How to Build Rustic Kitchen Islands

Make your own rustic kitchen island.

Modern kitchen islands are quite high-tech, with sinks, lighting, garbage disposal and more. The traditional, rustic kitchen island is a simple, sturdy wooden affair that adds a sense of country charm to any kitchen. Making your own rustic kitchen island is simple enough, if you have basic woodworking skills. If you feel up for a challenge, instead of using sized lumber for the kitchen island legs, use small logs instead; it will greatly enhance the rustic feel of the kitchen island.

Things You'll Need

• 4 lumber planks, 2 inches by 3 inches by 30 inches
• 4 lumber planks, 2 inches by 3 inches by 20 inches
• Rabbet plane
• Miter saw
• Carpenter's glue
• Corner clamps
• Drill
• Screws 3-inch
• 1 wood slab, 2 inches by 18 inches by 28 inches
• 4 lumber planks, 2 inches by 3 inches by 33 inches
• Chisel
• Clamps
• 1 wood slab, 2 inches by 22 inches by 32 inches
• Wood putty
• Sander
• Varnish/paintbrush

Instructions

1. Plane a rabbet edge 2 inches deep and 1-inch wide into two 30-inch planks and two 20-inch planks. Miter the ends of all the 30- and 20-inch planks to 45 degrees. Form the mitered planks into two rectangular frames --- the planks with the rabbet edges on the inside edge of one frame. The mitered ends will mate to form right-angled corners.

2. Glue the corners of the frames, then set to dry in corner clamps. Once dry, pre-drill two holes sized to fit the 3-inch screws through the corners of the 30-inch sides of the frames into the ends of the 20-inch frame sides. Screw together with the 3-inch screws and remove the clamps.

3. Fit the 28-inch wood slab into the frame with the rabbet edge. Pre-drill holes at 5-inch intervals around the perimeter of the slab into the rabbet edge, then screw the slab down with the 3-inch screws. This is the shelf for the rustic kitchen island.

4. Cut a housing into the end of the 33-inch planks, which are the legs, 1-inch deep and 3 inches wide. Remove the waste wood from between the housing cuts with the chisel. Cut another housing the same size in the opposite end of the legs on the same side, but 5 inches up from the end of the leg.

5. Lay two legs on the ground, housing facing upwards, and place glue in the housings. Fit the shelf frame into the housings that are 5 inches from the bottom of the legs, and fit the empty frame into the housing at the top of the legs. Adjust the legs until flush with the sides of the frames, then clamp the legs to the frames to dry.

6. Turn the frames over so the legs are on top, then drive two 3-inch screws through each of the housings into the frames to secure them. Repeat with the remaining legs on the other side of the frames.

7. Stand the kitchen island upright on the legs. Place the 32-inch wood slab over the top of the empty frame. The slab will create a lip of 2 inches over all sides of the frame once centered. Drive a 2-inch screw through the top of the slab into the top edge of the frame every 6 inches.

8. Fill the screw holes with putty and let dry. Sand the entire structure, then varnish. Apply three coats of varnish, waiting between coats the time the varnish manufacturer specifies.

Tips & Warnings

• If you plan on using the top of the kitchen island for cutting and chopping, instead of varnishing the top, treat it with mineral oil and rubbed beeswax. This is a more "chop-friendly" surface than varnish. Retreat every three months to maintain the finish.

References

• Reader's Digest: Kitchen Island
• This Old House: Building A Better Kitchen Island