Refurbish Kitchen cabinet doors - Any advice?

[TonyW]

Finally my daughter has got her first property - which has taken an age to complete. The property has been somewhat neglected by the last owners and the kitchen (as well as nearly everything else!) is in need of some cosmetic improvement.

As the base and cupboard units and seem to be in reasonable condition I was wondering about the best way to refurbish the doors. I can think of the following options

1. Purchase replacement doors.
I would think that this would be the most costly option. There is one non standard size unit that has been made to hide the combi boiler.

2. Cover the doors and exposed cabinet edges with some kind of veneer or laminate. I have heard that there is a self adhesive laminate - although not been able to find a source of supply

3. Apply a paint finish. Cheapest solution? But how good a finish likely?

Has anyone had experience of doing this type of job? Any advice, tips or alternative suggestions appreciated.

Hopefully once this is done - and all the other jobs Dad is supposed to do - I will finally be able to get my workshop up and running.

Cheers
Tony

 

[Anonymous]

replace doors with painted 18mm MR MDF doors, just cut them out of a board and use a router to put a pencil edge on them, cheap as chips and looks fairly modern

 

[engineer one]

have done the paint option in a friends place.
covering orange colour with maroon, you need an anti bleed undercoat, and in my case i was painting over mfc, so needed a proper primer for that.

i actually rollered the finish, and it looks quite good, but you could also spray.

depends on the finish your daughter wants. gloss or matt????

paul :wink:

 

[Scrit]

I'm with Senior here - forget about trying to paint/recoat as it's a complete waste of time and effort. Remember you'll need to degrease them first (horrible job) and the hinges could probably do with tossing in any case. As an alternative the Senior I'll give you an idea Jason B has quoted a few times. Flat panel 12mm MR-MDF with chamfer-edged strips of 6mm MR-MDF applied up sides and across top/bottom of doors to make "faux" Shaker doors. Cheap and stylish

Scrit

 

[Anonymous]

Scrit, sometimes use that method for end panels, but I saw this sort of thing taken to the next level yesterday, a 20 x 30mm pine frame, hardboard nailed on to each side and then strips of pine pinned to the front to give a shaker effect. I can honestly say it was the worst bit of cabinetry I have ever seen, the doors had twisted so much I could get my hand into the wardrobe without opening the door, also the guy had put internal drawers in, except he had not allowed for the door being on butts and the drawers having to clear the width of the doors, so the only way to open the drawers was to open the doors 180*. I was there to quote on a remake, luckily she has not paid for them yet.

 

[engineer one]

brings a whole new meaning to making a torsion box :lol: :twisted: :roll:

paul :wink:

 

[Dave S]

I've made the faux shaker doors that Scrit described and it was very effective and dead cheap. I painted with an oil-based eggshell and was pleased with the results. Others have used gloss finishes with good results.

You might like to look at this thread from a while back. Although Niki's pictures are missing, now, I do recall that he obtained a very good painted finish. Maybe if he sees this he could post the pictures again.

Dave

 

[Scrit]

I should have said - with MDF doors it is essential to seal them adequately before painting - 2 to 3 coats of sealer on the faces, 4 to 5 onthe edges and flat back with a Scotch grey cloth between coats. Dulusx oil paint does a good job if hand painting, too

Scrit

 

[kevinr]

If you did want to overpaint the old doors it could go OK if you use a good primer.

A few years ago we painted our huge built in wardrobe. It had been plain white laminate - very 1970s. Would have been expensive to replace too.

Washed with sugar soap, rinsed with water. Primed with zinsser's BIN. Then painted with a dulux (solvent based) satin. We used the satin so it was harder wearing than an emulsion might have been. The only issue was that its a huge surface of primer & paint so you need good ventilation. I used brushes - but you could use a mini (or midi) roller to avoid brush strokes. Those two coats might be quicker than just priming some new MDF?

Not really a woodworkers solution - but we also added some visual interest by supergluing a basic molding as a frame within each of the doors.

 

[TonyW]

Sorry for the delay in responding. Unfortunately we are experiencing some difficulties with a neighbour relating to parking and I am in the process of trying to clarify our rights and preparing to serve legal notice if necessary.

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I must say that I like the idea of mdf and faux shaker design. Suggested this to my daughter who also liked it. Have to put it on the back burner for the moment until we have finished decorating , glazing, dealing with the neighbour etc.

Cheers
Tony

 

[Gary]

replace doors with painted 18mm MR MDF doors, just cut them out of a board and use a router to put a pencil edge on them, cheap as chips and looks fairly modern

A very good idea. Tell us more of your dispute. Almost worth a thread of it's own. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Smudger]

Some friends of ours took their doors to a local car repair shop and had them sprayed. Excellent finish and only cost a few dozen Euros (this was in France).

 

[engineer one]

blimey smudger, now that would be a quest, in london to find a body shop to spray anything for a few euros or quid here.

somehow french mechanics still seem to be pretty decent and cheaper than here. :?

paul :wink:

 

[DomValente]

blimey smudger, now that would be a quest, in london to find a body shop to spray anything for a few euros or quid here.

somehow french mechanics still seem to be pretty decent and cheaper than here. :?

paul :wink:

I know one :wink:

Dom