DIY Trash Can Cabinet with Free Plans

Thank you to Kreg for sponsoring this DIY tilt-out trash can! All opinions are entirely my own. This post also contains affiliate links, but nothing that I wouldn’t recommend wholeheartedly. Read my full disclosure here.

If you’re struggling with making your trash can look more attractive in your kitchen or your dogs are getting into your trash can, you’ll love today’s DIY trash can cabinet woodworking project.

Trash Can: Before (The Problem)

We’ve had an issue in our kitchen for a couple of years. Every time he’s left unattended, our dog gets into the trash can and makes a huge mess. 

We’ve gotten pretty used to it. We always took out the kitchen trash before we left. We also started keeping a big laundry detergent container in the trash can so he couldn’t lift it. Attractive, I know. 

But earlier this year, we got a puppy. And he’s started to pick up on some of the older dog’s bad habits… like getting into the trash can. 

It got worse when the dogs started working together to figure out how to open the trash can to get the food scraps. Silly dogs! 

Finally, it was too much, and we determined we needed to figure out a different solution. 

Unfortunately, there is no good cabinet in our kitchen for a pull-out trash bin. We’ve had those in other houses and loved them, but we needed to think of something else this time. 

Enter the DIY trash can cabinet!

Related Reading: Check out these other DIY trash can cabinet ideas for more inspiration!

Kreg 720PRO Pocket Hole Jig

If you’ve been following Making Manzanita for a bit, you know we are big fans of the Kreg pocket hole system.

We built tons of projects using our original K5 Pocket Hole Jig, we even have a super detailed guide and video about how to use it that you can check out here.

In 2021, Kreg released brand new pocket hole systems that replaced the K4 and K5, and the upgrades are pretty awesome.

The new 720PRO (which we were using for this DIY trash can cabinet) and the 520PRO (which replaced the smaller K4 system) were improved a ton, the most noticeable change being that they are easier to set up and use – score.

My favorite new feature of 720PRO and 520PRO is the clamp that you don’t have to adjust anymore. You just clamp it down and it automatically adjusts to match the thickness of your wood, so cool, right?

Pocket hole joinery is one of the easiest ways to join wood in woodworking projects. It’s our favorite hidden weapon for beginning woodworkers!

Want to learn more? I wrote a super detailed guide & created a video all about how to set up your Kreg 720PRO Pocket Hole and use it, so be sure to check that out too!

We teamed up with our friends Kreg again for these DIY trash can cabinet plans and are sharing them online for free, now available on KregTool.com!

Kreg’s website is chocked full of so many easy-to-follow FREE woodworking plans! I promise you will find so much inspiration while you’re there! It is a goldmine!

DIY Trash Can Cabinet: Video Tutorial

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DIY Trash Can Cabinet: Detailed instructions

Step 1: Cut Wood

• Use a table saw with a fine-toothed trim blade to cut plywood pieces and the widths of any wood pieces as needed.
• If you don’t have a table saw, no worries. It isn’t the only way! Check out the Kreg Rip-Cut circular saw guide.
• Use a miter saw to cut the board lengths. 
• Cut plywood and oak boards as per woodworking plans, which can be downloaded for free here.
• Prevent plywood from chipping with a trim blade. You can also put painter’s tape over the cut line as another way to prevent chipping.

Step 2: Cut Dado for Drawer

• Make ¼” dado cuts the drawer side pieces for the drawer bottom using a dado blade on a table saw.
• If no dado blade, make multiple passes with a regular table saw blade.

Step 3: Cut Groove for Door Panel Insert

• Use a table saw to cut a ⅜” deep groove into door rails and stiles.
• Make a couple of passes until the groove is ¼” wide.

Step 4: Sand

• Lightly sand all cut pieces with 80-grit sandpaper and an orbital sander.

Step 5: Drill Pocket Holes

• Drill pocket holes following woodworking plans, using a pocket hole jig – like the Kreg 720 Pro or Kreg 520 Pro.
• Drill slowly to avoid damaging the thin hardwood veneer.

