Adding plug outlets inside IKEA pantries || IKEA sektion renovation

In my last blog post I shared all about assembling and installing our new IKEA sektion cabinets. We are renovating our kitchen ourselves and are sharing the process through a series of blog posts. To begin the series, start here.

As promised in my last post, today I’m sharing all about IKEA pantries; assembling, installing, adding plug outlets inside of.

In our new kitchen we will have 3 pantries; two 30″ wide pantries with shelves inside that will mainly be used for food, and one 24″ wide one with wire drawers inside to be used as a “baking” cabinet for our daughter who is obsessed with baking. The first step is obviously assembling the pantries. They are just a huge box and assemble the same as the rest of the kitchen boxes.

They come in two heights; 90″ tall and 80″ tall. We opted for the taller pantries so they would go all the way to the ceiling.

Here you can see the pantries being assembled in our family room with the kitchen in the background.

When you are assembling your kitchen, you will end up with piles and piles of cardboard!

The wall that we are adding the pantries to has three plug outlets along the wall (plus a 4th outlet that an electrician ran for the refrigerator. It’s on its own separate breaker). We didn’t want to cap them and abandon them so we incorporated them into our pantries. This way we will have power inside our pantries if we ever want to put a microwave or something in one. Here you can see the long wall that our pantries will go on:

In order to add the plug outlets inside each pantry, some math was involved. We started by measuring the wall to find the exact location of the outlet. Then we measured the back of each pantry and marked exactly where the outlet needed to come through.

From there we measured inside each pantry and added painters tape. The tape protects the backer-board from chipping while we use a jig-saw to cut the back.

We used our Dewalt jig-saw to cut each of the outlet holes. Once each pantry was cut we placed the pantry in it’s new spot. Funny/awful side story: A few days after we used our jig-saw for the pantries, I was using it on the floor in the garage. I forgot it was on the floor and ran over it with my car. It smashed into multiple pieces and completely destroyed it. Don’t leave nice tools on the floor!

After we pulled the plug outlets through the pantries, we attached the pantries to each other and to the wall.

Here’s a wider shot of our kitchen slowly coming together.

I purchased these Gang Box Extenders to extend the plug outlets through the pantry. This keeps the wires safe inside a box and prevents any scary stuff like sparks or fires.

Now all this needs is a plate cover.

As we continue to build our new kitchen, we are using some temporary appliances – a microwave and a toaster oven. The plug outlets have already come in very handy as a place for us to use these temporary appliances.

Safety notice: Make sure if you are plugging anything in inside a pantry that you only use the appliance while the pantry doors are open. Also make sure you keep the area ventilated. A lot of people keep microwaves inside their pantry, you just have to be smart about it to avoid accidents or fires.

When our kitchen is completely finished we will have a microwave mounted above the stove. We don’t plan on actively using any of these outlets in the future. They are there “just in case we need an outlet”. We know they are available but will most likely use them very rarely, if ever.

Here are all the posts in our IKEA kitchen series:

Building your own custom IKEA kitchen || the planning & ordering process

Assembling and installing IKEA Sektion kitchen cabinets

Adding plug outlets inside IKEA pantries || IKEA sektion renovation

Pull-outs & Lazy Susans || Custom Organization in our IKEA Kitchen

Everything you want to know about building a custom IKEA kitchen island

Create Custom Canned Goods Storage from IKEA Cabinets

Creating a wrap-around cabinet & moving the dishwasher

Run Cables in-wall with a PVC Cable Drop

Installing IKEA quarts countertops – Frosty Carrina

How to install hardware like a Pro – IKEA kitchen renovation

Installing new pendant lighting in our custom IKEA kitchen

Start at the VERY beginning of our WHOLE-HOUSE renovation:
New to this series? Click here to start at the beginning!

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Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful week!