How to Update Cabinet Doors

Cabinet doors should be attractive and complementary to your kitchen decor.

Your decorating tastes change and evolve with time and your kitchen or bathroom furnishings may eventually fall out of favor. Little changes that are easily achieved by the novice remodeler go a long way in transforming the look and feel of a room. If your kitchen or bathroom cabinets are dated, for example, you do not have to replace or refinish entire units. Updating just the cabinet doors requires less work and is more economical.

Things You'll Need

• WOOD:
• Screwdriver or drill
• Finish remover
• 100-grit sandpaper
• 220-grit sandpaper
• Tack cloth
• Primer and paint or stain
• Paintbrush or roller
• Polyurethane
• Knobs or handles
• Hinges
• LAMINATE:
• Plastic primer
• Paint

Instructions

Wood Cabinets

1. Unscrew the door hinges and remove the doors. Set the doors on sawhorses in a workspace that is ventilated and where surrounding surfaces are protected.

2. Unscrew and remove any knobs or handles.

3. Remove the original finish. Remove lacquer with lacquer thinner, shellac with denatured alcohol, and remove varnish with paint and varnish remover. Spraying the wood with stripper neutralizer once finished may be recommended in the stripper manufacturer's directions.

4. Sand the cabinet doors starting with 100-grit sandpaper and finishing with 220-grit sandpaper. Wipe away the sanding dust with a tack cloth.

5. Prime and paint, or stain the doors, using a color that goes well with the color or tone still existing on the cabinet bodies.

6. Spray or paint the doors with a clear coat for a durable, protective finish.

7. Affix new, updated knobs or handles and hinges.

Laminated Cabinets

1. Unscrew the door hinges and remove the doors. Set the doors on sawhorses in a workspace that is ventilated and where surrounding surfaces are protected.

2. Sand the cabinet doors with 100-grit sandpaper until all surfaces are consistently dulled. Wipe away the remaining sanding dust with a tack cloth.

3. Paint the doors with plastic primer then paint them with a color that goes well with the color still existing on the main cabinet bodies.

4. Spray or paint the doors with two to four coats of polyurethane to provide a protective finish.

5. Affix new, updated knobs or handles and hinges.

Tips & Warnings

• Options for extra decorative touches when painting cabinet doors include stencils, hand-painted borders and faux textures.

References

• Minwax: Basics of Wood Finishing
• Bathroom and Kitchen Guide: Renewing RTF Cabinets by Painting