Upgrading your cabinets instead of tearing them down and installing new ones is a popular way to update your kitchen on a small budget. If your base cabinets are in decent shape you can have the look of brand new cabinets just by swapping out the doors. In this blog post I’ll explain the entire process from start to finish.
Materials for this project were provided by FastCabinetDoors.com all opinions are mine alone.
Replacing Kitchen Cabinet Doors
Today I’m sharing the first part of my kitchen makeover series. I recently replaced all my kitchen cabinet doors. Today I’m going to explain the whole process from start to end and share the before and after photos of my kitchen. I will also explain the difference between refacing, refinishing and replacing the cabinets.
I was recently contacted by Fast Cabinet Doors about collaborating on a project using their products.
A couple of years ago I did a mini reno on my kitchen that included painting the cabinets, installing a new backsplash and tiling over the counter tops. The makeover turned out great but the cabinets were still kind of old and nasty looking when you viewed them close up, despite a good cleaning and a fresh coat of paint. They were made out of MDF so they didn't hold up very well over the years.
Our house is a manufactured home and we will probably live here forever. Doing a really expensive kitchen renovation doesn’t make sense for us since we aren’t going to sell the house and wouldn’t get the money back invested in renovations if we did.
I like the layout of our kitchen cabinets and the bases were in good shape so I decided the easiest thing to do that would have the biggest impact would be to replace the cabinet doors.
Check out the video below of the complete process and read on below for more details.
I checked out all the styles available at Fast Cabinet Doors and decided on the "Camden" style for most of the doors. Camden is beadboard with a shaker style frame around it.
You can read about how I painted these cabinets here
The three cabinets on the right side of the sink are "Shaker cut for glass". I had the glass cut at a local glass shop and installed it myself. I will have a tutorial on that coming up soon.
The first step when replacing your cabinets is to decide what style you want for the new ones, then measure for the new doors.
Fast Cabinet Doors has a handy guide you can print off to keep track of your measurements and then you simply input them in the form online when you are ready to purchase.
Steps Involved in Replacing Kitchen Cabinet Doors
- Decide on the new style of cabinet you want.
- Measure for the new cabinets and place your order.
- Remove the old cabinet doors.
- Paint the new cabinet doors if you purchased unfinished ones, otherwise you can go ahead and install the new ones.
- Measure where the hinges will be screwed into the existing cabinets and pre-drill holes.
- Install hinges on the new doors.
- Attach the doors to the cabinet base.
- Use a screw driver to adjust cabinet hinges to make sure everything is hanging evenly.
- Drill holes for handles.
- Screw in handles.
As you can see in the video above I ordered unfinished cabinets and painted them myself. I will be explaining that process in an upcoming blog post.
This is the after photo of my kitchen. Doesn't it look awesome?
I am so thrilled with how the cabinets turned out. I did 100% of this project completely by myself. My husband works about 50-60 hours a week so when I have a crazy big project I want to do it's all on me, haha.
Here is a full list of supplies and accessories in my kitchen:
- Cabinets and hinges- Fast Cabinet Doors
- Square handles
- Bar handles
- Floor rug
- Hand towels
- Backsplash- See full tutorial here.
- All artwork is by my mom, Nicole Carrie
- Wall paint color is Owl Grey by Benjamin Moore
- Cabinet Color is Valspar Cabinet Enamel in Ultra White Base (I didn't add a tint to it.
FAQ about Kitchen Cabinet Refacing, Refinishing and Replacing.
Cabinet refacing is essentially a replacement of the cabinet "skins"—replacing the doors and drawer fronts with new ones and applying a new veneer over the existing surface of the body of the cabinets. The hinges, handles, and drawer pulls are usually also replaced during refacing.
You can hire a professional to reface kitchen cabinets or DIY it with a kit.
Cabinet refinishing involves removing the existing cabinet doors and drawer faces, sanding or stripping off the old finish, and applying a new paint or stain to the doors, drawer faces, and cabinets. Basically, you paint the cabinet bases and doors instead of replacing the doors and applying veneer to the cabinet base.
Yes, this is essentially what I did. I painted the cabinet bases and got new doors which I painted to match.
That depends on a lot of things. In general replacing the doors will be cheaper than replacing the entire cabinet base. You should do your research and explore all methods before deciding for your kitchen.
Again, there are a lot of factors but in general the advantages of replacing kitchen cupboard doors include: Costs less compared to entire kitchen installation saving you money if you are on a budget. Causes less upheaval and work can be completed in lesser time so you can get to enjoy your new kitchen sooner.
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What do you think of my new kitchen cabinets? Let me know in the comments and make sure you check out Fast Cabinet Doors for tons of kitchen cabinet ideas.
Hi I’m Adrienne Carrie Hubbard. I believe a rich life comes not from the things you have, but the things you do; the experiences you create and the people you meet along the way. Thanks for hanging out!