How to Make a Kitchen Island From a Chest of Drawers

Give a chest of drawers new life in the kitchen.

Kitchen islands add extra bench space, storage space and extra preparation areas, but not every kitchen is blessed with a built-in kitchen island. Make your own kitchen island by repurposing an old chest of drawers, and you can easily create a chic kitchen accessory with loads of storage space. Pick up chests of drawers cheaply at thrift stores or in local classifieds, and you are sure to save more cash transforming the drawers than if you purchased a new ready-made kitchen island.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Kitchen island top
• Oil-based paint
• Paintbrush
• Ceramic adhesive or wood glue
• Drill (optional)
• Screws (optional)
• Screw hooks (optional)

Instructions

1. Measure the top of your chest of drawers. The kitchen island top you choose should be around 2 to 3 inches wider on all sides than the top of the drawers.

2. Purchase the kitchen island top of your choice. A pre-made stone or tile countertop is ideal if you intend to use the kitchen island for food preparation, or a butcher block if you intend to use the kitchen island as an extra cutting and preparation surface. Have the countertop or butcher block cut to size.

3. Remove the drawers and hardware from the chest of drawers, then paint the unit, including the drawers separately to match the kitchen. Use an oil-based paint, and apply two to three coats to ensure a long-lasting finish in the kitchen environment.

4. Center the chosen top over the chest of drawers. If it is a butcher block, use wood glue to hold it in position. If you use a stone or tile countertop, ceramic adhesive will be enough to keep the countertop on. Secure a butcher block with screws driven from the underside of the top of the chest of drawers into the underside of the block. Use screws long enough to go through the chest of drawers and about a third of the way through the butcher block.

5. Screw in three to four screw hooks, if desired, on each side of the chest of drawers for hanging utensils.

6. Replace the hardware on the drawers, then fit the drawers back in the chest before positioning the kitchen island in the kitchen.

Tips & Warnings

• Paper towel holders or heavy-duty screw hooks for pots are also good additions to the kitchen island.

• If the back of the chest of drawers is a flimsy, thin backing like particleboard, replace it with a sheet of sturdy plywood before painting, as the back of the chest will be visible as the front of the kitchen island. You can also install a blackboard or message board on the front.

• If you want a mobile kitchen island, turn the chest of draws upside down and attach a heavy-duty caster to the end of each foot of the dresser before you attach the top of the kitchen island.