We learned with our first kitchen that building in your fridge makes a kitchen look instantly more finished. Until recently, our refrigerator stuck out like a sore thumb—so we set out to give it a built-in look.
We started with a bargain cabinet from Habitat for Humanity ReStore (mentioned yesterday). It was only $19 and measured 12″ tall by 36″ wide—the same width as our fridge. Removing the mismatched doors made it look more like usable cabinetry to sit on top of the refrigerator until we can retrofit matching doors later.
For the fridge sides I used two 4′ x 8′ sheets of plywood recommended by the Lowe’s associate for cabinet work. They cut the sheets to size for me at the store, which saved time, and I rented a Lowe’s truck to get the pieces home. All told the truck rental, plywood, and a few 1×2″ pine trim strips cost about $90—thankfully the ReStore cabinet was cheap.
The pine trim gives the front edge a more finished, substantial look. I used a Kreg jig to drill pocket holes along one edge of both plywood panels, then sanded both sides smooth. I also sanded the cabinet front to prepare it for primer and paint; we’ll paint it when we address the rest of the kitchen to avoid chipping during countertop installation.
I clamped and screwed the pine trim to the plywood, making sure the edges were flush. Having used the Kreg system before, I drilled an extra hole to fit the clamp in place—little tricks like that save time. Attaching the trim took a while, but eventually both plywood pieces looked exactly how I wanted.
Because we wanted the cabinet face to sit flush with the trim and also needed the opening to be just a bit wider than the fridge, I added filler pieces—leftover scraps—along the front and back of the cabinet. These scraps are hidden once everything is installed, but they were necessary to make the cabinet fit properly. I also added a wooden shim to ensure the cabinet sat perfectly straight.
We waited to attach the cabinet until everything was inside the house—maneuvering it through doors from the patio wasn’t appealing. In the kitchen we screwed the cabinet to one of the plywood sides while Sherry watched Clara for a quick nap and lent a hand.
To hold the second side in place while we fastened it, we used our camera tripod as a makeshift jack and checked repeatedly that everything was square and level.
Before standing the assembly upright we added a spare board across the back to keep the unit straight and supported. That back board later became the anchor point where we screwed the assembly into the wall to prevent tipping. We also installed a similar plank across the bottom to maintain squareness and provide another point to secure the piece to the wall.
With help we lifted the cabinet to a standing position and slid it over the fridge. We temporarily removed the bottom support slat so the unit could slip on like a cover and then reinstalled the support once it was in place.
There’s still more to do—priming and painting the cabinet and the paneling behind it, adding matching doors, installing molding at the top and trim at the bottom—but this already makes a noticeable difference. The new sides hide the black coloring on the fridge’s sides so only the stainless front shows, giving a much more custom, integrated look.
It’s a clear upgrade from the un-built-in version, and it makes the kitchen feel more cohesive.
Next up is finalizing the placement of the peninsula—once we pick up one more cabinet we can finish that area and confirm the location for the new eight-foot doorway to the dining room. We’ll be working with a pro on that project soon, so expect more dust, excitement, and updates as we move forward.
Psst—We’re over on BabyCenter sharing how we organize and store Clara’s outgrown clothes. We’d love to hear your storage tips.