Repurposing an Old Furniture to Make a Play Kitchen

Collect some old furniture for your kitchen, such as a media wall unit, an old chifferobe or collect multiple pieces such as an end table, nightstand or coffee table with a built-in storage cabinet. Make sure the work surfaces are low enough for young children to reach comfortably.

Make a rough sketch of your furniture to determine the layout of your kitchen. Decide which door makes the best refrigerator and where the counter space for the sink or stove will be. Set them on a drop cloth.

Remove glass doors or panels and replace them with chipboard or heavy-duty cardboard. Remove the hardware such as knobs, handles and hinges. Pull out drawers and set aside doors.

Fill in the holes for handles, knobs or drawer pulls with joint compound or wood filler. Allow them to dry and sand them smooth. Sand every surface of the furniture with a fine-grit sandpaper, including drawers and cabinets. Wipe the entire piece down with a damp rag.

Prime the entire piece with a latex primer and let it dry. Paint it. You can paint it all one color, or you can paint the counter, cabinet doors or backsplash different colors if desired. Let the paint dry and paint a second coat if necessary.

Decide where you want the stove top to go and measure the area. Cut out a piece of contact paper in a suitable color, such as black or white, to fit and stick it to the surface. Turn over four old CDs and glue them to the stove top as burners.

Cut a hole for a sink using a jigsaw. Make the hole just large enough so you can fit a plastic bowl or basin in it without it falling through. Sand the cut edges and spread some rubber cement around the edges before inserting the bowl again. If you prefer not to cut a hole, glue a shallow basin on the surface with rubber cement.

Cover open shelving area, if desired, by installing a tension rod with cafe curtains.

Drill holes for kitchen cabinet handles on the doors and drawers of your furniture. Reattach cabinets or put the drawers back. Drill holes for knobs if desired, or hang an actual towel rack on the side or front of the unit.

Stock the kitchen unit with fake food or old food packaging, toy cooking and eating supplies.