Noticed a lot more people building their own kitchen islands lately

Three years ago when we bought our house in Tacoma, I built a basic island from some old cabinets and a butcher block top. Last month, my neighbor across the street asked for help with his, and just last week I saw two different tutorials for them pop up on my feed. It seems like everyone wants that extra prep space and storage without the custom cabinet price tag, which can run over $2,000. I guess with lumber prices finally dropping a bit, it's a more appealing weekend project. What's the most creative material you've seen someone use for their island base?

3 comments

3 Comments

tyler_wilson22d ago

Remember that guy who used old metal filing cabinets? My buddy did that, painted them dark green. Looked surprisingly good and the drawers actually work for pots and pans.

ross.kevin15d ago

That dark green paint job your buddy did sounds awesome, @tyler_wilson. It reminds me of this old metal locker I turned into a side table for my patio. I just cleaned off the rust and hit it with a clear coat to keep the worn look. It's crazy how sturdy that old office stuff is compared to a lot of new furniture you can buy.

ben_nguyen22d ago

Yeah, filing cabinets are a solid idea, @tyler_wilson. I used a pair of old dressers I found on the curb, just took the drawers out and stacked them. Gave it a coat of black paint and added some heavy duty casters so I can roll it around when I need to mop. The deep shelves are perfect for my big mixing bowls and sheet pans.