Replacing kitchen cabinet doors – any DYI-ers who could share advice

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idc
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Replacing kitchen cabinet doors – any DYI-ers who could share advice

Post by idc »

Thinking of refreshing my kitchen. I am pretty handy and familiar with applying gel stain, top coats, etc. Don’t want to do this just to save money, I actually enjoy doing it.

The basic idea is to buy unfinished wood/plywood doors and drawer faces, and then do the finishing myself (gel stain + top coat). Don’t worry too much about the cost of the wood, and comfortable with all the prep work for wood and applying stains, topcoats, etc. The rest of cabinetry is in good shape (made of plywood), but it is painted, not stained.

A few questions for those who have done it and can share advice.
- Is it realistic that replacing doors will work? Any gotchas on this?
- Any good place you’d recommend where to purchase the doors? Big box stores or the internet?
- Would the combination of stained doors + painted cabinet frames look odd? I don’t think so, but curious about what others think.

Thanks
random_walker_77
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Re: Replacing kitchen cabinet doors – any DYI-ers who could share advice

Post by random_walker_77 »

Are the current doors damaged -- why not strip the paint and work w/ the existing wood?

stained doors + painted front face sounds pretty funky to me. But what matters is what y'all like and want (unless you're thinking about resale)
123
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Re: Replacing kitchen cabinet doors – any DYI-ers who could share advice

Post by 123 »

random_walker_77 wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 11:08 am ...why not strip the paint and work w/ the existing wood?...
+1 If you have to order a complete set of replacement cabinet doors and drawer faces your costs will mount quickly, possible to the point that complete new finished cabinets might be more economical.

Modern cabinets are generally "full face" and the cabinet doors and drawer facings pretty much cover the cabinet facings. If your existing cabinet doors and drawer facings are not "full face" you likely will also have to replace hinge hardware, which might involve addressing the holes left by the old hardware screws.

If you proceed (either alternative) I'd suggest trying things out first on a set of door and drawer facings before you dig yourself into a project that never ends.
Last edited by 123 on Fri Jul 01, 2022 12:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Svensk Anga
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Re: Replacing kitchen cabinet doors – any DYI-ers who could share advice

Post by Svensk Anga »

random_walker_77 wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 11:08 am Are the current doors damaged -- why not strip the paint and work w/ the existing wood?

stained doors + painted front face sounds pretty funky to me. But what matters is what y'all like and want (unless you're thinking about resale)
The painted faces could be covered with a veneer to match the doors.
neilpilot
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Re: Replacing kitchen cabinet doors – any DYI-ers who could share advice

Post by neilpilot »

random_walker_77 wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 11:08 am Are the current doors damaged -- why not strip the paint and work w/ the existing wood?
We're in the process of a kitchen & laundry room remodel. We initially considered having the existing doors stripped & repainted, but decided on new doors for the following reasons:

[1] new doors allowed the transition from traditional to hidden hinges
[2] the existing door design is somewhat dated; we wanted a different look
[3] we planned on adding additional cabinets; finding a good match for the existing doors could be problematic
[4] it was less labor intensive to prime & paint new doors than to first have to strip and sand/repair the existing fronts

Granted only the last item above may not apply to the OP's project
pshonore
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Re: Replacing kitchen cabinet doors – any DYI-ers who could share advice

Post by pshonore »

123 wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 12:26 pm
random_walker_77 wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 11:08 am ...why not strip the paint and work w/ the existing wood?...
+1 If you have to order a complete set of replacement cabinet doors and drawer faces your costs will mount quickly, possible to the point that complete new finished cabinets might be more economical.
If he goes to a door "wholesaler" the cost might not be too bad. However the professional cabinet guys tell me door and drawer "hardware" (hinges and slides) have increased in price quite a bit and availability can be a problem. For that matter, cabinet grade hardwood is not getting cheaper either. Refacing is also an option. Doors and drawer fronts are not difficult to make if you have the right equipment and a little skill.
Topic Author
idc
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Re: Replacing kitchen cabinet doors – any DYI-ers who could share advice

Post by idc »

Thanks all for replying. nellpilot is spot on for reasoning. Not worried about hinges, will re-use the existing ones.

