How to Build a DIY Kitchen Pantry with Wood Shelves

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If your kitchen is short on storage but you don’t have room for a traditional walk-in pantry, an awkward nook may be all you need. This DIY kitchen pantry was built into an underused area beside the dining room, turning wasted space into floor-to-ceiling food storage.

Using two existing walls, we framed in the front of the pantry and added sturdy wood pantry shelves in two different depths to make the most of the available space. The finished pantry gave this small kitchen much-needed storage for canned goods, cereal, baking supplies, pasta, bulk ingredients and more.

This project was originally shared with me by Jenn, who completed the pantry before she ever planned to document it for a tutorial. That means we don’t have exact finished dimensions or a cut list, but we do have the materials, shelf depths and construction process she used so you can adapt the idea to fit your own kitchen.

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Our DIY Kitchen Pantry at a Glance

Project: Built-in kitchen pantry with wood shelves
Location: Previously unused nook beside the dining area
Construction: New framed front wall using two existing walls
Shelving: Laminated pine
Shelf depth: 12 inches along the sides and 16 inches across the back
Number of shelf levels: 5
Original project cost: Approximately $200
Original shelf cost: Approximately $175
Difficulty: Beginner/intermediate DIY
Time: Completed over approximately one long day/weekend
Special feature: Open floor storage beneath the lowest shelf

Because every kitchen and unused nook will be a different size, use this project as inspiration for your own pantry layout rather than an exact building plan. That’s basically my go-to plan for every project I do!

Why Add a Pantry to the Kitchen?

The kitchen in Jenn’s home seriously lacked cupboard space. At the time, there was only about an 8-foot section of cabinets and countertop, which made it difficult to store groceries along with extra cookware.

She had considered building a corner pantry on the opposite side of the kitchen, but there was another space that made much more sense.

Part of the dining area had a small nook with little more than a shelf, dining table, and chairs. The nook wasn’t being used efficiently and actually made it harder to get in and out when someone was seated at the back of the table.

Instead of letting that awkward little corner continue to hog valuable square footage, they turned it into something the kitchen actually needed: storage.

Planning a Pantry in an Unused Kitchen or Dining Nook

One of the smartest parts of this pantry design is that it uses two existing walls.

Rather than framing an entirely new room, only the front pantry wall and door opening needed to be added. That helped keep the project simpler and reduced the amount of drywall and framing materials required.

If you’re considering doing something similar in your home, look beyond the obvious spaces in the kitchen. An unused dining nook, deep corner, awkward recess, or portion of a rarely used room may be able to become pantry space.

Before you start building, think about:

• How much walking space you’ll lose around the pantry
• Where the pantry door will open
• Whether existing outlets, switches, vents, or plumbing will be affected
• How deep your shelves need to be
• What types of groceries and appliances you want to store
• Whether the pantry will need its own lighting
• Where existing wall studs are located

Older houses especially have a way of making the phrase “just frame a wall” sound hilariously optimistic, so measure carefully before committing to your final layout.

Supplies for This DIY Kitchen Pantry

The materials used for this particular pantry included:

• 2×4 studs
• Screws
• Sheet of drywall
• Drywall Screws
• Drywall Mud
• Sanding block
• paint
• roller and tray
• farmhouse trim
• 12-inch laminated pine shelving
• 16-inch laminated pine shelving
• 2×2 lumber
• 1×2 lumber
• door
• door knob

Because this pantry was built before the project was documented for the blog, we don’t have the exact finished dimensions or a cut list. Your measurements will depend on the space you’re converting, but the shelving depths and construction details below can help you plan a similar built-in pantry.

How to Build a Kitchen Pantry

Because this pantry was built using two existing walls, most of the new construction involved framing the front wall, creating the doorway, installing pantry shelves, and finishing the exterior.

1. Frame the Pantry Wall

The first step was framing the new outside wall of the pantry.

This is also where the project encountered its biggest surprise: the existing house wasn’t exactly level or square!!

Finding the wall studs took longer than expected, and the existing wall had enough variation that the new framing had to be adjusted accordingly.

