How to Install a Slide-Out Pantry

If there's one appliance that's a key to home happiness, it's the fridge. Ron and Lynn's refrigerator was getting old and tired, and Lynn had grown tired of it. It was a bit dated looking and didn't match the other appliances. She really liked the built-in look and wanted a new refrigerator that was taller, wider and flush with the cabinets. They would lose some counter space but would then gain a pantry, which seemed like a worthwhile tradeoff.

Click Here For a list of what you will need in order to complete this project.

1. Create mock-up
For a project of this type, it is often a good idea to use a large piece of cardboard to make a mock-up of how much space the new pantry would take up before making a final decision.

3. Remove existing cabinets
If there is anything you would like to salvage, remove it carefully. For example, to save an expensive piece of granite Ron used a torch to heat a wide putty knife. He then inserted it between the cabinet and granite, to release the silicone so the slab could be safely removed.

There are several different options to removing cabinets. The best method depends a lot on how they were installed. You may be able to pry them off the wall, but there is a risk of damaging the wall if you do that. You can cut the cabinets apart, but that can be messy. The recommended method is to locate the nails that are used to attach the cabinets to the wall and then remove these nails.

With several layers of paint, it can be very difficult to see where these nails are. Try using a small magnet, and run it along the nailing strip. As you come to each nail, the magnet will stick. Then all you have to do is dig down into the paint and pull the nail out.

In most cases, wall cabinets are also attached to each other.A reciprocating saw works well to cut the cabinets apart.

4. Build new cabinets
For the new cabinets, birch veneer plywood, which comes in 4 X 8 sheets, is a great choice. Use a table saw to cut these into smaller sections, for the individual parts for the pantry.

After you have cut the two sides, the top and bottom, attach the sides of the cabinet to the top and bottom with pocket hole joinery.

Pocket hole joinery is where screws are driven in at a very steep angle. Glue is also used to hold the wood securely together. A special drill is used that consists of a built-in pilot, the drill itself, and an adjustable stop. A special guide used with the drill holds it at exactly the right angle. The stop prevents the drill from going in too deeply.

The angle is so steep that the drill actually goes in almost parallel to the surface of the board. When the screw goes through the hole, it exits almost exactly in the center.

After all of the holes are drilled, assemble the pieces together. A joining clamp holds all the parts in position while a specially designed pocket hole clamp pulls each section tightly together.

Once the clamps are in position, it is just a matter of driving in the screws.

To cover up the rough edges of the plywood, and also give the pantry cabinet a little more rigidity, add a face frame to the front edge. Create this face frame out of sections of 2-inch wide poplar. Assemble the frame first, again using the pocket hole system, then glue and nail it to complete the front of the cabinet.