Do It Yourself Program – Cabinet Refacing
There are several options to choose from to fit your your needs and budget:
1. JUST REPLACE THE DOORS
Many kitchens can be brought back to life by simply replacing the doors and drawerfronts, without altering the cabinetry. Hinges are replaced with concealed reface hinges.
2. PAINT THE CABINETS, THEN ADD NEW DOORS
Often existing cabinets are of higher quality than many replacement ones but need some sprucing up. New doors with freshly painted cabinets can yield amazing results.
3. A COMPLETE CABINET REFACE
Remove all existing doors and hardware, then cover all exposed surfaces with matching laminate or veneer and hang the new custom doors.
Kitchen Saver™ provides all the materials necessary to complete a cabinet refacing project including a wide selection of cabinet doors, mouldings and peel & stick adhesive coverings. Complete the on-line form to request a quote.
Do-it-Yourself – How to Measure Guide
Measuring for Doors and Drawerfronts
Before starting to measure, it is useful to make a sketch of your existing kitchen clearly showing each opening. Number the openings starting at the upper left doors, then the lower left doors and finally the drawerfronts, also starting on the left (refer to Figure 1 for sketch example). This sketch will allow you to both keep track of figures while measuring and to easily match each custom door and drawerfront with the correct opening when you install. Other useful information to put on your sketch is the location of any doorways and, if a drawer opens into the path of the doorway, note the thickness of any moulding surrounding the doorway. Having this measurement will prevent the drawerfront from being made so wide that it bumps the door moulding preventing the drawer from opening. If a valance is desired over the sink, note the measurement between the upper cabinets on each side of the sink. Finally, measure the distance between the top of the opening on your upper cabinets, to the ceiling or the bottom of the bulkhead if one is present. This measurement will tell you if there is room for ceiling moulding. Also show location of hinges ( Left or Right ) on each door.
A) FRAMELESS CABINETS (i.e. no Frame on front of cabinet.)
Use the measurements of your existing doors and drawerfronts. Remember, only concealed hinges can be used with Frameless Cabinets.
B) FRAMED CABINETS (i.e. frame on front of cabinet.)
For each door …
• Measure the width of the cabinet opening (as shown in Figure 2) and use the formulas below depending on the hinge type selected. With Framed Cabinets, it is important that you measure the cabinet opening and not existing doors and drawerfronts.
• Height is determined by measuring from the bottom of the cabinet to the top of the cabinet opening (see Figure 2)
Determining Door Ordering Sizes – Framed Cabinets
IF USING CONCEALED HINGES:
To determine custom door ordering width…
• For cabinet openings under 20″ wide, add 1 1/4″ to the Opening width.
• If the opening width is more than 20 “, add 1” to the Opening width and divide by 2 (if the result is in sixteenths, round down to the nearest 1/8 “)
To determine custom door ordering height…
• Add ” or less to the Opening height depending on the clearance you have to the moulding above the door. ( See figure 2 and measuring instructions for opening height. )
Door Measuring Examples -Concealed Hinges
Hinge Location – Determine hinge location (Left or Right side of door), show that location on your sketch and insert L or R in Location columns on the Order Form. Remember, hinge location is only necessary when using Concealed Hinges since these doors are pre-drilled at your request.
IF USING EXPOSED HINGES
To determine custom door ordering width…
• For cabinet openings under 21 1/4 ” wide, add 3/4 ” to the Opening width.
• If the opening width is more than 21 1/4 “, add 3/4 ” to the Opening width and divide by 2 (if the result is in sixteenths, round down to the nearest 1/8 “). This will give you 2 doors for the opening.
To determine custom door ordering height…
• Add 1/2″ or less to the Opening height depending on the clearance you have to the moulding above the door. ( See figure 2 and measuring instructions for opening height )
Door Measuring Examples – Exposed Hinges
Glass Doors – If a Frame for Glass or Mullion Bars are required, clearly note on the Order Form in the appropriate box (Frame & Mullion Doors) and if Mullion Bars, note the number of lites required (either 1, 4, 6 or 8)
*NOTE: Kitchen Saver strongly recommends not using your existing hinges. Using our hinges with our accompanying reface plate, makes installation much easier for either framed or frameless cabinets.
