Changing old flat panel birch cabinets to shaker style??

tuesday_2008

14 years ago

I have the old birch plywood flat panel cabinet doors made in the late sixties by a local cabinetmaker. Does anyone remember those beauties? Orange is the only description that comes to mind. And they all had the curved, coppery colored hardware! Don't get me wrong - I did slightly refurbish them with a nice new coat of poly about 15 years ago and installed new hardware (yep, shiny gold). Got the picture yet? To top it off, when I changed out the hardware, the handles had to be installed at an angle across the corner to match/or cover up the holes from the curved handles.

If you can get past the looks, they are wonderful cabinets, well made, solid, clean, lots of them - but they have to be updated! Have priced new cabinets and refuse to pay the price! I have a lot of cabients. Now I am analyzing my options and here is where you folks might be able to help me.

What I really would like to do is put a nice thin, shaker style trim on these doors (this would also cover up the old hardware holes) and paint the cabinets white. I have researched and found several redos of old cabinets done this way and they look awesome. The one probelem that I see is the current slab doors have slightly rounded or beveled edge. What would be the best way to deal with that if I install a shaker panel on these doors? Can the small amount of "bevel" be ripped off square? I think there is enough "overlap" of the door onto the frame to do this.

My other option would be to totally strip and then stain a darker color, but I do not want to go to that much work and I will still have flat panel doors. Plus, I am not sure the wood filler in the old holes would ever take stain properly. If I go the shaker trim route and stain, I would have to be working with new wood trim on old doors and probably wouldn't take stain the same way???

Another option I have researched is Stain and Seal, which would probably cover the wood filler. Anyone familiar with that stuff?

Final option is completely new doors. I am thinking that would get expensive also.

Give me your best advice - good or bad. Replacing them is not an option. Is it possible to convert these to shaker style? I have a relative who is extremely good at woodworking and could do the work for me - he works cheap.

Tuesday

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

amrad
14 years ago
I would look into replacing the doors, by the time you remove the bevel and attach the shaker overlay, the cost would probably be less.

Plenty of places on the web sell cabinet doors, and ebay.
amrad
14 years ago
you could also take a router, and run a groove on the door to simulate the rails
Related Discussions
Argh! Cabinet snafu! WWYD? Anyone with flat panel shaker help?
Q
Comments (5)
Hmm. Well the company says they're now doing this because it secures the door to the drawer body better. They were plastic but apparently just changed to metal , and KD is getting samples of that hardware next week to show me. I would LOVE to see photos of yours, buehl, if it isn't a huge inconvenience. Perhaps they are the same and I should just not worry about it. Metal might look better than the gommy tan plastic ones I saw last week... I sure liked the nice, clean look of just the wood dovetailed edge, though! :( I don't have any photos myself since I just placed the order and the cabs are 6 weeks out...
...See More
Painted Flat Panel Cabinet doors - MDF or wood panel?
Q
Comments (17)
From the attached link: Raised Panel - Solid Even though the panel is called solid, it is not usually made of a single piece of wood. Wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity, and this can cause the door to split and crack. To counteract the problems of natural movement in a solid wood center panel, the panel is usually constructed using several pieces of solid stock lumber glued together. The wood strips used to construct the panel may not all match in graining and color. As in the case of the slab door, the door's strength comes from the manner in which the pieces of solid wood are reversed as they are glued. The panel is then cut on all four sides, so the center is higher than the edges. The face of the panel is usually flush with the front surface of the stiles and rails, with the edges forming a tongue which fits a corresponding groove cut into the door frame. The groove is slightly larger than the panel's edge to allow the panel to float in the frame. This simply means that the panel has room to expand and contract during humidity changes, reducing the risk of the panel cracking or splitting. I gather from the Woodmode site that this is how they construct raised panel doors as they describe their raised panel doors as being constructed from solid wood. How big an issue the movement of the centre panel in a flat panel door will be probably depends on geography (I have seen some dramatic examples here that am sure would not be acceptable to many folks while I tend to think the hairline cracking I have seen is part of the charm and patina of age of painted cabinetry. In terms of Woodmode they do kiln dry all their wood which may in part explain why they have not have felt they would get better performance from an MDF centre panel that some companies are opting for. I also think it is a market issue a lot of Consumer's in the US have a real aversion to composite wood products regardless of the possible benefits (this does not really carry over to Europe or Canada). Cabico and many other Quebec companies offer 100% MDF doors for paint finishes (same opaque finishes are usually available on maple at Cabico). Lots of their MDF door styles are raised panel. Here is a link that might be useful: Explanation of door styles
...See More
Door style panels on ends of cabinets or flat panels?
Q
Comments (43)
Designov, I visited your post regarding your gorgeous new kitchen and due to the recessed doors that I love since I have been wanting the cabinets that you bought and the crown molding and the overall look, I felt it looked beautiful just the way it was with the matching end panels that were just not door style panels. I felt it looked pretty and finished and gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.
...See More
Shaker Cabinets: Horizontal Grain vs. Vertical Grain on middle panel
Q
Comments (6)
I read Dan's question about the stiles as being rhetorical - you don't ever see stiles with the grain running sideways because the long pieces of cabinetry and furniture go with the grain, not against it (unless of course you're trying to use more material than necessary). To my eye, it would look strange and unsettling. I have mocked it up in my woodshop but have never wanted to build a door that way. True Shaker style shows vertical wood grain in both the door stiles and the face frame stiles. To insert a door panel with horizontal grain would make the cabinet surface look busy and interrupted. Horizontal grain on doors is a more contemporary look, and it does not fit with the more traditional Shaker profile. If slab doors don't go with the style of your home, then horizontal grain in cabinet doors will probably not fit with it either. All of that said, do what you love. If you're trying to make your kitchen integrate with the style of your home, consider that horizontal grain in Shaker cabinets will make quite a statement.
...See More
tuesday_2008
Original Author
13 years ago
This was posted several months ago and life got hectic. Sorry that I did not acknowledge your responses. Perhaps we could bring this to life again!

