Kitchen Cabinet Refacing:how To Updated Kitchen Cabinets Refacing?
Hi!!
My next project is to update the kitchen cabinets. I plan to remove the trim strips, strip the carcases and restain and varnish the face frames. I will construct my own new doors and drawer fronts (perhaps the whole drawer). New hardware, different style doors (more of a craftsman style) and new color should look pretty good.
It is the sides of the cabinets that concern me. I don’t think they are even oak. I think the cabinet maker used fir plywood and an oak stain. In any case, they are pretty scroungy looking. They are also not perfectly flat. I am somewhat distrustful of the thin veneers on the market. I can resaw my own veneer and have an 18″ Rikon bandsaw for just that purpose. If I were to resaw a bunch of quartersawn oak into 8″ wide and 3/32″ thick strips, how would I stick them to the sides of the cabinets with any expectation of them staying put. Also, with wide strips of wood over plywood, what do I do about wood movement. Will my thick veneer buckle?
Finally, how do I smooth out the surface of the cabinet to create a flat gluing surface?
So, 4 questions:
1. Should I be so intimidated by the stick on veneers on the market?
2. How would I attach 3/32″ veneer to the sides of cabinets without uninstalling them.
3. What about wood movement in thick veneer?
4. How do I create a flat gluing surface.
many thanks,
STEPHEN
P.S. I taught Industrial Arts for 8 years but never certified in woodworking. I was a plastics and metals kind of guy. I did get used to having those wonderful shops around for my own projects and have acquired some tools over the years.
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Filed under: Refacing Kitchen Cabinets
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Hi there nice to meet you again!!
You obviously know a good deal about woodworking, because you asked a lot of important questions that a beginner wouldn’t even begin to ponder. And it’s wise to consider all that you are thinking about, as all of this could prove problematic down the line. I’ll try to help with each questions you asked, so this may turn into a long answer.
1. Should I be so intimidated by the stick on veneers on the market? Yes, you should be a little intimidated by those veneers, but maybe not for the reasons you think. I have a fair amount of experience with these, and I have a couple of opinions. First, they’re pricey. Next, they stick like crazy, but CAN fail, meaning that they can bubble when you least expect it. It’s just my opinion, but they’re overpriced, and tricky to work with, so they wouldn’t be my first choice.
2. How would I attach 3/32″ veneer to the sides of cabinets without uninstalling them. Good question. I would guess that contact cement would just about be the only option you have, but once again, you’re going to have to be really careful to get it positioned right the first time. And this thickness of veneer can create movement problems, read below.
3. What about wood movement in thick veneer? I think this might not be as big a deal as one would first consider. Your plywood sides are pretty much stable, meaning they’ve acclimated to your kitchen environment. They probably don’t move much. It might be wise to bring the 3/32″ veneer inside for a while, and let it acclimate in the room, too, so that when you join the two materials, they’re both going to be a similar moisture contents, and movement will be reduced. Still- movement can happen. Using this veneer creates just as many problems as it solves. Keep reading…
4. How do I create a flat gluing surface. The veneer is going to be somewhat flexible, so the surface doesn’t have to be dead-on flat. And the contact cement will grab instantly, so it will compensate for any imperfections in the surfaces.
Roger, let’s talk about this project you’re going to undertake just a little bit. Taking off the doors and frames are going to leave you with just plain boxes that you want to get back into shape, right? You’re going to reapply a new face frame, too, right? And even perhaps rebuild all the drawers. This is a fairly large undertaking, and right off the top of my head, I can think of a few solutions to some of the problems that you are going to encounter. I’m going to throw a few things out there, and you can write back if you want to discuss them further.
Since you’re remaking new drawer boxes, it really doesn’t matter what you do to the inside of the cabinets. If I were taking on this project, I would buy some 1/4″ or 1/8″ white melamine sheets, and some 1/4″ oak plywood. Then- I would resurface the bottoms of all your cabinets with the while melamine. It will make it look clean and will be easy to clean in the future. You only need to reface the bottoms of the cabinets that don’t have drawers in their bottom area. In the cabinets have lower drawers, you don’t see the bottom interior anyway. Next, reface the sides using the 1/4″ oak plywood. Once again- you only need to face the interiors where you see them. If the cabinets have drawers in them, you’re not going to see the interior, so you can leave those alone.
So- you’ve refaced all the surfaces that are visible, and they’re clean looking and stable. And since you’re going to reinstall the face frame, it’s going to hide the fact that you’ve added a layer to the mix. Remember that you can’t just put the existing face frame back in place, you may have to cut the pieces smaller to hide the new layers you’ve added.
When you stop and think about all your time and the wood involved, I think it’s overkill to cut your own veneer to resurface the interiors. You can glue the plywood and melamine stuff in place using something like a thin coat of liquid nails, and maybe shoot a few brads into place to hold it while the glues sets up. A those sheets of plywood (or even MDF) are pretty cheap, and will be easier to work with than your home made veneer.
Last thing- you might want to consider using European hardware like the cup hinges that most cabinet companies are using these days. They make mounting plates designed to go with face frame construction, and it makes installing new doors a breeze. I like Grass or Blum hinges, and both have face frame mounting plates readily available. I can give you specific part numbers if you’re interested.
Good luck, I hope this helps. Feel free to write back with any other questions you might have after reading this. I’m sure you’ll have a few!
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