3. Refacing kitchen cabinet face frames and side panels

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Painting, staining, applying pressure sensitive veneer.

Depending on the kitchen cabinet door finish you have chosen, there are various ways of refacing the cabinet face frames and side panels.

If you have opted for thermofoil doors, your best option may be to find request a similar veneer to that applied to the door from your supplier. This might be a pressure sensitive adhesive or a melamine laminate that can be easily applied to these areas.

If the doors are solid wood there are various options. Clearly, you might also consider a peel-and-stick refacing solution as described above. If the original materials are of good quality and remain in good order, you might want to strip them down and paint, or stain them with the same finish you intend for the cabinet doors. You may also consider a plywood veneer to be painted or stained to the same finish as the doors and drawers.

Before refinishing the cabinet interiors ensure that they are clean and smooth. When cleaning, do not soak the surface. Sand any imperfections, especially around the holes left by screws. Do not do this with a power sander. You only want to scuff the surface with a 150 grit sandpaper. You will also want to fill any holes with a wood putty and sand until smooth.

When applying peel-and-stick veneer use a metal straightedge and a sharp utility knife to cut the veneer. Apply the veneer to the stiles first. When applying to the stiles, cut the veneer slightly larger than the face to be covered. Notch the veneer with the knife where it meets the top and bottom rails. Bend the veneer over the edge and press onto the sides. For the rails, again cut the veneer larger than the area to be covered, so that it overlaps both the edges and the stiles. Center the veneer and press gently, before trimming off simultaneously the extra veneer on the stile and the rail. Trim the edges, and press and smooth firmly with a scraper to get rid of any bubbles. Then sand it lightly.

When cutting the veneer at an edge, score the veneer first with a utility knife and bend it to finish the cut. This will avoid any frayed edges.

Depending on the cabinet doors you have chosen you will then want to either stain or varnish the veneer.

Next, learn how to hang new kitchen cabinet doors on your refinished kitchen cabinets.

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