How to turn an old dresser into a great Kitchen Island or work surface

With a few modifications, you can turn that ordinary old dresser into a one of a kind Kitchen Island/work surface.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• paint/stain
• hardware
• various tools
• a little know-how
• 1/4" plywood or luan

1. 
    

   Find that perfect dresser to turn into your Island. You'll need a little "vision" for this. Thrift stores and garage sales are good places to start. I bought this dresser for approx. $30.00
   Decide what changes you'll make to the dresser to make it into an island, then make an action plan to follow to accomplish your finished piece.

2. Make the cabinet space. Remove the 2 bottom drawers. Take the horizontal piece which separated them and cut it to fit as a vertical piece which will divide the bottom area equally into cabinet space. Screw this piece into place from above and below. Measure the cabinet openings, then cut the doors from the dresser top(if you're going to keep the existing top for the island, buy the cabinet doors from your local building supply center), making them just a bit smaller so they'll open and close freely after being painted. Measure the inside/bottom of the cabinet space and cut a piece of 1/4" plywood or Luan to fit and brad nail or staple in place. You may have to add a support under the cabinet space from front to back to handle the weight of whatever you'll be storing in there.

3. Making the top. I took some old oak boards I had lying around to make the top. This was by far the most labor intensive part of the project. Home improvement stores have ready made table tops or you could buy or order a butcher block top. After edge gluing and letting set in clamps for a couple days, I measured and cut the top to size, then routered the edge to my liking.

4. Finishing the island. If your piece has many coats of paint on it, it may look a little sloppy and you'll want to strip it before repainting. Use all necessary safety precautions as anything painted prior to 1979 may have lead based paint. Prime and Paint your island the desired color, add the new hardware, stain and poly the top when everthing is dry attach the new top to your island. Your island is finished and ready to add beauty and function to your kitchen.

Tips & Warnings

• Convincing your significant other that old nasty looking dresser is soon going to take center stage in your kitchen is sometimes a project itself. Try your best to convey your "vision". Sketching the finished piece may help.
• If you plan on preparing food directly on the top, you will want a butcher block or stone top. Do not prepare food on polyuerethaned surfaces.
• Be sure to follow safety precautions for removal of lead based paint if you're working with an older piece. If you're unsure of the presence of lead based paint, assume that it is. Better safe than sorry.