Ordinary hall cupboard gets a new look

Photographs Francois Oberholster

One section of the cupboard serves as a pantry, with storage containers on the shelves and in wire baskets on the door to make maximum use of the space. Transparent containers from @home; wire baskets from H&M Home; felt baskets and white plastic baskets from MRP Home

You will need

SHOPPING LIST

• twenty 3 000 x 10 x 44mm pine planks

• two 3 000 x 530mm laminated pine planks

• one packet 15mm panel pins • one packet corner blocks

• one packet 8mm x 16mm screws • four 6mm x 55mm nail-in anchors

• pine wood filler

• 220-grit sandpaper

• paint of your choice

TOOLS

• cordless drill and 3mm drill bit

• pencil

• tape measure

• try square

• hammer drill and 6mm masonry bit

• pneumatic nail gun

• paintbrushes

Get started...

1. Remove the door handles and fill the screw holes with wood filler. Measure the length of the doors and saw the 10 x 44mm pine planks accordingly. Glue the vertical planks to the doors using the Alcolin Acrylic Sealant as an adhesive, and then secure them with the pneumatic nail gun and panel pins.

2. Measure and cut the horizontal planks, one by one, making sure of your measurements as you go along. Glue and nail the top and bottom planks firmly in place and make sure that the middle planks are 100% level before attaching them with nails. Repeat the same process on the top doors.

3. We divided one side of the cupboard using two partitions: one (behind the vertical strut in the middle) that divides the entire space in two and one on the right. Mark the position for each partition; measure and cut two laminated planks in the desired length and width. Position the first one on the right and secure (top and bottom) with corner blocks and 8mm x 16mm screws; also attach two corner blocks to the partition as shelf supports. Attach another two corner blocks on the corresponding position of the second partition, then attach this partition behind the vertical strut. Cut the shelf to fit between the two partitions.

4. Attach two offcut pieces of planed pine to the wall where the bigger shelves will rest. Measure and cut the two shelves and screw in place with corner blocks. Fill all screw holes and nail holes with wood filler and allow to dry completely before sanding the wood.

5. Mark where you want to secure the wire racks on the inside of the doors, making sure they will not be in the way of the inside shelves when you close the doors. Drill new pilot holes for the handles.

Before

Thanks to new partitions, this section of the cupboard can now accommodate an ironing board, mop and brooms on one side and the vacuum cleaner, bucket and recycling basket on the other. The inside of one door was coated with black chalkboard paint.

Once the woodwork was done, we sanded the previously painted areas and then primed all the surfaces with Duram Universal Undercoat. We then painted the inside of the cupboard with Duram NuGlo in the colour Twist of Lemon and the outside in Celestial Shadow. Finally, the wire racks and handles were fitted. Black basket from MRP Home