Do you have an old dresser sitting around that needs new life? See a cool one at a garage sale?
Are you sick of looking at that plain wire kennel in your house?
Not going to lie, this was NOT an easy project, but isn't it stunning?! I got this dresser for free on a local swap page on Facebook and immediately knew I wanted to turn it into a dog kennel. I went straight to Pinterest and started getting some ideas then got straight down to work.
First I took out the bottom 4 drawers and their tracks as well as the hardware on the top drawers. I wanted to keep the top two drawers for storage of treats, leashes, bags, etc. I always get excited about painting, so I quickly grabbed some paint and got right to it! The dresser was veneer, so it wasn't the easiest to paint, but this Magnolia line chalk paint (EEK I don't remember the color, I am SO sorry) did the trick. I used a regular paint brush, but if I were to use this paint again I would use a foam brush or a sprayer.
Once painted, I started framing out the inside for a kennel. I put some 2x4's in the base for extra support, then took thin plywood and nailed it to the base, sides and back. We thought about putting one in the roof of the kennel but didn't have any good support for the board.
I also got black hardware from amazon and stained the inside with Minwax Dark Walnut stain.
Next came the doors. I used 1 x 3's and shaved them down about a half inch with a table saw. For the bars, I went to a local steel shop and bought plain 1/4 inch steel bars. They cut them to the length I needed. I spray painted black with flat black spray paint.I took my door frames and drilled holes with a drill press. I spaced mine out about 2", but you can do whatever spacing you want. Next, I put the bars in the drilled holes, lined them up, and secured my frame with wood glue and a nail gun. I also stained these with Minwax Dark Walnut.
The last bit to do was attaching the doors! I made the right door stationary, but you could make it functional as well. I attached black hinges and a small black lock and it was done! Perfect for any pet!
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