Every homeowner could use more kitchen storage space. The two most common ways to gain extra storage are to add an island or peninsula or enlarge the kitchen. Both are effective, though they require the extra room and a healthy savings account.
A more efficient approach is to upgrade existing cabinetry to make better use of your storage space. Our cure is to build full-extension, glide-out shelves for base cabinets. Why? Most base cabinets are used for storing pots, pans, mixing bowls and other bulky items. Because the 24-in.-deep cabinets are just big, empty boxes, a lot of space gets wasted. Plus, glide-out shelves keep things organized and provide easy access without your having to bend over.
Building the shelves yourself isn't expensive. The cost for all the lumber, hardware and finishing supplies to construct two shelves for our 30-in.-wide cabinet was about $100. That's a lot less than manufacturers' prices of $75 to $115 per shelf as add-on accessories for 24- to 36-in.-wide cabinets.
