Drag an orange dot to resize; a dashed line shows when it snaps to a common size. Click a dot, then use the arrow keys to nudge 1/8″ (hold Shift for 1″). Every size can also be typed in the panel.
Checks
- The top over the fridge passes the sag check.
- The shelf passes the sag check.
- This piece must be fixed to the wall. The hardware and step are included.
- Verify every clearance in your appliance’s installation manual. Models differ, and the manual wins over any number in this plan.
- A fridge pushes its heat out through coils at the back or bottom. Keep the fridge’s side of the cabinet open at the back, and never put a back panel or door behind or in front of the fridge.
- The fridge stands on the floor, not on the cabinet. Empty it before you move it: a loaded mini fridge is 60–90 lb.
- The fridge front sits flush with the cabinet front. If its door won’t open past 90°, the bins inside may not come out: leave more gap on the hinge side, or let the fridge stand 1″ proud.
Shopping list
| Qty | Item | Est. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1×4 pine board, 6′ (board) | $6.60 |
| 2 | 3/4″ birch plywood, 4×8 sheet (sheet) | $136.00 |
| 1 | 1/4″ plywood, 4×8 sheet (sheet) | $28.00 |
| 1 | 1 5/8″ wood screws (box of 100) | $9.00 |
| 1 | Wood glue (bottle) | $5.00 |
| 1 | 1″ brad nails (box of 1000) | $6.00 |
| 1 | Furniture anti-tip kit (stud mount) (kit) | $9.00 |
| 2 | 2″ L-bracket with screws (each) | $4.00 |
| 1 | Felt floor pads (pack) | $5.00 |
| 1 | 3/4″ iron-on birch edge banding (25 ft roll) | $9.00 |
| 1 | Full-overlay cabinet hinge (pair) | $9.00 |
| 1 | Cabinet pull (each) | $4.00 |
| 1 | 5/8″ pan-head screws (slides, hinges) (box of 100) | $6.00 |
About $237 · rough estimates, check the store
Parts
| Part | Qty | Length | Width | Material | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Side Edge-band the front edge. | 2 | 36″ | 22″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| B | Top Edge-band the front edge. | 1 | 36 11/16″ | 22″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| C | Back rail Over the fridge, at the back. Three 1 1/2″ vent holes. | 1 | 21″ | 3 1/2″ | 1×4 pine board |
| D | Divider Edge-band the front edge. | 1 | 35 5/16″ | 22″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| E | Cabinet bottom | 1 | 15″ | 21 3/4″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| F | Kick board | 1 | 15″ | 3 1/2″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| G | Cabinet back | 1 | 31 13/16″ | 15″ | 1/4″ plywood |
| H | Shelf Edge-band the front edge. | 1 | 15″ | 21 3/4″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
| I | Door Edge-band all four edges. | 1 | 32 3/8″ | 15 15/16″ | 3/4″ birch plywood |
Cut list
3/4″ birch plywood, sheet 1 of 2
3/4″ birch plywood, sheet 2 of 2
1/4″ plywood, sheet 1 of 1
1×4 pine board, 72″ → C 21″
Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.
Have the store cut it
Most home centers rip sheets on their panel saw. Show them this; do the short crosscuts at home.
- 3/4″ birch plywood: rip into strips 22″, 22″, keep the rest.
- 3/4″ birch plywood: rip into strips 15 15/16″, keep the rest.
- 1/4″ plywood: rip into strips 15″, keep the rest.
Steps
- Tape measure
- Speed square
- Pencil
- Drill/driver
- Clamps
- Safety glasses
- Hearing protection
- Dust mask
- Circular saw and a straight edge (or have the store cut the sheets)
- Hammer
- Stud finder
- Level
- 35 mm Forstner bit or hinge jig
- Sander, 120 and 180 grit
1Before you start
Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.
Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.
Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.
- Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
- Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.
2Cut and label the parts
Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.
To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.
Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part. Cut sheets with the good face down when using a circular saw: the blade splinters the top face.
Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.
Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.
✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.
STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.3Read the fridge manual and measure
Find "installation" in the manual. It says whether the fridge is freestanding (needs air around it) or built-in rated (breathes through a grille at the front), and how much gap it wants at each side, above and behind.
Measure the fridge itself: width, height to the top of its hinges, and depth with the door shut and the handle on.
With your numbers the fridge opening is 21″ wide and 35 5/16″ tall, and the cabinet is 22″ deep so the fridge front sits flush.
✓ Opening width = fridge width + 2 × 1″. The fridge-side back stays fully open.
STOP. Verify every clearance in your appliance’s installation manual before you cut. If the manual asks for more room than this plan, the manual wins.4Edge-band
Iron edge banding onto every front edge that shows, and all four edges of the door (I). Trim it flush and sand the corners.
✓ No banding overhangs a face.
5Build the side cabinet
On the divider (D) and the right-hand side (A), mark the cabinet bottom with its underside 3 1/2″ up and the shelf with its underside 19 3/8″ up.
Glue and screw the bottom (E) and the shelf (H) between the divider and the side: 3 screws, 1 5/8″, through each into each end, set back from the back edge by the thickness of the back.
Screw the kick board (F) under the bottom, 1/2″ back from the front. Square the box and glue and brad the back (G) in behind the bottom and shelf.
✓ The side cabinet's diagonals match within 1/16″.
6Join the top, sides and back rail
Drill three 1 1/2″ holes through the back rail (C), evenly spaced along it. Warm air from the fridge rises out through them.
Glue and screw the top (B) between the sides and onto the divider, flush with their top ends: 3 screws per joint, and 3 down through the top into the divider.
Fit the back rail on edge under the top at the back of the fridge opening, flush with the back edges, and screw through the side and the divider into its ends.
✓ The fridge opening measures 21″ wide at the floor, the middle and the top.
7Hang the door
Drill 2 35 mm hinge cups in the door (I), 1/2″ deep, 7/8″ from the hinge edge, 3″ from the top and bottom.
Hinge it on the right-hand side so it opens away from the fridge. Screw the plates 37 mm from the front edge, clip the door on, adjust the gaps to 1/8″, and add the pull.
✓ The door closes flush with even gaps and doesn't touch the fridge door when both are open.
STOP. Set a depth stop on the 35 mm bit before drilling the door.8Place the cabinet and slide the fridge in
Stand the cabinet against the wall and anchor it (the next step). Screw an L-bracket from each side panel into the floor if it is wood; the fridge opening has no bottom to hold the sides apart.
Empty the fridge, unplug it, and slide it in. Plug it into the existing outlet behind; no extension cord.
Level the fridge with its own feet, then wait the time the manual says before switching on if it was tipped.
✓ At least 1″ each side, 2″ above and 2″ behind; the door opens fully.
9Anchor to the wall
Slide a stud finder along the wall behind where the piece will stand and mark the studs.
Fix the anti-tip kit's bracket to the back or top of the piece, then screw its other end into a stud with the screws supplied.
Do not load the piece until it is anchored.
STOP. Confirm the wall type first. Drywall on studs: use the studs. Plaster or masonry: use the kit's matching anchors or ask a pro.10Finish
Ease every sharp edge and corner with 120-grit sandpaper so nobody gets a splinter.
Sand all over with 180 grit, always along the grain (the direction the wood fibres run). Scratches across the grain show through stain.
Wipe off the dust with a barely damp rag and let it dry.
Paint, stain or a clear coat (water-based polyurethane is the easiest). Apply thin coats with the grain, let each dry fully, and sand lightly with 220 grit between coats.
Let it dry for the time on the can before using it.
- Tip Try your finish on a scrap of the same wood first: stain looks different on every board.
Conceptual layout, material estimate and assembly guide from the sizes you entered. Not engineering, not a building plan, not stamped or approved. Confirm measurements on site; follow local codes and product instructions; anchor tall pieces before use. Using this plan means you accept the Terms of Use.