How to Build a Kitchen Island Bar Table

Building your own kitchen island bar table may sound like a difficult project, but you can make it easier by re-purposing a few items rather than starting from scratch. By constructing the base for your island out of old cabinets, you can save yourself the hassle of having to build your own frame. Once you have the basic structure of your island completed, you simply need to add the details you desire such as a bar table. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Select one or more cabinets to use as the base for your kitchen island. If you want your island and bar table to be fairly wide, you may need to use two or three identical cabinets. The height of the cabinets you select should be approximately equal to the desired height of your kitchen island -- you will build on to the island to form your bar table.

2

Slide the cabinets up against each other so the sides are flush and all of the cabinets are facing the same direction. Inspect the cabinets you have chosen to ensure that they are sound. Tighten any loose screws with a screwdriver.

3

Attach the cabinets to each other. Open the cabinet doors and drive wood screws through the side panel of one cabinet into the side panel of the adjacent cabinet. Use wood screws about 1/2-inch shorter than the width of the two side panels combined.

4

Measure the length and depth of the flat surface formed by the combined tops of the cabinets using a measuring tape. You will use these measurements to cut the butcher block for the top of your island and to construct your bar table.

5

Use a circular saw to cut a piece of 2-by-6-inch hardwood to the length measurement you just determined. Stand the piece of 2-by-6-inch hardwood upright on its narrow edge along the back of the cabinets. Secure the hardwood in place by driving 2-inch wood screws at a downward angle through the back side of the hardwood into the cabinet tops below.

6

Cut a sheet of butcher block to serve as the kitchen island countertop. Use the length of the island and the depth of the flat surface formed by the cabinet tops to cut the butcher block. Since you already installed the 2-by-6-inch piece of hardwood along the back of the cabinets, you will need to subtract its width from the depth measurement when cutting your butcher block.

7

Lay the butcher block flat on top of the cabinets so the back edge is flush with the piece of hardwood you just installed. Drive 3-inch wood screws through the upright hardwood board into the butcher block and through the top of the butcher block into the cabinets below.

8

Cut another piece of butcher block to the length of the island and the desired width of the bar table. This piece of butcher block will serve as the bar table component of your kitchen island.

9

Measure the height from the floor to the top edge of the piece of 2-by-6-inch hardwood installed on top of the cabinets. Use the circular saw to cut two pieces of 3-by-3-inch hardwood to this measurement. These two pieces of hardwood will serve as the legs for your bar table.

10

Lay the piece of butcher block designated for the bar tabletop upside down on a flat surface. Stand the two table legs upright in each of the corners along one of the long edges. Drive 2-inch wood screws at an angle through the table legs into the butcher block to secure them in place.

11

Flip the bar tabletop over and move it into position so the long edge opposite the table legs is supported by the piece of 2-by-6-inch hardwood you installed earlier. Align the edges of the butcher block and the piece of hardwood, then drive 3-inch wood screws through the butcher block into the hardwood every four inches to attach it securely.

12

Paint or stain the two pieces of butcher block along with the 2-by-6-inch hardwood and the two table legs to match the cabinets you used as the base for your kitchen island. Once the paint has dried, apply two or three coats of clear varnish or polyurethane to the butcher block. One coat is sufficient for the pieces of hardwood.