HOME IMPROVEMENT
By JOHN WARDEAPRIL 4, 1991 This is a digitized version of an article from The Times's print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems.
Please send reports of such problems to archive_feedback@nytimes.com. RESTYLING a kitchen doesn't have to mean replacing the cabinets. Striking results can be achieved simply by resurfacing them with wood veneer.
The process is called refacing.
Cabinet doors and drawer fronts can be refaced if they have flat sides and square edges, but it is difficult to reface those with curved surfaces. Usually they are replaced with new ones that match the veneer being used.Refacing materials and new doors and drawer fronts can be bought at kitchen remodeling companies, which are listed in the yellow pages under "Kitchen Cabinets and Equipment.
" Check with those that advertise refacing and do-it-yourself installations. Other sources for materials are building supply stores, lumberyards, cabinet manufacturers and mail-order woodworking supply companies.To reface cabinets, first remove the doors, drawers, shelves and all hardware.
Fill screw holes and other depressions with wood-patching putty or filler. Scrape away any loose paint or finish from the exposed surfaces, and sand smooth with 100-grit sandpaper.AdvertisementWipe the sanded surfaces clean with a tack cloth.
(Most hardware stores carry tack cloths, which are saturated with a sticky substance that captures dust better than vacuuming.)AdvertisementCabinet interiors (not including the inner surfaces of face frames, the trim around the cabinet openings) are usually repainted rather than refaced. After sanding, coat bare wood with primer.
When dry, brush on one or two coats of latex enamel, always starting with the back wall, then moving in order to the top, sides and bottom. Paint shelves separately.The easiest veneer to use is flexible veneer coated on one side with pressure-sensitive adhesive. Often this type is called peel-and-stick veneer because the adhesive is covered by protective paper, which is removed before application.
Veneer sheets come in standard widths of 18 and 24 inches and lengths of 2, 4 and 8 feet. For covering edges, narrow strips measuring 1 to 2 inches wide and 8 feet long are available.Lay the veneer finished side up on a flat work surface.
Measure each part of the cabinet to be covered and add a quarter of an inch for trimming. Then national cut pieces of veneer to size using a metal straightedge and a razor-sharp utility knife. When cutting, be sure to hold the knife vertically to obtain a square edge.
If you cut more than one piece at a time, label the pieces on the back.Apply veneer first to the vertical edges on the front of the cabinets next to the doors. This hides most seams and best gives the appearance of solid wood.
Peel-and-stick veneer cannot be moved once the adhesive touches another surface, so work carefully. First, position the veneer without taking the paper off, to make sure it fits. Then peel back an upper corner of the paper; align the veneer exactly, letting it extend beyond any edge where other veneer will meet it; press lightly against the cabinet until it adheres.
Gradually remove the rest of the paper while pressing the veneer into place. Smooth out any air bubbles. When the piece adheres fully, press the entire surface firmly with a veneer roller, a wooden roller about two inches wide and one-and-a-quarter inches in diameter. The tool is available where veneer is sold.
Apply the inner vertical strips next, covering the inside right and left edges of the face frames. Although the strips can be trimmed later to the correct width, they must be cut to the right length before installation.AdvertisementNext, trim all excess veneer, except any projecting past the outside edges of the cabinets.
Hold a metal straightedge against the veneer as a guide and use a sharp utility knife for cutting, always in the direction of the wood grain. Finish the cut edges with a very light hardware sanding.Apply the outside horizontal strips next, followed by the horizontal strips on the inside edges.
Use the same procedure as before, but let the ends of the outside strips overlap the vertical strips, so that trimming leaves a neat seam. Finally, attach veneer to the cabinet sides, and trim the remaining excess from the outside vertical strips.The tops and bottoms of cabinets usually are not visible and are seldom refaced.
If you wish to reface them, do so before trimming any veneer extending past their edges.Replacement doors and drawer fronts should be of the same wood as the veneer. Stain them, if necessary, before attaching them, taking care that they match the refaced cabinet surfaces.
Then apply at least two coats of a tough, clear finish like polyurethane to all cabinet surfaces, except those that have been painted.When the finish is dry, attach the hinges and latches to the doors; then attach the doors to the cabinets. Door hardware usually comes with instructions.
Be sure to position all hinges uniformly, and to drill pilot holes for the screws. Attach the hinges to the cabinet frames so the doors overlap the openings by an equal amount on all sides. There should be a gap of about a sixteenth of an inch between doors that meet over a single opening.
False fronts on drawers can usually be removed by taking out the screws holding them. The same fasteners can be used to attach the new fronts.If the drawer fronts are one piece, saw off their overhanging edges so the trimmed fronts will fit into the drawer openings.
Then attach the new fronts by driving screws through the old fronts into them. (The new fronts thus become false fronts.) As with doors, the edges of new drawer fronts should overlap the drawer openings equally on all sides.
