Mobile kitchen island

TOH DIY expert Jenn Largesse shows how to build a rolling kitchen cart with a butcher-block top

- Jenn Largesse

We could use just a bit more counter space," I said to my husband, as I stood and looked around our kitchen. He laughed. After all, I had just spent months completely remodeling the space-building new upper cabinets, demoing a pantry wall, replacing the backsplash, installing flooring and lighting, and then having it painted when the work was done. But while I was a bit tired from the nonstop projects, I knew the space was calling for a kitchen cart. So I headed back into my workshop.

The result? A 25-by-50-inch butcherblock work surface atop a sturdy open-frame cart with tapered legs, a slatted shelf, hooks and a towel bar for hanging storage, and heavy-duty locking casters so it's easy to glide out of the way should a smidge more space be needed for, say, a family dance party. At just under $200 for materials, this last kitchen project was well worth the extra effort. Read on to see how you can make one of your own.

GETTING STARTED

When designing a kitchen around a fixed island, a good rule of thumb is to allow at least 36 inches of clearance on all sides. But since this cart can be wheeled around, I threw the rule out the window and sized the base to accommodate an off-the-shelf butcher-block top that I found at my local home center. At only $80, the 1/2-inch-thick, 25-by-50-inch unfinished butcher-block top was a much more affordable solution than buying a quartzite slab to match our countertops. To finish it, I chose a stain that complemented my kitchen's color palette.

STEP-BY-STEP