How to make a cabinet with your own hands: types of cabinets + main stages of creation and assembly

You don’t like the design of modern cabinets, but “custom-made” furniture will be quite expensive? Why not build the necessary option for your own home to make it special?

We will tell you where to start and what you need for this in our article. Let's talk about how to make a cabinet with your own hands, what models are available and what material to choose for its manufacture. Let's consider the main stages of creating a project, including drawing and selection of fittings. Here are step-by-step instructions for assembling a wooden cabinet for shoes, hats, scarves and other small items. We will provide the presented material with visual photos and videos.

Subtleties of cabinet design

Before you start creating a cabinet, it is important to determine for yourself what purpose it will serve, what functions it will perform and what appearance it should have. This stage is called design and plays a key role in the manufacturing process.

Cabinet dimensions and functions

Designing a cabinet helps you decide on the function and appearance of the furniture. It greatly simplifies the process of selecting the necessary materials. A well-designed wardrobe will serve you for many years with maximum benefit.

The first step is to decide in which room the closet will be located. This could be a hallway, bedroom or living room. Materials and components depend on the room. In addition, it is necessary to determine its approximate location.

Now you can calculate the width, depth and height of the cabinet.At this stage, the number of shelves, rods, hooks and other important components is also calculated.

Then you have to choose the color and design of furniture that suits the interior. And also determine what will be stored in this closet. If you clearly understand the contents of the cabinet, you will be able to accurately determine the desired width. This will help save room space.

It is very important to distinguish between “dry” and “wet” things. “Damp” items include umbrellas and outerwear. It is recommended to store them at the edge of the shelves so that their dampness is not transferred to other things. All other things are classified as “dry” things.

Choosing the right model

Using the same materials, you can build different cabinet models that will differ in appearance and purpose:

• For books. Such cabinets can be closed or open. Closed ones protect books from external influences, while open ones fit beautifully into the interior. Shelves are often mounted on corners. In order for all magazines and books to fit on the shelves, there are standard cabinet parameters: the height should be 2 meters, the width should be 0.8 meters, and the depth should be 0.4 meters.
• For shoes. Furniture for storing shoes also varies by type. It is possible to build a shoe cabinet as part of a wardrobe or as a separate chest of drawers. In the second case, gloves, keys and hats can be stored here. Shelves are traditionally wooden, but can also be made of metal - they are attractive in appearance and perform several functions. To approximate the depth of your closet, measure the box of one of the largest pairs of shoes in your house.
• For clothes. This model requires more components - hooks, shelves, a hanger bar.In addition, the clothing furniture is equipped with a mirror and a separate shelf for underwear. Such a cabinet is installed along the wall.

One of the options for making a wardrobe is metal frame + plasterboard sheathing. First, a frame is built from metal or wooden profiles. It is securely fixed. After which, the frame is sheathed drywall. The last step is sanding, puttying and installing doors with shelves.

The cabinet model is selected depending on its location and purpose. Each model has its own specific internal and external features

According to the type of design, the cabinet can be standing separately And recessed. Furniture that is located under the stairs or in a niche is gaining particular popularity. This design is quite compact and harmonious. In addition, it saves space in the room, making it more spacious.

According to the method of opening doors, they are distinguished swing And closet. Small hinged cabinets are especially popular. There are a huge number of variations of such furniture. It is used to store dishes, clothes, personal items and any other items. The design of such furniture can consist of drawers, bedside tables and shelves.

Cabinet material

There are various materials that can be used when constructing a cabinet:

• plywood;
• boards and slabs;
• cardboard;
• solid boards.

Plywood is a durable environmentally friendly material. Its smooth surface does not require any additional processing. You can purchase solid, varnished and already treated plywood, which will greatly save time on assembling the cabinet.

Shields and plates - this includes MDF, chipboard and laminated chipboard. Often MDF is a wood-fiber board, which is made from small chips. Such plates are fastened quite firmly. Moreover, they are resistant to any changes in humidity and temperature.

