Watch Me Build a DIY Cooler Cabinet
When we got a hot tub last summer, it quickly became apparent we needed a patio cooler. It had to be tall enough to access without getting out. And, while I was at it, why not add some storage for chemicals and towels? I decided to build a DIY cooler cabinet!
Free Building Materials? Yes, Please!
As luck would have it, we had friends that were replacing their wooden patio–in the process, they discovered about 15 boards underneath the old one. They reached out to me to ask if I wanted them. How do they know me so well?!?
They just needed a bit of spraying with water, and my niece was visiting from across the country. Of course, she’s always ready to do a project with Aunt Jules 🙂
*Find all the wood measurements at the bottom.
Cuts & Pocket Holes
I had a design in mind for this DIY cooler, with 8 boards cut to the height we needed next to the hot tub, (39 inches.) Each corner of the cooler would have two boards meeting in the corner at a 90 degree angle, screwed together with pocket screws.
I created 4 pocket holes along the length, and then attached one board the the other to create that 90 degree corner. We needed 4 of these.
Assembling the Back
The back of the cooler would be straight boards cut to the same length, (44 inches), from one corner to the next, installed with screws. The back stopped short of the bottom so the cabinet would have “legs.”
Creating the Sides
Next up–cutting the same lengths for both sides of the cooler cabinet. (19 inches)
Two screws were installed into each side board, drilling into the board, all the way to the corner board. I did this from the inside so the screws would be hidden from the outside.
Building the Bottom
The bottom of this cooler cabinet was created by installing boards the entire width of the cabinet, tucked inside the corner frame I had designed. The first board was installed with screws all along the length of the back. The rest of the bottom boards were screwed up into the side boards on each side. I used 3.5 boards, cut at 44 inches to fit inside.
The Front Frame Corners
With the sides screwed to back of the cooler, it was time to add the front corner pieces, attaching the sides with two screws in each board into the corner boards from the inside of the cabinet.
Design the Inside
This is where you have to use your best judgment on how to add the pieces into the cabinet for storage, shelving and cooler space. My way might not be the most efficient–but at this point I was winging it!
My first objective was to create the “area” for the cooler. With the cooler measurements, I added shelf brackets, at the depth I needed for the top of the cooler to be flush with the top of the cabinet. I installed the wood shelf brackets by screwing 2 screws into each of them.
Before adding the shelf boards into the cabinet, I put two pocket screws on each end of the left side–where they would attach to the divider boards. The right side of the shelf boards were connected to the shelf brackets with screws, then the left sides were screwed into the divider with the pocket holes. 3 shelf boards were cut at approximately 27 inches. (This would be the same length of the 3 front panel boards.)
Securing the Middle Divider
I tipped the cabinet on its back to finish installing the middle divider, 3 boards cut at 33 inches. You can see the pocket holes from this angle, where the shelf boards were attached to the divider boards. I installed the divider to the bottom of the cabinet with screws, coming up from the bottom.
The front of the cabinet was planned with only a front panel in the cooler area of the cabinet. The rest would be open space for storage. The right side of the boards were screwed from the inside of the cooler area into the corner boards.
The left side had pocket holes drilled into them so they could attach to the divider without being seen.
The Small Shelf
It’s easy to get distracted during projects…and that’s exactly what happened here. Lots of friends and family coming and going. I decided to create more wood slats for the smaller shelf on the left side of the cabinet. I added one on each side, and one on the back.
Once the small shelf boards were cut and placed, (13 inch lengths), and the front of the cooler panel was finished, it was time to decide how the top would be completed.
Remember how I said I was winging it at this point? My brother-in-law and I brainstormed what was possible for length and attachment. He ended up helping me add pocket holes into the top ends of the middle divider and the left side boards of the cabinet to install the top boards, making the screws hidden.
The top would span over the middle divider past the left side edge, adding a bit of overhang there and on the front. Boards were cut at 18 inches.
Here is the DIY cooler cabinet in place, next to the hot tub. All it needed was the cooler in place and drinks!
Here it is, with the cooler, set inside so you can open it from the hot tub side. Charlotte & I worked hard on this! It was time for some relaxing–even if it was raining!
Fast forward 11 months…
I decided to add a top to the other side of the cabinet. The boards were cut to the length of 30 inches, and then I attached them to one another using “finger joints,” I drilled holes into the sides and joined them together with short dowel rods inserted into each hole with wood glue. They were pressed together and given time to dry. Then it was time to stain the entire thing.
*After the top was installed, I did add a wooden piece across all of the boards inside the cabinet for additional support, keeping the structure in tact.
I used “Ebony” by Varathane, one of my favorite stains to use. My paint sprayer by Graco Homeowner Sprayers handled this project amazingly well.
Adding Hinges
After brainstorming which kind of hinges would work/fit, we ended up using old door hinges we had in the garage. We “shimmed” the wooden top with other hinges–just so there would be room, keeping the wood from rubbing. (Those hinges were an option I picked up from the store, but the door hinges worked much better here.) Hubs and I spent a couple hours on a Saturday afternoon working together…and we didn’t even argue. Can you believe it?!?
Once the hinges had been installed and placed correctly, I actually removed them to spray paint them gold for dramatic effect. They just got reinstalled with the screw holes.
More Elements
I spray painted an old bottle opener gold to go with the style.
Along with the bottle opener, I had built a small, wooden, rustic box out of some wood from the garage. It is stained with a walnut stain.
We had an extra cabinet pull that we used as the handle.
Attaching the Cooler Top
The idea was to have the wooden top be attached to the cooler top. But, it’s tricky, right? Cooler tops have cup holders and weird dimensions. Upon investigating, we saw that there was a spot right by the handle that pressed up against the wood. We used that to install one screw, connecting the wood to the cooler top.
Once the top was opened, the cooler top was attached! From there, we used screws to attach it in 4 additional spots to secure it.
*If you notice, we had to remove the original hinge connection between the cooler top and base, since the wooden top now needed to control the opening and closing.
Our DIY Cooler Cabinet Results
I am so thrilled with the finished results of this DIY cooler! Now, it not only offers a great hot tub experience, but it looks beautiful, too. Anyone who is not in the hot tub can also access the cooler from this side.
Disclaimer: There are things I would do differently if I were to do a DIY cooler cabinet again. Because I didn’t originally plan for a wooden top that opens on the right side, the way it was constructed was tricky for hinges. The circle shows what I had to do so the top would open. I had to cut a chunk out to make room for the corner piece. But, if I would have originally added another board running vertical (the red line) I wouldn’t have had to do that, since the hinges then could have both been installed on those outer boards.
*I also attempted to spray paint the top of the cooler with a metallic gray–when I thought we would just leave it without a top. After a year, it looked awful. I just applied some paint stripping solution, and it wiped clean!
*This build could have been done in about 4 days if I had done everything back to back. (The cabinet itself was built in one day, but the glued top and stain drying times would add a few more.)
See the Backyard Makeover we did for the Spring 2021 One Room Challenge.
Wood for This Project:
The actual size of the boards I used were 1 & 1/8 by 5 & 3/8 by varying lengths (originally they were 20 foot deck boards)
- 8 boards at 44 inches (4 corner frames)
- 9.5 boards at 19 inches (back and bottom)
- 12 boards at 19 inches (side 1 & 2)
- 6 boards at 27 inches (cooler shelf and front panel)
- 3 boards at 13 inches (small shelf)
- 3 boards at 33 inches (middle dividers)
- 4 boards at 30 inches (top door)
- 4 boards at 18 inches (small top)
- Various small cut boards for shelf brackets
