Handmade Play Kitchen

Here it is!  The project that I have been working on for SO LONG!  It was my son's Christmas gift and I wanted to get a jump start on it, so I think I began this journey in August.  No joke.  Yes, it took me that long to build this thing.  To be fair, I do most of my projects when my son is in bed and his naps became way to short and not conducive to getting pretty much anything done.  Another reason that it took me so long to build this was because I started on one path and diverged onto another path part way in.  Let me explain...

I started with the idea that I would transform an old cabinet into a play kitchen.  So, I bought this cabinet for $2 at the hardware thrift shop that I like to explore.

I build a base for the cabinet to sit on, to mimic a little kick plate, but also so that the cabinet was raised off the floor a bit, so the doors could open easier, etc.  Then I realized the cabinet is too high, so I figured I would just slice it down a little with my jig saw...what. was. I. thinking?!  Don't do that. Ever.  It didn't work.  It didn't matter how careful I was, I didn't cut it straight and then putting a countertop on the top wouldn't work, etc, etc, etc.  One positive that came out of this disaster, was that I realized the cabinet that I bought was kind of cheap.  It was wobbly and made of some kind of particle board and the back panel was chipping...so, I scrapped that idea altogether and decided to make the entire thing from scratch!  (Cue Superhero music).  I figured it would be a lot more sturdy, last a lot longer and the overall quality would just be better.  Plus, I would learn so much by doing it all myself.  Yep.  So much.

Lesson #1: The hardware that comes in the package with hinges and handles are basically made of plastic.  Don't use them.  Buy your own screws.

Lesson #2: Hinges suck.  They are harder than you think.  Plus, installing hinges by yourself is very difficult...especially with "plastic" screws.

Lesson #3: Don't pre cut all of your wood.  Cut as you go along.  Because you could, for some unexpected reason cut something, like, say the countertop, too small.  And then you will have to work some pretty creative magic to fix that.

Lesson #4: Glossy paint dries rubbery and will knick very easily.  Not a good idea for a play kitchen!

Lesson #5: Consider buying a play kitchen...

I didn't take step-by-step photos and cannot really explain how this bad boy came together. But the important part is that it did.  And I think it is pretty great.  Most importantly though, my son thinks this kitchen is awesome and has been playing with it non-stop since he got it!

Some project notes:
The cabinet door and oven door were old cabinet doors made of cherry hardwood.
The Countertop is also a piece of cherry wood that I scored at my hardware thrift store for $8.
I predominately used my Kreg Jig to drill pocket holes and put the kitchen together.
The faucet I found on ebay for $17.  It was listed as a chrome bar faucet, but worked perfectly for this play kitchen!
I used an LED tap light for the oven...because an oven needs an oven light!
The oven rack is actually a drain rack that fits in the bottom of a sink.  I bought this at Target.
The stove burners are cork coasters that I also found at Target.  I simply painted them and glued them on with wood glue.