How to Redo Your Pantry on a Budget in 1 Day!

Replacing the wire shelving in our pantry with adjustable shelves has been on our to-do list forever, but it’s one of those home improvement projects we kept putting off. I thought about hiring a closet organization company, but after making over our garage I knew we could finish this project within a few hours and save a ton of money. So Sunday afternoon my husband went off to our local home improvement store to buy the supplies while I prepped the pantry. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to redo your pantry.

Materials Needed to Redo Our Pantry:

Below is a detailed shopping list of the items we needed for our pantry makeover.

• 3 White Melamine Adjustable Side Panels 3/4″ x 12″ x 97″
• 3 White Melamine Shelves 3/4″ x 12″ x 97″
• 4 ft Baseboard
• Shelf Supports
• Drill
• Saw (Prior to owning a saw we cut all of our lumber at our local improvement store)
• Paint
• Nail Hole Filler
• Sandpaper
• Tape Measure

How We Redid Our Pantry Step by Step:

Step 1: Empty the Space
How to redo your pantry step one, remove all items from the pantry. This is an excellent time to throw out expired items or donate food you no longer eat. It’s also a great time to start sorting your food and placing items in categories, which will make it easier when you put everything back.

Step 2: Removal
How to redo your pantry step two, remove all of the wire shelves, wall brackets, baseboards, and pantry doors.

Step 3: Prepare
How to redo your pantry step three, is to prep the space. Once the shelves are removed patch and sand the holes, clean the area, and then paint the walls. Make sure to let the patches dry prior to painting. You can paint the pantry a nice bright white or the same color as the kitchen walls. Just keep in mind if you paint your kitchen down the road the pantry won’t match unless you disassemble the shelving unit or tape around the shelves in order to paint the walls, which can be an inconvenience. So I personally recommend painting it white.

Step 4: Measure & Cut
How to redo your pantry step 4, is measuring and cutting. You need to measure your pantry space, both width and height. Then you’ll want to measure the height of the 3 White Melamine Adjustable Side Panels. In our case they perfectly fit into our pantry, so we didn’t need to trim any of the height off.

After having the right height for the side panels, now you’ll want to cut the shelving. In order to do this make sure you have the correct width of the pantry, then deduct the width of the vertical side panels, which should only be 3/4″ but never assume the shelving is spot on in size.

Once you deduct the width of the side panels you’ll have the space left over for shelving. Take this number and divide by 2 because there will be a side panel down the middle of the pantry and shelves on each side. We personally cut 12 shelves, 6 on each side. Depending on the height and your needs you may want to use more or less.

During this process, you’ll want to make sure to measure twice and cut once. While the melamine boards should be correct in size I’d still verify before making any cuts. This is by far the most important step in how to redo your pantry.

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Step 5: Install Shelving
How to redo your pantry step five is to install the shelving. First, you’ll want to take 2 of the side panels and place one against each side wall in the pantry. Next, have someone hold the 3 side panel in the middle and the other person can add 2 shelves and pegs roughly in the middle. Ours was more toward the top, but if you go too high or too low the side panels will collapse because everything is pressure fitted.

Once the side panels are stable you can add the remaining 10 shelves and pegs. Since the melamine boards we purchased had pre-drilled pet holes it was super easy to install and move the shelving around.

Step 6: Put Everything Back Together
How to redo your pantry step six, now it’s time to install the new baseboards, fill nail holes, caulk, and paint them. You can certainly try salvaging the original baseboards, but sometimes it’s easier to buy new ones especially when you have a smaller pantry. Once the baseboards are installed and the paints dry you can start putting your food back into place. Last but not least take a picture, post it on social media, and then add the closet doors back on!

Completed Project

We had most of the supplies on hand, so redoing our pantry cost us around $150 and our storage space easily doubled. Gone are the days of food packages and small items falling through the wire shelf! Plus, the shelves are so easy to keep clean keep.

For this project, my husband did all of the cutting. However, I’m confident I could have tackled this entire project on my own if I had to. It definitely would have taken longer, but I still think I could have gotten done in a single day. There were only a few simple cuts that had to be made. Nothing about this “how to redo your pantry” project was really complicated. The most complicated thing was measuring correctly for the shelves. Other than that everything was super easy.

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Looking to makeover your kitchen pantry? If so here is a helpful step-by-step guide for how to redo your pantry on a budget in only one day! #pantrymakeover #diy #howto Click to Tweet

Popular Pantry Makeover Questions

What are the top tips for how to update pantry shelves? Updating pantry shelves can be rather inexpensive and not over complicated but it all depends on what kind of shelving you currently have. If you have wire shelving this step-by-step guide for making over a pantry is a great option. Another popular option is building a shelf “cover.” In this option, your wire racks stay in place and you build a cover to go over the existing shelf. Most will use a thin piece of wood to cover the actual shelf, then add trim on the front.

Wondering how to organize a pantry with deep shelves? To organize a pantry with deep shelves you’ll want to start by grouping similar items together and adding smaller items in baskets or containers so they don’t get lost. Then place frequently used items within easy reach and less commonly used items toward the back of the shelf.

Is it possible to change a closet into a pantry? Yes, in most cases there are several ways how to change closet into pantry. Turning a closet into a pantry can be pretty simple depending on the closet’s shape and size. If it’s a wall-to-wall closet this helpful how to redo your pantry guide will make the process super simple if every step is followed.

However, if the closet is a walk-in closet or odd shape you’ll definitely have to keep up with a plan on paper. If the size can accommodate cabinets I highly recommend adding at least bottom cabinets and doing shelving on the top. There are lots of creative ways to turn a closet into a functional pantry.

Need advice on how to organize pantry? Organizing a pantry can be pretty simple. The first step is to remove everything from the pantry and while doing do get rid of expired food or food you no longer eat. Next, place everything into groups such as grains, canned goods, snacks, baking flour, etc. Consider using storage containers or bins to keep similar items together and maximize shelf space.

Additional tips include labeling each container with the type of food and expiration date for easy identification. Arrange the items on the shelves in a logical and accessible manner, placing frequently used items within easy reach and the other items on the higher shelves or toward the back. If you are uncertain about the layout don’t stress too much, you can adjust and move things over time that best suits your family’s needs.

About the Author

Top Wellington Realtor, Michelle Gibson, wrote: “How to Redo Your Pantry on a Budget in 1 Day!”

Michelle has been specializing in residential real estate since 2001 throughout Wellington Florida and the surrounding area. Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or rent she will guide you through the entire real estate transaction. If you’re ready to put Michelle’s knowledge and expertise to work for you call or e-mail her today.

Areas of service include Wellington, Lake Worth, Royal Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach, Loxahatchee, Greenacres, and more.

How to Redo Your Pantry on a Budget in 1 Day!