how to turn file cabinets into kitchen cabinets

I wish I had taken more pictures of this “lateral file cabinets turned kitchen cabinets” project but I was so skeptical of the results that I neglected the camera.  

I had these file cabinets in the garage for a few years and was about to load them into the trailer for the dump when it occurred to me they might fit perfectly in my kitchen.  I had a long stretch of space under my kitchen window that was open to the floor with small drawers for utensils and junk.  A breakfast bar, so to speak.  I always kept stools under the counter but they were never used (except for toe stubbing).  It was just wasted space.  Plus the counter was table height so it was awkwardly low for a kitchen counter.

Everything is wrong with this picture, but it was the only picture I could find of my kitchen at this stage.

So I went to work and trimmed out the metal drawer fronts with lattice trim and 1/8 plywood(same plywood I used for the walls and the island ship-lap).  I simply butt joined the lattice trim and glued it to the drawer front with liquid nails.  Then I glued the plywood to the metal drawer face inside the trim thereby covering the recessed drawer pulls.  The finishing touch is the wood filler between the metal fronts and the trim, across the top and down the sides,  so it looks like one piece and not just trim glued to metal file cabinets(junky!)

Since the drawers are totally flush when closed I had to install handles(drawer pulls).  I used a metal bit in my screw gun and it went through the metal pretty easily.  I’ll probably change these handles soon but needed something pronto.  Nothing a little wood filler won’t cure though.

I considered building a base for the file cabinets to lift them off the floor to make a standard toe kick, but  I 86’d that idea in favor of keeping my utensil drawers(sitting on top of the file cabinets in the pic above).  It’s a little odd but I prefer the extra storage and the drawers brought the whole deal to counter-top height.  win-win.

The file cabinets are super heavy duty and no matter how much weight I put in those drawers they always slide nice and easy.   They’re really deep so they hold my largest pots and tallest stack of plates.

This was a project I really wasn’t sure about when I started.  I figured if it looked really junky I wouldn’t lose much, so I pressed on.  They’re far from perfect but they look decent and they add soooooo much storage.  Plus drawers instead of cabinets is heaven on earth!    Right?

UPDATE: June 13, 2020…

I still love these file cabinets turned kitchen cabinet drawers! More than six years later and they are STILL going strong! 

I have since repainted my kitchen cabinets a dark charcoal color. It’s called Graphite by Behr. It looks like navy but it’s really more dark dark grey in person. I love the color because it’s quite ambiguous, but also sort of a neutral color.  My file cabinets turned kitchen cabinets still hold a ton of plates. I think all these plates may literally be a ton, and this drawer still slides like butter. We have a lot of company here at my house so I buy appetizer size plates at the thrift store so we have plenty of plates for apps and dessert rather than buying paper. I’m not big fan of throwing away paper products and buying paper plates is an added expense I don’t fancy. Plus, I’m always ready for company. 

So there you have it, file cabinets in the kitchen.  When I installed these file cabinets, I figured it may or may not work. I thought if they look completely junky I wouldn’t lose much by just taking them to the dump. I’m pleasantly surprised that they don’t look like file cabinets plopped in my kitchen and they have worked so perfectly all these years. 

If you want to see my whole kitchen refresh(including my epoxy counters and backsplash) for less than $500 check out this post…  https://mimzyandcompany.com/kitchen-refresh-500/