You canbuild a kitchen islandfrom materials like plywood and dimensional lumber, and many professionals do this.
But as a do-it-yourselfer, it’s best to use pre-built kitchen base cabinets as building blocks.
Cabinets set the correct dimensions for you, plus they make the island look clean and polished.
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A single 30- or 36-inch-wide sink base with a large opening is flanked with 24-inch-wide base drawer cabinets.
This brings the total length to 78 to 84 inches.
Alternatively, the two 24-inch cabinets can be placed next to each other.
What Is a Base Cabinet?
Abase cabinetis a storage cabinet that rests on the floor and which also provides support for a countertop.
Basecabinetsare normally found in kitchens, laundry rooms, and bathrooms.
A 60-inch long, 24-inch wide sink base cabinet is widely available and often reasonably priced.
The kitchen-facing side of the island has open storage areas and the back side is solid.
This makes leveling easier.
Back-to-back islands will require professional countertop fabrication since the counters are unusually wide.
Safety Considerations
Base cabinets are heavy.
Sixty-inch sink base cabinets typically weigh 100 pounds or more.
Move the cabinets into the kitchen with an assistant.
If working alone, use a hand truck or slide the cabinets on thick blankets.
A kitchen work area can include both perimeter countertops and kitchen islands.
So, a 120-square-foot kitchen should have an island no larger than 12 square feet.
Otherwise, it’s not necessary to tape the countertop projection.
Remember to purchase matching cabinet end panels.
It’s not necessary to purchase a matching toe kick since baseboard molding will cover that area.
A well-ventilated garage or enclosed patio work well for safe painting and staining.
Cover the outsides of the cabinet boxes but not the insides or shelves.
Cover both sides of the doors, as well as both sides of drawer fronts.
Be sure to paint the corner molding, too.
Leave off the doors and shelves for now.
If you have pre-assembled cabinets, remove the shelves.
The doors can stay on.
Check to verify that this arrangement works for you.
To visualize a countertop, sheets of 2-inch-thick rigid foam insulation closely approximate the dimensions of most countertops.
Attach the Cleats to the Floor
Tip back the cabinets.
Base cabinets have hollow spaces under the floor.
Measure the front and back of this hollow space, then cut two-by-fours to those dimensions.
Lay the cleats flat and screw them to the kitchen floor with three inch screws.
Be sure to account for the width of the cabinet box: usually, 1/2-inch.
So, the cleats will not be placed directly on the taped line but 1/2-inch inward.
Level the Cabinets
Rest the cabinets back on the floor, in the footprint.
Attach the cabinets side to side with C clamps.
The cabinets must be straight and level all the way across.
If the floor is uneven, shim under the cabinet or cabinets that need to be raised.
Tap the shims into place by gently tapping with a hammer or with a scrap two-by-four.
Use the countersink bit to create a recess at the pilot hole to accommodate the screw’s head.
Drive a 2-1/2-inch screw from one cabinet to the adjacent cabinet.
Do not drive the screw through the side panel.
For strength, the screw must go through the face frame.
After that, move the combined cabinet into place.
Work carefully to avoid cutting into the floor.
plant the Shiplap Backer
plant the shiplapon the back of the island.
Be careful to not penetrate through the cabinet wall and into the cabinet’s interior.
Leave a 1/4-inch space between the bottom of the shiplap and the floor.
Work upward until you reach the top of the cabinets.
The countertop overhang will cover the top gap.
Mark off the cut points on each end of the molding.
Repeat on the back side of the island with another strip of molding.
Complete by filling in the two short sides of the island with molding.
So, be sure to purchase 3-1/4-inch-wide baseboard molding.
Cut off two sections of wood corner molding to this length.
Use the 3/4-inch brads in the electric nailer.
Nail the corner molding on the back corners.
implement the Pulls
implement the handles on the cabinet doors and the drawers.
Once they are lined up properly, drill your mounting holes.
Refer to the manufacturers instructions to get the suggested drill bit size.
Insert the mounting screws through the holes you have just drilled.
Line up the pull or knob holes with the screws.
Tighten the screws with a screwdriver or cordless drill and you are done.
plant the Shelves
plant the shelves in the cabinets using the pegs provided with the cabinet.
So, have a countertop installer fabricate and set up the island countertop.
Abutcher block countertopis, by far, the most DIY-friendly countertop for a kitchen island.
Butcher block countertops come in 25-inch widths and lengths up to 10 feet.
With those factors, building a kitchen island will be cheaper.
An island can add much-needed kitchen countertop space, storage, and optional seating room.
The least expensive cabinets will be unfinished wood cabinets sold at home improvement stores.
Other types of cabinets, even relatively low-cost Shaker-style ready-to-assemble cabinets, will cost substantially more.
