Family Room Built-in - The Countertop and Base Cabinet Trim

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

I've been working really hard trying to finish this whole wall of shelves in our family room. During the weekend, I made good progress, but I couldn't reach my goal of finishing the building part to start the painting.

As you probably have noticed, I haven't been good at keeping you posted. The thing is, at the end of the day, I'm exhausted, and the last thing I want to do is grab my computer and start uploading pictures. However, it was about time, and here I am with the second part of this building project.

The first part you can check right HERE ended with the picture below. When the carcasses for the base cabinets were done and placed inside the room.

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Well, I was ready to secure these carcasses to the wall and to each other, but after measuring how high they were and then comparing those numbers to the other built-ins I had in the dining room, I realized that this new wall was a bit too short. So, I decided to install a couple of strips of 1" material to raise that countertop line a bit. My cordless DeWalt Cordless Framing Nailer was perfect for this job.

Whenever you build something, you're likely to run into mistakes or things that don't go the way you wished for, but there is always a way to fix things. I'm so glad I had an easy way to fix this.

DeWalt 20-Volt MAX Lithium-Ion 21-Degree Cordless Framing Nailer

To ensure the entire setup is level, this is the moment to set those level lines. A laser level is by far the easiest way to put those lines.

I used my Bosch 30 ft. self-leveling laser level to mark the line where the top of carcasses should go. The bases were lined along the wall, and the laser line was placed at its highest point. The cabinets that didn't reach that line were shimmed up.

Bosch 30 ft. self-leveling laser level

The next step was to determine how deep those columns or boxes between the cabinets should be. For me, it was determined by the thickness of the door plus the small lattice piece I still needed to add to the boxes.

Oh, and here, you can notice I trimmed the rough plywood edges with a 1/2" parting bead. These cabinets are not going to have a face frame; they are frameless cabinets. The doors will be full overlay, which means they will cover the front of the cabinet. But, at the same time, I'm building them to look like inset doors.

Finding the studs on the wall is a task you can do even before bringing the cabinets in. Use a stud finder to locate those studs. I had to make some holes in the Sheetrock to be sure what was behind there. My biggest fear was hitting a water pipe that I thought was running up there.

Those base cabinets were secured to the studs with 2-1/2" wooden screws.

Then, the cabinets were clamped to the boxes, ensuring they were level and the boxes were at the proper depth. They were secured to each other using 1-1/2" wooden screws.

DeWalt Cordless Drill/Driver

THE COUNTERTOP

A 1-1/2" countertop was built from one sheet of 3/4" MDF and one of 3/4" plywood. At Home Depot, I asked them to cut them in half lengthwise. The MDF was the first to be laid on top of the cabinets.

From underneath, I traced the profile to be cut. Here, I traced that line, thinking I had to leave an overhang. But before cutting it, I remembered that I was going to add 1 x 2 material to finish those rough edges, and that material was going to be the overhang. So, there was no need to retrace. 

By the way, MDF is so heavy! 

I had to ask my boy to help me bring those boards inside to mark them, then outside to cut them, and then inside again to install them. 😝

This first layer of the counter was run continuously, and an extra piece of plywood was added at the end.

Then, the plywood or top layer was brought in, and again, from underneath, I marked the cutting line. 

The plywood was laid in three pieces. One piece covers the center cabinet, and two more plywood pieces cover each of the sides.

Since my cabinets were of different depths, I had to use my Ryobi Jig Saw to cut around those lines. 

And let me ask you when was the last time you used a jigsaw?? 

Well, maybe it's time for you to upgrade to the latest jigsaw because jigsaws have come a long way, and you'll love the improvements they have made to this basic tool. 

RYOBI Cordless Brushless Jig Saw

The next step was to secure both boards to the cabinets. I clamped the two boards and put weights on them to bring them down. A good chunk of 1-1/4" brad nails was driven from the top down to connect both layers of MDF and plywood. 

Then, from underneath the cabinet, I drove 2" wooden screws throw the 1 x 4 strips of pine on the carcasses all the way up to the countertop to secure them both.

I sanded the rough edges well and applied wood glue before installing the 1 x 2 material all along the edge.

The corners were mitered.

THE BASEBOARD

That open part at the bottom of the cabinets was beefed up with 1x2 and 1x3 pine. I did this in part because I wanted to give the cabinet doors an inset look and also because I had a good surface to attach the baseboard to.

1/4" lattice pieces were added to the boxes to even up the baseboard line.

Then, the 1 x 6 material was cut to size and mitered to create the baseboard.

If there is a tool I really LOVE, it is my RYOBI cordless Airstrike brad nailer. 

I use it all the time!

 It's my go-to tool for installing this type of molding.

RYOBI Cordless Airstrike Brad Nailer

Finally, 1-1/3" pieces of lattice were added to the boxes to give them more detail. 

Wood glue and 3/4" brad nails were used to secure them.

I was installing the base cap molding at the top of the baseboard.

Here is how they looked with me on top of those bases and Louie, my assistant, trying to join in the fun! :)

Well, that's it for now. Building and installing the shelves is the next part; stay tuned!

Here are the links to all the work done for this project:

The Doors and Final Reveal

The Door Knobs

The Painting Process

Installing the Top or Header

Building and Installing the Shelves

The Countertop

Building the Base Cabinets

Family Room - The Before

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