How to Update Kitchen Cabinets to Glass Doors and Save Money

The finished cabinets -completed for less than the price of one door at a national hardware store!

When renovating a kitchen, the first job you tackle should be the one that motivates you to finish. This could be updating the cabinet doors. A famous French chef's kitchen was the inspiration for this kitchen: glass doors with blue interiors, white trim and butter yellow walls. The house was built in 1956 and had only one previous owner. While the new owners found the nostalgia charming, the room needed updates. It was important to keep the 1950's charm but make it more functional. The owners spent over a year creating the kitchen, and most of that time was devoted to research and planning. Now, you can take their plans and update your kitchen in a much shorter time!

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• A computer
• Tape measure
• Drill
• Screwdriver
• Hole punch
• Paint and paint supplies

1. original kitchen

   Take Pictures

   Record your work, take pictures of your cabinets inside and out; before, during and after. You will want to use these before and after pictures for reference. The 'in progress' pictures will keep you on track. You'd be surprised at how easy it is to forget a step in your rush to jump into the project!

2. doors off

   Measure Twice, and then Measure Again!

   Take down the old doors. Measure each door, sketch it and write down every measurement. Measure each door again -you can not afford mistakes. You may find every door the same size but only by carefully measuring will you be sure -never assume! Your doors may have been hand made and each may be slightly different.

   Also measure the door openings and the distance between doors! Draw pictures and carefully label all measurements in the sketches.

   A good start is to paint the interiors blue, it's a fast easy job. Give your project 'blue skies'!

3. Search Online for Bargains

   Use a search engine to find "Unfinished Kitchen Cabinets", there are several companies selling unfinished doors. Review several sites for best buy. The owner spent only $176 for these five doors without glass. A local glass company put in the glass for only $40 for all five. This made the entire order less than what a local hardware store was charging for just one door!

4. 

   Remove Old Grease Build-up

   Wash all surfaces thoroughly with soap, vinegar and water. The owner chose to not remove the finish and to avoid exposure to noxious fumes. Apply 2 coats of a primer like B-I-N. This creates a good base, which will seal the old finish and accept the new finish. Paint the cupboards white with a good hi-gloss latex paint. The better the paint the fewer the coats. The owners chose a medium quality and it took 3 coats!

5. Prime, Sand and Paint

   When the replacement doors arrive sand them several times. Start with a coarse sand paper and finish with fine grit. Prime the doors, sand again and then paint.

6. Attach Hardware and Install Glass

   Pre-drill the holes for the hardware. Measure carefully, so the door handles will be in the same place on all doors.

   Hang the doors to make sure everything fits. This is a two person job. The doors need to be straight, it'll be hard to live with mistakes after all this work. Now, take down the doors. It is safer to do this step before having the glass installed.

   Once you know everything fits and the holes all line up, you can have the glass inserted. A local glass company can insert the glass and apply a clear chalk. Installing the glass is very inexpensive, here it only cost the owners $40!

7. Hang Your New Doors



   Since, you have pre-drilled the holes, it will be easy to hang the doors! At a discount department store you can find a package of pretty knobs, these cost $8 for the lot, much less than the local hardware store, which was selling them for $4 each!

8. Enjoy the Savings and New Look

   The doors can be the easiest and satisfying step in renovating a kitchen. After it is done, you will be motivated and eager to complete the rest of the kitchen.

Tips & Warnings

• Measure twice! Then measure again!

• The old doors can be donated to Habitat for Humanities.

• Check out your local Habitat Store or search for local companies that sell original hardware from demolished older homes. You may find the replacement doors even cheaper!

• Research each step, there is a ton of advice online, I got a lot of help here on eHow!

• If you are changing colors, you might want to have the paint store tint your primer.

• Make sure you have lots of ventilation when you paint, especially if you use a stain overing primer like BIN!

• Take lots of photos during each step of the process, it helps with planning and reminds you of the sweat equity!