Decorating Rooms Kitchens Kitchen Cabinets How to Build a Cabinet Door Achieve a whole new look—and score your dream kitchen—by building custom cabinet doors using these easy tips. By Hannah Bruneman Hannah Bruneman Hannah Bruneman is an editorial associate at BHG.com. Her contributions focus on home renovation and decor trends. Her work has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies Home Journal, Southern Living and more. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on May 4, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Project Overview Working Time: 6 hours Total Time: 6 hours Skill Level: Advanced Estimated Cost: $50+ Yield: 1 cabinet door Sometimes the only way to create a truly custom space is to take matters into your own hands. In the kitchen, this might mean building your own custom cabinet doors. Not only will you get a look you love, but you will feel so much accomplishment knowing your kitchen was handcrafted to perfection. Check out our instructions below to learn how to build a cabinet door. But first, you need to figure out the dimensions of your new cabinet doors using the old doors as templates. Choose the material for your new doors (we used 3/4 x 3-inch poplar project boards) and your stile and rail width (we went with 2-1/4 inches). Then, subtract the width of two stiles from the width of your old door. This will equal the length of your rails. The length of your stiles will be the full length of the door. The inset panel will be measured once the interior rectangle formed by the stiles and rails has been routed out and can accurately be measured. Jason Donnelly What You'll Need Equipment / Tools Hand saw with a miter box, or chop saw Sanding block or sander with sandpaper Kreg pocket hole kit with micro attachment Kreg clamps (3- or 6-inch) Wood glue Kreg screws Router Chisel Hammer Circular saw Kreg rip-cut guide Paint roller or brush Kreg concealed hinge jig Forstener bit Kreg cabinet hardware jig Materials Stiles and rails cut to your door measurements 1/4-inch Lauan plywood for inset panel, cut to your door measurements 1/4-inch square dowels Micro wood plugs Wood filler Primer Paint Instructions How to Build a Kitchen Cabinet Door Don't let old cabinetry doors date your kitchen. Instead, update existing cabinet boxes with our instructions for how to build a cabinet door. 26 DIY Kitchen Cabinet Updates So You Don’t Have to Replace Them Jason Donnelly Make Cabinet Door Frame Use a hand saw with a miter box or chop saw to cut stiles and rails to desired size; lightly sand all cut edges. Using a Kreg pocket hole jig with the micro attachment in place, drill two pocket holes on the back side of each end of each rail. Clamp two rails inside two stiles to create a door frame, then glue, and screw together. Repeat at all corners on the frame. Jason Donnelly The 9 Best Cordless Drills of 2024, According To Testing Jason Donnelly Shape Back of Door Frame Route out a 1/2-inch x 1/2-inch area along the inner back edge of the door frame. The corners of the routed area will be rounded; use a chisel and a hammer to create a nice sharp inside square corner on the routed area. Now you can accurately measure the 1/4-inch Lauan to fit snuggly into the frame as the door inset. Use a circular saw and rip-cut guide and cut the Lauan plywood. Jason Donnelly Install Dowels to Back of Door With the back side of the door facing up, apply a bead of glue to the far edge of the routed area and insert the Lauan plywood board. Cut dowel pieces to the length of the Lauan board, then glue and pin-nail the dowel on top of the board along the inside edge of the routed area. Measure between the ends of the nailed dowels and cut two more dowels to glue and nail between the attached ones. Jason Donnelly Attach Hinge Prime and paint the cabinet door. With the back of the door facing up, measure up about 3 inches from the top and bottom of the door and clamp your concealed hinge jig in place. There are two small holes on this jig to use as guides for screwing on the hinges. Using a Forstner bit, drill the holes and attach hinges to doors. Jason Donnelly Jason Donnelly Fill Holes Next, fill holes using micro wood plugs. Apply a little glue inside the hole and slide a micro plug inside. Once the glue is dry, sand off any plug protruding beyond the board. Use wood filler to fill any spaces around the plug, let dry, and sand smooth. Jason Donnelly Attach Cabinet Hardware With the front side of the door facing up, use a cabinet hardware jig ($32, Amazon) to attach door handles or pulls in a consistent location. Measure the distance between the screws on the door pull and set the jig to that distance. Then measure to the center of the stiles and set the jig to that measurement. Clamp the jig in place and drill the holes. Attach the hardware to the door. Installing cabinet hardware can be a pain—and it's risky to remeasure each time you drill. If you make a mistake, you may have ruined your door! The Kreg jigs for cabinet door hardware and hinges allow you to set measurements once and repeat for every door. Updated by Lacey Howard Lacey Howard Lacey Howard is a 22-year veteran of the interior design-magazine industry and works as an editor, writer, and stylist for BH&G and many of its sister publications. Learn More