Step 6: Assemble the Drawer Box

• Glue and nail back and sides together.
• Slide in drawer bottom into dado channel, add a front piece, and nail together. Allow to dry.

Step 7: Assemble Face Frame

• Clamp face frame pieces together and use 1 ¼” hardwood Kreg screws to attach.
• We always recommend predrilling pilot holes to prevent splits when working with hardwood, like Oak.

Step 8: Assemble Door

• Dry fit door pieces, clamp, mark, and pre-drill.
• Add wood glue into the groove, assemble the door, clamp, and screw in pocket hole screws. 
• Allow to dry.

Step 9: Build Cabinet Frame

• Assemble cabinet side panels, bottom panel, top panel, and bottom supports using pre-drilled pocket holes.
• Use 1 ¼” Softwood/plywood Kreg screws.

Step 10: Build Top

• Dry fit top front and side trim pieces, mark through pocket holes, and assemble using 1 ¼” Kreg hardwood pocket screws.

Step 11: Attach Face Frame and Top to Cabinet

• Attach the face frame with 1 ¼” Kreg hardwood screws.
• Attach the top using construction adhesive and finish nails from the inside.

Step 12: Assemble Trash Bin Tilt Platform

• Attach tilt support triangles to the trash bin tilt platform base with wood glue and finish nails.
• Attach bin tilt platform to the door using pre-drilled pocket holes. Add wood glue for extra strength.

Step 13: Sand and Stain

• Sand all parts with 80-grit and 150-grit sandpaper.
• Apply wood stain, like Minwax Dark Walnut. 
• Allow the stain to dry for at least 8 hours before applying finish.

Step 14: Apply Finish

• Spray lacquer onto parts at least 3 times for protection.
• Lightly rub #0000 wire wool for a smooth finish after it’s dry to the touch.

Step 15: Add Hinges and Tilt Stops

• Attach the piano hinge to the bottom edge of the cabinet and door.
• Tilt open the door to the desired angle and attach tilt stops. Test to make sure it is working properly.

Step 16: Add Back Panel

• Attach the back panel to the trash cabinet using 1 ¼” softwood/plywood Kreg screws for a finished look.

Step 17: Add Drawer Slides, Drawer Face & Hardware

• The last thing you’ll do is add the drawer and hardware. 
• Clamp together the drawer box and drawer front. 
• Attach drawer pull using a hardware template.
• Follow instructions for drawer slides. 
• Attach a matching door pull to the top of the door for tilting the trash bin out. 

Ready to see the finished DIY trash can cabinet??

I love that the tilt out front looks like a cabinet door and the stain color matches the rest of our kitchen. 

What did we make this DIY trash can cabinet out of?

We made our DIY tilt-out trash can from oak hardwood trim boards and 3/4″ oak veneer plywood. Oak is a pretty expensive type of wood, but it looks gorgeous when stained and is very durable and sturdy.

To paint or stain the DIY trash can cabinet: that is the question!

I wanted to have our trash bin stained rather than painted. My thoughts were that it would be easier to clean if it was stained and lacquer vs. painted.  I also wanted it to match our dark wood kitchen cabinets and the farmhouse sink cabinet we have in our laundry room (adjacent to the kitchen). 

If you’d rather have a painted trash bin, good news for you because you can make it a lot cheaper. If we had painted it instead, we would have used sanded plywood with poplar trim. That would have cut a lot of the costs down.

Even if you decide to paint yours, but building process is relatively the same, so you can still use our free woodworking plans for the DIY pull out trash can.

If you want to build this wooden DIY trash can cabinet, we’ve done all the hard work! All you need to do is visit Kreg’s website and check out the full tutorial.

At the bottom of the tutorial on Kreg’s website, you’ll also see a link to download the woodworking plans (for free) to get all of the detailed measurements and a cut list!

Would you use a tilt-out trash can DIY cabinet like this in your house?

Let us know in the comments below!