Use Recycled Kitchen Cabinets

Recycled, Kitchen, Cabinets

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If you have recently recycled kitchen cabinets by refinishing them with paint or stain, put them to good use in your utility room, garage, basement, family room or anywhere else requiring storage. No one can ever have too much storage room, and the uses for recycled cabinets are only limited by your imagination and available space.

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Assessing Your Storage Needs

Contemplate areas of your home where storage is lacking, and begin compiling a list of possibilities.;

Think of the size of the items you want to store and the feasibility of storing those items.;

Measure the dimensions of your recycled cupboards.;

Measure the areas where you’d like to add storage in an effort to determine how many cabinets will fit in specified locations.;

Draw a rough sketch that includes cabinet and room dimensions in an effort to make a final decision on placement.;

If you’d like a more organized garage, consider hanging recycled wall units and turning base cabinets into a versatile workbench complete with storage.;

Have you always wanted a craft room? Consider turning an empty room into a crafts extravaganza. Hang refinished or repainted cupboards, and use the base units as a handy workstation. Organize craft materials and supplies to create the craft room of your dreams.;

Kids can never have too much storage space for toys, books and whatnots. Strategically place refinished kitchen cabinets in a child’s room. Hang wall cabinets within easy reach, just above the base units and your kid’s room might stay organized longer than ever before.;

Is your utility room an unorganized mess? If the room is equipped with shelves take them down and replace them with cupboards. Hang them low enough to add sliding doors to hide items stored on top.;

Consider hanging refinished or repainted recycled cabinetry in a family room. This is a great way to store games, movies, books and anything else you would normally store in your family room.;

Basements are often used for storage, and what better way to use recycled kitchen cabinets than in the basement? Store extra canned goods, tools, off-season clothing and anything else you don’t have room for upstairs.;

Don’t decide on a final location for recycled cabinets without first considering the location of hidden plumbing and electrical wires.;

Never place cabinetry where it can obstruct walkways or doorways when open.;

Storing Miscellaneous Items

Place the largest, heaviest items in cabinets first, and place them below head level.;

Put lighter, smaller items you don’t use very often in harder to reach places.;

Nest stackable items inside each other to save room.;

Place things you use most often in front.;

Organize small, loose items in drawers.;

Ask a friend or relative with a baby to save baby food jars. Nail or screw the lids of the jars to the bottom of recycled kitchen cabinet shelves. Fill the jars with nails, screws, small craft items or anything else you want to organize and store.;

Store similar items together so they can be easily and quickly located.;

Consider attaching pegboard to the inside of cabinet doors. Tools or other items that can be stored on short peg hooks will be easily accessible, and you’ll make the most of cupboard space.;

Always lock cupboards containing items that could be hazardous to children or pets. Placing items out of reach isn’t the safest method of protecting curious kids and pets.;

Decorative Display & Storage

Remove the doors from recycled wall cabinets.;

Choose decorative trim to surround the cabinet opening and cover screw holes.;

Cut the trim to the proper size, and angle the ends with a 10-inch miter saw and a miter box.;

Sand the trim with fine-grit sandpaper.;

Paint or stain the trim to match the recycled cabinet.;

Attach the trim with wood glue, and allow the glue to dry for approximately 24 hours.;

Locate wall studs using a stud finder, and hang the cabinets with 2 � inch wood screws.;

Embellish the front edges of the shelves with lace. Simply trim the lace to the proper length and attach it with a fine line of hot-melt glue.;

Consider painting designs of your choice on the sides and edges to match the theme of a particular room. If you aren’t artistically inclined, use stencils to achieve professional looking results.;

Display knick-knacks or a special collection on this decorative display shelf. No one will ever guess it was once a kitchen cabinet.;

Use a recycled kitchen cabinet in a bathroom, and fill it with rolled towels, washcloths, decorative soaps and toiletries.;

Make one for the bedroom to hold paperback books, a perfume tray, knick-knacks or anything else you want to store and display.;

Stack two or three finished recycled cupboards of the same size to make an attractive bookshelf. Connect them by drilling holes in the corners and securing them with bolts and nuts of the appropriate size.;

Always attach bookshelves to wall studs with an �L� bracket or �Z� bracket if you reside in an area prone to earthquakes or if you have children. Kids could climb shelves and knock them over which could result in serious or life-threatening injuries.;

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