Determining Drawerfront Ordering Sizes (Note: Drawerfronts can be a maximum of 40″ wide.)
• Frameless Cabinets- Use the widths and heights of your existing drawerfronts.
• Framed Cabinets – locate the door directly below the particular drawerfront being measured. Use the door width as your drawerfront width and use the height of your existing drawerfront. If there is no door below the drawerfront such as in a bank of drawers, use the width and height of your existing drawerfront. If you want one long drawerfront to be above two doors such as under a sink, locate the two doors that the drawerfront will be above and add the two door width measurements together plus 1/8 “. The height will be the same as the existing drawerfront.
Do-it-Yourself – How to Install Guide
1. Remove Old Doors and Hinges
2. Remove Old Drawerfronts
• If the drawerfront is also the front of the drawer box (i.e. if the drawerfront was removed, the box would have only a back and two sides) the drawerfront must be left on the box and the edges trimmed off. This procedure will be explained later but for now, leave the drawerfront on the box and set it aside.
• If the drawerfront is screwed on to the front of the drawer box (i.e. if the drawerfront was removed, the box would have a front, back and two sides) remove the drawerfront and set the box aside.
3. Match New Doors and Drawerfronts with Their Installed Location
4. Installing Hinges
Exposed Hinges™
Decide which side of door the hinges will be attached to, then draw a short line 2″ down from the top of the door and 2″ up from the bottom of the door on the back surface. Align the top of one hinge with the line at the top of the door and screw into place with the 5/8″ Antique Brass Pan Head screws or white screws supplied. Align the bottom of the other hinge with the line at the bottom of the door and screw into place. Make sure the screws for the hinges in this position will not be installed into or close to the holes on the stiles for the old hinges. If the screws will align closely with the old holes, move the hinges along the edge (an equal distance for each hinge) towards the vertical centre of the door then screw into place.
Concealed Hinges
Clip hinge plate onto hinge arm. Insert hinge cup into hole on back of door and push down on top to clamp into place.
5. Installing Doors
Exposed Hinges
While one person centers the door over the opening flush with the bottom of the cabinet and applies pressure, the other screws the hinges to the stile using the 5/8″” Antique Brass Pan Head screws or white screws.
For cabinet openings where two doors are to be hung, lay the left door 3/8″ over the stile on the hinge side then screw on. To get this 3/8″ overlay, measure over 3/8″ from the edge of the cabinet opening, make a pencil mark top and bottom on the stile, then align the edge of the door with the pencil mark. Be sure to leave a 1/8″ gap between the doors then screw on the left door.
Concealed Hinges
While one person holds the door open and flush with the bottom of the cabinet making sure the claws on the hinge plate are snug against the front of the frame, the other person screws the plate to the side of the stile using the 5/8″ hinge plate screws supplied. Make sure the screws are inserted in the middle of the holes on the hinge plate as placement there will allow adjustment up and down.
These hinges can also be adjusted to move the door from side to side using the screw in the middle of the hinge arm and forward/backward by loosening the screw on the back of the hinge arm and moving the arm forward or backward on the plate. See page 1 for a Concealed Hinge picture with its’ various parts labeled.
When two doors cover a single opening, allow a 1/8″ gap between the doors.
After all adjustments are completed, make sure you thoroughly tighten the back screw on the hinge arm as this is the screw that holds the door on the cabinet. Forward/backward by turning rear screw on the back of the hinge arm.
6. Preparing Drawer Boxes
Drawerfront is Front of Box
f the drawerfront is also the front of the box (i.e. the box without the drawerfront has a back and two sides) use a fine tooth saw or jig saw to trim the lip around the old front even with the top, bottom and sides of the box . With the lip removed, the drawer should recede into the cabinet and be flush with the front of the cabinet. If the drawer box has side runners attached, it may be necessary to move them forward so the front will be flush with the cabinet when the box is fully receded. If the drawerfront still does not recede fully into the cabinet, remove the old drawerfront and install the new drawerfront using angle brackets attached to the sides of the box and the back of the new drawerfront.
Drawerfront is Front of Box
If the drawer box has four sides with the drawerfront removed, simply remove the drawerfront from the box.
