Pantry Remodel - Lets Start With Drawers!

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This pantry is about 4ft deep and 3ft wide with 2ft deep shelving. It’s just not very functional and I’m ready to change that! With the shelves being so deep, things tend to get lost behind other things and go bad. I’ve been thinking about how to make this pantry better for the last several years and I think I finally have a good plan!

I started by removing the lower 2 shelves and building a cabinet for that space so I could add drawers. I scored the caulk line on the tops and bottoms of the shelves. The reason I still have items in the pantry is because I’m doing this in sections and in between my full time job as a flight attendant, so I didn’t want to take EVERYTHING out for weeks/months. Instead I’m doing a little at a time and working with our things in here the best I can.

Then I tried to pry the shelves off with my hands, that didn’t work, so I got on the floor and tried to push them up and off with my feet…they were on there GOOD!

That didn’t work either, so I got out the big guns! I have this jack type lift thats super strong! I put on my step stool and then was able to loosen the shelf!

But then I got out the even bigger guns (Tyler) for the second shelf because the stool and the jack wouldn’t reach it, Tyler got the rest off for me when he got home from work.

Here’s a quick video of the process I’ve made in this post with a VoiceOver.

Once I got the shelves and baseboards out I started working on the cabinets. I’m making them out of 3/4in sanded plywood and cutting them down to size with some clamps, a guide and my circular saw. I was going to purchase some premade cabinets, but I couldn’t find any the right size without wasting a lot of space and it would cost me a lot more than just building them myself.

I added pocket holes to the plywood with my fancy Kreg Foreman. This thing is expensive, but when you use pocket holes as much as I do it’s worth it!

Then I came inside to build the cabinet boxes because I live in Texas and it’s hot as hell outside! Plus my floor is flat and I can put the plywood against my flat trim in order to make sure it all lines up perfectly.

A little trick to keep the wood from shifting when you screw it together with pocket holes is to use wood glue brad nails to keep it in place while you screw it together. I’m only adding smaller pieces on the top and back to save on material, these will help keep it square.

Once I got them together I did a test fit to make sure they fit before proceeding.

Then I removed them and added a base made out of 2x4s. This allows me to have room to add baseboards at the bottom once it’s all in stalled. I secured this to the studs on the back and side walls.

Then I put the cabinets back in, clamped them while I screwed them together, secured them to the base and the studs in the back and side walls.

I usually prefer drawers over open shelf storage anywhere that makes sense. The reason I built cabinet boxes instead of adding drawers to the drywall is because drywall is never straight and it’s easier to ensure cabinets are square rather than trying to shim the drawer slides on drywall.

Once those were built and installed, I put together the face frame with 1×2 primed pine. I used pocket holes to attach them together and then used my brad nailer to attached the faceframe to the cabinet. The face frame won’t be holding any weight at all so brad nails will do. Before the face frame was installed I did add a primed 1×4 in front of the base to bring it forward, flush with the face frame, so I’d have something to attach the baseboard to.

Then it was on to the countertop. I went looking for white tile that I could add to look like a marble countertop, but didn’t find anything I liked. However, I did have 3/4in plywood on hand with some marble looking wallpaper! I attached 2 pieces together with wood glue and pocket holes.

I did a test fit and then added a layer to the front in a strip to make it look like it was 1.5in thick like regular countertop thickness.

Then I removed it and added this peel and stick marbled wallpaper, it’s shiny so it looks more realistic.

Then I trimmed off the excess with a razor knife. These tile floors can’t be scratched, so I just cut right on top of them.

I put it back in place and screwed it down from underneath, making sure to use screws that were long enough to secure it but not too long to go through the top.

Here it is up close, I think it will do for the pantry for now, but I’m not a huge fan of how it looks bubbly in the front. I may end up replacing it one day…we shall see.

Then I added these soft close drawer slides with spacers to bring them out to clear the faceframe. I’ve used lots of drawer slides before, but these have so far been my favorite! Even more than the ones I used in my closet and bathroom!

I built the drawers out of 1/2in plywood, I find this works the best for small to medium sized drawers. If you are building larger drawers you might want to at least use 3/4in plywood. I cut the bottom down to size minus 1in to allow for the sides of the drawers to go over the base. Then I use wood glue and 1in brad nails to connect everything together. I know there are more professional ways to build drawers, like with the tongue and groove method or pocket holes, but I find this works great for me and I’ve never had an issue. Wood glue is soooo strong!

I built 4 shorter drawers for the tops and 2 taller drawers for the bottom so we have options on what we can fit in them.

Then I got them installed. At this point I was considering leaving the drawer faces open like this inspo picture, but I’m undecided.

I did go back later and add some edge banding to the top of the drawers so the ugly plywood edge wouldn’t be showing. I put it on with a clothes iron and then cut the excess off with a razor knife. Here’s the difference, the left has edge banding and the right doesn’t.