How to Build Kitchen Cart From Base Cabinet

A base cabinet makes a good foundation for a kitchen cart.

A kitchen cart is a handy tool that allows a portion of your work surface to be moved to where it's needed. Building one from a base, or lower, cabinet adds the built-in luxury of doors and adjustable shelving. Choose casters heavy enough to carry the cart smoothly; sudden jolts make the storage inside less usable. Kitchen carts can be built with your choice of work top. For this example, a laminate top was chosen.

Things You'll Need

• 1/4-inch Luan plywood
• Base cabinet unit
• 3/4-inch plywood
• Circular saw
• Plastic laminate
• Contact cement
• 1-by-2-inch lumber
• Miter saw
• Wood glue
• Hammer and nails
• Drill
• Four 4-inch casters
• 3/4-inch pan head screws
• Paint or stain

Instructions

Prepping the Cabinet, Building the Top

1. Cut a piece of ¼-inch-thick Luan plywood to fit between the side panels of the cabinet, filling the back. For a cabinet 30 inches high and 30 inches wide, you will need a 30-by-28.5-inch piece of Luan plywood. Glue and nail the panel in place between the side panels on the back of the cabinet.

2. Cut the plywood for your top. For purposes of this example, assume a 24-inch-deep by 30-inch-wide lower cabinet unit. Cut your top 24.5-by-30.5 inches from ¾-inch plywood. Use a circular saw to make the cuts.

3. Cut a 25-by-31-inch piece of laminate using a fine-tooth blade on a circular saw. Flip the blade so that the teeth are backward to help prevent chipping. Return the blade to its proper installation before using it on other material.

4. Roll a coat of contact cement onto the plywood and another onto the back of the laminate. Allow it to dry thoroughly before centering the laminate on the plywood.

5. Press the laminate down firmly using a J roller or rolling pin. Trim the edge of the laminate with a router equipped with a flush-cut bit. Loosen the router collar, and adjust the depth by turning the router clockwise to lower and counterclockwise to raise the bit so that it rides below the laminate on the edge of the plywood. Run the router counterclockwise around the plywood, and keep the bit firmly against the plywood edge.

6. Cut 1-by-2-inch lumber to create an edge around the laminated plywood top. Cut two at 26 inches and two at 32 inches from the outside to outside of the miters. Stand the 1-by-2 on its narrow edge to make the cuts. Use a miter saw to cut 45-degree miters on the corners of all four pieces.

7. Attach the four 1-by-2-inch pieces to the edge of the top, with one narrow edge flush with the top of the laminate. Glue and nail to attach. Match the 45-degree corners as tightly as possible.

Assembling the Cart

1. Set the finished top on the cabinet. Attach with screws from the inside up through the horizontal braces in the top of the cabinet. Use one ¼-inch drywall screws, at least two in each brace, up into the bottom of the top.

2. Turn the cabinet over, and attach four casters, one in each corner of the cabinet base. Use 4-inch casters to lift the cabinet above the floor. Attach using ¾-inch pan head screws. Drive one screw in each hole in the caster plate into the base of the cabinet.

3. Set the cart upright, and stain or paint to match your existing cabinets.

Tips & Warnings

• Attach a heavy duty towel bar to one narrow side to use as a towel bar, or handle to move the cart.

• Replace the plywood back panel with peg board for increased storage.

References

• "Making Plastic-Laminate Countertops": Herrick Kimball, 1996
• Furniture and Cabinet Making: John Louis Feirer, Scribner, 1983