Get the look of custom built-ins for less with this awesome hack. Make off-the-shelf cabinets look like a custom piece of built-in storage.
One area of my craft room has just not been functioning well. Here it is (and this is even AFTER I cleaned up a bit! LOL)
This post is sponsored by Sauder. I reached out to them with my idea and they agreed to partner.
I put up the blue faux brick panels years ago to use as a photography backdrop and haven’t used it as much as I thought I would. Everything in front of it has just migrated there over time. Clutter tends to pile up on either side of the cedar chest and this area is just not reaching its full storage potential. I decided it was high time to do something about it!
So I started researching options and came across the Sauder Select Storage Cabinet. Here’s why this cabinet fit the bill for my space:
- Closed storage will keep the visual clutter from becoming overwhelming and I won’t have to spend extra money on fancy storage bins. I can use the containers I already have.
- The shelves are deep enough for the most common sizes of storage bins.
- The shelves are also adjustable so I can customize the layout inside to fit any odd-shaped items.
- The white shaker style doors are pretty.
- The price is reasonable. Shop around. Sometimes they even go on sale!
These cabinets are flat-pack furniture that comes in pieces you build yourself. I’ve built a lot of furniture like this and these cabinets had very clear instructions to follow, so right out of the gate, that’s a win!
I will just put it out there that these cabinets are not made of solid wood. They’re laminated particle board. They will not hold up to rough use or moisture, so take that into consideration when you are deciding if these cabinets are right for you. I feel fine using them in my craft room because I will treat them carefully.
I was able to build these cabinets all by myself. Woot woot! Once I had all four cabinets put together, it was time to make them look like one built-in piece of furniture.
My husband helped me to build this base platform out of 2×4 lumber. He did it because he actually measures with things like 32nds of an inch and I tend to eyeball things. I am who I am.
It is exactly as wide and deep as all four cabinets when they’re pushed together, with three brace pieces in the center where the edges of each cabinet touch each other. These pieces support the outer edges of each cabinet and make the whole project sturdier. Here’s a picture of a cabinet sitting on the wooden platform:
See how the edge of the cabinet sits halfway across the support brace? When another cabinet is placed on the platform next to it, it’s outer edge will rest on the other half of the support brace.
We used a cam strap wrapped around all four cabinets to suck them tightly together.
Then we placed clamps on the back legs of each adjacent cabinet and lined the edges up as perfectly as we could.
Once all four cabinets were aligned, we screwed flat metal brackets across the three seams on the top of the cabinets, like this:
The last and most exciting step was cutting a baseboard piece to go around the cabinets. Once it was installed, these four separate cabinets really started looking like one built in piece. We used the same baseboards we have in this room and mitered the corners to make everything look seamless. Here’s a closeup of how the baseboards wrap around the front and side of the cabinet and meet up with the wall baseboards.
Once the baseboards were attached and caulked and nail holes filled, these inexpensive cabinets looked exactly like I had hoped… like a custom built-in storage wall! I AM IN LOVE!
There is so much storage here now and I can tuck all of my half finished projects and craft supplies away behind closed doors instead of piling them up like I did before.
There are four adjustable shelves in each cabinet. I need one tall area for storing bulletin board paper and vinyl backdrops, so I took those two shelves and moved them to other spots. I do wish there were more holes inside to make the shelves more customizable. They only move a few inches up or down.
This is nearly 10 feet of storage. It can hold so much stuff! Doesn’t it look sharp?!
I am so excited to start filling the cabinets and getting my craft room more organized. I plan to use one cabinet section for kids crafts, one for home décor, one for works-in-progress and upcoming projects and the last one I haven’t decided on yet. I need to see how the other cabinets work out first before I decide.
I also love that even though this cabinet is “built-in” if we ever move or change the purpose of this room in our home, we can disassemble these pretty easily and reconfigure them for a new space.
I’ll let you know how this works for me, but I have high, high hopes. Hurray for a good ole DIY solution to a craft room storage problem.
