How to turn a Cabinet Door into a Shelf

Hello friends!

I am excited to share a super easy repurposed project today, a How to turn a Cabinet Door into a Shelf!
How to turn a cabinet door into a shelf, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create

Super cute, very useful, and sooooo easy!!
cupboard door into a shelf

I made this for a friend's baby shower several months ago and I am barely getting around to sharing it! That's what summer does to me, it is crazy town around here!

How to turn a Cabinet Door into a Shelf:
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Supplies:

Because this project needs to be specific to the cabinet door size you are using I will give a tutorial on how to make it, but I will not provide specific measurements.

Cause yeah, they probably wouldn't fit your cupboard door...just sayin'.
removing cabinet door hardware
I started with an old cabinet door and removed the hardware.  Sometimes you have to do a little prying on the hinges.

If you have been following me for a while you know I love repurposing cabinet doors.  You may recall my Bookshelf from Cupboard Doors, my Cabinet Doors into Children's Desk, or my Cubby Shelf made from Cupboard Doors...just to name a few.  If you are new, be sure to check them out!
marking and cutting shelf sides
For my shelf portion, I used 1x4 boards to build the sides and bottom pieces.  I wanted my sides to be square, so I used the width of my 1x4 board (which is 3 1/2'') to quickly draw my cut mark (left).  Then I cut the sides with my RYOBI Miter Saw and made sure they were the same height.
marking for bottom shelf piece
In order to measure my bottom piece, I used some scrap 1x2's or you can use the side pieces too, and placed them on the inset edges of my cabinet door.  Then I placed my 1x4 board inside of the pieces and marked where to cut (left).

My son said my photo on the right looks like a face, hee hee hee.  I didn't plan that. :)
marking for front shelf pieces
Before I jumped into building I did a dry fit, and measured for my front pieces (top).  I used 1/4'' lath boards, which are pretty cheap if your Home Depot carries them.  If not, you could used 1/4'' trim or plywood strips.

Now it is time to build!  My favorite part!
building shelf bottom and sides
Using Wood Glue on the edges of the bottom piece, I attached both side pieces to the bottom piece with my Finish Nail Gun.
adding lath front pieces to shelf
Next, I glued and nailed on my lath boards to finish off the front of the shelf.
attaching shelf to cabinet door
Now all I had to do was attach the shelf to the cabinet door.  I added wood glue to the back of the shelf (top left) and set it in place (top right).

After carefully flipping the whole thing over, I made sure the shelf hadn't shifted, then I nailed from the back of the cabinet door into the sides and bottom pieces of the shelf.  Done!
hammering in no nail sawtooth picture hangers
I used some no Large No Nail Sawtooth Picture Hangers for the back of the cabinet door.  They are great because you just have to hammer them in.  Trust me, they are soooo much easier than the picture hangers with the little nails!
painting and stenciling cabinet door into a shelf
After sanding the whole project down and wiping off the dust with a clean rag I was ready to paint!  If your cabinet door is really dirty I recommend using TSP to remove any oil or dirt so the paint will adhere correctly.

Because my friend was having a girl, my daughter helped me pick out some paint and stencils to make it super cute.

I used two coats of chalk paint sanding between coats with fine grit sandpaper.  After stenciling I finished it off with a coat of wax.

*Tip* When stenciling, make sure to load and unload your paint from your brush onto a piece of paper.  You want HARDLY ANY PAINT on your brush when you stencil, trust me.
How to turn a cabinet door into a shelf, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create
Now all I had to do was hang it up and fill it up!  Babies always require lots of bath supplies, so I filled it up with the essentials as part of my gift.
cabinet door shelf with baby bath supplies
Wouldn't this be perfect hanging on the bathroom wall?!  Easy quick access to the tub.
How to turn a cabinet door into a shelf, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create
It isn't too deep which is nice, but still holds quite a bit!
How to turn a cabinet door into a shelf, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create
Of course it could hold anything, like hairspray, gel, or even nail polish.  Kind of like my Rustic DIY Shelf.
cabinet into a bookshelf
It would also be perfect for books!
How to turn a cabinet door into a shelf, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create
Hang a few of these on your kids wall and they have their own little library!
How to turn a cabinet door into a shelf, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create
There are so many possibilities!

What would you use this for?
How to turn a cabinet door into a shelf, full picture tutorial at MyLove2Create
Be sure to pin this for later!  Thanks for sharing and stopping by!

Be sure to check out my youtube video and subscribe!!


Happy Creating!
Mindi
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8 comments

  1. Sooo cute!! I just pinned it! Glad I found your site through the talk of the town linky party:)

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    Replies
    1. Yay, so happy you are here!! Thanks for pinning too!

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  2. Mindi, this is a great idea. It turned out really nice and who can't use an extra shelf and make it as pretty as you want. Thanks for sharing and have a great day. Sylvia D

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  3. What a great idea Mindi! Cabinet doors are so versatile. I have one made into a tray. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Jann! You are so right you can do so much with them!

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  4. Just wondering how you hung it on the wall?

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    Replies
    1. I attached D-rings to the back and hung them on nails. Hope that helps!

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