How to Resurface Kitchen Cabinets

If you want to give your kitchen a new lease on life, a good way to do this is to resurface your kitchen cabinets. This is not only a cost-effective way of modernizing but also is an environmentally friendly way of recycling materials. A little work on your cabinets can provide you with a new-look kitchen and save you money. This is a straightforward guide to transforming your kitchen cabinets.

Preparing your Cabinets

Remove the cabinet doors and drawer fronts using a screwdriver making sure you keep the hinges and screws in a safe place. Lightly sand down the main cabinet box and the ends of all the units using sandpaper. Do not use an electric sander to sand the cabinets as you may damage the wood or take off layers unevenly. A lightly sanded surface will help the self-adhesive covering to stick better to the wood.

After you have sanded down the surface of the cabinets use a tack cloth to remove any dust and splinters from the surface of the wood. Finish by washing the cabinets in warm soapy water, taking care not to soak the wood too much as this may expand it.

Measuring your Cabinets

Using a tape measure, measure the height and width of the cabinets and record these measurements. You need to make sure that you are accurate with your measurements or you may waste self-adhesive covering.

Cutting your Self-adhesive Covering

The next stage is to cut your self-adhesive covering such as wood veneer using a sharp utility knife. Make sure that the knife that you are using is sharp enough or you might damage the covering. Cut each edge of the covering an inch wider than your measurements and set it aside. Cutting slightly wider than needed will mean that each surface is adequately covered.

Applying Glue to your Cabinets

Carefully apply wood glue in a zig-zag pattern to the surface of your cabinets. If you find you have used excess glue wipe this away immediately.

Applying the Self-adhesive Covering

Peel the backing away from your covering and line it up with the cabinet surface. You should begin by resurfacing the end panels. Press the covering firmly onto the surface of the cabinet pushing the material into place. After each surface you have covered, trim off the excess from the edges using a utility knife or sharp scissors. Make sure you complete each cabinet individually so that you have space to move onto the next one.

Once you have finished applying the self-adhesive covering, sand the edges of the self-adhesive covering down to create a smooth finish. Your final stage is to apply pressure to the cabinet surfaces to ensure that the covering is secure and evenly glued on.

Reattaching the Cabinet Doors

Once the glue has dried, reattach the cabinet doors and drawer fronts using the screwdriver. You should now have new-looking kitchen cabinets at a reasonable cost.