DIY Network

Entertainer's Kitchen From "Wasted Spaces" episode DWSP-106

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3. Screw the cabinets together.

4. For the countertop/entertainment bar, professionals were hired to install a quartz countertop. First, the cabinetry was reinforced by cutting a 3/4" plywood top that would give the cabinets stability and provide a strong, flat surface.

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Tips:

• If you do not already have cabinets available to alter, you can purchase plain cabinets or build your own. Just make sure to pay attention to the height and depth of the cabinets. You want enough to be functional storage, but not too deep that it takes up too much space in the room.

• If you want larger bulk storage and do not care about having functioning drawers, you could just leave the drawers out of the cabinets and affix faux drawer fronts on them.

• Saw blades have a thickness, so line up your cuts to where the bulk of the blade is on the "waste" side of the wood...on the side that you will be cutting away from your cabinets and discarding. It is better to err on that side and be able to recut or sand down, as opposed to cutting something too short.

• Stiles on a cabinet are the vertical elements on the frame of a cabinet.

Once the cabinets are where you want them, anchor to the floor with L brackets. Use as many as needed to guarantee the stability of the mounting.

Mounting Cabinets

1. Decide where you want your cabinets to be mounted on the floor and line them up. The idea is that your new additions will be square (or parallel as the case may be) to any existing cabinetry. You must take into account any designs or patterns on the floor and try to match up the lines of your new cabinet with them.

2. Use a small wood strip to secure the corner and add a simple plywood box trimmed with oak to house the wine rack.

3. Always make sure to match new additions to existing cabinetry and wood tones. You can either use a clear coat of polyurethane or stain it to match.

The wine rack is essentially two identical latticework panels spaced apart the distance of a wine bottle. The panels are attached at the sides, top and bottom with wood strips. When completed, the rack will slide in and out of the plywood box.

Wine Rack

1. Using the measurements of your plywood box as a guide, create and draw out a grid template for the wood parts you will need for your wine rack. Use a wine bottle to gauge your standard measurements.

2. Cut out the plywood strips with the ends cut at a 45 degree angle. This will ensure the pieces sit nicely within the box. Set the strips criss crossed (diagonally) against each other to create the latticework panels.

3. Glue and staple the pieces together.

4. Make the wood match the rest of the room by either coating with a clear coat of polyurethane or stain it to match. If staining, make sure to do a test strip first on some scrap wood remaining from your build.

5. Slide the piece into your plywood box to complete your wine rack.

Tips:

• Cabinets with a toe kick can be challenging to mount on the floor simply because you cannot get your screwdriver into that tiny space. You can line up your cabinets, mark the places on the floor and then push the cabinets away. You will then be able to mount the floor part of the L brackets into the floor, pull the cabinet back over and then affix the side parts of the brackets.

• When attempting to install something square to existing cabinets; the idea and hope is that your existing cabinets and countertops were already properly installed evenly and square with each other. If, when installing other cabinets and countertops, you find that that was not the case, your best bet is to set the new cabinets/countertops at an angle that suits the situation even if that angle is not exactly square to the existing cabinet/countertop. Finagle it if you have to. It will not look good if the lines on existing flooring do not match up to new cabinet/countertop.

• If building with oak (or whatever your desired wood is) is not an option, you can purchase a veneer instead and affix it to your plywood creation.

• To see what clear coat polyurethane will look like on your wood, simply do the "lick test"...just lick your thumb and apply the moisture to the wood. As the wood absorbs the moisture, the light change in color will give you an idea of what a clear coat will look like.

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