Does anyone have experience with whole sellers of such cabinet doors on the internet?
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heartwood
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Re: Replacing kitchen cabinet doors – any DYI-ers who could share advice

Post by heartwood »

no disrespect, but when I saw your title "DYI-ers" I wondered if it was an acronym I didn't know.

https://7esl.com/dyi/

Good luck with your project.
pshonore
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Re: Replacing kitchen cabinet doors – any DYI-ers who could share advice

Post by pshonore »

idc wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 12:59 pm Thanks all for replying. nellpilot is spot on for reasoning. Not worried about hinges, will re-use the existing ones.

Does anyone have experience with whole sellers of such cabinet doors on the internet?
google "drawer box maker" and "cabinet door manufacturer" to start
techrover
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Re: Replacing kitchen cabinet doors – any DYI-ers who could share advice

Post by techrover »

We converted kitchen cabinet drawers and ordered cabinet drawers from here https://lakesidemoulding.com/products/ and it worked well for us. They also sell cabinet doors.
phx172
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Re: Replacing kitchen cabinet doors – any DYI-ers who could share advice

Post by phx172 »

Barker Door. I've used them for a number of kitchen and bathroom projects.

https://www.barkerdoor.com/default.asp

Here's a recent bathroom refresh on a budget. I grain filled and reused the oak vanity base. New alder paint grade doors and drawer fronts with maple drawer boxes.

Image
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Last edited by phx172 on Fri Jul 01, 2022 3:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
JediMisty
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Re: Replacing kitchen cabinet doors – any DYI-ers who could share advice

Post by JediMisty »

phx172 wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 3:15 pm Barker Door. I've used them for a number of kitchen and bathroom projects.

https://www.barkerdoor.com/default.asp

Here's a recent bathroom refresh on a budget. I grain filled and reused the oak vanity base. New alder paint grade doors & drawer fronts, and maple drawer boxes.

Image
Image
Image
Image
OMG, you had my exact bathroom. How did you get the huge slab of glass off the drywall?
phx172
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Re: Replacing kitchen cabinet doors – any DYI-ers who could share advice

Post by phx172 »

JediMisty wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 3:21 pm
phx172 wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 3:15 pm Barker Door. I've used them for a number of kitchen and bathroom projects.

https://www.barkerdoor.com/default.asp

Here's a recent bathroom refresh on a budget. I grain filled and reused the oak vanity base. New alder paint grade doors & drawer fronts, and maple drawer boxes.
OMG, you had my exact bathroom. How did you get the huge slab of glass off the drywall?
Various pry tools and wood shims combined with lots of patience and fear. The installer used a ton of construction adhesive.
bradinsky
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Re: Replacing kitchen cabinet doors – any DYI-ers who could share advice

Post by bradinsky »

Tape the mirror with Gorilla tape. Cover it almost 100% because the mirror will break to some extent & maybe totally. Take a length of piano wire about 2x the width of the mirror. Wrap each end of the wire around something you can use as a handle, like maybe a 5” long piece of a broomstick handle. With 2 people, use the wire like a saw & cut the mirror away from the wall. After you start cutting, juryrig a bracket at the top to prevent the mirror from falling forward. Rest assured that you will need to replace the wallboard/drywall when the mirror is finally removed.
I wouldn’t try this unless the mirror was taped to the max! Much better to proceed with extreme caution & the belief that it will break into small pieces!!
jjj_22
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Re: Replacing kitchen cabinet doors – any DYI-ers who could share advice

Post by jjj_22 »

I redid my kitchen cabinets similarly -- the carcasses were fine, but I made new face frames myself and bought new drawers and doors that I finished myself. I bought them unfinished from https://www.barkerdoor.com/ and was very happy with them.
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