We assemble a kitchen from plywood with our own hands (18 photos and drawings)

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Despite the fact that furniture plywood is an environmentally friendly and wear-resistant material, it is quite difficult to find a finished kitchen made from it. But what prevents you from assembling the headset yourself? We prepare a kitchen project, make drawings of plywood furniture, pick up the tools and start manufacturing. Such an environment will be pleasant at the price and will last a long time - about 20 years. And you don’t have to adjust your headset to the standard sizes of manufacturers. A kitchen made of plywood with your own hands is not made quickly, but every centimeter of it turns out to be as functional as possible.

You can make furniture from plywood sheets yourself

• Which plywood to choose for the kitchen
• Kitchen measurements and design project
• Preparation of materials and accessories: plywood sheets and more
• Tool preparation
• Preparing parts
• Making a headset: assembling the frame and beyond
• DIY tabletop
• Making a dining table
• Summing up

Which plywood to choose for the kitchen

Plywood is glued together sheets of veneer, of which there is always an odd number. Wear resistance and strength are achieved by placing the fibers of each sheet in different directions relative to each other. Usually birch or coniferous wood is used, while the inner part can be coniferous (GOST 3916.2-96), and the top made of birch veneer. Hardwood plywood (GOST 3916.1-96) is considered to be of higher quality and costs more.

Material classification

There are several parameters by which the material is classified:

• Brand - determines moisture resistance and scope of application. Main types of FC, FSF, FKM, FOF, FBA
• Grade - determined by the appearance of each surface. The letter E denotes the highest quality, then there is a decrease from grade I to grade IV. The grade is determined separately for the face and the back - 1/1, 2/2, ¼ and other combinations
• Surface treatment - unsanded plywood is marked with the letters NSH. If there is one sanded side - Ш1, if both sides have a polished surface - Ш2
• Formaldehyde content - the letter E with an index in the range 1-3 indicates the environmental friendliness of the material

Plywood for the kitchen must be free of formaldehyde.
To make a kitchen set from plywood with your own hands, choose sheets with average moisture resistance and no formaldehyde.

More about brands and sizes

Let us give a brief description of the main brands of plywood so that you can immediately see which of them is suitable for making furniture and which is not:

1. FC - adhesive composition based on urea resins, average moisture resistance, used for interior work or furniture making
2. FSF - usually used for outdoor work, moisture resistance is high. Formaldehyde resins are used as glue, so furniture is not made from FSF plywood
3. FKM - synthesis of FK and FSF, veneer sheets are glued with melamine resins, suitable for any work, characterized by high moisture resistance and strength
4. FBA - albumin casein glue is used to join sheets; the material is highly environmentally friendly, but has low moisture resistance
5. FOF - laminated plywood. The material is covered with a film of various colors, is used in construction and furniture production, and is more expensive than other materials

It turns out that plywood for furniture is selected from materials marked FK, FKM, FOF. Standard sizes of sheets are given in table No. 1.

Table No. 1

What to make kitchen furniture from

When choosing plywood for furniture, attention is paid to the following indicators:

1. Quality of gluing, wood
2. General view of the sheet
3. Wood species - deciduous is more resistant to temperature changes and high humidity
4. Country of origin - preference is given to Russia, since Chinese materials do not have the necessary environmental friendliness, and Finnish plywood is too expensive

Taking into account the standard size of a plywood sheet, the properties of the material, quality, grade and price, the FC brand becomes the optimal choice. The selected grade is ½, sheet size 1525×1525 with a thickness of 6, 12 and 18 mm. You can make plywood products with your own hands from laminated sheets, but the cost of the material differs significantly from the FC brand.

Laminated plywood will help you build a beautiful kitchen

Types of wooden furniture facades

When making a facade for furniture with your own hands, you need to take into account several aspects:

• the door must be an integral part of the furniture, open and close normally;
• match the style of a closet, bedside table, or any object;
• high-quality products can be quite expensive (considering that they are handmade);
• the craft should be easy to maintain, cleaning should not be a difficult task.

Any carpenter has his own preference in the production of facades. There are several most popular varieties of products that have their own unique characteristics.

