How to Install a Pull-Out Kitchen Shelf

By: Joseph Truini, This Old House magazine

Shopping List

Supplies You Will Need

1. PINE 1X3's
Shelf frame

2. 3/4-INCH BIRCH PLYWOOD
for shelf bottom; 1/2-inch if using a dado

3. 120-GRIT AND 180-GRIT SANDPAPER

4. 1 1/4-INCH DRYWALL SCREWS
for attaching the cleats to cabinet

5. 22-IN. FULL-EXTENSION DRAWER SLIDES
about $20 per pair

6. SPRAY LACQUER

7. DUAL-CARTRIDGE RESPIRATOR
worn when spraying lacquer

8. WOOD BUTTONS
to conceal screw heads.

9. 1 5/8-INCH DRYWALL SCREWS
for shelf assembly

10. CARPENTER'S GLUE

11. MASONITE OR CARDBOARD SHIMS

12. TACK RAG OR COTTON CLOTH

13. GOGGLES

Close
Tools List
Tools You Will Need
- Power miter saw or backsaw with miter box,
  used to crosscut 1x3s
- Portable circular saw,
  for cutting plywood
- Tape measure
- Drill-driver with Phillips screwdriver tip
- Combination countersink bit,
  used to bore screw-pilot holes
- 1/2-inch spade bit,
  for drilling counterbore holes for wood buttons
- Combination square,
  for marking square cut lines on 1x3s
- Bar clamp or pipe clamp,
  for assembling the drawer
- Whisk broom
Close

Installing a Pull-Out Kitchen Shelf Tout

Introduction
Overview
Steps:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9

4 to 6 hours
$50 to $90

Difficulty: Easy to moderate Only basic woodworking skills are required to construct the pull-out shelf, and the metal drawer slides are easy to install.

Make the most of your kitchen's existing storage space by installing a pull-out shelf in one - or all - of the base cabinets. The shelf resembles a shallow drawer that glides out for easy access to items stored in the back of the cabinet.

Our shelf was built for a standard 24-inch-deep by 33-inch-wide base cabinet, but its design is adaptable to virtually any size cabinet. It has a 1x4 pine frame and 3/4-inch birch plywood bottom. If you're only building one or two shelves, you can save some money by going to a home center or lumberyard that sells quarter or half sheets of plywood. And in most cases, they'll even cut the plywood to your dimensions.

If you've never attempted a woodworking project as seemingly complex as this one, don't worry. TOH Master Carpenter Norm Abram created a simplified, straightforward design that can be easily constructed with ordinary tools.