New kitchen pantry

mburgess44 · 01-31-2010, 11:06 AM

I am in the process of cleaning out a hole in the wall that we have in our kitchen. The hole was the location of a very old refrigerator placement that was there when we bought the place. We are no longer using it for that purpose and want to make a pantry out of it.

What type of wood should I use for the walls? Currently the walls are paneling but I want to get rid of the paneling and use some type of wood for the walls and shelving to mimic the look of a kitchen cabinet. I have actually thought about just going with some type of wire shelving on wood walls.

The pantry is large enough to actually step into so I am going to need some lighting as well. Has anyone had any experience with the lights that automatically turn on when opening the door?

Any ideas or time saving tips before starting this project would be appreciated.

vsheetz · 01-31-2010, 12:05 PM

A friend of mine had a great lighting idea for his pantry. A pantry similar to what you describe in size and shape. The pantry had the typical single overhead light. His wife complained of how it was difficult to see towards the rear of the shelves due to the shadows from the overhead light.

So he installed a rope light running around the inside of the door frame, plugged into a switched outlet inside the pantry. It makes excellent and even lighting everywhere in the pantry.

Your idea of an occupancy sensor would be a good idea for a pantry. One is often leaving with hands full, so if you did not have to flip a switch it would be handy. Many occupancy sensor have an ambient light sensor that prevents them from turning on of there is sufficient daylight, which this may be a problem for your application. You need to get one without this sensor, one that the sensor can be disabled, or place the sensor where it will not be affected by light outside the pantry.

mburgess44 · 01-31-2010, 05:52 PM

What type of wood do you you think I should use for the wall? Pine?

vsheetz · 01-31-2010, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mburgess44

What type of wood do you you think I should use for the wall? Pine?

It's a pantry - where the shelves and the items on the shelves will allow little of the walls to be seen - so I would not spend a lot of time or money. If you want wood, I think pine would be fine.

You may be able to find board siding that has one side rough and the other smooth. Usually the rough is exposed for exterior - you could flip it and use the smooth side for the pantry.

Scuba_Dave · 01-31-2010, 07:43 PM

I'd be inclined to just paint the paneling
Especially if a door will go on the pantry

Are any of these walls outside walls ?
Might be a good idea to pull the paneling/wall down then & check for insulation

firehawkmph · 01-31-2010, 08:43 PM

Mb,
I just did a similar job at an old century home I used 3/4" x 4' x 8' pine faced cabinet grade plywood that came from HD. They had it on special at 23.99 a sheet. I wouldn't say it was cabinet grade, but more like a high grade AC ply. It had one good side and was nice to work with. I lined the walls and ceilings of two closets I build with it. I used pocket screws to join the corners and drilled it for adjustable shelves, which I made from the same material. I sanded everything and put a couple coats of quick dry varnish on it. It turned out nice, very strong, and very functional.
Mike Hawkins

beerdog · 01-31-2010, 10:31 PM

If you want it to match the rest of the kitchen youmight want to use the sametype of wood. Although it may be hard to duplicate the factory cabinet finish.

mburgess44 · 02-08-2010, 02:31 PM

If I use a dado bit and do that type of shelving is it possible to say cut the slot in a 16 inch board and then rip the board into two 8inch boards so that I can be sure to get the slots on both boards level? I basically suck at carpentry work and am worried I will get the boards off-set and it won't be level.

cellophane · 02-08-2010, 05:19 PM

just a thought - if you match your cabinets with a wood color it could be really dark in there, even if it is only a few square feet. like scuba_dave said - it might be best just to paint it. use a cream or white and you will be able to get by with a lot less lighting as well.

if you have pictures or a model (SketchUp is your friend!) it might help the rest of us with design questions

mburgess44 · 02-08-2010, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cellophane

just a thought - if you match your cabinets with a wood color it could be really dark in there, even if it is only a few square feet. like scuba_dave said - it might be best just to paint it. use a cream or white and you will be able to get by with a lot less lighting as well.

if you have pictures or a model (SketchUp is your friend!) it might help the rest of us with design questions

Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions. I am DL Sketchup right now. I'll work on it and post as soon as I get a chance.

tpolk · 02-08-2010, 07:53 PM

if you are putting in a new door they make a pressure switch that mounts in the jamb of the door on the hinge side. Fairly diy friendly. when you open the door the lights come on automatically and when closed the compression switch is activated and poof no lights. easy to run wiring if you are repaneling just make sure wires are nail protected

01-31-2010, 11:06 AM	#1
mburgess44 Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 30	New kitchen pantry I am in the process of cleaning out a hole in the wall that we have in our kitchen. The hole was the location of a very old refrigerator placement that was there when we bought the place. We are no longer using it for that purpose and want to make a pantry out of it. What type of wood should I use for the walls? Currently the walls are paneling but I want to get rid of the paneling and use some type of wood for the walls and shelving to mimic the look of a kitchen cabinet. I have actually thought about just going with some type of wire shelving on wood walls. The pantry is large enough to actually step into so I am going to need some lighting as well. Has anyone had any experience with the lights that automatically turn on when opening the door? Any ideas or time saving tips before starting this project would be appreciated.

01-31-2010, 12:05 PM	#2
vsheetz Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 1,669	New kitchen pantry A friend of mine had a great lighting idea for his pantry. A pantry similar to what you describe in size and shape. The pantry had the typical single overhead light. His wife complained of how it was difficult to see towards the rear of the shelves due to the shadows from the overhead light. So he installed a rope light running around the inside of the door frame, plugged into a switched outlet inside the pantry. It makes excellent and even lighting everywhere in the pantry. Your idea of an occupancy sensor would be a good idea for a pantry. One is often leaving with hands full, so if you did not have to flip a switch it would be handy. Many occupancy sensor have an ambient light sensor that prevents them from turning on of there is sufficient daylight, which this may be a problem for your application. You need to get one without this sensor, one that the sensor can be disabled, or place the sensor where it will not be affected by light outside the pantry. Last edited by vsheetz; 01-31-2010 at 12:08 PM.

01-31-2010, 05:52 PM	#3
mburgess44 Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 30	New kitchen pantry What type of wood do you you think I should use for the wall? Pine?

01-31-2010, 07:43 PM	#5
Scuba_Dave Xtreme DIY'r Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: South of Boston, MA Posts: 17,248	New kitchen pantry I'd be inclined to just paint the paneling Especially if a door will go on the pantry Are any of these walls outside walls ? Might be a good idea to pull the paneling/wall down then & check for insulation

01-31-2010, 08:43 PM	#6
firehawkmph Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Near Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 1,334	New kitchen pantry Mb, I just did a similar job at an old century home I used 3/4" x 4' x 8' pine faced cabinet grade plywood that came from HD. They had it on special at 23.99 a sheet. I wouldn't say it was cabinet grade, but more like a high grade AC ply. It had one good side and was nice to work with. I lined the walls and ceilings of two closets I build with it. I used pocket screws to join the corners and drilled it for adjustable shelves, which I made from the same material. I sanded everything and put a couple coats of quick dry varnish on it. It turned out nice, very strong, and very functional. Mike Hawkins

New kitchen pantry