Build basic timber boxes and mount them on drawer slides to get organised and maximise cabinet space.

The area under the kitchen sink is often under-utilised because the waste pipe projects down awkwardly into it, limiting the available height for storage.

Designed to make use of the irregular spaces around the sink bowl and plumbing, these slide-out trays fit into a standard 900 x 720 x 560mm flat-packed base cabinet.

Cut from plywood and pine, the trays are built using butt joints and are easily adapted to suit other sizes.

The two base trays fit beneath sink plumbing that exits through the back of the cabinet, with plenty of room for cleaning products and similar items.

If the plumbing in your kitchen exits through the base of the cabinet, change the dimensions of the trays so they’re shorter or narrower as needed, or make two tiers of upper trays.

Cut the components

The unit base, tray bases and cleats are cut from 17mm CD plywood using a circular saw and straightedge guide.

Cut the partitions and tray sides from 90 x 19mm dressed all round (DAR) pine, and the upper tray sides from 140 x 19mm pine using a circular saw and speed square.

To finish, the trays are sanded with 180 grit abrasive paper and sealed with two coats of clear polyurethane to protect them from product spills and water damage.

Drawer sliders

For the smoothest operation, we used full-extension drawer slides that contain ball bearings. To reduce the cost of the project by up to $140, use single-extension drawer slides.

Prestige single-extension drawer slides are base-mounted and can handle up to 25kg.

King Slide drawer slides are side-mounted and have a 45kg weight capacity.