Built In Cabinet DIY: Built-in Cabinets for the Kitchen
How to add custom built in cabinets to your kitchen on a budget
Ain’t no renovation like a kitchen renovation…
If you have been following along you know that this kitchen renovation started the day we moved into this house and has been going on for about 2 years.
In all fairness we have done almost everything ourselves and took a long break to work on other areas of the house.
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Here is how the kitchen looked when we bought our house:
I would say our kitchen is currently about 85% done and I could not be happier!
It is finally time tie up the loose ends and finish the things we have been putting off…
Including the DIY built in cabinets that I have been dreaming about since we started!
To create a really custom looking kitchen I wanted to incorporate old cabinets, new cabinets, and different finishes.
The majority of our cabinets came from Lowe’s, (you can see my entire brutally honest Lowes kitchen cabinet review here) to make them look more custom we mixed and matched different cabinet hardware styles.
We also extended them to the ceiling with this kitchen cabinet extender hack because we just honestly didn’t have the budget for super tall cabinets.
Once the regular cabinets were installed we used the top of a china cabinet as an upper cabinet to bring in a raw wood look and warm the kitchen up.
We also used my favorite IKEA built in hack to create a long storage wall using the IKEA Havsta cabinets.
Another way we saved some money was by utilizing some open shelving in the pantry area.
Creating a DIY appliance cabinet and enclosing the refrigerator were also two kitchen DIYs that made a huge impact.
Now that I have covered all the different types of cabinetry that has went into this DIY custom kitchen renovation let’s talk about the last remaining cabinet!
DIY Built In Cabinets
When you decide to create a custom built in cabinet there are three main ways to start:
1. Use an IKEA or pre-fab cabinet
2. Build a cabinet from scratch
3. Find a cabinet on Facebook Marketplace or thrift store
We used the third method and found a cool cabinet from Facebook Marketplace for just $75!
I did not like the color but the shape was perfect for the space and I also loved the glass cabinet door.
There was already a framed out wall next to the refrigerator so to make things easy we used that spot for our built-in kitchen cabinet.
All that we needed to do was install the cabinet and frame out the other side.
You can find all my drywall tips, tricks, and what not to do here!
Once that portion is done its time for the fun part, making the cabinet look custom and finished.
Faux Wood Finish Kitchen Cabinets
Originally I started by trying to stain the cabinet a medium gray and I absolutely hated it…
But I went ahead and decided to frame the cabinet anyways using trim pieces.
Next, I decided to paint it white because you can’t go wrong with a white kitchen cabinet right?
This look wasn’t terrible but the cabinet didn’t “pop” the way I wanted it to.
I also added these peel and stick wood boards to the back of the built-in cabinet to add a little dimension.
The built-in cabinet looked nice but it wasn’t exactly the look I wanted.
So I decided to go with a faux natural wood finish and I am in deep love with zero regrets!
I started by priming the entire cabinet with the same primer I use for all my faux wood projects.
Next, I added a faux wood grain using Hickory gel stain and my wood grain tool.
This is my favorite method for creating a faux wood look because the grain is very defined and looks/feels like real wood once it’s done.
After the graining dried I did one more light coat with the primer because I wanted a lighter natural wood look.
After the second coat of primer was dry I went over the entire cabinet with a gel Pecan stain.
Finally, I applied a clear wax to finish off the built in cabinet.
This color is exactly what I wanted and I am so glad I didn’t let two failed attempts stop me.
Vintage Cabinet Hardware
Cabinet hardware is like the cherry on top when it comes to kitchen cabinets.
Vintage cabinet hardware can be slightly expensive but I found this beautiful Cremone bolt latch on Amazon and it was pretty budget friendly!
It gave the built in cabinet some extra character points and looks very fancy.
Check out all my favorite kitchen hardware here
Built In Cabinet DIY: Built-in Cabinets for the Kitchen
Finally this built-in kitchen cabinet project is complete and I am in deep love with how it finally turned out!
That is what makes DIY projects so great, if you don’t love something you can always try again and again.
The last projects of this kitchen renovation include:
- Installing our new gas stove
- Adding the backsplash to the stove area
- Building a DIY vent hood
After those three projects this kitchen renovation will finally be complete!
Well, until I decide to change something else…
Let me know what you think of our DIY built-in cabinet and which of the three finishes you liked best.
You Might Also Like:
Built-In Ikea Havsta Hack: Kitchen Cabinets
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Kitchen Renovation: Lowes Cabinet, Countertop, & Installation Review
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