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Replacing Cabinet Doors Only

By kitchen remodeling irvine corner

The smallest change that still looks like a new kitchen

If the boxes are sound and the layout works, swapping only the doors and drawer fronts is the lightest way to change a kitchen. Nothing is torn out. The frames keep their finish, the interiors stay as they are, and the visible fronts are replaced with new ones in a different style or color. The catch is that the new doors must fit the old openings precisely, and getting that fit depends on a handful of measurements that are easy to get wrong.

Door-only replacement versus refacing

Refacing covers the face frames with veneer as well. Door-only replacement leaves the frames untouched. That means the frame color must work with the new doors, either because it is already close, or because it will be painted or stained to match. It is a good option when the frames are in good shape and the color is compatible, such as replacing worn oak-colored doors with oak doors in a new style, or putting painted doors onto frames that are painted already.

Understanding overlay

Overlay is the amount by which a door covers the front of the cabinet frame. It is the most important measurement in the whole project, and it is the one that most replacements get wrong.

• Full overlay doors cover almost all of the frame, leaving only a narrow gap between neighbors. They are common on frameless and modern cabinets.
• Partial overlay doors cover part of the frame, leaving a visible strip of frame around each door. This is common on older face-frame cabinets.
• Inset doors sit inside the frame opening, flush with the face. They need extremely precise sizing and are not an ordinary replacement choice.

Replacing partial overlay doors with full overlay ones changes the look of the kitchen. Gaps between doors shrink and the frames mostly vanish from view. But the door must still avoid colliding with its neighbor when it opens, and hinge placement must change accordingly.

How to measure an opening

1. Measure the existing door first. Width and height, to the nearest sixteenth of an inch, at several points, since doors warp.
2. Measure the opening. The distance between the inside edges of the frame, side to side and top to bottom, for each individual opening.
3. Decide the overlay. Measure how much of the frame the current door covers. A typical partial overlay is half an inch on each side, but older cabinets vary.
4. Calculate the new door size. The new door equals the opening plus twice the overlay in each direction, minus a small gap between doors where two doors meet at a shared stile.
5. Record every opening on a sketch. Label doors by location and note which side the hinges go on.

Pairs of doors in a double opening each take half the width, minus half the center gap. Drawer fronts are measured the same way, and a drawer front covers the drawer box and a portion of the frame around it.

A separate guide goes through the measurement process in more detail, including how to deal with openings that are out of square.

Matching hinges

Hinges have to be compatible with both the cabinet frame and the new door. Three things matter:

• Type. Concealed cup hinges, which sit in a round hole bored in the back of the door, are the standard. Older cabinets often use surface-mounted or semi-concealed hinges that show on the outside.
• Overlay rating. A hinge is made for a specific overlay. A hinge made for full overlay will not hold a partial overlay door in position.
• Mounting plate. The plate fixed to the frame sets how far back the door sits. When the frame screw holes of the old hinge do not align with the new plate, the plate can be fixed in a new place, or the old holes filled and redrilled.

Replacement doors can be ordered pre-drilled for a standard hinge, usually a thirty-five millimeter cup that is in common use. If the doors are bored by the maker, the hinge locations must be specified accurately.

Choosing a door style

Four styles cover most requests:

• Shaker, a flat center panel in a square frame, is a perennial choice because it suits many kitchens and is simple to build and to clean.
• Slab doors are completely flat, giving a modern look. They show the surface material and every flaw in the edges.
• Raised panel doors carry a profile on the center panel. They suit traditional rooms but gather more dust and grease in the grooves.
• Cathedral and arched tops are a signature of older cabinets, and replacing them with flat top doors changes the character of a kitchen.

Durability depends on construction. Five-piece doors with a frame and a panel hold up well. Doors with a medium-density fibreboard center and a painted surface resist warping if their edges are sealed. Thermofoil doors are cheaper but can peel near heat, which is covered in its own guide.

Drawers need attention too

New drawer fronts are fixed to the old drawer boxes. The old front is unscrewed from the inside, and the new one is placed in the same position with a temporary adhesive or double-sided tape, checked for alignment, and then screwed from the drawer box. Pre-drilled holes for pulls must be marked before the front is mounted, or after with a template.

The old drawer boxes and slides may not be sturdy. If drawers stick or sag, the time of replacing fronts is also the time to replace slides, which is a simple job with full-extension soft-close units that fit most standard boxes.

Dealing with the frames

The frames stay, so they need to look right with the new doors. If the doors are painted and the frames are stained, the mismatch will be obvious. The options are to paint the frames, to apply a thin veneer to them, or to select doors in a color close to the frame. Frames should be cleaned and checked for damage. Gouges and worn hinge holes are filled and touched up before the doors are hung.

Check that the frames are straight. A twisted frame makes new doors sit crooked, however well made they are. Shims behind the hinge plate can adjust for small twists.

People who want examples of how replaced doors look in real homes can read the project articles on kitchen remodeling irvine corner, which show the effect of different door styles on older cabinet boxes.

Ordering and lead time

Doors are made to order, and the lead time varies by maker and by material. Painted doors take longer than unfinished ones because of the multiple coats. It is wise to order a few spares and to inspect everything when it arrives, checking size, finish, hinge boring and damage from shipping. A door that is a sixteenth of an inch off is a reason to return it. Doors that are a quarter of an inch off will never hang evenly.

Installation and adjustment

1. Remove the old doors and hardware and label them.
2. Clean and repair the frames.
3. Fix the hinge plates in the new positions.
4. Hang doors and adjust the three screws on each hinge: side to side, in and out, up and down.
5. Set the gaps so they are even across the entire run.
6. Fit bumpers on the corners to quiet the closing.

A door that rubs on a neighbor or that will not close flat is almost always an adjustment issue, not a manufacturing flaw.

When door replacement is not enough

If the frames are cracked, if the boxes are waterlogged or if the layout is wrong, new doors will not repair these problems. They simply place a fresh surface on top. Doors alone work best when the structure of the kitchen is sound and the problem is how it looks.