If I hadn’t tried it, maybe I wouldn’t have known the importance of having an extra cabinet pantry in the house. This is because an odd kitchen area requires additional storage space, but the price of a new matching storage cabinet for the pantry was over the roof.
So instead, we decided to make a pantry from a single piece of plywood and finish it with new cabinet doors to match the existing kitchen. This post is about how to build cabinets for pantry the easy way.
Building your cabinets allows you to personalize them to your exact specifications!
Designing your cabinet pantry
When designing your cabinet pantry, consider your pantry’s dimensions. You can choose to use a floor-to-ceiling cabinet if your pantry cabinets are high. Otherwise, you can use the same measure of any existing cabinets you may have.
Use a matching door height to another tall pantry cabinet you have. The dimensions are the same, so you don’t notice the different design doors. However, consider the door handle size while deciding on cabinet depth, including the refrigerator door to have the same height as cabinet doorknobs.
Another important point when planing the design is to consider how you want the door to open before drilling the hinge holes to avoid denting the wood and banging against the fridge’s corner.
Cabinet pantry materials
Instead of shredding a massive piece of plywood at home, have large pieces cut at the store, then cut the shorter ones at home using a table saw.
Check out all the Cabinet pantry materials needed.
1 sheet of 3/4″ plywood, Pocket jig, 1 1/4″ pocket screws, Drill, Sander, Edging, Edge banding trimmer, Square, Casing clamps, Closets, Cabinet door mart, Hinges, Coat or stain, Cabinet screws, and Level.
2 @ 83 ½” x 9 ¼” (sides)
1 @ 83 ½” x 14 ¾” (back)
5 @ 14 ¾” x 8 ½” (shelves)
Building the pantry cabinet
Ready the pieces
- Drill pocket holes in the shelf and back pieces; use Kreg R3 for the rear part and three sides of the shelves. The long edge without pocket holes should be the cleanest cut.
- Sand all components to eliminate rough areas and splinters.
- Get rid of sanding dust.
- Plywood edges aren’t pretty and might be harsh. You can edge-band them to make them seem professional.
- The front edge of the side pieces and shelves need edge banding.
How do you assemble a pantry cabinet?
It helps to have a second pair of hands to keep the large plywood pieces upright.
Begin by securing the top and bottom shelves. Next, place the back against the wall and the top and bottom sections against the floor and ceiling. Other shelves should be placed where the cabinet doors meet. Attach them with 1 1/4″ pocket hole screws.
Attach the sides, orienting the edge banding towards the cabinet’s front. While mounting the first side, hold the shelves at a 90-degree angle using the corner clamps. Screw in the other side while clamping them. The cabinet doors should match the pantry’s edges if everything is square.
Decorative pantry cabinet
- The plywood required two coats of priming and two coats of paint. Easy access to interior corners with this double angled paintbrush!
- Remove any baseboards that may obstruct your new pantry cupboard.
- Mark the studs in the wall on the interior of the cabinet.
- If your floor is uneven, use shims to level the cabinet.
- To secure the cabinet to the wall, drill two 12″ cabinet screws into the studs, then remove the shims.
- Vacuum crumbs.
How to set up cabinet doors for paint
- You can drill the cabinet hinge holes.
- Then, insert the jig’s pilot holes to install the hinges.
- Fix the opposite end of the hinge to the cabinet.
- The hinges snap together effortlessly.
- Turn one of the three screws on the cabinet side of the hinge to reposition the door.
Use your pantry to store all necessities, but remember to keep it tidy! For example, you can use plastic containers to organize baking ingredients.
Use stackable containers for snacks and breakfast bars.
Can you build a food pantry cabinet?
When building a pantry cabinet, bear in mind the proportions of the remainder of the kitchen and the door handle and side measurements. It’s a beginner-friendly construction project.
What kind of wood is used for pantry shelves?
Although plywood is the preferred material for shelves—the edges may be completed with iron-on veneer banding or wood trim—you can use other materials.
How wide should a pantry cabinet be?
The width of standard pantry cabinets varies more than the height. They usually range from 9 to 36 inches, and they typically go up by three inches every three inches (9, 12, 15, 18, etc.) This wide range allows you to buy a premade cabinet that will fit the space in your kitchen. The standard depth is 12 to 27 inches, but it can be any length.
How deep are pantry cabinets?
When it comes to pantry cabinets, how deep are they?
As a general rule, pantry cabinets are usually between 84.5 inches to 96 inches tall and have depths of 12 inches to 24 inches. The widths range from 12′′ to 36′′. Think about how the cabinets would reach the ceiling if you had 8-foot ceilings. For boxes and cans of food, pantry cabinets 12 inches deep are ideal.
Pantry organization ideas
Consider the pantry’s best uses: Organizing is meant to make your life simpler. For example, if you create simple shakes, store the ingredients near your mixer.
How do you organize a pantry step by step?
Sort everything out
Clear the area in a messy pantry, it allows you to examine your inventory, but it also allows you to start fresh Empty all other kitchen cabinets.
Getting rid of duplicate items can help reduce clutter—for example, cereals, nuts, pasta, rice, grains. Stackable containers enable you to use the vertical space on each shelf.
You can sort as you pull stuff by category, check expiry dates, and make a shopping list of needing replacements. Then, consider what you’ll need in the pantry and give out stuff you won’t use or consume.
Clean the shelves and sweep the floor
Now that the pantry is empty clean the shelves and sweep the floor. It’s also an excellent opportunity to replace warped or damaged frames and reinstall missing shelf pegs.
Set up space for your kids’ snack
Set aside a lower shelf, drawer, or cupboard in the kitchen for your kids’ snack access. Consider storing goods that you don’t want youngsters to reach or that you don’t use regularly higher up.
Move large gadgets to the pantry to save space. If you have a tiny pantry, put an entire category like baking or breakfast in a kitchen cabinet.
Grouping related categories helps find items more straightforwardly. Set up spaces with canned items and sauces near pasta.
Labeling
Labeling is a critical stage in the process, allowing everyone in the house to keep up with the system.
Select containers that suit your lifestyle and space.
Open-top containers are ideal for storing grab-and-go food. That way, heavy packing may be discarded. Use different containers for different foods and spaces. It helps improve functionality but also adds visual interest.
Label categories
Even while it may appear simple, the label indicates to everyone using the area where to locate things and where to put them away. Pick label names that describe your search criteria, depending on your inventory.
So, whether you have room on your pantry floor or upper shelves, backstock products are ideal. Includes big bags of unopened chips, additional cereal cartons, and anything else that is a duplicate of what is maintained elsewhere. Consider the garage, basement, and other hidden areas if the pantry isn’t an option.
Use doors to expand space: Pantry door storage is a fantastic pantry door item to optimize your pantry storage possibilities.
Keep your corners open: Add turntables or buckets to prevent objects from getting lost in dark places, like pantry turntables.
Store dry goods in lidded jars: Using pantry jars or glass jars with lids will help with dry goods.