How to make a cabinet yourself

The modern market provides a large selection of furniture products, but what if you want to buy something special? You can create an exclusive cabinet with your own hands. Everyone can assemble their own wardrobe in the hallway or other room with their own hands, only a description or step-by-step instruction of actions is needed. For inspiration, you can see photos and drawings on the Internet. Consider how to make a cabinet with your own hands.

DIY wardrobe - we determine the type

The first thing to do for this is to decide on the type of product:

• straight, angular or radial (think about where and how your cabinet will be located and choose the appropriate option);
• built-in (located in a niche, between two walls) or wall (located along the wall);
• frame (has upper, lower, rear and side walls and a supporting base) or frameless (in its structure there is no back wall and supporting frame).

Then think over all the technical specifications (width, depth, height of the cabinet). If you have chosen a constructive type of product and decided on the features of the structure - it's time to think about its design. It will depend on the purpose of the furniture (storage of dishes, books, clothes) and the room in which the new cabinet will settle.So, for small rooms, a sliding wardrobe is perfect, and for a spacious room, a product with racks, shelves, several bars (for hangers) and pull-out elements.

Before creating a wardrobe for a child’s room, you can consult with your child and find out his preferences in design and color scheme. For bathrooms, cabinets of simple design with several shelves and a mirror are perfect.

Cabinet from furniture panels

The right choice of material is half the success in making furniture. Furniture board is an eco-friendly wood material formed in the form of a sheet of standard size. Correspondence of price and quality of the product contributes to the widespread use of material for creating furniture by one's own hands. A cabinet of panels will look organic in any interior, whether it be a kitchen, living room or bathroom.

Features and Benefits

Cabinets made of furniture panels are diverse in appearance and texture. For the manufacture of sheets, various species of wood are used: coniferous (pine, spruce) and deciduous (aspen, birch, oak). Furniture panels are great for creating a cabinet and have the following advantages over MDF and particleboard:

• affordable price;
• long term of operation;
• environmental friendliness;
• easy handling;
• simple repair of the finished product;
• variety of textures;
• aesthetic appeal.

Due to its versatility, billboards are popular among those who manufacture furniture. When working with this material, you need to consider some features:

1. Choose well-dried material.
2. Inspect the panels for cracks (they may form if improperly dried).
3. If the shield is not covered with a protective layer or enamel, it is better to process it, so it will last you longer.
4. Pay attention to the thickness and choose the right product for your future.

We prepare material and tools

Before you start creating a cabinet, you need to prepare the materials necessary in the work. You will need:

1. Furniture panel for the formation of the body and facade (thickness 1.8 cm - 2 cm).
2. Plywood, which will be launched to create shelves, partitions (1.2 cm thick) and drawers (6 mm). Partitions can also be made from a shield, but this will be a more expensive option.
3. Hardboard or plywood (at least 4 mm) to create the back of the cabinet.
4. Rod and holders for clothes. If desired, they can be made independently from the bars of wood.
5. Hardware items.
6. Varnish for wood processing.
7. Spotlights, LED strip, if you plan to illuminate the cabinet.

For competent assembly of the cabinet, you will need to prepare the following tools in advance:

• Sander;
• chisel;
• electric drill and drill of various sizes;
• screwdriver;
• hacksaw for wood;
• self-tapping screws;
• pencil and tape measure.

Draw a drawing

Any thing starts with a project, especially if it is a national team. Given the characteristics of the space in which the cabinet will be located, as well as the selected type of structure, we determine:

• height, width and depth of the future product;
• number of compartments and shelves;
• shelf height;
• the number of internal partitions, their width;
• the size of the drawers that will be pulled out;
• the location of the bar;
• Number of doors;
• decorative elements;
• the dimensions of the furniture panels that will be involved in the work.

Based on the data received, you can create a sketch or use ready-made drawings that fit your size. At this stage, you can make the necessary adjustments, draw up the details and calculate the materials.

IMPORTANT! If you doubt the conformity of your drawing to the stated requirements - use computer programs for design.

