It does not require much kitchen space to adapt a broom closet. And there’s no need to go overboard by building it using studs and drywall. Use plywood to construct a cabinet that is durable in a single afternoon, with enough storage to keep brooms, mops and cleaning supplies tucked away, and prepared when you want them.
Take a fantastic Look
Analyze your kitchen to get a fantastic place to set a broom closet. It might fit beside your fridge, in a nook, or anyplace your house’s architecture generates unused space. All you will need is about 18 inches in diameter and thickness — even 16 inches will suffice — and also ideally 72 inches of height. Broom cabinet height can be as short as about 65 inches, but adding a few inches to the top lets you include a shelf to get cleaning supplies. To produce the closet sturdy, utilize 3/4-inch fir plywood for market and add paint, or use 3/4-inch hardwood plywood and then stain it to suit your current cabinets for a built-in look. Build the cabinet without a face-frame for the best access, and set up full-overlay doors with concealed hinges to give it a neat, clean appearance.
Build a Box
Use just two 3/4-by-48-by-96-inch sheets of plywood to construct the closet. Cut both sheets of the plywood across the grain into the height you decided on for the closet. Reset the table saw and cut two pieces from 1 sheet — parallel with the grain — into the width for the sides. This can create two shorter pieces; cut them to size to produce the top and bottom pieces of the closet. Reserve another sheet of plywood to the back and the front door of the cabinet. Build the cabinet face-up on its back. Apply wood glue on the sides of the top and bottom pieces. Put them flush within the pieces. Put bar bubbles across the top and bottom, and apply pressure. Take pin nails through the joints to link the frame pieces together. Cut four pieces of 3/4-by-3/4-inch scrap wood to the thickness of the cabinet. Apply glue to 2 sides, and pin nail them within all four corners. All these are glue blocks to give the frame strength.
Some Assembly Required
Measure and cut one or two shelves, using the remaining pieces in the top of the plywood. Install 1 shelf 60 inches up from the bottom, or above the top of your tallest broom, employing the pin nailer. Put in a second shelf above the first one, if desired. Remove the flames after the glue is dry. Measure and cut on the back and the door from the rest of the piece of plywood. Put in the back flush on the interior using clamps, glue and pin nails. Measure and trim the door to overlay the front of the cabinet, flush to the outside perimeter. Apply wood putty into your nail holes and joints. Sand the cabinet and door smooth using 100-grit sandpaper. Apply stain or paint, and a crystal clear finish inside and outside.
Hang ‘Em High
Use concealed hinges to hang the door; they fit within the cabinet. This type of hinge functions using two circular divots cut into the door and cabinet wall. Drill the vital divots from the door and cabinet using the template provided by the hinge manufacturer. This type of cabinet — although freestanding — should be connected to the wall, standing atop a small foundation. Cut eight strips of 3/4-by-1 1/2-inch plywood. Pin nail them doubled-up, 1 1/2 inches from the outside perimeter, around the bottom of the closet. Run a stud finder along the wall and then find one or two wall studs. Stand the cabinet in place on its foundation, and place at least two screws through the back into the wall studs. Install the hinges on the door. Hang the door on the cabinet to complete it.