Getting Started
Remove the shelving once you have the doors off, depending on their condition, they can make handy scrap wood for the future.
To begin this sort of project, the first step is demolition. Remove all the parts that you will not be using going forward (doors, shelves, etc.).
Before getting the cabinet prepared for veneering, tape up around the edges of the frame to protect the wall from being cut by the sander or trimmer.
Then clean all the surfaces to which you will be applying veneer or some other sort of covering (like my 1/8″ maple plywood).
To prepare the frame for the veneer, clean the cabinet with a strong solvent to remove any oils, polishes, dirt and dust.
I wiped the entire surface with a solvent to remove the years of built-up oils and polishes.
Sand off the finish from the face frame, just enough to remove most of the finish, then wipe it down with a tack cloth.
In addition to that, I scuffed the surfaces with a good sanding. I didn’t worry about removing the existing finish completely, but I did give it a thorough treatment. When I was done with that, I wiped away the sanding particulate with a tack cloth.
Apply a layer of thin maple veneer to the outside of the frame and trim off any excess using a block plane.
Now I was ready to apply the veneer. Approach this with the same methodology that you would plastic laminate work. Cover the narrow (outside) edges of the face frame with veneer first.
The author used a thin layer of contact cement on the strips and the frame to attach the veneer, the veneer across the wide part of the frame will mimic face frame joinery.
Apply a coat of the contact cement to the veneer strips and to the edges of the face frame. Allow the contact cement to dry. Carefully place the veneer strips in their proper alignment — you won’t get a second chance at this. Stick the veneer to the edges and press it on with a J-roller. That’s it … it is secure and in place. Now trim the edges of the veneer flush to the face of the face frame.
Once you’ve trimmed the excess veneer, ensure that it’s flush with the wide part of the frame by running over the area briefly with your sander.
I found a block plane, followed by my sander, to be a quick and efficient means to do this. Next, go through the same steps to apply the wider veneer pieces to the front of the face frame.
Trim back the veneer with a laminate trimmer and finish off the process by sanding around the corners.
I used a laminate trimmer to clean up those edges, and it worked great. I put the veneer around the perimeter of the face frame first, then I applied the crosspieces. In this way, the components of the veneer mimic the look of traditional stiles and rails seen in face frame construction.
To match the maple veneer, the author chose 1/8″ maple plywood to line the center of the cabinet.
Now it was time to cover the interior faces of the cabinet with the 1/8″ maple plywood. I tried a traditional construction adhesive (Liquid Nails®) for securing the panels, but was not happy with the results. I moved back to the contact adhesive and could not have been more pleased.
Once you’ve got the interior of the cabinet out, cut the maple plywood (the 1/8″ plywood will fit better and tighter) and test fit it.
Take a moment to plan the sequence of which plane of the interior compartments you will cover first, second and third … etc. Trust me, sequencing the panels properly will make a good deal of difference as to which joint lines are most visible. For example, I covered the bottom of the compartment first (I chose to put a piece of paperbacked veneer on the bottom of the compartment rather than the plywood), then the top, and then the back. Next, I put the two side panels in place. It looked very good when I was done.
Doors, Drawers … Done
The new drawer fronts are 3/4″ maple glued and pin nailed to the old drawers, once you have them completed, fit them back into the cabinet.
I had ordered the doors before I started the whole process so they were ready as soon as I had completed all my veneering work. Right after they arrived, I put a coat of clear sealer on them … just to keep them from moving on me. I also ordered the glass earlier, but as is my practice, I did not order it until I had the doors in hand and could measure the openings. The upper doors that I chose came with glass retaining strips precut. That was a nice touch. I bored the holes in the doors for the cup hinges, mounted the clips on the face frames and did a test fitting. The drawers were completed, as I mentioned earlier, so all that was left to do was apply the finish. Using a good quality brush, I put two coats of Zinsser® SealCoat™ onto the raw wood. I sanded down the nibs and followed with two wiped-on coats of polyurethane.
For the doors, the author chose European-style cup hinges designed to work with the face frame and match the rest of the fixtures.
That is about it. I installed the glass in the upper doors, hung them and adjusted them evenly. I drilled some holes to mount the hardware … brushed nickel pulls and some wide drawer handles — and I was done. The shelf in the upper compartment was made from solid maple. Having lived with it for a few weeks, I have decided to replace it with a tempered glass shelf. Hmm, maybe this project will take a while to be “absolutely” done. I’ve been looking at interior shelf lighting lately …
