How to Make a Kitchen Set for a Child
While wooden play kitchens can be expensive, making your own is easy and affordable. You can even customize the kitchen to match the decor in your child's room or playroom. This project should only take a few hours and can be done with minimal woodworking skills and tools. Add personality to the kitchen set with paint and trim.
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Things You'll Need
- 1 x 12-inch Lumber, One 8-foot Board
- 1 x 4-inch Lumber, One 8-foot Board
- Plywood, 12 inches by 12 inches
- Hand or Circular Saw
- Jigsaw
- Wood Screws and Drill
- Metal Bowl, 8 Inches in Diameter
- Sandpaper
- Paint
- Hinges
- Cabinet Latch
- Flat brackets, 2
- Wooden Knobs or Salvaged Stove or Oven Knobs
- Short Tension Tod
- Curtain or Fabric
Instructions
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1
Cut lumber into desired lengths with the circular saw. If you do not have access to a circular saw, a home improvement center can do this for you. You can make your kitchen set any size; however, approximately 24 inches wide by 24 inches tall is a convenient size for the kitchen set base. You need four lengths cut to 24 inches from your 1 x 12-inch lumber for this basic kitchen plan.
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2
Use a jigsaw to cut an 8-inch diameter circle from one side of the one of the 1-inch by 12-inch by 24-inch boards that will be your kitchen surface. This hole will hold your sink. If your bowl or basin is smaller or larger, adjust accordingly.
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3
Use a circular saw or have a piece of plywood cut to 12 by 12 inches. This will be your oven door for your toy kitchen. Cut a small handhold into the door with a jigsaw in the shape of an elongated oval, approximately 1 inch high by 3 inches long. Place the top of this opening 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches from the top of the oven door piece.
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4
Cut the 1- by 4-inch board into two lengths of 18 inches and two lengths of 24 inches. These boards will form your toy kitchen shelving.
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5
Assemble a simple shelving unit from your four lengths of 1- by 12-inch lumber, each 24 inches long, drilling pilot holes with a small drill bit and using your drill to secure the unit with wood screws. Working on a horizontal surface, drill through the upright support board and into the lower shelf on each side. Stand the unit on end and screw the top board with the sink hole into place. You should have two uprights, one shelf 12 inches off the floor and the final board on top with the hole for the sink. Use a bit of scrap lumber to create a center support between the work area and upper shelf, screwing it in at the top and lower shelf. Keep your corners at a true 90-degree angle as you secure each shelf.
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6
Create a simple hutch for your play kitchen from the 1- by 4-inch lumber. Use the two 18-inch boards as upright supports and place a 24-inch board at approximately 8 1/2 inches and on top of these boards. Secure with wood screws. Attach this to the play kitchen base using 2 flat metal brackets, one at each end. These will screw into place, one end on the hutch and the other on the kitchen unit.
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7
Sand and paint your play kitchen. Create simple stencils to paint on two burners, or freehand them if you prefer. Paint the oven door. Be as creative as you like, adding kitchen accents. Consider painting a window into the oven or a towel hanging on the side of the kitchen set.
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8
Use wood screws and hinges to mount your oven door to the lower shelf of your kitchen set. Add a cabinet latch at the top of the door to hold it closed.
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9
Install knobs for the stove and oven and a tap for your sink, if desired. Add play food and dishes and a curtain on a tension rod to hide any utensils.
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Tips & Warnings
Adjust the size of this play kitchen to suit the available space as well as your child's needs. Recycle a bookshelf or cabinet to save money on this project.
