Building A SPACE SAVING Floating Bathroom Cabinet

December 24, 2024 Erin Longfellow

About 6 years ago we bought this Ikea cabinet for our last house. And we loved it—it was super functional in our bathroom and looked great. But when we sold that house, the cabinet had to stay. So when we moved into this house I thought, “why not build my own version, even better for less money?”

And if you’ve been a loyal follower you’ll probably notice that this footage isn’t recent. I actually built this project 5 years ago and for some reason I just never released this project video. But this build is too good to keep in the archives, so… Merry Christmas!

For even more info, check out the detailed tutorial video here!

Tools and materials I used for this project:

Step 1: Cut Plywood Parts

I started by cutting all of my parts to size using a circular saw and a clamped straight edge (mine is just a very straight board). This whole project is made from one sheet of 3/4” plywood and one sheet of 1/2” plywood. I’ve got all of the dimensions, materials and step by step instructions for you in the build plans if you are interested in building this cabinet yourself.

Step 2: Base Assembly!

The top and bottom of the cabinet get pocket holes as the box is assembled with wood glue and pocket hole screws.

I like to use these jigs from Rocker (corner clamping jig and assembly square) when assembling cabinets as they act like extra hands to hold everything in place while you add fasteners. The pocket holes are on the top and bottom of the cabinet and out of sight.

I added glue to the sides of the top and bottom parts and then screwed them to the sides, making the cabinet box.

The back panel is made from 1/2” plywood. I flipped the cabinet over, sitting on the front, added wood glue to each long side of the back panel and then set it in place, secured with pocket hole screws.

Step 3: Edge Banding

Time to make these raw plywood edges look finished. I’m using iron on edge banding which is basically a thin strip of wood with heat activated glue on the back. I cut mine slightly oversized, grabbed my iron and glued it on.

Tip: Use foil between the iron and the edge banding so you don’t get glue on your clothes iron 😅

Once it’s glued down I can trim the edges to size and the overhang can be trimmed using a sharp chisel or utility knife.

Step 4: Shelves

I figured out the spacing that I wanted for my shelves and then I temporarily set them in place using tape, making sure they were square to the cabinet.

I’m using shelf pins to support the shelves so I made marks under each shelf so I know where to drill for the holes.

I’m adding tape to my drill bit as a depth marker so I don’t drill further than necessary and drill to infinity, right through the side of my cabinet. Each shelf gets two support pins on each side. Be sure to check out the video tutorial for more details!

I can then hammer in my shelf pins, stand the cabinet up and set in the shelves.

Step 5: Door Finger Pull

I debated on several options for the door pull but I settled on instead doing an inset hidden finger pull on the edge of the door.

To create it, I made one angled shallow cut using my table saw a little less than an inch in from the edge of the door.

And then I moved my blade back to 90 degrees and made repetitive shallow cuts to clean out the area between the angled cut and the edge.

I’m obviously doing this with my table saw but again, this could absolutely be done with a less expensive circular saw.

Here’s a better look at what I cut. You can see that I now have a finger pull on the inside edge of the door.

After cleaning up the edges with sandpaper and a chisel, I added edge banding here as well to keep it looking clean.

Step 6: Add The Hinges & Door

To attach the door, I used full-overlay, 110 degree, soft-close, frameless Blum hinges. Whew! That’s a mouthful. These things make your cabinet feel fancy.

My door is an overlay, meaning it fits over the opening, so I made a sacrificial scrap board to sit just inside the frame so I can test fit and make marks for my hinge placement. Once everything lines up, I can then use the scrap to transfer the holes to my door. This way I can test everything on the scrap and avoid any mistake cuts on my door.

I know there are jigs you can buy to make cabinet door installation easy, but I didn’t have any at this time. So this is my method and it worked great! I show this method in detail in the build tutorial video, so be sure to check that out to see more.

Step 7: French Cleat

This cabinet is going to be floating from the wall, so to securely hang it I’m using French cleats. I built an entire French cleat wall for my tools in my workshop organization project so check out that project for more details! But as a refresher, a French cleat is a 45 degree cleat attached to the wall, which mates with an opposing 45 degree cleat, mounted to the back of my cabinet. Its very strong, very secure and my favorite method to hang heavy items.

I added wood glue to the back of the cabinet cleat and screwed it to the back of the cabinet, making sure it was level.

And this is why there is a cavity in the back of the cabinet. There is space for the hanging cleat and the cabinet will still sit flush with the wall.

I found the studs on the wall where I want to hang the cabinet using the best stud finder ever (it lights up over studs as you move it across the wall) and then screwed the cleat into the studs, making sure it was level, and simply hung it on the wall! This is shown in more detail in the build video if you’d like to see more.

I added the shelves, and just like that—a sleek, modern floating cabinet is complete! It’s way better than anything you’d find at Ikea and ready to store whatever you need. Its slim design makes it a perfect addition to a bathroom, closet, workshop, or even as a stylish kitchen pantry.

We’ve now been using this cabinet for nearly five years, and it’s been an absolute game-changer. Our primary bathroom is small, so we hung this in our walk-in closet for extra storage. It holds makeup, toiletries, and so much more—all without taking up any floor space. It’s incredibly solid, stores a ton, and has been one of our favorite DIYs.

If you’re ready to build your own, don’t forget to grab the printable build plans. This project is easy, fun and rewarding. I hope this inspires you to create something amazing!

And don’t forget to see the whole project in greater detail in my project video here:

MAKER GRAY