Dresser into Kitchen Island: Part 2

Hi all. Myself and my father have finally finished the kitchen island. I think it turned out pretty great. I use it everyday and am currently writing this post at it right now. I am going to pick up where I left off at the end of Dresser into Kitchen Island: Part 1 and show you how we finished up this fun and sometimes frustrating project.

When I left you we had finished building the inside, installing the mdf backing and painted the whole piece. Then there was a hiatus, because we had to order the laminate for the top from Home Depot and my brother came to visit from Chicago.

Once we had the laminate for the top, my Dad took it to his house and cut the laminate, glued it to plywood and added the trim to the top. To adhere the laminate to the plywood he used contact cement. He said this was a two person job because once you set it down there is no picking it back up to make adjustments. He had my Mom help him with this.

We had to raise the dresser so that it would meet the height of the existing countertop. To do this we attached 2 x 4s to the inside of the legs of the dresser with screws and then attached them together with boards to give it even more support. We needed all the support we could get because the top is quite heavy.

After that my Dad attached finish pine board to the base to hide the 2x4s. Then it was time to attach the top. We drilled 9 pilot holes through the top of the dresser. Then because the drill would not fit, my Dad screwed the top on with a screwdriver. After all 9 screws were in we could tell that the top was going no where.

My Dad then created two doors using hardwood plywood and molding. My husband attached the doors and handles and I finished it off by adding fun contact paper to the shelves and drawer. I also added some inexpensive storage options from the Container Store in the drawer.

This was not my most inexpensive project, coming in just under $500 (that is including the 2 counter height chairs that I got from Target for $138). But, it is really nice to have a custom kitchen island that I use every single day. Plus now when I cook I can face my kids in the living room and see what they are doing.

I look forward to many years of memories at this island.