MDF facade

Boards made from wood (fibre) shavings are MDF. The composition also includes: lignin, paraffin, which are safe substances that do not affect human health. Plates are environmentally friendly raw materials.

Product advantage:

• moisture resistance;
• sufficient density for the facade;
• easy to use and work (can be cultivated with a milling cutter);
• plastic (you can give relief to an object).

MDF is a modified analogue of fibreboard (fibreboard).

MDF is the basic form, but different materials can be used for coating:

• PVC film). Sometimes people immediately choose slabs with film elements. This design resembles objects made of solid or treated wood. PVC engraving is very diverse: matte, glossy options, illustrations, large paintings, etc.
• Enameling or painting. A popular way to decorate the front part. The color range of shades is quite large. If you wish, you can make a creative image with paints. A general pattern of the sea coast on cabinets, bedside tables in the bedroom or kitchen, a collage of beautiful sakura and other plants.
• Plastic. May have a glossy or matte structure. Quite often can be seen in modern style solutions.
• Veneer (thin sheets). The designs are popular for decorating kitchens. The ideal, and most importantly popular, option is imitation of natural wood. Imagine a striking hazel or exotic wood in your kitchen. Visually, it’s bright and pleasing to the eye!

MDF is comparable in strength to solid wood, but much cheaper.

Note! MDF in facade elements can be used in any room: kitchens, bedrooms, personal offices, children's rooms, etc. Designers love to use the material in a modern style, futuristic genre

From chipboard

Chipboard is chipboard. The structure of the material does not allow the use of milling. Such objects are always smooth and clear. The front part of these facades can be connected with plastic or aluminum cladding. Most often, laminated chipboards are used for such structures. The range of products is huge: original colors, stylization.

For facades, laminated chipboard is used, both sides of which are covered with durable decorative film.

For the kitchen, it is better to use chipboard with a moisture-absorbing structure. A similar option is suitable for the bathroom.

Additional Information. Chipboard is a budget but bright modification. Can be used for any style projects.

Kitchen measurements and design project

Accurate measurements plus a verified sketch of the headset will allow it to be manufactured with high quality and reliability. The main advantage of such furniture is the individuality of execution.

When making a kitchen set yourself, you should take into account ergonomic standards, the height of the housewife, the geometry of the kitchen, and the wishes of family members

Stage No. 1 - kitchen measurements

The dimensions of the room are measured taking into account protrusions, niches, and passing communications. The parameters are transferred to a sheet of graph paper in accordance with the scale. Instead of drawing by hand, using computer programs to create 3D sketches is suitable.

Stage No. 2 - sketch development

An initial version of what a plywood kitchen looks like, taking into account the arrangement of household appliances, is being worked out. Then the specific dimensions of the furniture sections - cabinets, shelves, drawers - are thought out. Taking into account the individual characteristics of the project, adhere to the developed ergonomic standards for kitchen furniture (Table No. 2). Dimensions are given in centimeters.

Table No. 2

Additional sizes:

1. For drawers, a width of 30-40 cm is suitable
2. Plywood shelves are placed at a distance of 30 cm from each other
3. Shelf width = cabinet width - 36 mm (frame is made of 18 mm sheet)
4. The distance between the upper and lower tiers is 45-65 cm

Please remember that these are approximate dimensions and may be adjusted depending on specific circumstances.

Stage No. 3 - drawing up a design project

The sketch is complemented by the verified dimensions of cabinets, cabinets, drawers, and shelves. Additionally, the dimensions of the facades are calculated taking into account technological gaps. An individual calculation is carried out for each furniture unit. The drawing of the modules is made in two projections, indicating the dimensions, dimensions of technological holes and grooves. This will help you choose the dimensions of the plywood sheet to minimize the cost of purchasing materials.

Kitchen design made of plywood can be the most fantastic, it all depends on your imagination

Typical kitchen module design

As mentioned above, our fellow home-made kitchen modules are most often made from plywood; this material, of course, is many times more reliable and beautiful than chipboard, and the back wall of the cabinets is also made from thin plywood, and not from HDF or fiberboard.

