Want to build your own doors for your cabinets? This post will demonstrate how to do that. The “face” of a cabinet is its door. I mean, come on. A cabinet is just a box, and that’s about all.
In addition to serving a practical purpose, the door to your kitchen cabinets is an opportunity to showcase your personal style and the quality of your craftsmanship. Constructing one on your own is a self-reliant endeavor that lets you integrate your aspirations with your functional requirements.
This article will walk you through the process of updating an old kitchen or making custom cabinets for a new design. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, you’ll find all the information you need to build a long-lasting cabinet door that complements your kitchen’s design and represents your taste. How about we begin making something really special?
| Supplies Needed | Description |
|---|---|
| Hand saw with a miter box, or chop saw | For cutting stiles and rails to size. |
| Stiles and rails | Cut to the desired door measurements. |
| Sanding block or sander with sandpaper | For smoothing all cut edges of the wood. |
| Kreg pocket hole kit with micro attachment | Used to drill pocket holes for joining pieces together. |
| Kreg clamps (3- or 6-inch) | To securely hold your frame while assembling. |
| Wood glue | For bonding the stiles and rails together. |
| Kreg screws | To secure the joints after applying glue. |
| Router | For shaping the back of the door frame. |
| Chisel | Used for refining the corners of the routed area. |
| Hammer | To drive in dowel pins and nails. |
| 1/4-inch Lauan plywood for inset panel | Cut to the size of your door; serves as the door panel. |
| Circular saw | For cutting Lauan plywood to size. |
| Kreg rip-cut guide | For making straight cuts with a circular saw. |
| 1/4-inch square dowels | For securing the Lauan plywood in place. |
| Micro wood plugs | To fill holes left by dowel pins. |
| Wood filler | For smoothing over the filled holes and imperfections. |
| Primer | To prep the door surface for painting. |
| Paint | For finishing the door after priming. |
| Paint roller or brush | For applying primer and paint. |
| Kreg concealed hinge jig | To ensure accurate placement of the cabinet hinges. |
| Forstener bit | For making clean, flat-bottomed holes for hinges. |
| Kreg cabinet hardware jig | To achieve uniform placements for door handles or pulls. |
The appearance of plywood kitchens is back
- Take note of the dimensions of your cabinet doors.
Changing up your entire kitchen isn’t necessary simply because it appears worn and outdated. The kitchen cabinets themselves are usually in decent shape; all you have to do is change the doors. But in order to accomplish it correctly, you must measure your existing doors… before taking another measurement, just in case. After all, cutting should only be necessary once for every two measurements! You may also get these measurements on the website of standard cabinet manufacturers like Ikea or Howdens. You can go to the following stage with these dimensions in hand. - Select and cut the plywood.
The uniqueness of each piece is one of the many reasons why plywood is so beloved. You can tell them apart by their varied thicknesses, colors, and textures. While the color and grain are entirely up to you, when you make your own kitchen cabinet doors, be sure they are the same thickness as the originals. That way, you can be sure they’ll slide neatly into the cabinets and rest comfortably beneath your kitchen island. You can also determine the quantity of plywood required using the other dimensions that are available to you. As an illustration, five sheets of 2.44 m × 1.22 m plywood would be required for ten typical IKEA 60 × 80 cm door fronts in a kitchen. The price for five sheets of this hardwood plywood from B&Q is £135. It’s worth noting that if you ask, many do-it-yourself businesses will also cut the wood to size, which will greatly simplify your life. If you prefer to handle it on your own, simply adhere to your measurements and cut them with care. Pantry doors made of plywood in the kitchen (Photo credit: James French/Future PLC)
Step 3: After installing new cabinet doors, sand and seal them.
Since plywood is commonly used for boarding lofts or constructing interior walls, it is typically sold in a highly unfinished state. For that reason, sanding them well before hanging them in the kitchen is a must. If you like to highlight the elegance of plywood, this is a crucial step to do. After being sanded, the surface of plywood “nearly has a velvet texture to touch,” as Dave puts it. Sanding by hand or with an electric sander can do the trick, but we recommend a combination of the two. For the bigger surface, use the electric sander; for the edges, use fine-grit sandpaper. You can proceed to seal the cabinet doors once you are satisfied with the level surface. You should keep this step in mind to safeguard the plywood and ensure it remains in excellent shape for many years, especially because kitchens may be both damp and filthy. To get the longest life out of your sealant, go for one that contains polyurethane. Following the directions on the container will provide the best results, even though you may need to apply many applications to achieve the desired level of protection. - Mount your entrances
The next step, after treating and sanding the board, is to install the hinges. If you want your new doors to look brand new and make DIY projects even easier, we suggest getting new hinges. Keeping the existing hinges in the old doors will allow you to utilize them as a precise measurement tool for the new hinges on the new doors. You should have no trouble hanging them if you make sure to drill the holes in the same spot each time.