Kitchen Island: Part 1

Let me start by saying that this project is (so far) 10 months in the making.  It's, by far, the most complicated project I have tackled thus far and it has been..... A Learning Experience.

But before I get into that, I'll start from the beginning!  My house has a square kitchen with cabinets along 2 walls.  It's very open but it was lacking work space.  All the counter space was in the corners or just long enough for a cutting board.  I take up the whole counter when I cook, I needed more room to move!

 See all that open space in the middle of the room?

After doing my research, I found that you need at least 30-36" on each side of the island between a cabinet or appliance and the island for a walkway.  It was suggested to setup boxes or space holders in the area to test the size.  What did I do?  Build a fort.  I wish I had taken a picture, but I was caught up in the moment.  36" on each side?  Check!

This also made me realize that I could have a decent size island.  A 24" deep by 40"+ wide island to be exact.  So I started my searching for kitchen islands and quickly got a dose of reality.  A basic, small island starts at $250ish.  An island appropriate for my kitchen starts at about $500 and goes WAY on up from there.  Of course, the ones I liked were closer to $800 and $1000, which was way too expensive for me.  

So I rerouted my research to building an island myself!  I found many, many ideas that involved building from scratch but finally stumbled upon and idea that struck a cord.  Kitchen islands, at their basic, are base cabinets with a counter top.  This intimidated me still, but then I had another epiphany:  I am AWESOME at assembly-required furniture.  I have an Ikea habit that has required this skillset and I'm not ashamed.  At this realization, a plan started to formulate.

First, I found a combination of cabinets that fit the dimensions I needed.  I could get a 24" double door base cabinet and a 15" single door cabinet that would combine for a 39" wide base.  Then, it came time to get a counter top.  Luckily, I knew Ikea makes butcher block counter tops just for this purpose.  Their 49" x 25" counter top was only $39 at the time, which made it the most economical choice.  

I'd have a bit of overhang, but I could make it work.  Or get someone else to saw it off.... details, details.  Let the building begin!  I apologize for a lack of pictures, I didn't know I'd be telling the whole word about this project, so I only have the pictures I bombarded my family with.  

Step 1: Purchase and assemble the cabinets and follow the instructions.

This was a fairly easy step, except for the parts you wouldn't think about.  Like having to find someone in Lowes to load the boxes of cabinets into the cart because they're too heavy.  And figuring how to load them in the car without hurting yourself, by yourself.  Or trying to get the heavy boxes up a flight of stairs.  

Step 2:  Secure cabinets to each other.

I didn't get a picture of this step, but it's very important.  Due to the overhand of the front face on the cabinet, there is a 1/2" gab between the cabinets.  Being very creative, we found that wooden yard sticks from lowes just so happen to be 1/4" thick.  See where I'm going with this?  We cut them in half and stuck them between the cabinets.  Then we put a 1" screw through the inside of the cabinet, through the sticks and into the other side.  Then repeat near the back of the cabinets to make sure it's really, really secure.  

Step 3:  Put on the counter top!

I had help on this one since I have a hand injury that limits my ability to lift lots of things and drill in odd spots.  The Ikea instructions were pretty clear, just put the counter top on, get it centered and mark the holes in the brackets.  I did also follow the prep instructions on the counter top itself with sealing and oiling before putting it on.

Step 4:  Handles

This step really put the finishing touches on the front.  I picked out some handles from Home Depot that I thought would fit with the kitchen and cabinets.  I'm going to do a separate post on how to install cabinet hardware for the DIY-challenged some time soon, I promise!  

Phase 1, Complete!

That little overhang looked like a perfect place for the trashcan and keep the walkway clear.

See that ugly gap between the cabinets?  That's going to be the start of Part 2.  I will warn you, my friends, that this is where all of my luck ends.  I will call Part 1 the adventure... and Part 2 the complete misadventure.