My $58 Kitchen Island Makeover

by Melinda Lockwood

$58

2 Hours

Easy

We have had this kitchen island for about 15 years. I have been looking for a new one for the last couple of years and Friday night it came to me that maybe what we have is just the right size for our kitchen and it just needed a facelift.

my 58 kitchen island makeover, countertops, diy, kitchen design, kitchen island, woodworking projects

Armed with new resolve, I decided to give our little helper a new look.

Off we went to Home Depot for car siding. Some people like ship lap (Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper fame), I like car siding and had decided to use it to complete my project. I had my measurements and the great folks at Home Depot were happy to cut my pieces down to size (well, maybe not happy but willing). This pleased my husband and me as well as it saved us from having to tackle this part of the project. Home we went.

This is what it looked like "before.

Just your average kitchen island. About 32" long and 21" wide.

So, off we went to Home Depot for car siding. Some people like ship lap (Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper fame), I like car siding and had decided to use it to complete my project. I had my measurements and the great folks at Home Depot were happy to cut my pieces down to size (well, maybe not happy but willing). This pleased my husband and me as well as it saved us from having to tackle this part of the project. Home we went.

I laid the pieces out in my husband’s workshop and set about painting them.

While they dried, I added support pieces to the ends and back of the island so I would have something to support the car siding when I nailed it on.

I used 2x4's for the supports and finished the tops, bottoms and sides that would be facing in to the interior of the cart. I used spray lacquer.

That done, I re-measured each end of the island and then put the car siding together, trimming the end piece so that it fit perfectly. Then I spread Gorilla wood glue on the support pieces and air-nailed the pre-built panels to the supports.

Thank you to my husband for helping make sure everything was square and even!

Once we had the ends done, we completed the back. I only needed corner moulding on the front corners because my husband helped me cut these pieces so well that they came right together on the back edges – thank you DH!!

I decided that I needed a shelf bottom on the lower section to help keep dust at bay so I cut a piece of ¼” plywood and stained it maple. Way too dark!!! I grabbed my inexpensive white acrylic and made a glaze and glazed the maple to take some of the orange look away. Worked out pretty well.

All in all, I spent $58 for the car siding (cutting was free), ¼” plywood, paint, and moulding. The project did not take long at all once the pieces were painted and dried.

It’s like having a new island. I am happy – and because I am happy DH is happy too!!

In the background you can just see the coffee station. It is a bronze wrought iron with granite shelves. Next - the floor!! And then cabinets and then.....

Who knows!!

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Frequently asked questions

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3 questions

Lori on Mar 07, 2016
Love your cart. What is car siding? I can see the wood but why is it called that, I've never heard it before?

6
Sue hennelly on Mar 08, 2016
Did you have the granite shelf pre-cut? How did you attach that to the island?

1
Donna L. Woods-Clements on Mar 08, 2016
What's the half-circle--marble? & how did you attach it?

4

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2 of 19 comments

Sandy Hartnett on Mar 18, 2016
Going to redo my island as well! Good idea! Thanks, I like yours! Hugs

1 Reply
Molly F on Sep 02, 2016
Why is it called"car siding" never heard that term before - just looks like regular tongue and groove wainscoating to me?!

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