DIY Rolling Storage Cart

Oh friends, I am so excited for today’s post!  It’s kind of a milestone moment for me.  You see, this is the first time I’ve actually built something.  As in: from scratch.  As in: by myself.  {Ok, I had a teensy bit of help from the hubby, but not much.} Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to my gorgeous Sunflower yellow DIY Rolling Storage Cart!

Isn’t she just lovely!?  I think so!

DIY ROLLING STORAGE CART

A few weeks ago, I saw the announcement on Home Depot’s website that they were offering a Do-It-Herself Workshop to build one of these babies, and that Ana White designed it, so of course, I registered for the workshop.  My mom went along, too, because hello-DIY-runs-in-the-family.

Now, mom and I are already familiar with your basic tools – a hammer, a drill, and screwdriver – so the workshop wasn’t super informative to us.  We decided to just get our wood cut for the project, then take it home to build ourselves.

Keira at our local Home Depot was super helpful.  Wouldn’t it be cool to have this massive saw at home? Talk about some quick DIY projects!

DIY ROLLING STORAGE CART SUPPLIES

Now, I know Ana White has mentioned that she will be sharing the plans on her own blog, but I thought it might be helpful to share it here, too.

Materials:

*1 – 4’x4’x3/4″ hardwood plywood sheet  {This is the size it’s sold in but you only need 1/2 for this project.}
* 3 – 8 foot 2″x4″ boards
* 6 – 6 foot 1″x3″ boards
* 24 – 2 1/2″ deck screws
* 100 – 1 1/4″ finishing nails
* 12 – 2″ wood screws
* 4 – 2″ diameter caster wheels
* 20 – 1 1/2″ screws for caster wheels {most of the time you can buy the set of wheel + screws}

Cut List:

* 4 – 2″x4″x33″ {from the 8 foot 2″x4″ boards}
* 6 – 2″x4″x17 3/4″ {also from the 8 foot 2″x4″ boards}
* 3 – 3/4″ plywood x 48″x15 3/4″ {from 1/2 sheet of plywood}
* 6 – 1″x3″x15 3/4″ {from the 6 foot 1″x3″ boards}
* 6 – 1″x3″x49 1/2″ {also from the 6 foot 1″x3″ boards}

I spread all my materials out on my garage floor so I’d have plenty of room to work.

DIY ROLLING STORAGE CART INSTRUCTIONS

First, I started on my shelves.  You’ll need finishing nails, a hammer, and your 1″x3″ boards, and plywood for this part.  Start by partially hammering the finishing nails in a row close to one edge of the 1″x3″ board.

Next, hold the 1″x3″ board up to the edge of the plywood and hammer the nails in completely.  Be sure to nail two finishing nails into each end of the 1″x3″ board at the corners, as seen above.

Do this for all 4 sides of all 3 shelves.

This is probably the most tedious part of the build – hammering all those dang nails in. In full disclosure, I killed quite a few of those stupid tiny finishing nails in the process of making my shelves. I even somehow managed to pop myself in the face with the handle of the hammer.

Don’t ask me how.  I’m just that talented.

Moving on…

The next part of the build is the “arms”, as my husband called them.  You’ll need to grab your 2 1/2″ deck screws and your 2″x4″ boards.

I did this in layers because it seemed easier to me.  First, I made the support for the bottom shelf by attaching one 17 1/4″ board in between two 33″ boards to form a U-shape.  Repeat this step twice to create both “arms”.

Once your first layer is done, you’ll add your bottom shelf.  Using a tape measure, mark 5″ from each end of your shelf.  I recommend making this mark on both sides of the shelf, and on each end.  This will be the overhang of your shelf once it’s placed.

Lay your shelf down onto the support “arms” and leave 5″ on each side, as you measured.

Then, use 2 – 2″ screws in the bottom of each 2″x4″ to attach this shelf to the support.

The first shelf down, two to go!

To add the second and third support “arms”, you’ll need to measure 12″ from the TOP of the bottom shelf to the BOTTOM of the middle shelf.  Then again measure 12″ from the TOP of the middle shelf to the BOTTOM of the top shelf.  Does that make sense?

Screw in another 17 1/4″ 2″x4″ board in place to hold the next shelf.

{This is proof that I built this, and that I have a horrible Jeep tan.  Notice the tan arms and chest and the neon white legs.  Yay me.}

Now here’s where I took creative liberties and went away from the written plan.  My drill won’t fit between each shelf, so I was unable to screw into the bottom of the second and third shelves like I did for the first one.  To remedy this, after placing my shelves, I simply screwed in from the sides rather than the bottom.

Daisy Mae was completely on board and very encouraging.  Obviously.

We’re almost finished y’all!  The final build phase is to just add casters.  Some caster kits come with the screws, but mine didn’t.  You’ll need 1 1/2″ screws to attach the casters to the bottom of your cart.  Be sure you screw into the bottom 2″x4″ board, NOT THE PLYWOOD.

Or you’ll be screwed.

HAHA!!  Punny?  Lame?  Yea, I know…

Four casters all attached to the bottom.  Now flip that bad boy over!

HOORAY!!!  I built something!  WOOT WOOT!!!

Now to give this beauty some character!

I knew that I wanted this cart in my dining room, and I knew that I wanted to paint it yellow.  One of the sweet locals who sells her paint and her furniture at my favorite place, Woodstock Market, is Laura from Rethunk Junk.  Her chalk paint comes in a bunch of colors, and she also sells this Prep product to clean your surface before you paint.  No sanding or priming necessary!

I love, love, love this happy Sunflower yellow!  It’s exactly the shade I had in mind for this piece!  I gave my cart two coats, and still have paint left for another project!

Ta-Da!!  All pretty and in place in my dining room!  I swoon….it’s just so lovely.

I mentioned before that I was searching for a sideboard to paint yellow, but I had a lot of trouble finding the right piece for the right price, so this rolling storage cart perfectly fits the bill!  It has room for storage, it’s the right height, and now, thanks to Rethunk Junk, it’s the perfect color, too!

A few perks of Rethunk Junk paint:

* Using the prep means no sanding or priming
* The paint dries quickly, so 2 coats takes no time
* Huge array of color options
* Glazes available as well, to add even more charm and character
* It’s made right here in the USA
* Laura is awesome.  Do you need another reason to love it?

I dressed up the top shelf with some fun pieces.  The gorgeous blue pitcher and cups were handmade by my dad as a gift for my mom years and years ago.  The cake plate came from Pier 1 – you may recall seeing it hold macaroons for my daughters Paris birthday party.

I bought that cigar box at Goodwill for less than $2 and it now houses a few of my linens.

I found that red tray at At Home for only $6 so I couldn’t pass it up!  Those wine glasses and blue vase have been hiding in my pantry for so long, it felt good to put them on display on my new cart!

I could totally use this as a bar cart for our next party!

Let’s get a close-up of those knobs, too.  I love the added character of these knobs I found at Hobby Lobby. Aren’t they fantastic?!

Now I’m on the hunt for big baskets to put on the middle and lower shelves.  I’ll use it to hide all of my larger dishes and serving ware that we don’t use regularly, as well as additional linens and things like that.

Are you ready to build one of your own?  Where would you use it?

If you do build one, will you send me pictures?  I’d love to see your take on this multifunctional storage cart!

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