DIY Blog - A Dabbled Dwelling

Make Your Doors Look Brand New In Less Than a Day

April 28, 2024 by kelsey.mackall

There are so many parts of my house that are just, well, boring. I am desperate to do away with as many of the boring things as I can! Last year I updated the doors in my upstairs hallway and that changed the look and feel of that space so much. My master bedroom recently got new floors, and I just couldn’t help myself. I absolutely had to update the doors.

I Put In a Little Work to Have Brand New Doors

I had the best idea to update my doors. To carry out my plans I started by ripping down a sheet of 1/5 plywood underlayment into strips. I measured and cut them to fit my doors and then started to apply them. Once they were cut, I used liquid nails to glue them on, framing the outside edges of the doors, followed by the top and bottom. Then I added two horizontal strips to give even more dimension and character. After the glue I clamped the strips on to let it cure and added finishing nails to make it more secure. As always, I caulked the seams to give it a clean and finished look, then I painted them a contrasting creamy color, White Mocha by Behr.

Woman uses saw to cut wood sheet into strips

Stunning!

The change in these doors is jaw dropping. They look so different and so much more exciting. I can’t believe that such an easy project changed these doors so much. The master bedroom now has new floors and new doors. Soon I’ll update the baseboards too and then move on to an even bigger project!

Conquer Tiling With Easy to Use Peel and Stick Tiles!

April 26, 2024 by kelsey.mackall

Sometimes, a wall just needs a little something. I recently updated a half bathroom, and I created a butler pantry/wine bar area in my house. There were so many new design elements that I used in them. I added a slat wall and an asymmetrical mirror in the bathroom. The unused wet bar in my house was demolished to create a wide hall with arches, cabinets, and a wine rack. I loved adding fun elements to these spaces, but there was a wall in each space that was just a little boring.

Peel and Stick Tiles Are a Simple Solution

Paint is always an option for a fun accent wall, but I really wanted something different. I wanted these walls to stand out and have some texture. Enter: peel and stick tile. Amazon has a lot of options for these peel and stick tiles from Smart Tile. These tiles have real 3d texture and they even feel like real tile. I started in the bathroom with the wall behind the asymmetrical mirror. The bathroom was painted white and really needed some color. I chose gorgeous Moroccan style tiles in dark green.

It is so easy to install these tiles! I made sure to clean the wall so they would adhere well and then I just peeled the backing off and stuck the tiles to the wall. Taking care to be sure that they were level I continued on. When I got to a point where a full sheet of tile wasn’t necessary I used a box cutter and a straight edged paper cutter to cut them to the right size. Once the wall was tiled I caulked around the edges to give it a more finished look.

So Easy, I Did it Twice!

I repeated the same process on the wall in my wine bar area. For that wall I chose some contemporary Zellige tiles in an ivory color. I repeated the process with the peel and stick tiles. I was able to tile that wall in just a few hours! Less time and less mess makes for a super easy DIY project that honestly, anyone can do.

The results are beautiful and I’m really happy with them. Both walls have the texture I was looking for and the tiles made them amazing accent walls. There are so many options for these smart tiles and they are so affordable and easy to use. I love that this project is simple and has great results.

How to Update Your Cabinets for Less by Building New Doors

March 31, 2024 by kelsey.mackall

I love the shaker style cabinet doors. My house is a 1970’s house with original cabinetry, and it was time to make a change. People think that original all wood cabinets are amazing and timeless. But the truth is, after fifty something years they can be falling apart. I took out our wet bar to create a butlers pantry/wine bar area. There were cabinets in the wet bar and it was important for me to have cabinets that matched the kitchen because I can see both spaces at the same time. This is how easy it is to update your cabinets with new doors!

How to Build New Cabinet Doors

Demo is the easy part. I used the old doors to measure and figure out my cuts for the new doors. For the rails (top part of the frame) and stiles (side part of the frame) I prefer to use primed 1×3 pine. I cut them to length and I like to make a groove along the inside edge of the stiles. The groove serves the purpose of having a place for the inside panel to sit in. To make the groove I drop the table saw down super low and run it along the edge a few times.

Now it’s time to assemble the door. I put the door together by drilling pocket holes with my Kreg Jig and screwing the rails and stiles together. After those are put together, I use wood glue to glue the front panel (quarter inch plywood) into the grooves on the stiles. I use a concealed hinge jig to drill the spaces for the European (hidden) hinges.

Woman glues front panel into cabinet door frame

Woman drills hinge holes for concealed hinges

Next up, sand the whole thing smooth, caulk the seams, and paint the door. Then add the hinges and get the door hung to add one last coat of paint. I add fun hardware and then we’re all set!

Game Changer

Being able to make my own cabinet doors is a game changer. I was able to use this skill to update the cabinets in the wet bar, but I also built the doors for the storage lockers that I built. The shaker style is so easy to make and I am so happy that I can use them to update the look of my house. Click here to see a video tutorial of cabinet door building!