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Wall-Mounted Kitchen Hutch Tutorial

wall_mounted_hutch_tutorial

Have you heard the term sandbox when talking about software development? It’s the term used for the testing area where the engineers can “play” with their ideas before they go live to the public. Well, this little kitchen desk and hutch (kitchen command center) was my sandbox before I ordered our kitchen cabinets. It was my place to play with colors and style before making the very big step of ordering all the kitchen cabinets. When I had finished with the desk and hutch I was so thoroughly smitten with the colors that I had no problem ordering most of my kitchen cabinets in the same Sherwin Williams Copen Blue color!

Last week I showed you how I raised and transformed the Habitat ReStore desk into a counter-height desk. At the same time I bought the desk, I found a sheet of finish grade plywood that was an old folding table top. At $25 for the sheet, I brought it home and used it to create a wall-mounted hutch. After mounting it on the wall, I worked with my electrician to wire a lamp in the hutch. (Exterior wall mounted light from Lowe’s.) The result is a charming cottage style desk and hutch where I keep our lives organized!

full_kitchen_desk_command_center_subfloor

Are you ready to build your own wall-mounted hutch? Grab your tape measure and saw and let’s get busy!

Materials:

  • 1 sheet finish grade plywood (or several 10″ maple or poplar boards)
  • Jig saw
  • 1 Fat corbel (or two narrow corbels/shelf brackets)
  • Box of 1.5″ wood screws
  • Tape measure
  • Level
  • Drill with drill bits
  • Kreg Jig
  • Sander
  • Hand saw
  • Clamps
  • Wood glue
  • Finish nails
  • 1 Sheet of beadboard
  • Hammer
  • Pkg. of brad nails
  • Pencil

Instructions:

Begin by cutting all your boards into the dimensions below. The two side boards should be 32″ tall before cutting the profile into the top.

dimensions_of_hutch

To cut the profile into the top of the side pieces, trace your corbel onto the 32″ side board. (I turned the corbel on it’s side for a wider profile.)

trace_corbel

Cut out the profile with a jigsaw.

cut_out_profile_jigsaw

Trace the same profile onto the second side and cut with a jig saw.

trace_onto_second_board

You should have two sides with matching top profiles.

two_sides_wall_hutch

Dry fit all your boards together. Make any adjustments to size now. (I also made sure my lamp was going to fit in the hutch.)

dry_fit_pieces_together

At this point I decided that my corbels were too chunky for my hutch, so I set one up on the bandsaw and cut it in half.

cut_corbel_in_half

The corbel was a little too tall for the bandsaw, so I finished the cut with a universal handsaw.

cut_rest_with_handsaw

Sand both corbels (they will now be the shelf brackets for the hutch.)

sand_split_corbels

Sand all the parts of your hutch until they are smooth. (Don’t you just love when you find a random shot on your  camera from when the hubster snuck up to take your picture when you looked like a psycho maniac sander? Yup.)

sand_pieces

To assemble your hutch, begin by setting the top shelf into position against the sides. (I found it helpful to clamp the middle and bottom dividers to act as guides for the shelf placement.)

slide_verticals_to_align

Check that the shelf is square.

square_shelf

Mark on the outside of the side where to drill pilot holes for the screws. Drill holes and drill a small countersink hole to recess the screw head.

attach_middle_shelf

Attach the top shelf and the top back piece with wood screws. Repeat the process for the other shelf.

assemble_shelves_step1

A view of the hutch with the top shelf secured by screws:

assembled_top_view_hutch

To secure the middle shelf dividers, drill pilot holes and countersink four screws per divider as shown below:

assemble_divider_2

The bottom two shelf dividers will be secured with pocket hole joinery (see details below). The two bottom shelves of the hutch are then secured with wood screws.

assemble_bottom_section_step_3

Use a kreg jig to drill pocket holes.

kreg_jig_bottom_shelves

Attach the two divider boards to the underside of the middle shelf.

attach_bottom

Glue wood plugs into the pocket holes. After the glue has dried, cut off the plugs with a hand saw.

cut_off_pocket_hole_plug

Fill the ends of the plywood and any screw holes with wood putty.

wood_putty_plywood_edges

After the putty dries, sand down everything until smooth.

sand_plug

The assembled hutch should look like this:

assembled_hutch

Cut a piece of beadboard to fit on the back of the hutch. Prime and paint the beadboard before attaching it. Prime and paint the hutch as well.

cut_bead_board

Run a bead of construction glue on the edges of the hutch shelves and dividers. Center the beadboard on the hutch and attach with small brad nails.

glue_nail_back

Prop the hutch up or have a helper hold it to determine the height you want to mount it.

figure_out_hutch_height

Using a level, mark where you wish to line up the bottom of the hutch on the wall.

mark_level_line_on_wall

Drill pilot and countersink holes into the base of the brackets. Drill pilot holes at a 45 degree angle into the top of the brackets.

screw_holes_in_corbels

Attach the first bracket by drilling a long screw into the base of the bracket into a wall stud (or into a wall anchor.) Make sure the bracket is level.

attach_bottom_of_corbel

Use a level to check before attaching the second bracket. Drive screws into the top of the brackets down at a 45 degree angle into the wall studs.

level_and_secure_both_corbels

Hoist the hutch onto the wall and secure it by driving a few screws through the back of the hutch into wall studs.

hutch_hung_on_wall

If you want a wall mounted desk lamp, work with a licensed electrician to wire and install a junction box under the hutch.

light_on_kitchen_command_center

Fill her up with a few magazine boxes, some flowers and you have one organized wall mounted hutch.

kitchen_desk_and_hutch_prettyhandygirl

Do you like it? It’s quite a sandbox project, don’t you think?

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Trackbacks & Pingbacks

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  4. […] you asked, friend.  While perusing Pinterest back in the fall of 2013, I landed on this awesome desk hutch tutorial by Pretty Handy Girl.  It fangirl-ed about it for over a year until Christmas 2014 when my Dad […]

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