Built in storage Cabinet

[limitless86]

I recently got on the property ladder and wanted to try my hand at some home DIY.

I wanted to convert the spare bedroom into an office, but wanted to keep some space for storing clothes and paperwork. The attached photo shows you the space that I wanted to capitalise on.

This photo shows how the previous owners were using the space before we moved in.

 

[limitless86]

Phase one for the build involved re-plastering the entire room. This isn't something I had anticipated doing but the woodchip wallpaper was quite a state. I started the actual cabinet a few weeks later after the plaster had time to set.

To begin with I put in some wooden ledges to hold the MDF shelves in place. I bought this from B&Q. I don't intend to put too much weight on shelves so this approach seemed to suffice.

 

[limitless86]

After the shelves I started work building the outer cabinet. I wanted to get as much depth as I could so this meant bringing the cabinet out of the recess.

For the outer section I used Beech wood panels, bought from Wickes. I actually found this wood over by the kitchen cabinet section in my local store. It's not easy to search for online so I would recommend just going in and looking around the 'Kitchen/Cabinet' isle.

So that the left hand door hinges would have something to fix to, I put a strip of wood against the left hand wall and cut this to fit the depth required. This has been fixed in place with wall plugs and standard wood screws.

 

[limitless86]

The right hand side of the cabinet was a little more tricky as this sits out of the recess. As this panel would need to take the full weight of the door I had to find a way to attach this and keep everything sturdy.

To do this I fitted some extended brackets that the right hand panel could be attached to. To make this stronger I fitted a beech wood panel at the foot of the cabinet, this also doubled up as a door stop for when the cabinet doors close.

 

[limitless86]

Fitting the doors was probably the hardest part of the whole build. Initially I bought some european 90 degree hinges. I retreated from this idea when I realised how hard it would be to fit as I lacked the necessary tools for boring into the panels. Instead I opted for some basic brass hinges which were much easier to fit and fiddle with.

Despite measuring this several times I STILL managed to get the door overlap wrong. This resulted in me needing to take a bout 1/4inch off the left hand door with a jigsaw.

I also found the bottom door stop on it's own wasn't quite enough, to solve this I fitted another piece of wood to the very top of the cabinet, which doubles up a stabiliser for the top of the frame.

 

[limitless86]

These shots show the final product. For the door handles I just went with bog standards from Wickes.

Overall I am pleased with the outcome. All comments and feedback welcome

 

[rozglassowixq]

great job , finishing first be