Making Your Own Kitchen Cabinets

Rockler's Custom Door and Drawer Front Program, offers Hardwood or white RTF coated doors and drawer fronts custom made to the exact the sizes you need.

Doors and Drawer Front Options
In most cabinetmaking projects, making the doors and drawer fronts is half the battle. If you're short on time, or leery of taking on this part of the project yourself, having your cabinet doors and drawer fronts made for you is a great alternative. With Rockler's Custom Door and Drawer Front Program, you can have all of your new doors and drawer custom built to your specifications and delivered to your door ready to finish and hang.

The cost of taking advantage of this great time-saver is less than you may think, and virtually guarantees that your doors and drawer fronts will be exactly the right size, flat, and reliably constructed. Using the program lets you concentrate on getting the cabinets just right, and could cut the time it takes you to complete the project in half. When you add up the cost of materials and the time it takes to do a good job on a kitchen's- worth of doors, the Custom Door and Drawer Front program starts to look like a real bargain. Read more about the program in,

If you decide to tackle the door and drawer front project yourself, be sure to arm yourself with the a little knowledge and the right tools before you begin. If raised panel doors are in the plan, be sure to read Rockler's article, "Raised Panel Door Tools and Techniques" for an in-depth look at frame and panel construction, and advise on tools and techniques that make the process straightforward and enjoyable.

Cabinet Drawers
Making cabinet drawer boxes is another of the more challenging aspects of cabinetmaking; giving yourself a break there will further speed your cabinetmaking project along. Customized Drawers in solid beech, "baltic birch" plywood or white vinyl-coated particleboard are available in a variety of common sizes and can be shipped to your door, ready to assemble.

Customized Drawers in solid beech, baltic birch plywood, or vinyl clad particleboard arrive at your door, ready for easy assembly.

Another option - if you don't mind doing more of the work yourself - is to order precut drawer side material. Rockler Drawer Sides are made of baltic baltic birch plywood (a reliable and stable "standard" for drawer box construction) and pre-grooved for a 1/4' drawer bottom. They're available in a variety of common widths and shipped in convenient four foot lengths. When the time comes to join your drawer boxes, you'll find information on reliable methods in "Drawer Box Joinery Tips".

Drawer Slides
Before you order or build your new cabinet drawers, remember to give some thought to drawer slides. There are many types of drawer slides available, and the type and dimensions of the drawer you buy or make will influence the type of slide that you will be able to use. For top performance and long service, we recommend using ball bearing drawer slides whenever possible. For help choosing the ball bearing drawer slide that best suits your new drawers, read Rockler's "Ball Bearing Drawer Slide FAQ".

Hardware and Hinges

European Hinges like this Blum overlay hinge are adjustable in three directions, easy to install, and can really speed up the cabinet door installation process.

One of the key advantages of designing and building your own cabinets is that you have complete control of the selection of hinges and other hardware. Along with that, it is extremely important to understand that not all cabinet hardware is designed to be used on all types of cabinetry.

In particular, the type of cabinets you build will greatly impact the type and variety of hinges available for your project. By the same token, selecting your hinges based on adjustability and ease of installation in advance can greatly simplify the installation phase of your cabinetmaking project. We strongly encourage you to read Rockler's article, Understanding Hinges before you design and build your cabinets.

When your cabinetmaking project progress toward its final stages, it will be time to start thinking about the final touches. Choosing an appropriate wood finishing method will go along way in protecting your cabinets through the years of everyday use they are likely to receive. Rockler's "" will help you select a finish that will accentuate the beauty of your new cabinets, and stand up to less than wood-friendly kitchen environment. 

Last but not least is your chance to put your final "style statement" on the project. Rockler offers a selection of knobs and pull to fit every taste and budget.  And in "Selecting Cabinet Knobs and Pulls" you'll find time-saving tips on installing hardware along with the basics of knob and pull materials and finishes, projection, and styles.