The next difference is that the kitchen body does not rest on adjustable plastic legs, but on a box made of the same material as the kitchen module. This design reminds us of the principle of furniture support, which was widely used in Soviet times.

And finally, what we don’t use at all now is the presence of a front frame, which is attached to the end of the kitchen module, and hinged kitchen doors are hung on this frame with hinges of an original design.

The front frame creates certain difficulties when installing drawers on the guides, but even here American home-made workers have their own solution.

Kitchen cabinets for various purposes are manufactured using this principle; we provide examples of some of the lower ones. The dimensions in the figures are in centimeters, which are converted from the usual American inches, so the values ​​are not whole numbers.

Preparation of materials and accessories: plywood sheets and more

Let's consider which plywood, fasteners, and accessories to choose.

The sizes of plywood sheets that need to be purchased depend on the elements being manufactured:

1. Thickness 18 mm - used to assemble the frame; for cabinets, shelves are cut from plywood of the same thickness.
2. Thickness 12 mm - selected for the manufacture of facades of floor cabinets.
3. Plywood thickness 6 mm - suitable for wall cabinet doors that are reinforced with stiffeners.

Fasteners

The next step is to decide how the parts will be attached to each other. As experience shows, when making furniture from plywood with your own hands, it is enough to use only screws. Plywood sheets do not delaminate, do not crumble, and hardware does not come loose in the holes. Using furniture minifixes to fasten elements at home is more than problematic, since the highest precision in cutting holes in three planes is required. Having an accurate drawing, you can contact specialized workshops to make holes.

Be sure to make a drawing and then you will understand how much material and what shapes you need

So, to connect the parts you will need:

• Screws, minifixes or confirmats - European screws with a countersunk head
• Glue, silicone sealant

Fittings and finishing

This includes handles, hinges, closers, decorative plugs, if minifixes are not used. It should be remembered that kitchen furniture made of plywood is not overloaded with fancy fittings.

For painting you will need putty and paint, for pasting with film you will need putty and self-adhesive. Furniture can be covered with stain and varnish.

How to make a cabinet

Nowadays, homemade cabinets made from sheets of plywood are very popular among modern designers and property owners. You can make such furniture using the following materials and tools:

• sheet plywood;
• screwdriver and screws;
• four blanks for legs. You can prepare it yourself from wooden blocks;
• special glue for fixing wood.

To create the base of the bedside table, you will need to take four pieces of plywood of the required size. Furniture plywood blanks should be 15 by 45 centimeters for the side components, and 45 by 45 cm for the lower and upper bases. All elements are produced in duplicate.

A bedside table is considered easy to make. You can do it yourself in a short time.

The side panels are fixed to the bottom base using wood glue. The upper part of the cabinet with the prepared frame is fastened in the same way. The legs are connected to the base with self-tapping screws.

If desired, you can coat the finished furniture with varnish or paint.

Tool preparation

The kit depends on how you plan to cut plywood. It is recommended to do this in a furniture workshop, since the process requires high precision and the presence of a plunge-cut saw with an attachment for cutting sheet materials. To assemble the furniture you will need:

1. Cordless screwdriver or screwdrivers, drill, drill set
2. Hammer, chisels, files, chisel, plane, hammer, mallet
3. Plunge saw, jigsaw, hacksaw
4. Tape measure, ruler, square

A standard set of tools should be in every home

Where to buy high quality plywood for making kitchen furniture

Today, the domestic market is overflowing with a diverse assortment of plywood of various quality characteristics and costs. A novice craftsman is often at a loss with the choice of material, because it is quite difficult to visually determine the parameters of plywood.

Professionals have learned from their own experience that you need to take the purchase of sheet material seriously and give preference to trusted stores that are direct representatives of large Russian wood raw material processing plants.

Making a headset: assembling the frame and beyond

To make furniture from plywood, you will need to assemble a frame, hang doors, install shelves and drawers.

Plywood has sufficient strength, so timber is not used to assemble the frame. The parts are marked for screws or confirmations. Using a special stepped drill, holes are made with threaded and non-threaded parts, and a recess for the Euroscrew head. For a regular screw, countersinking is carried out with a drill of a larger diameter. Fastening from the front side is carried out using minifixes, then there is no need to install decorative plugs, but euroscrews are also suitable.

