Dressers are readily available inexpensively from yard sales and thrift stores, or you may have one in storage you are not using. Turn that piece of furniture into a custom kitchen island. The addition of locking caster wheels turns your island into a moveable piece of furniture you can place wherever you need it most.
Instructions
1. Remove the drawers from the dresser. Remove the hardware from the drawers. Sand the dresser with 200 grit sandpaper, and then 100 grit sandpaper using a palm sander. Remove all of the dust from the furniture with a soft cloth.
2. Apply a thin coat of stain or paint to the dresser and its drawers. Allow to dry, then apply a second coat. The top of the dresser does not need to be finished. One idea is to paint one side or the back of the dresser with chalkboard paint. This provides a place for your children to draw while you cook, an area for keeping a grocery list or to let your family know what's for dinner.
3. Measure 8 inches from the top of the dresser down one side. Use a small nail and a hammer to make a row of pilot holes 3 inches apart at this level. Screw cup hooks into the pilot holes to use to hang utensils or small pots and pans. Screw a paper towel holder 4 inches above the row of cup hooks, using a drill and wood screws.
4. Turn the dresser upside down. Attach a locking caster wheel to each leg of the dresser by using a drill and 1 inch wood screws through the four screw holes in each wheel. Lock the casters and turn the dresser right side up.
5. Apply liquid nails to the top of the dresser and lay a butcher block cut to the same size as the dresser on the adhesive. Allow to dry completely before using. Replace the drawers and the hardware. Ask the lumber yard to cut the butcher block, or use a jigsaw to cut it yourself.
Tags: dresser, island, butcher block, dresser with, from dresser, grit sandpaper, locking caster, piece furniture, pilot holes, using drill, wood screws
