step 4 installation
How to Replace Kitchen Cabinet Doors
If you have purchased new kitchen cabinet doors, or you are planning to do so in the future, you may be wondering how to remove your old cabinet doors and install new ones. While it may seem like a difficult task requiring industry knowledge, it can actually be quick and painless.
Replacing just your cabinet doors and drawer fronts is a process known as “refacing.” Refacing is a great way to give your kitchen a brand new look without all the work of ripping out and installing new cabinet boxes.
Measuring For Your New Cabinet Doors
Once you pick your replacement door style, you will need to size them. If you are not changing the overlay, you can measure your existing cabinet doors from outside edge to outside edge. If you want more or less overlay on your cabinets, you will need to do some math.
Sizing Doors for a New Style
The overlay is the distance that the cabinet door goes past the cabinet box opening. Knowing what you want your overlay to be is important if you are sizing new doors or don’t have old doors to measure.
For example, if my cabinet box opening was 10” x 10” and I wanted to have a ½” overlay on each side, then I would need to order my doors at 11” x 11”. You need to add 1” to the width and height to account for the overlay on each side.
Getting The Old Cabinet Door Off
After acquiring your new doors, the first step is to remove the old doors from the cabinet box. To do this, you must unscrew the hinge from the cabinet box. Once this is complete, you can more easily remove the hinge from the door itself.
If you are not changing the size of your cabinet doors, you can likely reuse your hinges. However, if you are adding or subtracting overlay or opting for an inset installation, you will likely need new hinges.
Label Everything
We strongly encourage you to label everything if you are reusing your hinges and other hardware. One easy way to do this is to put each hinge and its corresponding hardware into a sandwich bag and then label it with its exact location in the kitchen. While this may sound extreme, properly labeling all of the hardware you are reusing will save you many headaches.
Hanging Your New Cabinet Doors
Before you can hang your replacement cabinet doors, you must ensure they are properly finished. Finishing refers to painting, staining, and other forms of sealing the cabinet doors. Your doors and drawer fronts must be finished to protect them from moisture, which can cause rot and decay.
As you can see, removing and installing your replacement kitchen cabinet doors won’t take very long. However, finding a style you like, getting the new doors to the job site, and finishing them will not be quick. In addition to shipping your products to your door, at North Country Door, we can also help you find a new style.
