DIY Microwave Stand

There’s plenty of time and posts to eventually talk about the major addition we put on the century farmhouse that we own in Southwestern Ontario. Today is just a post about the microwave shelf that went into the new kitchen.

We bought our cabinets at Home Depot but I wasn’t happy with the standard microwave cabinets you could order: they seemed clunky and pricey and I figured we could do better. Originally I looked into a stainless steel shelf but couldn’t find one in the depth I wanted without spending a fortune. So I did some surfing and found some inspiration, here (http://ourvintagehomelove.blogspot.ca/2012/08/big-kitchen-updates.html) and here (http://hernandohouse.wordpress.com/2010/08/03/counter-attack/) and here(http://www.constellationco.com/uncategorized/let-there-be-shelves/).

We poked around the drive shed, where the previous owners left plenty of old wood in various forms. We found what was likely an old gate and knew it was just the thing.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Hubby cut the shelf to the right width and depth. With some heavy sanding, I got the look I wanted from the wood and tried out a few stains. I was actually trying to match our kitchen island, which is an antique store counter, and the island light fixture, which is a kind of DIY industrial light thingy.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

We bought 1/2″ galvanized steel pipes and various fittings from the plumbing aisle. This took a few iterations because the pipe needed to be cut and threaded, and the first time we did this it was too long. I took all the metal bits and bobs and spray painted them flat black. We probably spent about $25 on the hardware, tops. Another $7 for spray paint and $10 or so for stain. All in all a pretty thrifty project!