This is a good reminder that when you’re adding new construction to an existing home, especially an older one, don’t assume your walls, ceiling, and floor are perfectly straight. Mine never are lol.

Once the new studs were securely installed, the basic pantry shape was in place.

2. Frame the Door Opening

Next, the doorway was framed into the new pantry wall.

The size of your opening will depend on the type and size of door you plan to install, so choose your door before finalizing this portion of the framing whenever possible.

Jenn was able to use a secondhand door she found at a garage sale, which helped keep the original project costs down. We love a budget-friendly DIY queen!

Once the exterior wall and doorway were secure, it was time to move on to the part that makes a pantry actually useful: all those glorious shelves.

How to Build Pantry Shelves

The pantry shelves were designed around the foods Jenn’s family purchased most often rather than using identical shelves from top to bottom.

That’s a small planning detail that can make a huge difference in how functional a pantry feels once you start using it.

The pantry uses:

• 12-inch-deep shelves along both side walls
• 16-inch-deep shelves across the back wall

The supports along the outer edges were made from 1×2 lumber, creating a ledge for the shelves to rest on.

3. Install the Side Pantry Shelves

First, 12-inch laminated pine shelves were installed along both sides of the pantry, running from the front toward the back wall.

The shallower depth works well for foods you want to keep easy to see and reach.

Nobody wants to conduct an archaeological dig through four rows of canned tomatoes just to find the peanut butter.

4. Add the Deeper Back Shelves

Next, 16-inch laminated pine shelving was cut to fit the remaining space between the two side shelves.

Using deeper shelves across the back provided additional storage for larger items without making every shelf in the pantry unnecessarily deep.

5. Support the Pantry Shelves

The shelves needed more than support along the walls, especially once they were loaded with canned goods, flour, sugar, and other heavy pantry staples.

For additional strength, 2×2 lumber was used as front supports on both sides.

Jenn also used 1×2 lumber to brace between the shelves and help support the weight.

The finished pantry has five levels of laminated pine shelving.

How Deep Should Pantry Shelves Be?

Pantry shelves don’t necessarily need to be the same depth throughout the entire pantry.

In this project, using two different shelf depths helped maximize storage while keeping everyday foods accessible.

The 12-inch side shelves work well for things like:

• Canned goods
• Condiments
• Coffee
• Snacks
• Pasta
• Jars
• Smaller food containers

The 16-inch back shelves provide additional space for larger or bulkier items such as:

• Cereal boxes
• Baking supplies
• Bulk food containers
• Baskets
• Larger packages

Deep shelves can provide plenty of storage, but making every shelf extremely deep can also make it easier for smaller items to disappear behind one another.

Using a combination of shelf depths gives you room for larger items without sacrificing visibility.

How to Plan Pantry Shelf Spacing

Jenn planned the shelf heights by looking at the groceries her family purchased regularly, including cereal, condiments, canned goods, baking supplies, and pasta.

That’s probably one of the easiest ways to plan your own pantry.

Before permanently installing shelves, gather a few sample pantry items from your kitchen and think about where they would fit.

For example:

What You Want to Store	Shelf Space to Consider
Cans and short jars	Shorter shelf spacing
Condiments and sauces	Medium spacing
Pasta and snack containers	Medium spacing
Cereal boxes	Taller spacing
Baking supplies	Medium to tall spacing
Small appliances	Taller and/or deeper space
Bulk containers	Lower shelves or floor storage

You don’t necessarily need equal spacing between every pantry shelf.

Adjusting the heights according to what you actually buy can help you fit more usable storage into the same amount of space.

Check out our post on healthy pantry organization tips!

Finish the Pantry Walls and Door

Once the pantry shelves were installed, the next step was hanging the drywall and installing the door.

Because two existing walls were already being used, only three relatively small sections of drywall were required for this project.

The inside portion of the newly framed wall wasn’t drywalled. Jenn didn’t think about doing it until after the pantry was finished, but that area isn’t visible during normal use.

If you’re building your own pantry, however, this is one of those little details you’ll probably want to decide before the shelves go in.

After the drywall was installed, the door and doorknob were added.

