Hey friends!

Hope everyone is doing great!  I have been crazy building the last few weeks.  My older kiddos were with their grandparents this past week which gave me lots of time to get stuff done!

I’m sure lots of you saw Ashley’s version of PB’s Cameron Wall Unit she built for her playroom last year.  I love it and decided that the new playroom needed something similar… Just a bit smaller.

I used Ana’s plan for the open cubby base and her plan for the hutch with doors.  I have a small space in the loft that was begging for some storage so this week I got busy building it!

I decided to use 3/4″ MDF for this project.  It was $30 a sheet and I purchased 2 of them.  Ash drew out all the cuts for me before I went to Lowe’s and I just had them rip the sheets into boards so I could get them in the car.  I made the smaller cuts at home using my saw.  You can have Lowe’s or Home Depot make your cuts for you.  They aren’t as precise though so make sure you measure them as they cut them.

I used my brad nailer with 1 1/4″ brads and Gorilla wood glue to attach all my pieces.  It is super sturdy and took no time to build.

I actually taped off areas that I knew nobody would ever see.  I decided that I hate painting MDF.  Just thought you all might want to know that.

I did use one coat of primer.  It is the same primer I used on my laundry room cabinets.  I then finished that with two coats of Valspar Antique Homestead Lace in satin.  I cut in with a brush but used a 4″ Whizz roller for the rest.

Here are my doors just before painting.  I actually modified Ana’s plan a bit by using 1×4 poplar boards for the stiles and rails and bead board for the door fronts.  I also used the bead board to back the bottom cubbies.

And here they are drying…

Once everything was dry I started attaching the doors.

These are the hinges I used from Lowe’s.  They are about $1.50 for 2.   I spray painted them with a bit of Rust-Oleum Hammered bronze spray paint to match my knobs.

Here they are attached to the doors…

I used these magnet closures from Lowe’s.  They were about $1 a piece.

And here they are attached at the top of the doors.

I had a gift card to Target so I purchased my knobs there.  I found these cuties at around $11 for the set.

That was it really… Then I just stacked them up.  I’m bummed I waited until tonight to get pictures so these are less than beautiful, but…

See the bead board on the bottoms?

And see all that blank space up top???  It’s craft time 🙂 !!  I also have fun plans for storage on the bottoms.  I actually came across an idea from another blogger who linked to one of our parties.  I bookmarked it months ago and I’m excited to finally get to use it somewhere.  You will have to wait for that though!

Now for the nitty gritty… How much did it cost??

I spent just around $130 for the entire thing.  I did have lots of extra paint from a previous project (of course) so I did not figure that in the cost.  $130 sounded like a lot until I jumped on PB’s site just to compare.  I was actually doing it to make myself feel better.  For the exact same setup they charge just at $700 without shipping.  So let’s just round that up to $800.  Yah… I feel lots better!

Hope you guys like it!  I hope to tackle the storage boxes next and I will be back to share those very soon.  Hope you guys have a great weekend!!  Thanks so much!!

~Whitney

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32 Comments

  1. Can you stain this instead of painting it? Or will it not look like real wood because of the MDF?

  2. How did you attach the tops to the base? I’ve built my bases and I’m working on the hutch tops, but I’m unsure as to the best way to attach them to the base. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

  3. I cant wait to build one for my kiddos playroom, I’m hoping to start this weekend. Question, I really want a good quality piece that is going to last 20 plus years and stand up to the wear that I’m sure my boys will put it through, how durable is the MDF? Would it be more beneficial in the long run to spend the money to build of plywood and spend all the time applying the banding and finishing? Also can you give more information on the screws you used for the MDF? Thank you!

  4. Hi there, I LOVE this cabinet. I would also love to build one for myself 🙂
    Do you happen to know the measurements you used for each piece? I am just a beginner, lol.
    Thanks!

  5. What a gorgeous project! It turned out amazing! I was just about to start building this same exact storage system using Ana White’s plans. We’ve been debating between plywood and MDF. I’m leaning toward MDF because we are going to paint, so I figured that using quality plywood wasn’t important. If you don’t mind my asking, what made you hate painting MDF? Hoping your answer might help me to make my decision!

    1. It just takes LOTS of paint. But… I love it! I have used the hardwood as well and prefer the MDF. Plus… It’s cheaper!

  6. You reign supreme, power tool queen. I shall reward you with lunch. Seriously, let’s do carbs and catch up soon, please?!

  7. Great job! By the way, I bought a single knob identical to your Target knobs for about $4 at my Home Depot, so the entire set for $11 is a steal! Way to go! Aren’t they beautiful knobs?

    1. They were easy Katie! The only hard part was getting them square… I wasn’t totally successful there but oh well! 🙂

    1. Thanks so much Andrea! I appreciate it! It’s not perfect but I will totally settle for 1/8 the cost! 🙂