Kitchen Organization - Pull Out Shelves in Pantry

I am so happy to check this project off my to do list! It's been there in the back of my head since we moved into this house. When the kitchen got the makeover it moved up the list, but not enough to make it happened :/
After all, my pantry is a skinny cabinet (24" deep), that was working fairly well on storing products. I said "fairly well" but perhaps I should say "really well", because whatever got in there, stayed IN there!

Look what I found when I emptied it:

A Best by APR 2010 can of pumpkin! Almost 4 years past the due date! 

Kind of embarrassing :/

It was hard to reach to whatever was in the back of each shelf!

Why it took me forever to do this?  My tools, that was the main reason. I don't have a table saw, and the miter saw I own is so cheap, I don't trust it any more for precise cuts.

Now, the great thing was, I didn't build the drawers! I didn't even install them. :)
Hmmm this sounds like a sponsored post but it is not! I can only give a big THANK YOU / shout out to my brother in law: Stanley, he is the Pro who owns Kitchens with Style. In one of our family reunions he heard me talking about my pains and tribulations with this pantry. Well, he offered to check with his distributors for the kind of shelves/drawers I needed, he took some quick measurements and that was it. Two weeks later I found a big delivered package at my front door. Wow, it was like Christmas came early! He also offered me help on installing the drawers, of course I couldn't refuse that offer ;)

So, here is what I learned while he installed the drawers:

The pantry was emptied, duh of course ;)

One of the biggest troubles I had when contemplating how to build the drawers were the dimensions, the width and and how deep into the cabinet they should go. That's why I took measurements of what we used, so in case you're building your own you can relate to this.

The face frame opening is the one to be measured, after all, the drawers have to go thru that opening ;)  As a rule of thumb he said, leave 1-1/8" space for the slides.

The drawers are screwed to the front face, from there to the back of the cabinet I had 23-½", the drawers were 22" deep.

The slides inside the cabinet were screwed to the face frame and on the back of the cabinet to 1x2 supports installed flush to the face frame.

Use the slides to determine the placement of the wood supports above. We used 22" full extension slides.

The slides have little openings where the screws can be driven (left picture below). My storage needs only required one support post on the back.

Once the 1 x 2 supports were in place, it was time to install the inner slides for the first drawer, the one at the bottom of the cabinet. It was the trickiest, because of the small lip the face frame creates at the bottom.
In order to prevent the drawer getting stuck with that lip, you have to install the slides high enough for the drawer to come out freely.  I love the simple trick he used:

Formica laminate samples!

Each sample is 1/8" thick. You place as many as you want on each side, they are going to keep the slides level, I think we used 7 on each side.

Now you can place the slide on top of the samples and mark your points on the face frame and the back support.

Placing the drawer inside the cabinet, mark the place where the slide should be installed.  Take it out, make a level line along that mark and drive the screws to secure this part of the slides in place.

After the first drawer is installed, you just need to know what you want to store in there to give it the proper space and then you can continue installing the next shelf, keeping it level.

Until they are all installed and you can do a happy dance  :)

Well, I went a bit ahead and transformed the doors with chalkboard paint.

Some tags, for when I send my Mr. looking for something ;)

And I even spruced up the top part too.  I usually store big items in there, so no need for slides. The door also got a makeover with the free Measuring Equivalents found HERE

For more kitchen organization check these out:

How to Make and Install Drawers in Cabinet Above the Fridge

DIY - Inside Cabinet Plate Rack

For the kitchen renovation click HERE
Updating the Kitchen Island
How to build the Refrigerator Enclosure
How to build the Range Hood
Closing the Space above the Kitchen Cabinets
Adding Moldings to your Kitcen Cabinets
Painting Oak Kitchen Cabinets
Installing the Marble Backsplash
Lighting Plan
Kitchen Cost Breakdown
1 ½ Year Later How the Kitchen is Holding up
Build-in Plate Rack
LG Appliances Review and Complain

Enjoy what you read today? Enter your email address below to subscribe to Remodelando la Casa:


Delivered by FeedBurner