After trying to dry out a cardboard box box full of dish washing powder three times in two days, I figured it was time to install
shelves under the sink to keep my extras high and dry.
I couldn’t find what I wanted in a store. Then I remembered I have mad DIY skillz and a bunch of wood. DIY to the rescue! I designed and built a under sink shelf from an old hot sauce caddy.
Husband likes hot
sauce so much we got a Dave’s Insanity sauce gift pack like this as a
wedding present. True story.
I took the hot sauce crate apart using the same technique I
use to take apart a big wood pallet.
I used a pry bar and a hammer
to loosen the where the boards are nailed together.
The wood is thin. Be careful. You don't use too much force or you may split the wood.
Then I used my Dremel instead of a reciprocating saw to cut the nails while carefully avoiding the wood.
It's shelf building time!
How to Build a Kitchen Sink Storage Shelf
I made the bottom of the shelf using wood glue and a staple
gun to attach the original bottom piece and one of the top rails together.
Staples are not my preferred choice but this wood is too thin to use biscuits, pegs, or pocket
screws.
Heavy duty staples!
I cut the original caddy sides in half and used wood glue
and a clamp to make deeper sides for my shelf.
Use wood glue to create a strong bond. White office glue won't hold up for this project.
When the wood glue dried, I nailed the sides to the bottom
of the shelf.
I don't know what exact size these nails are. They are small I-had-them-in-the-garage size.
Finally, I nailed the wide Dave’s Insanity
Sauce piece to the bottom front and sides of the shelf. Then I nailed one of the small
rails from the hot sauce caddy to top sides of the shelf.
Tap! Tap!
I screwed the organizer to the inside of the kitchen cabinet. It keeps
my extra scrubbies and sponges from cluttering the bottom of the cabinet while
they are waiting to be called for duty.
No more soggy storage!
How to Make Kitchen Cabinet Risers
The kitchen cabinet doors are too thin to screw a shelf to
the inside of the door to keep the dishwasher detergent and larger cleaners dry
in the case the garbage disposal blows its top and floods the bottom of the kitchen cabinet.
I made a simple set of what I’m going to call risers to save boxes and such from melting in a puddle of water under my kitchen sink.
I had cut and painted fence wood left over from
another project. Let's go with reclaimed because it sounds so much nicer than I hauled a broken fence home from the side of the road. Roadkill Rescue would be proud.
I sanded three boards smooth. with my Mouse detail sander. Sanding
knocks down the roughness (and keeps stuff from tipping over the ridges in the weathered wood) but keeps the character of the weathered wood. I got a nice distressed look
by happy accident. I mean, through careful thought, planning, and expert
technique. You buying that one? Yeah me neither.
I cut one of the boards in half length wise. I used wood
glue and nails to attach one cut board to the center bottom of each kitchen
cabinet riser shelf.
I sprayed the top and bottom of the risers with a coat of matte polyurethane to protect them from water.
My dishwasher is fickle. It only likes the very expensive powdered eco or the very cheap powdered but not so eco detergent. After ruining a box of the good stuff, I replaced it with the cheap. Sorry environment, I bowed to the budget on this one.
It is not the most elaborate solution but it works. The price can't be beat - free!
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5 comments :
Perfect place for a little extra storage!
HGTV should hire you for a series-Very clever idea
Great idea for storage and re-purposing. I definitely need to make a few of these. Thank you
Um... that little shelf is amazing! Love it!
Brilliant! Both of those shelves are super smart to keep your stuff up off the ground. I love it! Thanks for sharing this at The CSI Project!
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