A version of this article appears in print on April 4, 1991, on Page C00004 of the National edition with the headline: hardware
Please send reports of such problems to archive_feedback@nytimes.com. RESTYLING a kitchen doesn't have to mean replacing the cabinets. Striking results can be achieved simply by resurfacing them with wood veneer.
The process is called refacing.
Cabinet doors and drawer fronts can be refaced if they have flat sides and square edges, but it is difficult to reface those with curved surfaces. Usually they are replaced with new ones that match the veneer being used.Refacing materials and new doors and drawer fronts can be bought at kitchen remodeling companies, which are listed in the yellow pages under "Kitchen Cabinets and Equipment.
" Check with those that advertise refacing and do-it-yourself installations. Other sources for materials are building supply stores, lumberyards, cabinet manufacturers and mail-order woodworking supply companies.To reface cabinets, first remove the doors, drawers, shelves and all hardware.
Fill screw holes and other depressions with wood-patching putty or filler. Scrape away any loose paint or finish from the exposed surfaces, and sand smooth with 100-grit sandpaper.AdvertisementWipe the sanded surfaces clean with a tack cloth.
(Most hardware stores carry tack cloths, which are saturated with a sticky substance that captures dust better than vacuuming.)AdvertisementCabinet interiors (not including the inner surfaces of face frames, the trim around the cabinet openings) are usually repainted rather than refaced. After sanding, coat bare wood with primer.
When dry, brush on one or two coats of latex enamel, always starting with the back wall, then moving in order to the top, sides and bottom. Paint shelves separately.The easiest veneer to use is flexible veneer coated on one side with pressure-sensitive adhesive. Often this type is called peel-and-stick veneer because the adhesive is covered by protective paper, which is removed before application.
Veneer sheets come in standard widths of 18 and 24 inches and lengths of 2, 4 and 8 feet. For covering edges, narrow strips measuring 1 to 2 inches wide and 8 feet long are available.Lay the veneer finished side up on a flat work surface.
Measure each part of the cabinet to be covered and add a quarter of an inch for trimming. Then national cut pieces of veneer to size using a metal straightedge and a razor-sharp utility knife. When cutting, be sure to hold the knife vertically to obtain a square edge.
If you cut more than one piece at a time, label the pieces on the back.Apply veneer first to the vertical edges on the front of the cabinets next to the doors. This hides most seams and best gives the appearance of solid wood.
Peel-and-stick veneer cannot be moved once the adhesive touches another surface, so work carefully. First, position the veneer without taking the paper off, to make sure it fits. Then peel back an upper corner of the paper; align the veneer exactly, letting it extend beyond any edge where other veneer will meet it; press lightly against the cabinet until it adheres.
Gradually remove the rest of the paper while pressing the veneer into place. Smooth out any air bubbles. When the piece adheres fully, press the entire surface firmly with a veneer roller, a wooden roller about two inches wide and one-and-a-quarter inches in diameter. The tool is available where veneer is sold.
Apply the inner vertical strips next, covering the inside right and left edges of the face frames. Although the strips can be trimmed later to the correct width, they must be cut to the right length before installation.AdvertisementNext, trim all excess veneer, except any projecting past the outside edges of the cabinets.
Hold a metal straightedge against the veneer as a guide and use a sharp utility knife for cutting, always in the direction of the wood grain. Finish the cut edges with a very light hardware sanding.Apply the outside horizontal strips next, followed by the horizontal strips on the inside edges.
Use the same procedure as before, but let the ends of the outside strips overlap the vertical strips, so that trimming leaves a neat seam. Finally, attach veneer to the cabinet sides, and trim the remaining excess from the outside vertical strips.The tops and bottoms of cabinets usually are not visible and are seldom refaced.
If you wish to reface them, do so before trimming any veneer extending past their edges.Replacement doors and drawer fronts should be of the same wood as the veneer. Stain them, if necessary, before attaching them, taking care that they match the refaced cabinet surfaces.
Then apply at least two coats of a tough, clear finish like polyurethane to all cabinet surfaces, except those that have been painted.When the finish is dry, attach the hinges and latches to the doors; then attach the doors to the cabinets. Door hardware usually comes with instructions.
Be sure to position all hinges uniformly, and to drill pilot holes for the screws. Attach the hinges to the cabinet frames so the doors overlap the openings by an equal amount on all sides. There should be a gap of about a sixteenth of an inch between doors that meet over a single opening.
False fronts on drawers can usually be removed by taking out the screws holding them. The same fasteners can be used to attach the new fronts.If the drawer fronts are one piece, saw off their overhanging edges so the trimmed fronts will fit into the drawer openings.
Then attach the new fronts by driving screws through the old fronts into them. (The new fronts thus become false fronts.) As with doors, the edges of new drawer fronts should overlap the drawer openings equally on all sides.
A version of this article appears in print on April 4, 1991, on Page C00004 of the National edition with the headline: hardware
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