Have you ever had scrap wood lying around and had the urge to throw it away? It’s tempting for sure. No one likes a garage or shed cluttered with random leftovers from a previous project.
Recently, we received some (free!) plywood from our friend who was cleaning a newly-vacated property. We’ve talked about installing a fresh layer of plywood flooring in our shed, and that thought became a reality this past week. However, we had 2 big pieces leftover from the shed floor redo… more scrap wood…
The Problem
Recently, our kitchen has begun its transformation into a utility room. We had to remove some counters and cabinets to start this process. Forward motion is exciting, but we’ve removed about 12 feet of counter space. Erin and I have had to put kitchen items in other rooms while we figure out a solution. Sounds like a daily struggle? You bet! The microwave doesn’t belong in a bedroom – trust me.
Solution??
This weekend, I had a moment of clarity. Why not build some shelves above our beverage fridge to add some storage space? Many of you know that I’m a music teacher. I know what you are thinking… a music teacher trying to build shelves?! Maybe I should stick to my day job…
Materials
The beverage fridge is 33 inches tall. I envisioned an open shelving unit on legs. Fortunately, we had some leftover 2x4s from disassembled pallets. I had to remove all nails and use the miter saw to make 34 inch legs. You could, of course, use a regular 2×4. This tutorial is based on MY scrap wood and serves as inspiration to look at your own lumber. After that, I measured the length and width of the fridge to cut 2 shelves from the leftover plywood. I added 3 inches to the length so the legs could fit around the fridge. Remember that microwave in the bedroom? Early into this project, I had a light bulb moment and measured the microwave (10 inches tall) so it would fit into the bottom shelf. Thus, I cut down 2 side panels to boost the top shelf with enough clearance for the microwave.
Here are my pieces after measuring and cutting.
Since I used materials with rough edges (plywood and pallet wood), I used an orbital sander to smooth the rough spots. We don’t have children yet, but I’m sure this type of project is dangerous for splinters. After sanding, I painted with a latex paint. You could use the paint sprayer, but I went old school and used a brush. Since our lower cabinets are black, I figured that was the answer.
