Building My Walk-In Closet Island, Part 2

On the finish of that publish, I hadn’t gotten very far on the island. It seemed like this…

It was form of onerous to inform that it was an island at that time. However on the finish of the day yesterday, it seemed a complete lot extra like an island. That is what it seems to be like now…

So let me present you the steps it took to get from that very fundamental type that I left off with final time to what it seems to be like now.

First, I needed to minimize and connect a chunk of plywood to separate one of many sections right into a back and front part. Since one part could have drawers on the back and front, it doesn’t want a separator. However the different part could have drawers on one aspect and cupboard doorways on the opposite aspect, in order that cupboard aspect wants a again. To connect that separator piece of plywood, I measured and marked a vertical line in the midst of the middle plywood piece…

After which I measured and marked that very same line on the skin piece of plywood. And I used these strains to line up the separator piece of plywood and nail it into place. I simply nailed proper via the skin of the plywood and into the sting of the separator piece. I used small 18-gauge nails, so these holes will probably be very simple to cover with wooden filler.

And right here’s what that seemed like with that piece in place.

Subsequent, I wanted to cowl the sides of a lot of the plywood since these would present, and the sides of plywood aren’t very fairly.

I coated these edges utilizing pre-glued iron-on wooden veneer…

This edge banding goes on with an iron set to a excessive warmth setting. The iron melts the glue, and when it cools, the banding is adhered to the sting of the plywood. The sting banding is at all times slightly bit too extensive, so I used a brand new, sharp blade in my utility knife to trim the surplus, after which sanded the sides clean utilizing 120-grit sandpaper. And that is what the completed edges seemed like…

I put the sting banding on the entire edges proven in pink beneath, after which repeated that course of on the opposite aspect of the island.

Should you’ll keep in mind, the underside fringe of my island truly has a layer of plywood after which a body of 1x3s. Right here’s a reminder of what that appears like from the earlier publish. That is the view of the underside of the island with it flipped over on its aspect. See that 1×3 body hooked up to the underside?

I’m displaying you that to say that I didn’t put edge banding on the sides of these 1x3s. I solely put the sting banding on the sides of the plywood. Not solely does strong lumber not want edge banding, however I used to be additionally going to cowl the sides of that lumber with trim. So once more, the sting banding solely went on the sides of the plywood.

Earlier than I may add trim, I wanted so as to add some depth across the backside, so I used my desk noticed and ripped some 1×3’s into strips which might be 3/4″ x 3/4″, after which I hooked up that every one the best way across the backside to the sting of that 1×3 body.

Right here’s a greater view of what that seemed like. You may see the plywood with the sting banding on prime, after which the three/4″ strip beneath hooked up to the sting of that 1×3 body across the backside of the island. …

With that in place, I began trimming out the top of the island. I began by hooked up 1×2’s on the left and the correct, however I prolonged these 3/4″ previous the sting of every aspect. After which I hooked up the underside horizontal piece of 1×2.

Earlier than I may connect the highest horizontal 1×2 to finish that body, I hooked up the sting trim to the countertop (which I forgot to take a photograph of) to see how far down that prime body piece wanted to return. Because the edge trim of the countertop overhangs the sting of the island only a bit, that signifies that had I put that prime horizontal aspect body piece on proper on the prime of the plywood, the body would have seemed off only a bit as a result of the sting trim on the countertop would have minimize off the view of that piece. So I ended up dropping that prime horizontal body piece down about 1/2″ from the highest of the aspect plywood piece in order that the entire thing can be seen.

Right here’s a view of the aspect body items displaying the way it extends previous the sting of the plywood 3/4″. The aim of this, in addition to that backside horizontal piece hooked up on the backside, is to create an inset for the drawer fronts.

Right here’s what that appears like straight on…

Then I hooked up the identical trim that I had used across the fringe of the countertop to that backside strip going across the backside of the island.

And contained in the 1×2 body, I used base cap molding to complete off the top design.

So that is what the top of the island, the view from the doorway, seems to be like.

And you may see that backside trim continues all the best way round, nailed to the entrance of that backside piece that I nailed on, with each items being flush with one another on the highest.

Right here’s a view from the opposite aspect. So hopefully, you possibly can think about that the drawer fronts will sit contained in the body created with these items extending on the edges and the underside.

And right here’s a better view of the trim that I hooked up across the edges of the countertop.

One downside that I observed virtually immediately is that I miscalculated the location of the toes. Now that I’ve added all of that trim across the backside, the toes are inset too far in order that they’re virtually not even seen. So I’ll have to flip the island over and transfer the toes out. It’ll look a lot better and extra balanced as soon as I do this.

However that’s the progress! I’m fairly enthusiastic about the way it’s shaping up. Hopefully I could make lots of headway on the drawers, drawer fronts, and doorways this weekend, and have an almost-finished closet island by Monday!