It’s hard to have a DIY kitchen island that stands out when it’s built using Ikea cabinets, but that was the goal of this project. To not only make something look and feel custom, but all the while keeping the build to a few small custom components that most DIYers could easily build.
In this project, we used three Ikea Sektion cabinets—two 30-in. base cabinets with doors and shelves and a 24-in. base cabinet designed to accommodate a pair of garbage cans.
This project requires good color-matched paint. We purchased some paint from our local paint store that matched both the sheen and color of the IKEA Nickebo doors and drawer fronts. Other than that, a small arsenal of tools and materials is all you’ll need to turn this kitchen island with seating into a reality.
Assemble the casework
Assemble the Ikea cabinet casework according to the instructions. Use wood glue and clamps in conjunction with the dowels to ensure sturdy and square construction.
For the time being, do not worry about the doors or drawers. Just ensure that the cabinet bottom, sides, back and top metal stringers are well-assembled and square with no feet.
Pre-paint the MDF sheets
Although touch-ups and finishing details are inevitable, pre-painting the MDF panels (at least the 1/2 in.) will save you time in the long run. Prepare both faces by priming the backs and painting the fronts with a paint/primer combo in advance. Sealing both sides will ensure the panels don’t warp before they are cut.
Attach and reinforce the cabinets
The casework of the three IKEA cabinets must now be connected and reinforced to build the rest of the island.
As a first step, install 3/4-in. melamine panels on the back of all three cabinet interiors. Cut these to be the exact interior width of each cabinet and just a hair under the height from the top of the cabinet bottom to the bottom of the plastic clips that attach the Ikea back to the top metal stringers.
Use 1-1/2-in. screws to screw into the edge of these melamine panels through the cabinet sides and bottom of each Ikea cabinet.
Next, install six connector bolts through each side of the center cabinet and the inside sides of the two outer cabinets. Clamp the cabinets together and ensure that the front edge of the cabinets and their bottoms are flush. Drill through the shelf pin holes you do not intend to use and tighten the connector bolts down with a screwdriver.
Build the toe kick
Toekick cut list
| A | 2 | TOE KICK END CAP | 3/4″ x 4-3/8″ x 20-5/8″ |
| B | 4 | TOE KICK STRECHER | 3/4″ x 4-3/8″ x 82-5/8″ |
| C | 2 | TOE KICK MID SUPPORT | 3/4″ x 3-5/8″ x 19-1/8″ |
Measure the cabinet casework as a whole in order to obtain an exact length. Our casework measured 84-1/8-in., but I wouldn’t be surprised if the measurement varied slightly from project to project.
Having determined the length, it’s time to build a toe kick that spans the entire cabinet side of the island. Use construction adhesive, 1-1/2-in. staples and screws to assemble the toe kick according to the drawing above. Prioritize it being rock-solid and square. Don’t worry too much about how attractive your toe kick is as finished panels on all sides will conceal it.
When the toe kick is assembled and the adhesive has dried, get a helper to give you a hand flipping the cluster of casework on its top. This is so the toe kick can be attached from the bottom. Fix the toe kick to the bottom of the cabinets using 1-1/4-in. screws so it is flush with the back and sides of the casework.
Build the Arch
This arch panel is constructed from three layers of MDF the same width and height as the joined Ikea cabinets and toe kick. Layout and cutting the first layer of the arch is tedious and time-consuming. However, once it has been cut, that layer can be used as a template to cut the other two layers.
Rather than cutting the arch corners on a full-size panel, make a jig from a scrap piece of material that has a 6-in. diameter corner, a 5-1/2-in. wide leg, and a 4-3/4-in. wide top rail.
On a 34-7/16-in. x 84-1/8-in. MDF panel, use the table saw to cut the first couple of feet of the 5-1/2-in. leg and the middle section of the 4-3/4-in. top rail. Be sure to end the cuts far away from the corners where the radiuses will be.
Use a jigsaw to trim the unused center of the panel out of the way.
Clamp the jig on the large MDF panel so the leg and top rail align with the table saw cuts. With a router and top-bearing router bit, route the radius on the first side of the arch by following the jig with the bearing. Do this in multiple passes.
Then, unclamp the jig, flip it over, and clamp it to the other corner of the arch. Repeat the routing process.
When both radiuses have been routed in the first layer, use it with a flush trim bit as a router template to rout the other two arch layers so they match. Build and route each layer one by one, attaching the MDF layers together using construction adhesive and 1-1/4-in. screws.
Note: I used single 34-7/16-in. x 84-1/8-in. MDF panels for the inside and outside layers of the arch and scabbed together three smaller MDF cutoffs for the middle layer.
Detail the arch
Route a 1/4-in. x 1/4-in. rabbet along the front and outside edges of each arch leg. This small reveal will not only add character to the finished piece but also conceal any imperfections in the seam that may arise during the alignment of the side panel edge with the face of the arch.
The flat and smooth nature of MDF makes it ideal for projects that will be painted. The only exception is that MDF edges are porous and difficult to fill.
To get the edges to paint up nicely, apply a thin and even coat of Bondo across the inside edges of the arch panel’s MDF layers. Use a random orbital sander and 180-grit sandpaper to sand these smooth until the Bondo layer is smooth and so thin that it’s transparent.
While you are at it, fill any visible screw heads on the back side of the top rail of the arch with Bondo and sand them smooth. Set the arch panel aside until assembly.
