Living Room Cupboard – Part 5

So, my Dad saw my last post about the living room cupboard, and my dilemma about the plywood edge [whether it should face up or out].  Here’s a visual reminder:

THE CUPBOARD:

The first arrangement of plywood I bought included a top piece cut to match the size of the ugly blue laminate, and a front lip to attach at a 90° angle.  I stained and polyurethaned them before realizing this configuration would give the top an ugly “plywood edge border” along the front:

       

Oops.  Hadn’t thought of that…  [I’m using unstained plywood scraps to demonstrate, so bear with me].

The 2nd arrangement of plywood I bought [and stained, and polyurethaned] included a slightly wider top and slightly narrower lip.  This configuration causes the ugly “plywood edge border” to face outwards, towards the couch:

Better, but not much…

Thankfully, my brilliant father – the king of DIY – had a 3rd option.  I’m too inexperienced to have thought of it on my own, but should have, since I already owned the solution!

He told me to buy a piece of ¾” pine [sold at most hardware stores for molding, borders, crafts, etc.], stain and polyurethane it to match the plywood, and glue or nail it to the plywood edge.  Problem solved!  The ¾” pine he’s talking about comes in ¾”x⅜”x6′ strips – it’s what I used to build my DIY spice rack, add a border to the original cat platform, and add treads to the cat ramp fail.  Here’s what it looks like when it’s laid over the ugly plywood edge [again, I’m using an unstained scrap for demonstration purposes]:

       

*MIND BLOWN*

Here’s a pic of the stained & polyurethaned ¾” pine laying on top of the finished plywood – it matches perfectly!  Woohoo!

All that’s left is to decide which piece of plywood to use for the top and which to use for the lip.  It all comes down to whether I want the ¾” pine to blend with the top piece, or the lip piece.  I’ll keep you posted!  Whichever piece of plywood I don’t use, will be cut up into shelves for the upstairs bathroom.

Thanks Dad!  I love you!