Want a new kitchen island but don’t know where to start? What if I told you it was easier to build your own than you might think?
My old kitchen island was just fine, but after renovating our living room, it made sense to make the kitchen a little larger too so it felt proportionate.
Step one of that process was the kitchen island. I realized that if I flipped the direction, I could make it 8 feet long. EIGHT FEET. Compared to our little 3×5′ island before, this sounded amazing.
So I removed my old kitchen island and started mapping out a new footprint with tape on the floor.
And that’s when I realized I could build my own island easily using ready-to-assemble cabinetry.
Let me show you what I did!
Prefer to watch instead? Watch the full tutorial here!
HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN KITCHEN ISLAND (USING READY-TO-ASSEMBLE CABINETS)
Here’s what I used…
- Hampton Bay Leyton Cabinets in Ink Blue (2 24″ drawer base cabinets, 1 30″ microwave base cabinet, 1 18″ trash base cabinet, and 4 36″ x 12″ wall cabinets for the back)
- Hampton Bay Toe Kicks
- Hampton Bay Baseboard
- Hampton Bay Trim
- Counter Posts (for overhang support)
- 1×3 Primed Pine
- Decorative Chair Rail Trim
- Push to Open Hardware (for cabinets on the back)
- Brass Hardware (for the cabinets on the front)
- Marble Countertops (sourced from a local slab yard)
- 2x4s (to anchor cabinets into the subfloor)
- 3″ Wood Screws (to anchor the 2x4s and secure cabinets to the floor)
- Face Frame Screws (to assemble cabinetry together)
- Wood Filler
- Caulk
- Sandpaper
- Paint – Just make sure it’s cabinet & trim paint
Here are the tools you need…
STEP 1: ASSEMBLE YOUR CABINETRY & SET THEM INTO PLACE
Start by choosing your cabinetry layout and ordering your cabinets. My Hampton Bay Leyton Cabinets from Home Depot came ready to assemble with all the hardware included. They were pretty simple to assemble — I just followed the directions that came with each cabinet!
Next, you need to set them into place. You might know where you want them ahead of time, but that could change once you actually see them in the space! Do this first, then mark the flooring that needs to be cut out if needed.
Use tape to mark the exact footprint of the cabinets, then move the cabinets out of the way and continue to the next step!
STEP 2: CUT OUT YOUR FLOORING & REPLACE AS NEEDED, THEN INSTALL
Once your cabinets are out of the way, use your multi-tool with a cutting blade to carefully cut out your flooring and remove it. Cabinets need to be installed over the subfloor to ensure they don’t shift and move as the flooring expands and contracts.
Fill in your flooring as needed. Then secure 2x4s to the subfloor that you’ll be able to screw your cabinetry into.
Place these carefully where your cabinet toe kicks will be, screw them into the subfloor with wood screws, then set your cabinetry back in, placing your cabinet toe kick right in front of your 2×4 supports.
You’ll then want to level and shim your cabinets if needed before screwing them into the 2×4 supports with wood screws. Screw them in from the unfinished toe kicks since they will be covered!
Once secured into the floor, screw your cabinetry face frames together using face frame screws. Be careful here and predrill so you don’t split your wood!
STEP 3: CUSTOMIZE YOUR CABINETRY
Now that your cabinets are installed, you can start customizing them!
If you built your kitchen island with two rows of cabinets like mine, you’ll need to customize the side panels.
I used 1×3 primed pine to trim it out, added baseboards to match the cabinetry, then used chair rail trim in the 1×3 boxes to add a detailed paneling look.
Once wood filled, sanded, and caulked, I took a piece of trim to the store to have Home Depot color-match paint for the panels. I went with a satin sheen to match the cabinetry, and it looked perfect.
I also added toe kicks and trim to the front of the cabinetry for an added detail.
And posts on the back side of the island to support the large overhang we wanted to keep an open look.
I built a microwave cover out of 1×3 primed pine and scrap trim to make the appliance look more built-in, and I painted that as well.
Next, I added the most beautiful brass hardware. A handle for the trash cabinet, knobs for the drawers, and backplates for extra detailing.
I used push-to-open hardware on the back cabinets so they’d just look like panels instead of cabinets! I love having these cabinets for the kitchen items we don’t need very often!
I sourced these beautiful marble countertops from a local slab yard and asked for an ogee edge for a more traditional look.
THAT’S IT!
If you’d like to add electric to your kitchen island like we did, make sure to plan accordingly and have it run before your island and new flooring are installed.
I added a few decorations to my island, including a large vase, a tray, and some functional items, like a berry bowl, oil and vinegar dispensers, and cloth napkins.
I’m also reusing my counter stools for now. They’re such great quality! Time will tell if we end up replacing them so we can fit four instead of three.
I can’t wait to see how you build and customize your own kitchen island!
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