Construct the stub walls
Stub wall cut list (per wall)
| D | 2 | STUB WALL SIDE | 3/4″ x 3-3/4″ x 34-7/16″ |
| E | 2 | STUB WALL STRETCHER | 3/4″ x 3-3/4″ x 14-3/4″ |
| F | 2 | STUB WALL BOTTOM PLATE | 3/4″ x 3-3/4″ x 5″ |
| G | 2 | STUB WALL RISER | 3/4″ x 2-7/8″ X 3-3/4″ |
| H | 1 | STUB WALL PANEL | 3/4″ x 16-1/4″ x 34-7/16″ |
Using the MDF offcuts from the arch, construct two identical stub walls as shown above. Assemble the components with construction adhesive and 1-1/2-in. staples, then secure them with two-inch screws. Use the identically cut back panels to square up the stub walls to ensure they are the same.
Before proceeding, drill two 1-1/4-in. access holes in the stretcher (E) above the bottom plates (F). You’ll need these to secure the island to the floor.
Bolt the cabinets to the stub walls
Clamp the stub walls to the back of the outside cabinets using long bar clamps so that the stub wall panel (H) aligns with the outside sides of the cabinets. For the stub wall to sit flush, you may need to nail 3/8-in. fillers on the back of the cabinets.
Temporarily drill three 3-in. screws through the melamine you installed to reinforce the cabinets and all the way through the side (D) of the stub walls from inside the cabinets. These screws will keep the components aligned while you drill for bolts and T-nuts.
Remove the center screw and use the hole it created as a pilot hole to drill a 3/8-in. hole through the cabinet back melamine and the inside side (D) of the stub wall. Install a 5/16-in. T-nut on the inside of the stub wall. Tighten it with a 5/16-in. x 2-in. bolt and washer from inside the cabinet. Repeat the same process for the other screws until both stub walls are securely fastened to the outside cabinets with three 5/16-in. bolts.
Pro tip: To prevent T-nuts from being pushed out, screw 1/2-in. panhead screws around the lip of the back of the T-nut.
Screw the arch to the stub walls
Utilizing construction adhesive and 2-1/2-in. screws, attach the arch panel to the stub wall from inside the stub wall to the back of the arch. Make sure the arch end is in flush with the outside panel (H) of the stub wall.
Secure the island to the floor
Level the island. Then, fasten it to the floor through the stub wall bottom plates (F) using the appropriate anchor for your floor. As our kitchen sits on a concrete slab, we used a hammer drill and 3-1/4-in. concrete screws to secure it tightly.
Cut and install the panels
Install the cabinet doors, drawers and drawer faces on the Ikea cabinets. Adjust them so their face and edge profile gaps are consistent and uniform.
From the 1/2-in. pre-painted MDF sheets, cut the back, end, and inside stub wall panels. Take precise measurements and cut these to fit, one by one.
Install the panel across the back of the cabinets first. Install 3/8-in. thick filler strips on the back of the cabinets, a few inches below the top, so you have something to nail in addition to the back stretcher (B) of the toe kick and the back edge of the cabinet sides. Secure the back panels using construction adhesive and 1-1/4 in. brad nails.
Change to one-inch Brad nails and install the two end panels again using construction adhesive. Ensure that the panel edges are flush with the arch’s face on one side and with the cabinet doors’ faces on the other.
Lastly, install the two inside panels of the stub walls. In order to have easy access to the concrete screws in the future, I chose not to use construction adhesive and simply nailed these two panels on with one-inch Brad nails.
Finishing touches
- All visible brad nail holes should be filled with wood filler and sanded or wiped back.
- Install the plastic Ikea toe kick against the front of the MDF toe kick box we built under the front of the cabinets. Use a couple of small dabs of silicone as glue and some painter’s tape to hold it in place while the silicone cures. A small gap should be left between each end of the plastic toe kick and the end panels in order to accommodate expansion.
- Touch up the paint on the entire piece. Be careful not to overlook any Brad nail holes or exposed edges.
- Use the included shelf pins to place the adjustable shelves in the outer Ikea cabinets. Because we made the cabinets’ inside depth 3/4-in. shallower, you’ll have to cut 3/4-in. off the back side of each shelf on the table saw to make them fit.
- Slide the garbage cans into the center cabinet.
Make the book ledges (optional)
Book ledge cut list (per ledge)
| J | 1 | LEDGE FACE | 3/4″ x 1-1/2″ x 31″ |
| K | 1 | LEDGE BOTTOM | 3/4″ x 2″ x 31″ |
| L | 1 | LEDGE BACK | 3/4″ x 2-1/2″ x 31″ |
At the end of the island, we constructed two book ledges using 3/4-in. thick pieces of the same maple we purchased to build the butcher block countertop.
As in the drawing above, the design requires boards to be ripped at 1-1/2-in. wide, 2-in. wide, and 2-1/2-in. wide. The boards are then assembled into ledges in a “U” shape using wood glue and countersunk 1-1/4-in. screws to secure the back butt joint. And, biscuits and wood glue along the front to avoid visible fasteners.
When the glue has dried, cut them to 31 in. and sand down any sharp edges.
After applying a food-grade wood finish (to match the countertop), center them side-by-side and with equal distance above and below both ledges. Use countersunk 1-1/4-in. screws capped by 3/8-in. diameter x 1/4-in. plugs made of the same maple to secure the ledges to the MDF end panels.
FAQ
Does a kitchen island add value to a home?
Usually. Having a well-designed kitchen island offers both utility and style, and can provide a high return on investment. However, adding an island that is poorly planned out or cramps a kitchen can negatively impact the resale value of your home.
Are kitchen islands screwed to the floor?
Nearly all cabinet-style islands are secured to the floor. That said, many kitchen islands are table-like structures designed to be supported by legs or casters.
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