BUILD A VINTAGE-INSPIRED LIQUOR CABINET

Hi, guys! I love to experiment with making cocktails, and I have a bit of my own liquor collection, but I can't leave everything out on display, on account of my little exploring toddler. In lieu of storing away the alcohol in a kitchen cupboard (boring!), I decided to build a cupboard to hang in my dining room for after-dinner drinks. Since I also love the look of vintage signage, I thought why not combine the two with one project? So here it is—my wall-mounted liquor cabinet that masquerades as a vintage sign. Do you think it's fooling anyone with that cocktail shaker hanging out on top?

Check out my detailed instructions below to make your own cabinet just like this one! You may even be able to use leftover materials from other projects to help save money on supplies like wood glue, brads, paint, and even lumber.

Lumber Needed:-four 1" x 3" x 6' pieces of premium pine - $5.86 x 4 = $23.44-one 1" x 3" x 4' piece of premium pine - $3.82-one 1" x 2" x 4' - $3.29-one 1" x 4" x 4' piece of premium pine - $4.58-two 1" x 6" x 6' piece of lumber - $12.54 x 2 = $25.08-one 1/4" x 2" x 4' plywood - $9.55

Total cost of lumber: $69.76

Other Materials:-4 small hinges - $2.64 (for a pack of two) x 2 = $4.80-1 magnetic cabinet catch - $1.14-1 can of white primer - $3.77-1 can of white spray enamel - $3.98-1/2 pint wood stain and/or black spray paint/primer combo - $4.50-180-grit sandpaper - $3.97-1 1/4" wire brads - $1.30-8 oz wood glue - $3.97-contact paper-masking tape + masking paper (you may use newspaper)-cabinet mounting hardware (options vary)

Rough cost of other materials: $27.43

Tools:
-power drill and drill bits
-level
-tape measure
-hammer
-respiration mask
-marker
-craft blade + cutting surface
-chop saw (optional—you can have your lumber cut at the lumber yard)
-power sander (optional)

Step One: If you do not have a chop saw, you'll need to bring these measurements with you to the lumberyard to have your lumber cut for you.

Cut each of the four 6' long 1x3s into two 34" pieces. This will give you 8 planks for the door of the cabinet. Cut the 4' long 1x3 and cut the 4' long 1x2 into 34" long pieces to add the last two planks you need for the door. You should have 10 planks total, measuring to 24" wide when laid side by side.

Cut the 4' long 1x4 into two 2' pieces. These will be the top and bottom rails to secure the planks of the door.

Cut one of the two 6' long 1x6s into two 2' pieces and one 22.5". Cut the other 1x6 into two 34" pieces. These will be the sides and inside shelf of your cupboard.

Cut the 1/4" plywood down to 24" x 34". This will be the back piece of the cupboard.

Lay out all of the pieces to make sure your boards are cut correctly before beginning step two.

Step Two: Fit together the sides and back of the cupboard with wood glue. Hammer in wire brads to hold the frame together as the wood glue dries. You may need someone's help to keep the wood from shifting while hammering.

Step Three: Find the middle of the cupboard and mark it with a pencil. Use glue to fit the middle shelf into place, making sure it's completely level before hammering into place from the sides and back.

Step Four: Put together the planks for the door. Lay out all of the 10 planks and use wood glue to affix the top and bottom rail (the two 1x3s). Then hammer into place from the back of the door.

Step Five: Sand down the cabinet and door with 180-grit sandpaper, preparing it for paint.

Step Six: Prime and paint the cupboard, and in-between coats, work on the door. To achieve the antiqued look of my door, I stained it with black onyx wood stain and then covered the door with a light coat of black spray paint/primer. As soon as I finished spraying the door, I wiped the paint with a rag. You may wish to skip the staining and just paint the door. The choice is yours!

Step Seven: Print out the L template I made (part one, two, and three), tape it to a window, cover it with contact paper, and trace the L onto the contact paper with a marker. Then cut out the L to make the contact paper into a stencil. Make sure to preserve the two islands in the L.

Step Eight:  Carefully lay the contact paper stencil and islands onto the middle of the cabinet door, pressing them into place. Spray with a few light coats of paint. When the paint dries, remove the stencil and cover any fuzzy edges with a small paint brush and black paint. To give a more antique look, rough up the pristine paint job with some low-grit sandpaper.

Step Nine: Now it's time to hang the cupboard! The hanging hardware you need depends on where you are hanging the cabinet. I used these toggle bolts to secure the cupboard to drywall in addition to anchoring the cabinet into two wall studs.

Step Ten: Evenly space the hinges onto the inside of the cabinet door. Drill pilot holes and then screw the hinges into place. Have someone help you hold the door up to the cabinet wall, mark the holes of the hinges, drill pilot holes, then screw the hinges into place.

Step Eleven: Attach the magnetic closure to the cabinet wall below the middle shelf. Align the corresponding magnetic catch and attach it to the door.

Now it's time to fill up your cabinet! It's a bit roomy in there, but that leaves you plenty of space to buy larger bottles of your favorites. The more the merrier!

This cabinet is a great space saver! If you need a place to make the drinks, instead of just storing your alcohol, simply mount a deep shelf to the wall below the cabinet. Pretty and functional—I love it