Despite the challenges with the uneven existing walls during framing, the pantry door went in much more easily than expected.

The drywall could then be mudded, sanded, and painted, and the exterior of the door was eventually finished with farmhouse-style trim.

Natural Wood Pantry Shelves

The laminated pine shelves were left natural rather than stained.

The light wood helped keep the inside of the pantry from feeling too dark while showing off the grain of the pine.

That’s another thing to consider when choosing your pantry shelf finish.

A dark stain can look gorgeous, but inside an enclosed pantry without a dedicated light fixture, lighter wood or paint may help the space feel brighter.

This particular pantry didn’t have its own light fixture. Because it was located near the dining room light, that wasn’t a major problem for the family, but lighting is definitely worth considering when planning a pantry of your own.

What This DIY Pantry Originally Cost

This pantry was built as a budget-friendly home improvement project, but keep in mind that the costs below reflect the prices at the time the original project was completed, not current lumber or construction prices.

At the time, the laminated pine shelving cost approximately:

• $25 for a 12-inch x 8-foot board
• $30 for a 16-inch x 8-foot board

The project used approximately three 12-inch boards and three 16-inch boards to create five levels of pantry shelving.

The pantry door was a garage sale find for $20, and leftover drywall from another home project was used as well.

Original DIY Kitchen Pantry Cost

The total original cost to build the pantry was approximately $200.

Original DIY Pantry Shelving Cost

The pantry shelves accounted for most of that budget, at approximately $175.

Current prices for lumber, doors, drywall, hardware, and other materials will vary considerably, especially depending on what you already have on hand.

Reusing leftover materials or finding a secondhand door can help reduce the cost of a similar project.

How Long Does It Take to Build a DIY Pantry?

This particular pantry came together surprisingly quickly once the framing issues were solved, and Jenn was already putting groceries inside by that evening.

That doesn’t mean every pantry like this should be considered a one-day DIY project, though.

Your timeline will depend on:

• How much framing is required
• Whether your existing walls are square and level
• How quickly you can locate and work with existing studs
• How much drywall is needed
• Drywall mud drying time
• Painting
• Door installation
• Shelf construction
• Whether you’re working alone or with help

For most homeowners, planning this as a weekend project rather than expecting to finish everything perfectly in a single day is probably more realistic.

What to Consider Before Building a Similar Pantry

One limitation of this tutorial is that we don’t have the exact dimensions of Jenn’s finished pantry.

But since the whole idea is about converting an existing space, your measurements probably wouldn’t match hers anyway.

Before starting your own built-in pantry, I’d pay particular attention to these details:

Make Sure You Have Enough Walking Space

A pantry is wonderful. A pantry that makes you shimmy sideways around your dining table every night is less wonderful.

Mark the proposed pantry footprint on the floor with painter’s tape before framing anything. Walk around it for a day or two and make sure the remaining space still functions.

Decide What You’ll Store Before Building Shelves

Measure your cereal boxes, small appliances, bulk containers, canisters, or anything else you’re hoping to store.

Your shelves should fit your food, not the other way around.

Think About Lighting

This pantry worked without dedicated lighting because a nearby dining room light provided enough illumination.

A darker or deeper pantry may benefit from its own lighting.

Don’t Assume Existing Walls Are Square

This project learned that lesson the fun way.

Measure in multiple places and check for level and plumb before cutting all your materials based on one measurement.

Jenn painted the dining area a shade of slate blue. Eventually, the kitchen pantry door was finished off with farmhouse trim – check out the tutorial for super easy, frugal trim idea!

Our Mop & Broom Holder tutorial is another great DIY for your kitchen and perfect for the back of your pantry door. We have lots of DIY pallet project ideas you may want to try too.

Don’t miss my tutorial on how I upgraded our builders grade kitchen island with new trim, molding, and fresh paint!

You also want to check out my countertop makeover on a budget. One more must-see is the Entryway Bench with Shiplap Walls. Drool-worthy before and after!

We hope you enjoyed this step by step tutorial. Now that you know how to build a pantry and how to build pantry shelves we hope you are able to better organize your kitchen and make life a bit easier!

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