How To Reface Your Kitchen Cabinets

1) Remove your old cabinet doors so you can replace them with new custom, RTF (Rigid Thermofoil) or natural wood cabinet doors that you design yourself online in our cabinet door design wizard.

2) Use our pre-cut to your dimensions end panels that match your new cabinet doors to finish the ends of your old cabinets.

3) Reface your old kitchen cabinet stiles and rails with our easy to apply, permanent, self-adhesive wood or RTF veneer.

4) Add any matching, cabinet refacing moldings to the walls and ceiling around your kitchen cabinets.

5) Hang your brand new cabinet doors using new hinges and your done!

Tools you will need to reface your old kitchen cabinets:
• tape measure• 180 and 220 grit sandpaper or sanding block • razor knife • scissors for RTF veneer or tin snips for wood veneer • tack cloth • hammer • self-adhesive applicator or windshield scraper • 4" straight-edge or putty knife • adhesive spray or varnish • carpenter's glue • drill • touch-up kit (optional) • screwdrivers: flathead and Phillips • miter box & saw for moldings• finish nails for molding

[TheGandiaChannel]

What a great video! Thank you so much! It explains everything I need to know, now that I need to update my kitchen.

[CabinetDoorsDepot]

Thanks! That's been our goal for over 30 years :-)

[Caco]

This video is so well done and motivates me to take on this project. One suggestion, how about emptying the cabinets in your next video ;-)

[CabinetDoorsDepot]

That's always a good idea. Thanks for pointing it out.

[CabinetDoorsDepot]

When prepping a cabinet with a rounded corner, install the pre-cut end panel as you normally would, making sure the front edge is flush with the cabinet front. Then you can quickly and easily fill the gap with wood dough using a putty knife. Let the wood dough dry and then take a minute with sandpaper on a block of wood to sand the gap flush with the end panel and the front stile. Spray or brush the area with a light coat of laquer and let it dry before you apply the self-adhesive veneer.

[CabinetDoorsDepot]

Self-adhesive veneer typically runs between $80 - $110 per 2X8 sheet. Expect to buy one sheet for 10 door and drawer front openings.
You can visit our site to check the latest pricing.
Thanks for asking :-)

[milledge]

I WANT MY CABINETS REFACED, , , , :'-(..U GUYS DID A WONDERFUL JOB!!

[CabinetDoorsDepot]

Adding the veneer to large surfaces can be tedious. Applying a plywood end panel solves that problem. Another reason is because if the stiles on the cabinet extend past the side forming a lip, you can shim the plywood at the wall instead of having to route off the lip to get a nice square corner.

[CabinetDoorsDepot]

Yes, the veneer will stick to existing painted surfaces quite well. You still need to clean the cabinets and apply an light coat of lacquer or varnish to places where daily wear may have remove the original finish. Thanks for asking.

[CabinetDoorsDepot]

Yes, PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive) Veneers will stick to a melamine surface as long as there is no greasy residue. So clean the surface with something non abrasive that cuts through grease such as Dawn Dish washing liquid. Do not over saturate the cabinets and allow to dry completely before applying the veneer.

[CabinetDoorsDepot]

Yes. You can sand and restain and varnish old cabinets, but because of the natural wear and the oil saturated places around handles and above the stove, the new finish will never be perfect. The stain will be lighter in these places. Blotchy. Self adhesive veneer will not add any significant weight to your cabinets. It is nearly impossible to tell a refaced cabinet from a new one without opening a door, because the finish is on brand new wood.
Thanks for asking!

[CabinetDoorsDepot]

It sure can! The adhesive is designed to stick to any smooth, finished surface. As long as the metal is smooth and clean you can spray it with a clear lacquer based top coat and let it dry before you apply the self-adhesive veneer. Be sure to clean the metal well prior to the spray lacquer application.

[CabinetDoorsDepot]

Yes, the self-adhesive veneer comes in the same colors and stains that you select for your new doors. You can order unfinished veneer, too. An average kitchen can run between $500 and $2000 depending on how elaborate your want to get. :-)
Thanks for asking!

[CabinetDoorsDepot]

Applying a pre-cut end panel to the sides of the cabinets eliminated the problem of having to route off the overhang of the end style and gives you a perfectly straight front edge to apply the SAV (self-adhesive veneer) to and is much easier than trying to apply a large piece of the SAV to a cabinet side. Applying SAV to the stiles looks much nicer around the openings than 1/4" veneered plywood. It's very hard to tell that a cabinet has actually been refaced when this method is used.

[CabinetDoorsDepot]

No. You don't have to sand all the paint or varnish off to get a good bond with the self-adhesive veneer. You DO need to clean them well to remove any oil from cooking and hands. TSP is a good cleaner you can get from your paint store. Let them dry and then lightly sand the surfaces. You can spray a little laquer from a spray can on the places that you may be concerned about to make the adhesion even better. Make sure you let that dry well, too.
Thanks for asking!

[CabinetDoorsDepot]

The new veneer will go right over the old paint. Just make sure they are clean and oil free.
Thanks for asking!

[CabinetDoorsDepot]

Lumi, in this case we suggest paining the inside of the cabinets before you reface them. If the new doors are a solid color, you should match it. If your new doors are a wood grain, then you should select a paint that matches one of the color tones in the wood pattern. Acrylic paints work best because they are durable.

[CabinetDoorsDepot]

Thank you, Melanie. We've added "Tools you will need" in the About section.

[CabinetDoorsDepot]

It depends. If you used our permanent veneer or another good quality veneer and applied it properly, the answer is yes. If the veneer you have is loose and peeling, then you should remove it and prep the cabinet faces, including spraying them with a light coat of laquer before you apply our self-adhesive veneer.
Thanks for asking :-)

[Dominatoruke]

Is there a specific reason why you recommend not using a J-roller to smooth out the veneer?