Amrad, what do you mean by running a groove to simulate shaker style. Are you talking about the recessed line that I have seen on some of the cabinets from this era?

Does anyone out there have a picture or link to anything like I am talking about. I found one about a year ago, but can't find it again. My wood is a very clear birch and would like to be able to salvage the doors. Does a thin (perhaps 1/4 inch) plywood exist that I could use to do this trim with.

Just picking your brains - you guys seem to know everything!

Tuesday
werefinish.com
13 years ago
There are ALWAYS options, but you're really going to have to supply pictures before any quality ideas can be put on the table :-)
jey_l
13 years ago
Frame the doors by trimming them down and making or buying some styles and rails. Assuming the panels are only 3/8 to 1/2" thick a 3/4" style and rail should be fine. How would you finish the edges if you trim to the face?
someone2010
13 years ago
What is a Shaker style trim?
dashinggade
13 years ago
I had similar cabinets and here are the options I found:

1. Cut out the centers (leaving just a frame around) and insert new panels inside that frame. I didn't opt for this option because my edges were pretty beaten up.

2. You can apply a "edge", like you mentioned, but you won't be able to really cover up the routed edges. You'd have to fill them with auto body filler and then sand - lot of work.

3. Get some poplar wood and plywood and using just a table saw, glue, and clamps you can build completely new shaker style doors. I built 12 doors and it cost me about $150 for the materials. It was totally worth it. The cabinets look like new!!!! If I knew how to, I'd post some pictures. Love the end effect!
lazy_gardens
13 years ago
"My other option would be to totally strip and then stain a darker color,"

If you clean them thoroughly you can stain right over the top of the old finish with General Finishes' Gel Stain. I'm doing my kitchen cabinets right now, and that faded 80s walnut is looking far better. I give them a good scrubbing with soap and water to get water soluble dirt off, then mineral spirits to get old polish off ... then it's wipe and let dry. Followed by a wipe-on gel poly coat and I'm done. My only limit is working space to lay the cabinets in.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2506411/review_general_finishes_gel_stains.html

Here is a link that might be useful: REview if stain
tuesday_2008
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks to everyone for responding. You have given me lots of options and things to work through.

If I go the shaker trim route, trimming the edges would be a major concern as you folks pointed out.

Lazygardens, if I should go the gel stain refinish route, do you know if it would cover wood filler. The hardware has been put on at an angle across the corner (ugly) and when I upgrade, I will have an extra screw hole. I know I could cover with paint, but don't know about the gel stain.
I would probably end up with a "polka-dot" on each door!

Tuesday
Debbie Downer
13 years ago
You could trim off enough to become inset doors rather than overlay - then get some of those cool latches and make it look really vintage.

Re getting all new doors made, yes you could but I do think there is a certain satisfaction out of reusing junk that you can't get by buying new - it can be a labor of love - go for it!

Changing old flat panel birch cabinets to shaker style??

Comments (10)

amrad

amrad

Related Discussions

tuesday_2008
Original Author

werefinish.com

jey_l

someone2010

dashinggade

lazy_gardens

tuesday_2008
Original Author

Debbie Downer

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Changing old flat panel birch cabinets to shaker style??

Comments (10)

Related Discussions

tuesday_2008Original Author

tuesday_2008Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

tuesday_2008
Original Author

tuesday_2008
Original Author