Before tightening the parts, the ends are coated with silicone sealant.

Headset assembly

The kitchen set made of plywood will be finally ready when the doors are hung on the frame, shelves and drawers are installed. The holes for the fittings are marked and drilled in advance, and the guides for the drawers are installed before the frame is assembled.

Assembling the headset requires care and painstaking approach

The doors are made of 6 mm thick sheets, and stiffening ribs give them stability. To cut out plywood shelves with your own hands, take material 18 mm thick. The front edges are chamfered, the sections are puttied or sanded for painting or covering with film. When processing with varnish, sanding is sufficient.

When covering your headset with self-adhesive film, give preference to expensive and high-quality material - Chinese film does not stick well and looks bad

Furniture made of laminated plywood has an ideal look - a variety of shades allows you to choose a material that suits a specific design.

DIY tabletop

A work surface made of laminate looks great. It’s easy to implement an economical option yourself by choosing a coating to match the headset or playing with contrast. The joints of the panels must be coated with sealant to avoid the harmful effects of moisture on the laminate. The front edge is closed with a decorative metal corner.

The high moisture resistance and dimensions of laminated plywood also allow it to be used as a tabletop. The film reliably protects the material from the penetration of liquids, and the edges are impregnated with a moisture-repellent composition.

Making a dining table

To give your kitchen a finished look, try making your own rectangular shaped plywood dining table with two wide legs.

A plywood table can be made of absolutely any shape

To do this you will need the following supplies:

1. Plywood for the tabletop - sheet 80×120 cm, thickness at least 18 mm - 1 pc.
2. Horizontal strapping - plywood strip 15×110 cm - 1 pc.
3. Tabletop and leg supports - timber with a section of 7.5×20 cm and a length of 68.7 cm - 2 pcs.
4. Table leg - timber with a cross section of 7.5×20 cm, length 60.0 cm - 2 pcs.

You will need to work on every detail to make a plywood table.

Supports for table top and legs

The beam is sawn lengthwise, resulting in 4 pieces measuring 7.5x10x68.7 cm. The elements that are adjacent to the floor are shaped into legs. Marks are placed at a distance of 20 cm on each side, between which an arched line is drawn with a maximum height of 5 cm. The outer part of the support for the legs is rounded or left rectangular.

In each tabletop support, a part of a rectangular block is cut out in the center to a depth of 40 mm - the table leg should fit into the recess. The outer edges are rounded.

Table legs, horizontal strapping and table assembly

The legs are left rectangular or given a curly shape. A horizontal strap holds them together, and the part is chamfered.

After sanding the workpieces and treating them with an antiseptic solution, a plywood table is assembled:

1. Connect table legs to tabletop supports and floor elements
2. Tighten the structure with a horizontal strap, installing it between the legs
3. Place the tabletop, tighten it with screws from below through the supports - you will need at least 4 screws on each side

All parts are fastened together with euroscrews, the caps of which are closed with plugs. The table is coated with varnish that dries for 36 hours.

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Prices

7 USD

2 USD

1 USD

1 USD

2 USD

The calculations do not include the cost of tools and deliberately do not indicate the necessary list; prices are indicated with a reserve. Thus, the lower tier of the direct kitchen is 3 sq.m. will cost about $40 because:

• The sink cabinet does not require a back wall and a countertop (for a sink cover)
• It is possible to combine several cabinets into one - less plywood will be required
• You can refuse to buy timber in favor of furniture corners
• It is not necessary to close the base
• Prices for accessories vary greatly
• You can easily find much of this list in your garage/dacha/at your neighbor’s house.

Summing up

Preparing materials, furniture diagrams and drawings, and directly assembling a kitchen from plywood is a painstaking but interesting task. The headsets are durable and beautiful, the release of harmful substances is minimized. Self-manufacturing of the design allows you to take into account the nuances of a particular room and the individual characteristics of family members. If the set is a complex structure, then the table can be assembled in 1 day. Try to start with this to understand how plywood behaves and what skills will be required to make more complex structures.