How To Make Flat Panel Cabinet Doors: Steps To Build Flat Panel Kitchen Cabinet Doors


How To Make/Build Flat Panel Kitchen Cabinet Doors?

Flat panel cabinet door refers to a door type having a flat center panel rather than raised. The flat panel cabinet doors are suited to contemporary, traditional, and transitional style options. Such doors are favored by the people who prefer clean & sleek designs. The steps to build flat panel kitchen cabinet doors are as follows:
  1. Select The Wood:
    The first step will be to select the wood for the flat panel cabinet doors. It has been recommended to use solid wood for the construction.
  2. Determine The Door Size:
    The next step will be to determine the size of the cabinet doors. In case the user is replacing an old door, he can measure the length and width of each side without assuming that both sides are similar in size because there can be a difference of an inch. If the user is building new cabinetry, he can simply make the final measurement based on the doors whether they are overlay or inset.
  3. Determine The Width Of Rails & Stiles:
    The rails and stiles refer to the horizontal & vertical pieces of the wood by which the outer frame of the door is made. The user can have standard measurements for rails and stiles i.e. 1×2 or 1×3 stock equalling to 1.5 and 2.5 inches wide respectively.
  4. Determine Groove Depth & Tenon Length:
    The next step will be to determine the groove length with which the length of the tenons on to the rails can also be determined. The recommended groove depth is 1/2 inch as it makes the tenons a little longer that gives a little more gluing surface. The user can also make the grooves as little as 1/4 inch deep.
  5. Cut The Rails & stiles:
    After that, the user needs to cut the rails & stiles according to the determined length accounting the length of tenons on to the rails as well.
  6. Divide Pieces Into Individual Doors:
    The next step will be to divide two rails and two stiles individually and see which side of the wood faces the inner and outer side. It has been recommended that small blemish side faces inwards and the user needs to mark down the inner and outer with a pencil.
  7. Determine The Width of Grooves:
    The next step will be to determine the length of groove that will receive a plywood panel. Most of the panels are 1/4 inch thick or even lesser than that. The user needs to mark the size of groove carefully so that the panels fit into the grooves easily.
  8. Cut The Grooves:
    After that, cut the grooves using a saw ensuring that each groove is centered. The user needs to cut the inside edge of both rails and stiles as marked in the step before.
  9. Cut The Tenons:
    The next step will be to cut the tenons on to the rails and ensure that the tenons fit into the grooves easily without being loose. The tenons are cut on the ends of the rails and in a size same as grooves. The user needs to make sure that the shoulders of tenons and grooves meet together.
  10. Cut The Panel Material Properly:
    The next step will be to cut the panel material to the proper size that should be at least 1/8 inch smaller than the size of grooves. For example, if the size of the groove is 1/2 inch, the user needs to add 7/8 inch to its length and width in order to get the actual panel size.
  11. Dry Fit Doors & Panels:
    After that, the user needs to dry fit each door and panel in order to see whether the pieces fit in properly. While preparing many doors together, it is necessary that the user marks down each piece of the door separately so that he doesn't get confused while setting the doors up. In case some tenons are too tight, the user needs to remove a small amount of material from it using a chisel.
  12. Sand All The Pieces Prior To Assembly:
    After that, the user needs to sand all the pieces by focusing mainly on sanding the areas that will be difficult to sand once assembled such as the panels and inside edges of stiles & rails. The recommended sandpaper is 120-150 grit or 220 grit sandpaper.
  13. Glue Up Each Door:
    Once the pieces are sanded, the user needs to glue up each door. The user doesn't need to glue the panel rather he needs to glue the areas where the grooves and tenons meet each other.
  14. Remove Squeezing Out Glue:
    In the next step, the user needs to remove the squeezing out glue carefully from the doors and give them a final coat of sanding all over.
  15. Pre-drill For The Hinge Hardware:
    The next step will be to drill the space for hinges if the user has hinges that require drilling space, otherwise, the step can be done after finishing the doors.
  16. Apply Wood Filler:
    The user needs to apply wood filler on to the doors if he is going to paint his them in order to fill visible blemishes and dents. After that, the user needs to sand smoothly on to the doors in order to remove rough patches from it occurred by the wood filler.
  17. Apply Paint Or Finish:
    The last step will be to apply paint or finish on to the doors according to the user preference & liking. Once finished, the user needs to drill required hardware on to the doors.
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