Are you looking for repurposed cabinet door ideas that you can use to organize small spaces? Then learn how to turn an old cabinet door into a functional shelf that is perfect for any craft room or office!
Last year we bought a set of cabinet doors at our local Habitat ReStore (aka Habitat for Humanity ReStore). We used one of the doors to create some fun serving trays, but the other door sat around in our garage, moved with us to Kentucky, and then sat around in our garage again UNTIL recently when I was so incredibly fortunate to partner up with Plaid!
TRANSFORM CABINET DOORS INTO CUSTOM SHELVES:
Today I am going to be showing you how to repurpose cabinet doors and turn them into custom shelves! This project was so much fun to create and was an easy DIY to put together. We used basic tools that we already had on hand and were able to complete this project over a weekend (which was a nice bonus)!
Now, since I am a crafter, we designed this shelf to go in my craft room. However, this shelf would be the perfect project to make if you need extra storage for a certain area in your home. For instance, I think a shelf like this would make great kitchen wall decor for spices or would look lovely in a laundry room. You could also turn it into a faux ”DIY mason jar caddy” and fill the mason jars up with smaller items like bracelets and rings to create a jewelry organizer. The possibilities are truly endless! {FTC disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links which means I may make a little money if you buy something!}
SUPPLY LIST:
- Solid Wood Cabinet Door
- Rustoleum Semi-Gloss White Spray Paint
- two (2) 1″x2″x6ft Boards
- 12 x 1 1/2″ Size 8 Screws
- Titebond Wood Glue
- 220 grit Sandpaper
- Mitre Saw or Handsaw
- lint free rag
- denatured alcohol
- spring clamps (you could also use metal clamps)
- drill with bits
- paint sprayer (optional)
Project Notes:
If you can’t find old kitchen cabinet doors for this project, you can also use a cupboard door! However, when shopping, I would recommend staying away from cabinet doors that have tons of ”3D details”. This is because you want your shelf to have a flat surface and essentially be a blank canvas. Also, when it comes to shopping for your cabinet door, a great place to shop would be thrift stores or even a local yard sale.
HOW TO MAKE UPCYCLE SHELF FROM A CABINET DRAWER:
PREP WORK – Remove old hardware (like drawer pulls) from the cabinet door with a screwdriver, then lightly scuff sand the entire door with 220 grit sandpaper (it helps the paint adhere later). Once sanded, clean the cabinet door of dust with a lint free rag and some denatured alcohol. Use your saw to cut the 1″x2″ into the shelf boards. I measured mine to overhang the cabinet door by one inch on each side. My cabinet door was 18 inches wide so each shelf board was cut to 20″ long. After all the shelves are cut, lightly sand them too. We added some extra flair to our shelves and put a bevel on the edges. However, you can just break the sharp edges with the sandpaper.
NOTE: If your cabinet door has old paint on it, you may want to do some additional sanding before you add a fresh coat of paint.
LAYOUT – Lay out your shelf boards across the door ensuring that they are square and evenly spaced. We were building this shelf for a specific purpose (to hold paint bottles) so we spaced our shelves to fit. Each bottle was 4″ tall so we made the space between each shelf 4 1/4″. Once you have your spacing and number of shelves worked out, lay them out square across the door and mark where each shelf goes. To add some strength, we notched the cabinet door for our shelves using a router. However, if you aren’t going to put anything too heavy on them this ”step” is not necessary. Just use a slightly longer screw.
ATTACH – Attach the shelf boards to the door using wood glue and screws. Clamp each shelf in place, ensuring it is aligned to the marks you made earlier. Then drill a pilot hole and drive in the screw. Once you are happy with the overall look, temporarily detach the shelves, spread some glue, and reattach them.
NOTE: Here is a good chart to find the right pilot hole size!
Use clamps to hold boards in place. Then drive screws into the shelf boards from the back of the cabinet door.
PAINT – Get out your spray paint and go crazy! Just remember if you don’t prime the bare wood it may take a good bit of paint to get the finish you want. We used almost an entire can of the semi-gloss white paint. If you used semi-gloss or gloss paint let it dry for a few days to ensure you prevent items from tacking to the paint.
NOTE: Don’t be afraid to paint your shelf a bright color!
HANG – Mount your new shelf system to the wall and enjoy.
I just loved how this project turned out! It didn’t take up much room on my wall but provided me with all the extra space I needed to store my paint.
If you are looking for another fun way to use a cabinet door, then don’t forget to check out my serving tray blog post! In that blog post, I show you how to bring new life to an old cabinet door by turning it into a customized serving tray. Plus, I even share more DIY cabinet door ideas that you can make with the craft supplies you already have at home!
Upcycled Shelf From a Cabinet Door
Materials
- Solid Wood Cabinet Door
- Rustoleum Semi-Gloss White Spray Paint
- two (2) 1″x2″x6ft Boards
- 12 x 1 1/2″ Size 8 Screws
- Titebond Wood Glue
- 220 grit Sandpaper
- Mitre Saw or Handsaw
- lint free rag
- denatured alcohol
- spring clamps
- drill with bits
Instructions
- PREP – Lightly scuff sand all surfaces of the cabinet door with 220 grit sandpaper, it helps the paint adhere later. Once sanded, clean the cabinet door of dust with a lint free rag and some denatured alcohol. Use your saw to cut the 1″x2″ into the shelf boards. I measured mine to overhang the cabinet door by one inch on each side. My cabinet door was 18 inches wide so each shelf board was cut to 20″ long. After all the shelves are cut, lightly sand them too. We added some extra flair to our shelves and put a bevel on the edges but you can just break the sharp edges with the sandpaper.
- LAYOUT – Lay out your shelf boards across the door ensuring that they are square and evenly spaced. We were building this shelf for a specific purpose (to hold paint bottles) so we spaced our shelves to fit. Each bottle was 4″ tall so we made the space between each shelf 4 1/4″. Once you have your spacing and number of shelves worked out, lay them out square across the door and mark where each shelf goes. To add some strength, we notched the cabinet door for our shelves using a router, but if you aren’t going to put anything too heavy on them it is not necessary. Just use a slightly longer screw.
- ATTACH – Attach the shelf boards to the door using glue and screws. Clamp each shelf in place, ensuring it is aligned to the marks you made earlier, drill a pilot hole (here is a good chart to find the right pilot hole size), then drive the screw. Once you are happy with the overall look, temporarily detach the shelves, spread some glue and reattach them.Use clamps to hold boards in place and then drive screws into the shelf boards from the back of the cabinet door.
- PAINT – Get out your spray paint and go crazy! Just remember if you don’t prime the bare wood it may take a good bit of paint to get the finish you want – we used almost an entire can of the semi-gloss white paint. If you used semi-gloss or gloss paint let it dry for a few days to ensure you prevent items from tacking to the paint.
- HANG – Mount your new shelf system to the wall and enjoy.
LOOKING FOR ANOTHER CABINET PROJECT? THEN CHECK OUT OUR CABINET SERVING TRAY!
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