Assembly technology

If you have completed the stage of selecting the material and building the drawing, then you can safely proceed to create a cabinet. This is easy enough if you follow the correctness of the actions taken:

1. First you need to mark out all the details (their number will depend on the type of your cabinet), check the dimensions and cut them with a tool.
2. If your sheets are not covered with enamel, then varnish them on both sides. For a better look, you can apply 2 layers. After the first coat, the materials are sanded, then the varnish is applied again.
3. Then drill holes in the sheets for fittings and fasteners.
4. Now mark and drill holes for the bowls of the loops.
5. We install the base, fasten it with screws between 2 walls.
6. Next, you need to install the upper part ("cover") and check whether you have placed the parts correctly.
7. If everything is level, without distortions, then we fasten the back wall.
8. We mount the shelves.
9. Install the barbell.
10. We fasten the hinges and door handles, prepare the doors.
11. We hang doors, check the hinges.

The main feature of cabinets from furniture panels is ease in handling. Even a beginner in the carpentry can make such furniture if he makes a little effort and patience.

IMPORTANT! During the manufacturing process, you need to periodically use a level or other measuring objects to check the correct assembly of parts and avoid distortions.

Wooden wardrobe

The classics in the interior design is wooden furniture. She is beautiful, practical and will serve you for many years. But the prices in the store for such interior items are expensive. You can make a cabinet of wood yourself, using the recommendations of our article.

Features and Benefits

Wooden wardrobes are popular in the furniture market. They have the following advantages:

• product durability;
• strength;
• wide selection of material;
• beautiful texture.

But despite the general qualities, products have their own characteristics. First of all, this is the material of manufacture. If you want to get furniture that will last for decades, solid oak or walnut is suitable for you, if you count on softness and suppleness of wood - spruce or pine.

We prepare material and tools

There are a large number of wood species that are used in the manufacture of furniture products. But at home, conifers are most often used. They are softer than deciduous brothers and easier to process.
To work on creating a cabinet, you can choose wood materials such as:

1. Board. Durable and convenient material, it is best to purchase it in a finished (dried) form, otherwise you may encounter unpleasant consequences. If improperly dried, the boards may warp and bend, making your job difficult.
2. Rail. An additional (auxiliary) moisture resistant material when creating furniture. It is made of pine and spruce, it is necessary for fastening some parts of the cabinet.
3. Timber. Used in the manufacture of the frame.

To work with wood, you will need the following tools:

• saw (hand or electric);
• tape measure and pencil;
• sanding machine;
• screwdriver and screws;
• level;
• chisel, stapler (building);
• mastic, varnish;
• timber, boards, slats;
• particleboard and plywood sheets.

TIP! When choosing a material, pay attention to the absence of knots, cracks and uniformity of wood. The absence of defects will ensure the long service life of future furniture.

Draw a drawing

Before starting work, it is necessary to think over the future product in detail and make a drawing with the markup of all the details:

1. It is necessary to take into account the height, width and depth.
2. To consider the number of shelves and sections, the presence of a bar, drawers.
3. Decide how many doors will be in the product.
4. Determine where additional accessories and decorative elements will be located.

Assembly technology

The assembly of the cabinet depends on its design features. Here is an example of a typical assembly of a wood cabinet:

1. We mark out all the details on the material, cut it out.
2. We assemble the frame from the beam, we connect together the screws, we fix the corners.
3. We fasten the back wall, floor and the “roof” of the cabinet to the frame of the bars. Usually, chipboard sheets are used for their manufacture.
4. We fix the rails under the necessary shelves.
5. We mount the shelves in the depth of the cabinet, you can just put them on, you can attach them to the screws for greater strength.
6. We make a frame for doors. Sheathe the frame with the prepared material.
7. We fix fittings (handles, hinges).
8. We hang doors.
9. We fix the legs and the bar (if it is supposed).
10. We check the correct assembly.

In order for the cabinet to serve you for a long time and please the appearance, you need to process its parts with varnish. Sand the surface of the wood. Check for cracks, if any, you need to putty them and go through the grinder again. After that, apply 1-2 coats of varnish with a brush or sponge (the second coat is applied after the first one dries). Polish the dried surface.

What to choose: do-it-yourself cabinet or custom-made

Furniture manufactured in production does not always correspond to the standards price = quality. To be sure of the durability of the finished product, as well as to receive an exclusive interior item, you can make a cabinet yourself or go to a workshop. The advantages of making DIY furniture:

• the cost of things will be cheaper than in a store or workshop;
• the design will be matched to your premises;
• You can make a cabinet in any design.

It’s up to you to choose whether to make your own closet or contact professionals. In any case, you will become the owner of an individual product by your own standards.