them in the upper 12″ or the bottom 4″ or so, since you will have a drawer and a bottom shelf. You can create a template with the dimensions shown below, for ease of use, then flip it around to do the other side. They also sell this sort of thing, and there is no reason why you can’t simply mark out your places and drill, just be sure you are accurate so your shelf isn’t sloping. Space your holes about an 1 1/2″ apart.
I know many of you have a thing about Drawer Guides/Slides so this process below, makes it a snap. Create a Drawer Hanger (blue) that runs the depth of your cabinet and 4″ in height. Attach your Drawer Guide/Slide to this piece prior to attaching it to your Panel. This gives you more control, you aren’t working at a funny angle and you can lay it out in front of you to be sure it’s level and equal on both sides! So much easier right? Then attach the cleat at the back of your side panel (yellow). It will sit flush with the top and back of the panels on both sides and can be attached using your Pocket Hole System set for 1/2″ stock or with 1 1/4″ Screws from the outside of the panels. Attach your Drawer Hangers (blue) just below that cleat, running the length of the cabinet panel, and one of your Supports (red) will sit just below that. They will act as simple building blocks. The Top support (red) shown in the diagram will sit flush with the front of your panels, just as the lower support does, however it won’t rest on another piece, there will be a 3/4″ space between it and your Drawer Hanger. The Upper Back Support will rest flush with the top of the Panels just as the Top Support in the diagram above does, only this one will rest against the cleat as well. Attach these with your Pocket Hole System set for 1/2″ Stock or use 1 1/4″ Screws from the outside.0
Attach the Outside Panels, and insert your bottom shelf. The bottom shelf will help you align your interior panels so they “fit” the outside panels properly. Carve out a 3/4″ square in each corner of your Kick Plate. I have used a 3/4″ Kick Plate in this example because I like the continuity it proves from the face frame…however, feel free to use any thickness you like. Typical would be 1/4″ or so. You can attach this finish nails, or my personal preference is to fasten them from behind with a Pocket Hole System. Your outside panels will sit flush with the front of the Interior panels and the top, however they will extend beyond the backside by 3/8″ to allow for the back and a bit of wiggle room later.
Build the Face Frame: use your Pocket hole System to build the frame, and place your pocket holes in the rails (horizontal pieces) set for 3/4″ stock. Then attach using 2″ finish nails. If you aren’t using a PHS, attach the Frame pieces directly to the cabinet using 2″ finish nails. Attach your back: Use 7/8″ Brads to tack on you back. Fasten into the 1/2″ Ply interior panels, the cleat, lower shelf and so on.
Fill any Screw, Nail or Pocket Holes, Sand and Finish as Desired. For Finishing Tips and Tricks visit my Finishing School
**Disclaimer: Some rights reserved. Private use only. Feel Free to link to any of my plans so long as you ONLY use 1 image and provide an ADEQUATE link back to the original source and appropriate plan! Plans from this page are not to be used for commercial purposes or republished without the express written consent of Rayan Turner, The Design Confidential I hope to provide accurate plans, however, I cannot guarantee each plan for accuracy. Not every plan that I post has been built and tested, so you are building at your own risk. It is recommended that you have a clear understanding of how the project works before beginning any project. Please contact me if you find an error or inaccuracy so that I might fix it.
