Cubby Shelf made from Cupboard Doors

Isn’t it cute?!  I really love how this project came together, especially because I had all the supplies on hand…so….free!!

I shared this last year as one of my contributor posts at My Repurposed Life.

And hello?! It has Chalkboard labels, I am pretty much obsessed with how cute they make everything.

It started with these cupboard doors (free from a friend) and six wire baskets I got at the Restore for $1 each.  I didn’t really need these baskets when I picked them up, but I couldn’t resist with that price, can you blame me?  Now I am happy I did, I finally found the perfect use for them.

Using the wire baskets and some scrap pieces of wood, I determined how wide to make my shelves.

Once I was able to dig some plywood from my stash of wood to use for making shelves, I set to work.

I used my Kreg Rip-Cut to cut the plywood to size.  Because the plywood was only 1/2” thick I drilled 1/2 pocket holes with my Kreg K5 Pocket-Hole Jig.

When I build alone it is always a huge help to have my Kreg Right Angle Clamps!  They make it easy to keep every thing together.  In the above photos I am attaching the very bottom shelf to the cupboard door with my 1” pocket hole screws and glue.

I attached my divider piece with glue and pocket hole screws (top left).  I made sure my baskets fit, then added the second shelf (top right).  I only drilled pocket holes into the bottom of my divider pieces.

Then I nailed through the shelf into the divider to secure the top (bottom right) using my Ryobi nail gun.

Here is a shot of me adding the top support pieces.  I cut my dividers boards a little too short, which left a half inch gap from the top divider to the top of the cupboard doors.  It is always something, no project goes perfectly!

To fix it, I just glued and nailed on another 1/2 strip of plywood over the top support pieces (not pictured).

Mid century modern is one of my constant crushes, so I was happy to use some retro legs and leg mounting plates that I had waiting for a project.

To add a slight tilt to my legs I rigged the mounting plates with some paint stick scraps, lifting up the inside edges.  Totally did the trick!

I took my cupboard door shelf outside so I could figure out what to used for a top.  I finally found some boards that worked.  I ended up with two 2×6’s, one 2×4 (that I ripped down to 3”, and one 2×2.

All of them are totally random boards, with different colors, but I was good with it, it will give the top some character. 😉

In order to prep the top board and the legs, I use Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner.  Then I stained them with the same mix that I used on my Shoe Cubby Dresser.

I made sure to fill all the holes with spackle and sanded them smooth.  I cut some pieces of chipboard to make a back.  I decided to paint the shelf and back boards before I put them together.

When I made the kids storage bench for my sister in the fall I bought too much spray paint, and finally used what was left on this cubby shelf.

After the paint dried I added my chipboard pieces to the back, pre drilling and screwing them on.  I also attached the top boards with glue and 2” nails (not pictured, nailing into the cupboard doors and support pieces), and last, I screwed the legs into the mounting plates.

Done!  Oh, and I did apply 3 coats of poly to the legs and wood top, sanding with 400 grit between coats 1 and 2.