7. Drill Holes in Drawerfronts for Handles
Drilling holes is essentially the same for drawerfronts as for doors, however the holes must be drilled before attaching the front to the box and the handles, knobs or D-rings are not attached until after the drawerfront is fixed to the box. The only difference is that they are centered on the drawerfront and not installed as a distance from the edge. Remember the handles and D-rings have 3″ between the centers of the two holes so your pencil marks should be 3″ apart. Be sure to always drill from the front surface of the drawerfront through to the back.
8. Installing Drawerfronts
Panel
• Slide drawer box into opening then position drawerfront in desired location.
• Tighten a wood screw through a handle hole (through both handle holes if necessary) or a knob hole to temporarily hold the drawerfront in place. Adjust the position as necessary.
• Remove the drawer box with the new front attached and place face down on a flat surface being careful not to change its’ position on the box. Cover the flat surface with a towel to ensure the drawerfront doesn’t get marked.
• From the inside place a new screw on each side of the box, screw through the box front and into the new drawerfront. On Panel drawerfronts, make sure the permanent screws enter into the frame around the panel not the panel itself as it is only 3/8″ thick.
Be sure to check screws for proper length so they do not puncture the front surface of the new drawerfront.
• Remove temporary screws from handle or knob hole, drill through the front of the box (3/16″ bit) using the holes in the drawerfront as guides.
• Using the 1 1/2″ Handle Bolts, screw the handles or knobs into place.
9. Installing False Drawerfronts
You will probably have at least one drawerfront that has no box behind it, which is referred to as a false front. The drawerfront below the sink is usually a false front. Check the old drawerfront to see how it was held in place and install the same way or secure in place using angle brackets on each side affixed to the stile and the back of the drawerfront.
10. Apply Bumper Pads to Doors and Drawerfronts
Supplied with your new doors and drawerfronts you will find a sheet or sheets of rubber bumper pads with an adhesive on the back. Affix two of these pads on the back side of each door and drawerfront so that they bump against the front frame of the cabinet when the door or drawerfront closes. On doors they should go in each corner on the opposite side to the hinge. On drawerfronts they should be in the upper corners or whatever places make the first point of contact with the face frame of the cabinet.
11. Installing Moulding
It is recommended that 1/16″ hole be drilled in the Moulding where nails will be placed”. This pre-drilling makes moulding installation much simpler.
12. Installing Self Adhesive Veneer
It is recommended that you prepare the surface to be covered. Remove all layers of existing coatings that are loose or peeling (such as layers of paint). Fill and sand surface with a sanding block. Make sure that the surface is free from dust, particles and oils. Lumps will show up if surface is not clean.
• Remove from packaging and allow to flatten. DO NOT PEEL AWAY BACKER SHEET.
• Measure the surface to be covered. Before applying onto the surface, fill in old hinge screw holes with wood putty. Let wood putty dry up and then sand smooth.
• Peel back the longest edge of paper backing to expose a section of the adhesive. Place the exposed adhesive in the exact position desired, and lightly press into place. Gradually remove the backing and smooth into position. Smooth out air bubbles without applying pressure.
• Check for accurate fit before applying any pressure. Careful initial placements before use of any strong pressure will often allow for complete removal. If reposition is needed, use a gentle but sharp lifting motion to pull free of the surface. Any detachment of the adhesive may result in adhesive “stringing” or “roping” which forms lumps under the veneer.
• Rub the entire surface with a roller, applying with all possible pressure. Make sure to rub in the grain direction as cross grain strokes may mar the surface. If trapped air bubbles may be flattened by splitting the wood in the direction of the grain.
• Carefully trim off excess with an edge trimmer or razor knife. Smooth any rough edges with a sanding block. Stroke at a 45 degree angle.
Hinge Boring Specs
Number of Hinges Per Door (Standard Drilling)
Doors that require boring for hinges will have the following number of holes based on height.
Hinge Hole Position:
• Doors are drilled at 3 1/2″ centers from top and bottom of door.
• On larger doors where 3 or 4 holes have to be drilled, the middle hole will be spaced equally in center of door.
• All standard concealed hinge holes are drilled for a *5/8″ overlay with a 35 mm cup unless otherwise specified.
Custom Drilling
Custom drilling is available; clear instructions must be provided on the order form.