Let's get after it, shall we! The biggest obstacle for me for this project was demo. I had never done it before, and there's something slightly terrifying about tearing up perfectly good cabinets in case you can't fix it! Even if they are older. But once the demo was done and the floors were patched, I knew there wasn't anything that couldn't be rebuilt. That I could do.
Building the Peninsula
Below is the cabinet base for the peninsula. It added extra storage along the wall and attached to the existing end cabinet. It would also be the new location for the microwave, since a vent hood would be put in over the stove.
I ended up feeling like the countertop would need additional support, so I added the small wall using 2x4's.
The side walls and back were made of 3/4" plywood. I screwed it into the studs on the wall, and into the existing cabinet. I also used my brad nailer, to nail down into the floor so the peninsula wouldn't shift or move.
The 2x4's were covered with 1/4" maple plywood. I just used one big piece to cover the entire outside wall of the peninsula facing the fridge. I added baseboards and then the entire peninsula was trimmed out with 3" wide board and batten trim.
The face of the cabinet was trimmed with 1x2's and 1x3's.
Creating a Built-in Fridge
The original refrigerator cabinet was half-depth, and I wanted to create a full built-in cabinet.
The back and top of the original cabinet stayed. I didn't get a picture, but I used pieces of 1x2 to space the side wall from the lower cabinet. The countertop extended beyond the base cabinets and left a gap. So the 1x2 pieces gave me something to screw the large side wall into. I also added 1x2 shelf supports to the board to help me to screw the shelves in since I was working alone.
The outside wall was screwed into the shelves and the top piece of the old cabinet. I added an additional board along the ceiling in the front of the cabinet, so that I could attach the face frame. I later covered the inside ceiling with 1/4" plywood.
I made a couple of mistakes here. I didn't account for the crown. So, when I installed the doors, they butted up against the crown. I had to remove them and add a piece of 3/4" square molding to the upper part of the frame to give the doors space down from the crown molding. I also didn't account for the additional width of my new cabinet, so my doors were a little too small for the 1x2 face frames I added. I had to add more 3/4" square molding to the sides of the openings to properly space the doors. But it was still cheaper than ordering two new doors, and once they were painted you wouldn't be able to tell.
Now it finally felt like the new kitchen was starting to take shape! I caulked all the seams on the peninsula and it was almost time to paint. I still needed to have wiring run for the new microwave, sconces, and recessed lights. But before I get to that, tomorrow I'm going to share the materials and fixtures I ordered for the electrical and the rest of the renovation.
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{An 80's Kitchen DIY Reno Series}
-Part 5- DIY Peninsula and Fridge Surround
Your kitchen is gorgeous!! Am getting ready for a similar project and yours coincides perfectly!
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