Optimize Your Kitchen Storage With A DIY Floor-Mounted Wall Cabinet

When you embrace the DIY spirit, you begin to realize you don't have to take anything at face value. With enough inspiration, we can reimagine random materials to suit completely different needs or expand an item's uses beyond its usual placement. Consider how you might utilize a kitchen wall cabinet. It's hard to see these working anywhere other than over the counter. But if you can DIY a sturdy foundation, you'll realize they can be effortlessly transformed into perfect base cabinets, providing all-new storage opportunities! The hack is so simple, but the unique budget-friendly solutions it can create could be exactly what you need. It is a great way to save time and effort on a new build, and if you use repurposed wall units, it can even be more cost-efficient than building your own cabinets.

Wall cabinets vary in height from around 30 to 42 inches, so a custom base will make yours the perfect counter height. Since they are typically shallower than base cabinets, they can also create an ideal solution for areas where you need a counter but don't have the depth for a standard base unit. Changing a wall cabinet into a floor-mounted version is relatively uncomplicated. A rectangular frame of dimensional lumber or plywood raises the cabinet to the desired height, while a countertop installation finishes the build. With finishing touches like matching paint and hardware, you can perfectly fit your DIY alongside your kitchen counters without anyone being able to tell the difference.

Create a wood base for your wall cabinet by building a rectangular frame from dimensional lumber. Generally, toe kicks are recessed about 3 inches past the edge of the cabinet and rise around 4 inches. But you might have to adjust your measurements. The toe kick depth may have to change to align with surrounding cabinets, as will the height if the countertop has to join with other counters. Measure the base of your cabinet, consider how this unit will connect to other cabinets, and size your foundation accordingly. Place your cabinet over the frame, and screw it in place with wood screws. Position the cabinet against the wall, and secure it with screws into the wall studs.

After installing the cabinet over the base, add a toe kick to the support foundation. The last piece of the puzzle is the countertop. You could go with an inexpensive and simple-to-install countertop like laminate if you don't have to match your counter to anything else. Wood counters are likewise easy to shape and put on and can be relatively inexpensive, especially if you repurpose pieces from past projects. With counters installed, you can prime and paint. The finishing touch is the door handles, as you'll have to move them from the bottom of the door to the top. You can try flipping the doors for a quick and dirty solution, though reinstalling the handles at the top of the doors and filling the holes with wood putty is an easy operation.

Starting with this basic breakdown of setting up a floor-mounted storage piece, you can tweak it in various ways to get the utility you need. You could put two cabinets side by side, for instance, to make a long run on the back side of a kitchen island, making a deeper countertop space. Or you could squeeze a cabinet into a pantry space with side blocking to make a seamless built-in look, as @diazconstruccion5053 does in this video. For bonus points, sealing the counter edge against the wall with caulk will complete the fully integrated aesthetic.

After finishing the basic build, consider how to further improve its usability. Think about how you can add storage to the sides of the cabinets, such as shelving or hanging hooks. You can also change up the inside by adding or taking away shelves or redoing the frames with DIY pull-out drawers. In general, converting wall cabinets to floor-mounted versions is a straightforward project with many ways to personalize the looks and function. If you have leftover cabinets you want to reuse or just need a novel fix for your kitchen storage issues, this may be the perfect project to take on next.