Turn a Drawer into a Cabinet

See how fun this is?!  Dang.  I love a good trash to treasure.

I made this project early last spring and shared it on My Repurposed Life as one of my contributor posts…I have been waiting too long to share it with you!

It is amazing what a little imagination and paint can do!

I have had this drawer for about 4 years.  I got it for free off of Craig’s list with a bunch of other scrap wood.  Since then it has been patiently waiting for a makeover and a new purpose in life.

I started by removing the drawer front since it was split and cracked on the sides.  I used a crow bar and slowly pried it off.  If your drawer has a front like this you will need to remove it to make a cabinet.

The drawer needed a little repair, since the sides were loose from the drawer bottom, I added some Gorilla Wood Glueand clamped the drawer while it dried.

While the glue was drying on the drawer I picked some left over trim that I had ripped out from my teen boy’s room makeover.  This would be the frame for my cabinet door.  I cut one end at 45 degrees on my miter saw and then measured it to the drawer to make the second cut.

I did this all the way around until I had all four sides cut.  Then I used wood glue and my Ryobi Nail Gun to attach them at the corners. Note: I recommend using nail in fasteners on the corners if your trim moulding is too thin for pocket holes which is the best method, I was out of fasteners which is why I used nails, but I find it a weaker joining method on mitered corners…just saying.

I wanted shelves inside the cabinet so I used some more trim from the same pile, it was a little wider than what I used for the frame.  I cut it to size and glued and nailed it on the sides and the back.
You can add as many shelves as you would like, I only did two.

Here is a shot of what I had done up to this point.

I have wanted to use this Chicken Wire that I picked up from the side of the road, for FOR-EV-ER. (said like in The Sandlot-awesome movie)  This project was perfect for it!  I clipped it to fit my frame.

Then I filled the holes in the drawer with Spackle, if I was staining I probably would have skipped this step.  I wanted to paint so I knew I need cover up the holes so they wouldn’t show.   I also sanded the drawer and cleaned it with TSP beforehand, the cleaning was really needed.

Time for paint!  I used a homemade chalk paint with white for my first coat, and then added another coat of white.  Tip: For a smoother finish make sure to sand with fine grit paper between coats.

I rounded up some hinges and a pull that I pulled off of some shutters…at least I think that is where they came from…  I started by attaching the hinges to the old drawer cabinet first.

Then I attached my chicken wire to the back of the frame with staples, and screwed the door to the hinges on the cabinet.  Last I added my pull.  Oh and I do want to note that I sprayed the chicken wire with oil rubbed bronze spray paint to darken it up a little before I attached it to the frame.

When I got to installing the door I realized I needed a magnetic door catch.  I didn’t have any…so I made my own.  I used some button magnets and a small scrap piece of wood.  I hot glued them in the top and bottom corners so the magnet was flush with the top.  Then I hot glued on these metal plates I had which I believe were part of a magnetic catch system at one time…

They keep the door closed perfectly, and that is it.  Done.  I put felt pads on the bottom for now so it can stand on it’s own, but I may add d-rings to the back and hang it in my bedroom.  Decisions, decisions.

I love how it turned out, simple and just cute!

Old Drawer Cubby Organizer

Under the bed Storage Repurposing Drawers

Old Drawers into Porch Planters

Video Game Storage made from drawers