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.

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!