Repurpose an Old Filing Cabinet with Magnets
Filing cabinets are disappearing from the modern office. Most people find that there’s no reason to keep the bulky, metal storage shelves around when everything can be stored online with less clutter. They don't have to go to waste though! Luckily, there are plenty of inexpensive filing cabinets in good condition that you can upcycle and put to good use. Here’s how you can use some paint and neodymium magnets to turn an old filing cabinet into a charming kitchen island:
Supplies:
- Paint and primer
- Magnetic rack
- 12lb neodymium hook mangets
- 1/2" x 1/16" strong disc magnets
- Cutting board
- Strong glue
Instructions:
- First, make sure the drawers work in your “new” filing cabinet and clean it thoroughly.
- Next, paint it! You should probably start with a coat of primer and then add two coats of your paint.
- After the paint is dry, you can install a cutting board on top. There are two ways to do this:
- The first way is to glue four neodymium disc magnets to each corner of the bottom of your cutting board to create a detachable top. The magnets will attract to the top of the metal filing cabinet and hold the board in place while you work. Then you can pick up the cutting board and transfer it to a table for easy access.
- You can also make the cutting board a permanent fixture on your filing cabinet by drilling holes into the top of the cabinet and screwing the board in place.
- Last, you can attach hook magnets and a magnetic rack to the sides of your kitchen island. You can use the rack to store knives and other metal tools and you can use the hook magnets to hold a towel or an apron.