How to Make a Framed Refrigerator Cabinet

When you plan a new or remodeled kitchen, the kitchen cabinets are a great focus for the overall decor. If your freestanding refrigerator stands out like a sore thumb amid the cabinetry, you can blend in the appliance with a framed refrigerator cabinet. Make a framed refrigerator cabinet with durable hardwood plywood that you can paint to match or complement the kitchen furnishings. Glass cabinet doors above the refrigerator add to the built-in look of the cabinet.

Tape measure
Sawhorses or workbench
Miter saw
3/4-inch hardwood plywood
Wood glue
2-inch nails
Hammer
Hand-held router
Round over bit
1/4-inch brad nails
Rabbet bit
Chisel
Glass panels
Cabinet hinges
Screwdriver
Cabinet knobs

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the refrigerator to determine the dimensions for your cabinet. Measure the length and width of the sides of the refrigerator, excluding the edges of the doors. Measure the height of the refrigerator and add 3/4 inch to this measurement. Measure the width of the front of the refrigerator and add 1/4 inch.
- 2
  Cut the hardwood plywood to fit the dimensions for the sides of the refrigerator and the top of the refrigerator. Use the width of the sides and the width of the front of the refrigerator to cut a piece to fit over the top of the refrigerator.
- 3
  Set the two sides upright directly across from each other using the width measurement for the refrigerator.
- 4
  Apply a strip of wood glue across the inside edge of the left board and align the edge of the top board to it. Ask for help holding the board in place. Nail the side board to the top board with the 4-inch nails. Begin at one end and hammer a nail in place every two inches. Do the same with the other side board.
- 5
  Measure the space from the board that goes over the top of the refrigerator to the top edge of your existing kitchen cabinets to determine the dimensions for the top cabinet doors.
- 6
  Draw the rectangular frame for the doors on a piece of hardwood plywood. Draw a vertical line down the center and cut the board in half to make two square doors.
- 7
  Draw a line one inch inside each of the squares to create the panel inserts for the doors. Cut out the insert with the hand-held router.
- 8
  Turn the boards over so the back of the door faces up. Insert the rabbet bit into the router and create a groove along the inside of the frame. Chisel out the excess wood left in the corners from the rabbet bit.
- 9
  Insert glass panels inside the rabbet grooves. Cut 1/8-inch-thick strips of wood to fit along the edges of the glass. Place the strips on the glass and press down so the strips are flush with the wood panels. Secure in place with the brad nails.
- 10
  Screw the cabinet hinges inside the cabinet walls and install the doors. Add hardware to match your existing cabinets.

How to Bevel a Laminate Countertop

What Should the Distance Between a Wall Faucet & the Top of the Sink Be?

Kitchens