DIY - Butcher Block Kitchen Cart
11:13 AM
I have a tiny kitchen with not a lot of counter space. Also - because my kitchen has 3 doorways I've been dying to block one of the doors to cut down on foot traffic when i'm cooking. This little cart solved both problems!
I did a LOT of research online and decided to build one of 3 carts. Here were my options.
Option #1
I love the design of this choice, but I could not find the part to make the cart pictured.
Option #2
This seemed easy enough to build but I needed to complete the project quickly.
Option #3
This option seems simple and functional and would not take a lot of time to assemble, so it because my choice!
The cart I built was basically an inexpensive rolling cart with a butcher block top. I found the cart at both Home Depot and Lowes for $19.99. The weight limit on my cart is 160 lbs which was more than enough for my needs. There is another version with a limit of 750 lbs for the same price.
I purchased 1 wooden plank that was 2x10x6. I had the wood cut into 3-30" pieces. Next I lined up the planks in the order that I wanted them for my cabinet top.
Using a kreg mini jig I drilled pocket holes in the planks. I'd never made pocket holes before and I was kind of afraid of the process. I watched a couple of videos on you tube, read the directions and it was no big deal.
I drilled 3 holes in each plank of wood
Put gorilla wood glue between the planks
Screwed them together.
The completed counter top was slightly bowed and I don't have any clamps that are the proper size. So I put the completed piece outside and put heavy rocks on top until the glue was completely dry.
While the glue dried I assembled the metal cart. I had forgotten to get hardware to attach the top so I ran back to the store.
There was no ready made screw or clamp that did exactly what I wanted it to do, so I improvised. To attach the counter top I used 2 3/32" - 1/8" wire rope clips. These were in the same aisle as rope. In the hardware aisle I found screws that would work.
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| Wire Rope Clip |
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| Disassembled Clip |
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| Upside Down Clip |
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| Installing the clip |
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| Works perfectly! |
I used 4 clips to hold the counter top in place.
I filled any cracks in the wood and allowed the filler to dry.
Using a palm sander I sanded the wood until it was VERY smooth and even. I wanted to lightly stain and seal the wood, so I used a cloth to rub on a little bit of light walnut stain that was left over from another project.
Staining the wood made the seams much less visible.
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| Stained Wood |
Once stained, I allowed the wood to dry overnight. Them finished it off with a coat of Howard's Feed and Wax. It gave the wood an amazing smell and a nice shine.
I LOVE how this project came out. It took longer than I thought it would (overnight drying time), but all in all i'm very happy with the results.
The original cart was $139.00 on clearance at Overstock.com. My version was about $50.
Everything came from Home Depot:
1- Cart $19.99
1-2x10x6 Wood $ 7.91
1 box Pocket Screws $5.88
1 pkg - Screws $1.88
1 pkg - Wire Rope Clips $ .97
1 bottle Howard Feed & Wax $7.99
1 tube Wood fill $7.99
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Total Cost $52.61
I already had the following items: Wood Stain, kreg mini jig
Also, I didn't want or need wheels for this project. I costs about $20 to add wheels. Since I didn't need them, I left them off.
Here are a few action shots!
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