How to: Make a DIY Wooden Cabinet from Upcycled Flooring Scraps

For any DIY enthusiast, the clearance bin at the DIY store is a regular stop. This project, the Oddstock Floored Wardrobe was designed and built to take advantage of that bin. Brazilian teak prefinished hardwood flooring was found on clearance for an irresistible price. The box had apparently been returned from a large flooring job.

To make use of all the boards, they were cut to short, mitered pieces and arranged in a chevron pattern. Metal tile flooring dividers were used to hide the board edges, trimming out the doors. A simple box deep enough to house clothes on hangers was placed on Queen Anne legs for a romantic look. After many searches for the right door handles, utilitarian garage door handles were chosen because of their large size and casual appearance. A coat hook and mirror were added to the inside of the door for accessories.

You can change the look to be more modern by using straight legs instead. Fill the bottom with shoes or boxes and add shelves if you like, or try other types of wood flooring and experiment with different patterns. This project comes from the excellent book DIY Furniture: A Step-by-Step Guide by Christopher Stuart. Thanks to Laurence King and Chronicle Books for sharing it with us. If you’d like to win a free copy of the book, check out the giveaway info at the bottom of the post! 

Materials and Tools

• Two sheets of 3/4″ plywood x 48 x 96in. Here cabinet-grade birch is used.
• Sheet of 1/4″ plywood  x 48 x 96in. Here cabinet-grade birch is used.
• Sheet of 1/2″ MDF  x 48 x 96in
• Box of tongue-and-groove hardwood flooring (here Brazilian teak), 3/8 x 3 x at least 10in
• Metal clothes rail, 1 ¼ in diameter, at least 38 ½ in long (part L)
• Set of brass clothes rail holders, ¼ in diameter (part M)
• Four wooden Queen Anne style legs (part I), length 28in
• Four metal tile flooring dividers, 3/8 in profile x 1/16 in metal thickness x 75 in long (part J). (The profile hides the flooring edges. Match the profile height to your flooring thickness.)
• Two brass utility door handles, 6 ½ in long (part O)
• Four pairs of brass ball catches (part N)
• Screws 1/2–1 ¼ in long
• Small nails
• Four corner plates and mounting hardware for table legs (part K)
• Two brass piano hinges, 1 ½ in wide when open, 72 in long (part P)
• Wood glue and gel super glue with activator
• Screwdriver
• Drill
• Hacksaw
• Hammer
• Small nail gun or headless pin nailer
• Countersink bit
• Plug cutter