I drew my inspiration from the white base with butcher block counters liked featured in Season 2 of Fixer Upper.
My kitchen has long been one of those rooms in my home that I put in the category of "almost complete." When I moved in, it had already been beautifully redone with white headboard cabinets, marble countertops, a farmhouse sink, and wonderful stainless appliances to boot! But, the problem is that it's kind of an awkward size. There isn't truly enough room to put a nice island (not to mention any type of table), yet without something there is just this dead space in the middle. Plus no where to put out food for guests or let a friend sit to talk to you while you cook.
So, my idea for a solution became a kitchen island on wheels. Thus, I could move it into the corner under the window when it became to burdensome, but I have it there for everyday use - because if there was one downside to my beautiful kitchen, it's that it is a little short on counter space.
My mom happened across a great deal for a 2' x 4' butcher block at Menard's - which just happened to be the perfect size for my space - which was the base for building the rest of the island.
If you're not an engineer (like me) or don't have a lot of experience building furniture pieces, there are a lot of articles out there to help you get started. One great post that I read was from Reality Daydream on their DIY Kitchen Custom Island with free plans.
I'll do my best to guide you through my construction process here, but honestly I sort of made it up as I went. A lot of trial and error. Measure twice, cut once, then trim, then trim again and again to get the right fit. Don't get discouraged. It took me an assemblage of a couple of weeks by the time the final coat of paint was on, but I am super happy with the result!
Shopping List:
- 3/4" Plywood (2 Sheets - I had some pieces pre-cut in the store for ease of building and transport).
- 6 Pieces of 2" x 1" Trim or Similar
- 4 Wheels (2 With Locks, 2 Without)
- 2" Screws
- Wood Putty
- Finishing Nails (If you don't have a pneumatic nailer)
- Wood Glue
- Sandpaper (Fine Grit)
- Butcher Block Top (Pre-finished, 2' x 4')
- Mineral Oil
Steps:
- Head to the store. Have the guy at Home Depot rip down the plywood into your main size pieces. I chose to do this just because the 4' x 8' sheets don't fit in my car and are hard to manage on my own. I chose to have him make the back piece (44" x 28-3/4") plus cut 16" strips out of the remaining pieces for the sides/shelves/top.
- Start putting your outer box together. I made an "L" out of the large back piece (sized 44" x 28-3/4") and the bottom piece (sized 16" x 44"). I put this together using wood glue and the 2" screws.
- Next, I added the sides. These went flush with the edges of the "L" (each one sized 16" x 28"). Again, I attached these with wood glue and 2" screws. I predrilled the holes before screwing the pieces together to prevent any cracking.
- Repeat this process on the opposite side to create a 4-sided rectangular prism.
- Next up: the center divider to hold the shelves. (Using a third piece cut to 16" x 28"). I had originally planned on putting some metals bins that my grandmother gave me to work as drawers (still working on how to do that without scratching the paint). So, I wanted to make the right side fit the two metal bins. I made the divider about 2 inches wider than the bins so that I had plenty of room to pull them in and out. I used corner clamps to hold the divider board in place while following the same process as I used above - wood glue, pre-drill holes, then pull together with the 2" screws. I opted to put the screws at the very top and bottom of the back-piece so that I could later cover their faces with the trim boards.
- Add support between the sides and the center divider. This will really start to strengthen your island. I used a scrap piece that I had from other cuts and cut it to the exact length. Again, connecting with wood glue and 2" screws. You can see from the picture that I used corner clamps (purchased especially for this project) to hold everything in place while attaching it.
- Add Shelves. I opted to add one shelf on both sides of the center divider. I measured them to fit, cut them a bit long, then trimmed each shelf to ensure a tight fit. I attached them again using screws, attaching them just along the edges so that I could cover them with trim. The larger shelf on the left, I also trim lengthwise to allow for some spindles to be inset in the cabinet to add detail.
- Add wheels. Kind of a necessary step to add the whole "rolling island" thing. On each corner, I attached a small block made from a scrap of plywood, then put the wheel on that. You could attach the wheel directly to the bottom, but I realized I made the island a couple inches shorter than I had originally planned, so this was one way I could fix that. I used two wheels of the 360 degree swivel variety and the other two were affixed. I thought this would be enough to give me the movement that I needed in that space, but I wish I has splurged for the extra dollar per wheel to get all of the full swivel variety. The wheels were again simply attached using the 2" screws.
- Trim out. I opted to make this a bit more difficult than I had to. I used the 2" trim purchased from the hardware store, plus an old picture frame and some found spindles to add a little more character. Adding the trim is simple whether using trim nails or a finish nailer - just a bit faster with the second.I cut the trim with a 45 degree mark on each corner to complete that finished look.
- Fill in nail holes. Use a wood putty to fill in any visible nail holes. After it is fully dry, do a light sanding to get it smooth before painting.
- Paint. Seems simple enough. I did a first coat with Kilz, then two more coats of a slight off white to match my cabinetry. I chose not to do a poly finish coat because of the tendency for it to yellow over time. I used a small roller and brush to make painting even faster.
- Finish by laying the top across the island. I opted to have a hangover on the backside to allow for stools to set under. So, I left just 1-1/4" on 3 sides, then let the balance (about 8") hang over for putting the stools underneath.
- And finally, put a coat of mineral oil on the butcher block to seal it to perfection and bring out the color!
See below for a few pics of my completed project! Check out how it looks great both functioning in the center of my kitchen as an island or pushed into the little niche below my window for when I need lots of space to move around. Add some funky purple barstools (purchased online from Wayfair for only like $25 each) to bring it a little more style.
