A few months ago one of my friends asked if I could make a jelly cabinet for her mom. So I said “YEAH! … what’s a jelly cabinet?”
Apparently it’s just a storage cabinet you keep in the kitchen, but really you can put anything in it. She sent me a picture of what she had, and it looked a lot like a regular kitchen cabinet so the idea to just repurpose an old cabinet popped in my head.
For $20 at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore I picked up this hot mess:
Zsa Zsa wasn’t totally on board, but it had good bones. I used a hammer and a pry bar to rip off that bit of trim at the bottom, then a palm sander to smooth it down and get some of the paint off.
That big gap at the top part really stood out (it’s where crown would have gone when it was an upper cabinet), so I flipped the cabinet over- having the gap at the bottom made a lot more sense. .
The sides where the biggest challenge though- they needed to be built out to line up with the facing and to hide the original purpose of the piece.
I cut down some 1×2’s at a 45 degree angle and framed out the sides. To attach, I used both Gorilla Glue and finishing nails (the black stick next to the nails is called a puncher, it helped me to bury the nails).
I used wood filler to make my joints a little more seamless, and because I knew I was going to paint this piece I caulked all the seams between the 1×2’s and cabinet as well.
To lift the cabinet up and get it looking more like a freestanding piece, I just screwed in some heavy duty top plates and pre-drilled legs.
After 3 coats of black paint, a little charcoal gray on the inset of the door, and several coats of wax- I think she’s looking pretty darn good.
It’ll be off to it’s new home in a few weeks, but I staged it in my sunroom in the meantime. And you know what? I freaking love it there. Looks like I’ve got my next project lined up. I think I’m going to try to build my from scratch though. 😉
My quality control inspectors decided it was good and sturdy, and super useful for extra storage as well.
Here’s the side by side:
I know the whole mitered side thing seems intimidating, but I promise it’s very doable and it’s the hardest part of this whole project. For just about $50 this is a good, long lasting piece that looks pretty timeless as well.
What do you think? Don’t you want one now too?!
Is this a top cabinet? I’m fixing to go pick one up that i bought on an online yard sale and this is just the kinds of idea I’ve been looking for. He said it was brand new solid oak, so I’ve got my fingers crossed. I just forgot to ask for dimensions, but for $15 I’m not gonna be picky!
Thanks
It was a top! 🙂
The ReStore place is a treasure hunter’s Valhalla. I went there looking for a range hood. I found the base cabinets for my scrap room remodel and extra bonus, they were 55% off. Score!!!! I make it a point to go there at least 2-3 times a month now. I am amazed at the things that people donate that I never knew I needed. 🙂
awesome!!! I love it there too- especially for smaller stuff like paintbrushes and door knobs. It’s a gold mine!
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I like the transformation happened on the cabinet. It really differentiate the color.
What a wonderful reuse of a throwaway piece; Thanks For Sharing!!!
May I ask why and how you used wax? I had never heard of that before and an very interested as I don’t usually like the way repainting cabinets turns out and am curious if this is a good way to remedy that! 🙂 Thanks!
May I ask why and how you used wax? I had never heard of that before and an very interested as I don’t usually like the way repainting cabinets turns out and am curious if this is a good way to remedy that! 🙂 Thanks!
Hi Mishal- I used wax because chalk paint is meant to flake and wear a bit, but I didn’t want that look. It also helped keep the paint looking matte (as opposed to polycrylic, which uses gives it a sheen).
So what kind of wax did you use and where can you purchase it?
I used Americana Decor wax, which I got from the company- but you can find it at a hardware store or Michael’s.
That is a pretty great idea! I love the final result!
thanks! I hope my client likes it, and I definitely am going to make one for myself next. 🙂
Really good job on that cabinet. How much did the kitties help?
Haha they were an integral part of this project 🙂
What an awesome idea! It would be really rad with some fun hardware from Antrho or something like that. Great idea my friend!
thanks! Yeah I think when I make mine I’m going to need a funky pull on it. Probably brass because that’s my latest obsession. 🙂 I’m excited to try to build one from scratch.
ZOMG! I have one kitchen cabinet that won’t fit back in our kitchen’s new design, but I think we have found a solution!!!!!! Yeah Stephanie!!!!!
Yayyyy!