How to Build a Play Kitchen
A play kitchen offers many opportunities for creative play, ranging from playing house to playing restaurant. Play kitchens are an excellent gift or play area for boys or girls. While purchasing a good-quality wooden play kitchen can be expensive, you can make your own from a repurposed bookshelf, nightstand or cabinet, creating an adorable and affordable play kitchen for your children, for a classroom or a day care situation.
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Things You'll Need
- Small cabinet, bookcase or old nightstand
- Wooden shelf, width to match your kitchen base cabinet
- Stainless steel bowl
- Flat wooden rounds
- Wooden knobs
- Small towel bar
- Sandpaper
- Paint or stain
- Polyurethane
- Drill and bits
- Sturdy wood glue
- L-brackets
Instructions
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How to Build a Play Kitchen
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1
Choose a piece of old furniture. Use any piece that is a suitable height for your child, and look for one that is at least 24 inches by 12 inches; however, size can vary.
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2
Trace around the bowl using a pencil. Drill a hole with a large bit to create an opening for the jigsaw blade. Cut out an opening for the sink in the top surface using a jigsaw. Sand the edges quite smooth.
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3
Sand the surfaces smooth. Be sure that no splinters remain, especially if you are reusing a worn piece of furniture. Use sandpaper to smooth and prep the wooden rounds, knobs and wooden shelf as well.
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4
Paint or stain the play kitchen as desired. Use a stain that matches the room in which the play kitchen will be situated. Opt for a dark stain and high-gloss polyurethane for a rich look in your traditional living room or kitchen or sweet pastels for the playroom. Be sure to seal all parts of the kitchen with polyurethane sealer for easy cleanup.
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5
Paint the wooden rounds black. Allow these to dry thoroughly, then glue them into place. Create a two- or four-burner stove with your play kitchen depending upon the size of the toy kitchen. Screw two or four knobs into place on the front edge of the play kitchen.
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6
Screw a towel bar into place on the toy kitchen. Arrange the towel bar on the side or front of the play kitchen depending upon the overall design of the homemade kitchen.
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7
Secure the kitchen into place against the wall with brackets. Mount the shelf above the homemade kitchen.
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Tips & Warnings
Add curtains to your homemade kitchen or paint details on it, like an oven window or a built-in spice rack.