Chipboard is a chipboard made by gluing and pressing shavings and sawdust. Such slabs do not withstand exposure to water. However, they can produce a fairly smooth surface.

It is best to use chipboard when assembling wardrobes for clothes or books. They have a lower price than MDF And laminated chipboard. The latter stands for laminated particle boards. They are more popularly known as laminate. It comes in a variety of colors and is extremely resistant to any moisture.

Cardboard. Making furniture from this material has become a full-fledged area of ​​interior design. To the surprise of many, cardboard is practically in no way inferior to traditional materials. However, cardboard is no longer suitable for use in high humidity environments. Parquet varnish gives cardboard the necessary strength.

Solid boards. Wood cabinets have historically been considered durable. They always look great. The most commonly used are spruce and pine. The price of boards often depends on the type of wood, size and dryness.

Selection of fittings and creation of a drawing

An important component of any furniture is accessories — hinges, handles, retractable mechanisms, thrust bearings, mirrors, legs, fastenings for hangers and shelves. The fittings perform the basic functions of furniture. For this reason, it must be made from high quality materials.

After completing the preparatory stage, you can safely begin sketching drawing. The drawing should reflect an approximate model of the cabinet. First, a frame is depicted on it. In addition, you must specify all the parameters of the cabinet. Then all the components of the cabinet are drawn.

Carefully and competently draw a drawing, because it will serve as a kind of cheat sheet when building a cabinet. It is necessary to accurately determine the number of hooks, shelves and rods. To obtain a clear drawing, you can use a pencil, ruler and paper

After the drawings have already been drawn, you need to start cutting the parts. This task is difficult to accomplish at home. It is convenient to entrust this matter to professionals by providing a sketch with parameters. For example, many construction and furniture stores provide such a service for quite reasonable money. This solution will contribute to obtaining high-quality parts.

Next, all that remains is to buy fittings, taking into account the individual characteristics of the furniture.

Instructions for assembling a shoe cabinet

The process of creating a cabinet yourself is quite complex and requires practice. Therefore, first you need to try your hand and build something simpler. One of the simplest furniture options is a wooden shoe cabinet with four shelves.

In such a wooden cabinet you can store not only shoes. The top shelf is for hats, scarves and more

For production you will need metal corners, boards 15-20 mm thick, marker, tape measure, screwdriver, screwdriver, hacksaw, grinder, pliers and hammer. The width and height of the boards depend solely on the size of the room and the expected number of shoes.

First, cut lines are drawn using a marker and tape measure. Please note that the cabinet will have two side racks and four shelves.If desired, you can increase or decrease the number of shelves.

Carefully measure the cutting lines so that all parts fit together harmoniously. Correct calculation of these parameters will contribute to the efficient use of the assembled cabinet

Next, you need to give the boards the desired size by sawing them.

Be careful when using a hacksaw and try to cut straight. Various irregularities can be corrected with a grinding machine

Then you need to screw the corners to the shelves using self-tapping screws and start attaching them to the side posts. The rail is installed on the front part of the wooden stand.

The corners ensure the reliability of the structure and must be well secured. But it is important not to overdo it when screwing in fasteners.

Finally, you can coat this cabinet with a layer of acrylic paint or varnish to give it a unique look. The paint color is chosen based on the interior design.

Did you enjoy making furniture for your home and want to collect something else original and useful? We recommend that you look at our instructions for making a bed and furniture from pallets.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Visual video instructions on how to make a cabinet from plywood at home:

At first glance, it may seem that making frame furniture with your own hands is quite simple. However, despite the simple appearance and the small amount of resources spent, creating such a cabinet requires careful calculation and careful execution.

This small shoe cabinet is the basis of many shoe racks. Therefore, having mastered the construction of this type of furniture, you can safely move on to more complex structures - cabinets for clothes, books.

Do you specialize in making your own furniture? Share with our readers useful recommendations for assembling cabinets, give tips on how beginners can avoid mistakes. The comment form is located below.

Also here you can ask questions that interest you, share original photos of a cabinet you made yourself, and participate in the discussion.