How to Reface Bead Board Cabinets
Refacing kitchen cabinets means that the basic cabinet remains intact but the face, doors and sides of the cabinets are altered. Bead board cabinets are a style of cabinet that tends to make a kitchen feel casual or country. Often the bead board is installed as a panel in the cabinet doors and occasionally the cabinet sides or island back is also covered in bead board. A handy homeowner can reface the bead board to transition the style to a less country or more modern look. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Soap
- Scrubber
- Towel
- Screwdriver
- Bowl
- Pliers
- Utility knife
- Paper-backed oak veneer
- 1/8-inch ply (optional)
- 1/4-inch ply (optional)
- Table saw
- Hammer
- Brads
- Spray contact adhesive
- Contact cement (optional)
- Router
- Wood fill
- 1-inch putty knife
- Plastic sheeting
- Painter's tape
- Sanding block
- Medium grit sandpaper
- Primer
- 2-inch paintbrush
- Semi-gloss paint
Instructions
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1
Clean the face of all cabinets, drawers and doors using a degreasing dish soap, a scrubber and water. Dry the cabinets immediately with a towel. Pull out the refrigerator if you intend to refinish the sides of the cabinets adjacent to the refrigerator.
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Unscrew the cabinet doors, drawers, handles and hardware with a screwdriver. Leave the hinges in place if they are in good condition and if they don't need to have paint removed from them. Number each cabinet door on the back with a pencil and on the cabinet (you can write on a piece of tape.) This will help you identify where each door goes during your reinstallation. Place your hardware in a bowl for safekeeping.
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Place your cabinet doors face down on your work table. Many bead board cabinet doors have an insert panel which can be changed. Use pliers to remove the staples, nails or pins that are holding the panel in place. Remove the panel. Some panels can simply be reversed if they are made of wood.
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Replace or reface the panel if it cannot be reversed and reinstalled. Reface the panel by cutting a piece of paper-backed oak veneer to size using a utility knife. Spray the surface of the panel with a spray contact adhesive and mount the veneer to the panel. You can also use 1/8-inch plywood if veneer is not available. Replace the panel completely with 1/4-inch cabinet grade plywood cut to fit on a table saw.
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Insert the panel and use small brads and a hammer to lock the panel into place. Space your brads every 3 to 4 inches around the panel opening and nail them at a 30 degree angle around the panel into the door.
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Reface drawers by cutting paper-backed oak veneer or 1/8-inch cabinet grade plywood to size and attaching with a spray contact adhesive or by brushing on a contact cement. Often it is easier to work with contact cement with smaller areas and to use the spray adhesive for larger cabinet panels.
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Reface the sides of cabinets using the same process. Make sure the existing cabinets are very clean before you start, as the veneer will look the best when it has full adhesive contact with the cabinet. You may need to mask off adjacent kitchen areas with plastic sheeting and painter's tape to prevent adhesive overspray.
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Reface the front edges of the cabinets last, as you will want to overlap the front veneer over the side veneer. It is important to make your cuts carefully for the best finished appearance. You can attach full size veneer sheets to your cabinet faces using contact cement and then use a router to cut out the cabinet openings. This will give your cabinet face a seamless look and prevent the need for joints or seams.
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Fill any holes or gaps with wood fill and a putty knife. Use medium-grit sandpaper on a sanding block to sand the older, already painted part of your cabinet doors. Protect surrounding areas with plastic sheeting and tape and prime and paint your cabinets. Prime and paint your doors separately and remember to paint the back sides of the doors. This prevents the doors from warping later. Allow 24 hours between coats.
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Clean or replace your cabinet hardware and reattach your doors, drawers and hardware.
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Tips & Warnings
Empty your cabinets before facing, as the process, even if you are very careful, will make your dishes dirty. If you are going to use a stain finish, consider a gel stain on the veneer for better stain control and finish the cabinets with a water-based polyurethane. Apply several coats for best results.
