Converting a Cabinet for a Garden and Garage Workspace

Recently my mom had her bathroom remodeled. In the process she replaced on of her bathroom vanities and I thought that it might make a good workstation for my many DIY and Garden projects. I’m very pleased with the result which now will provide a clean solid work top, cabinet space, a pegboard area for tools, and best of all it is mobile! I purchased my materials for this cabinet renovation at Lowe’s in association with the Creative Ideas program.

Materials to Repurpose the Cabinet

• Outdoor Paint (can be adjusted to match any color you wish)
• Cabbot Premium Wood Stain and Sealer
• Screws and Washers
• Wood Glue
• 1 – 8 ft. piece of quarter round trim
• Plywood cut to one 24″ x 35″
• 3 – 8 ft. 2″x4″s
• 4 caster wheels (two locking)
• Finish nails
• Epoxy
• Powerstrip (optional)

You will also need several tools for this project. I used a miter saw, skill saw, drill, screw drivers, sander, paint brushes and rollers.

See how these cuttings did in the video below!

I began my DIY cabinet remodel project by working on the countertop. I cut it slightly longer than the cabinet length which came to around 25 inches and cut the width to 24 inches. This allowed for some overhang and a larger work surface area. Once the countertop was cut I sanded it down thoroughly and attached the quarter round pieces to three of the sides. I used finish nails with predrilled holes and wood glue to attach the quarter round. When the quarter round was cut I made sure to match the angles of each corner for a tight fit.

When the glue dried on the quarter round sections I filled in the gaps with more wood glue and allowed it to dry. I wanted to reduce as many possible holes and gaps in the surface top as possible. Then I stained the top with a dark stain. You can choose from several different colors of stain but I liked the dark counter tops which will be matched up with a rich tan/light brown color for the cabinet paint. While that was drying I worked on the cabinet.

The cabinet needed sanded down thoroughly to remove any finish coat that was there previously. I also added 2×4 pieces to make a base for the cabinet wheels. I cut one piece to cover each side of the inside of the cabinet bottom. I put the length sides on first then the width sides attached to them. Then I used the screws and washers to attach the wheels to the bottom of the cabinet.

Once the cabinet was mobile I began painting. I covered all surfaces with the outdoor paint inside and out. Since this is a garage project I wanted all surfaces to be water resistant.

While the paint is out paint both sides of the pegboard. It needs cut before you paint it to the length of cabinet and about 4 feet tall. My sheet came in 4’x4′ pieces so I only needed to make one cut with my skill saw. I also cut two more of the 2’x4′ pieces to 5′ in length and brought them over to paint. The 2’x4′ pieces are the frame for holding up the pegboard.

Time to go back to the countertop! When it was all dried – which I allowed at least one night for – I prepped it for an epoxy covering. I mixed the epoxy as the instructions instructed and applied it. It took a couple pours to get a complete covering. I’ve never worked with epoxy before and while I am pleased overall with the result I had trouble with getting an even coverage on the quarter round edges. I left it overnight to finish hardening.

Next I attached all the remaining pieces together. The pegboard went directly on the back of the cabinet which I held on with clamps until I had the bottom screwed into the cabinet. Then the 2″x4″ supports which screwed in to the cabinet and the pegboard. Last I put the cabinet counter on top of the cabinet.

I even added a powerstrip to the side for convenient power access. The result is a weather resistant cabinet with a smooth (bar-like) counter top. The smooth top will make it easy to clean up after planting plants and will also be a great place for a variety of projects!