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    Home » Cabinet Doors » easy cabinet door projects

    easy cabinet door projects

    Published by Gail | Published July 24, 2020 | Updated August 22, 2022
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    How to turn old cabinet doors into shelves or signs. Perfect home decor for coffee lovers. Coffee Cup Rack ideas for your kitchen. Step by step directions and tips to make your own shelf this weekend. #repurposed #cabinetdoor #coffeelovers #shelf #kitchen #decor #MyRepurposedLife via @repurposedlife

    You're going to love these easy cabinet door projects made into a coffee cup rack. I have great tips for you about painting and more!

    My stash doesn’t look quite this neat these days, but I think I found the doors in this picture that I’m using for these four easy cabinet door projects. Two of the shelves are made from the small doors in the front, and two made from the larger doors in the back. I hand picked these doors because I wanted them to be more rectangular than square.

    I got busy making the first two larger coffee cup racks without really taking any pictures. So I made sure to snap pics of the smaller ones. All you need for these projects are cabinet doors and some scrap 1x’s. I used 1x4’s for the smaller ones, and 1x6’s for the larger doors.

    I drilled pocket holes in the easy cabinet door project with my Kreg Jig and secured the board to the door with pocket hole screws and Gorilla Wood Glue.

    If you don’t have a pocket hole jig, you can use “L” brackets. However, if you do a lot of projects, I highly recommend you investing in one of these jigs.

    Need more details on using a Kreg Jig? See my article How to use a Kreg Jig Pocket Hole System

    If this isn't what you're looking for, check out my collection of cabinet door ideas.

    I made some diy chalky paint primer with plaster of paris in some Polished Pearl paint, and gave a large and small shelf a couple of light coats. I use my Homeright Finish Max so much, but even I sometimes don’t get the paint exactly right. This paint flowed like a charm onto these easy cabinet door projects. I rarely measure, because paint is always different. But this day, it was perfect!
    I think the weather has a lot to do with how paint goes on and dries.

    While I was at it, I  sprayed some clip boards. This picture gives you a good idea of the size difference of the coffee cup racks.

    That was so quick and easy that as soon as they dried, I moved them and started with some chalky paint primer made with Beluga (my favorite Black paint) another small and large shelf and five more clipboards.

    So, while I had the paint and the Finish Max out, I grabbed a chair . . .

    . . . and half of a bi-fold door. Sometimes when I’m painting and have a little left over in my paint cup, I just look around for more stuff to paint!

    After using the chalky paint primer I gave everything a coat of semi-gloss paint with my Finish Max. The chalky paint primer AND the semi-gloss paint dry very fast because the Finish Max sprays such a fine finish.

    I got busy doing other things for a couple of days. When I got these coffee cup rack projects back out, there were four items to work on. A small and large white shelf, and a small and large black shelf. There were some decisions to make on how I was going to finish them. I rarely have a plan when I start.

    I used some brown paper to sand all of the projects.

    Then I gave all of the easy cabinet door projects a light coat of  Clear Wax. After the wax dried, I used the brown paper to buff. By this time it was very soft and crinkly—perfect for sanding and waxing.

    The brown paper is very thin and it came in a package I ordered—I have a LOT of it.

    I designed a But First. COFFEE phrase with my Silhouette program and cut it out in white vinyl. The font for the But First was very difficult to work with.

    I used some brushed nickel hooks I’ve had for a long time that I got on clearance.

    This is the small white shelf. I had some black hooks that I also got on clearance that looked nice together. You can find black and brushed nickel hooks like this on D. Lawless Hardware (.com) They really do have the best prices on hardware!

    I attached my favorite d-rings to the back of all four of these projects. The d-rings hold a lot better than sawtooth hangers.

    black coffee cup rack shelf

    I really like how both of the coffee cup rack shelves turned out.

    white coffee cup rack shelf

    PIN IT!

    This But First font (Harrington) was a lot easier to work with. The COFFEE font is Adobe Arabic.

    The large black shelf got three ball hooks from D. Lawless Hardware.

    my-repurposed-life-white-shelf-home-where-your-story-begins

    The large white shelf got a vinyl phrase Home—Where your story begins.

    my-repurposed-life-easy-cabinet-door-projects

    Not only does my Homeright Finish Max make projects like this easy to finish, but it  allows me to get a perfect paint finish every time!

    Do you have some doors in your stash so you can make an easy cabinet door project? For a really quick project, you can skip the shelf on top!

    gail

    Sharing at Link Party Palooza and Vintage Inspiration Party

    Related Content:

    Repurposed Cabinet Door Project Ideas

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    1. Sister_Su (Canadian Blogger)

      February 23, 2022 at 7:51 am

      Loved this idea so much. I reblogged it again. This time it's on the Green Saving Spot blog. Your whole site is chock full of fabulous ideas! I just want to tell everyone about it!

      Reply
    2. Sister_Su (Canadian Blogger)

      February 18, 2022 at 12:56 am

      I loved this post so much I linked to it from a post on Canadian Senior Savings. What a great way to save on home furnishings!

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        February 22, 2022 at 1:32 pm

        Thanks !!

        I hope your readers find it useful

        gail

    3. Charlie

      May 09, 2021 at 1:28 pm

      Great Ideas!

      When I was growing up our neighbour"s father worked at a cabinet making business.
      Back then they used to throw seconds out once a week.
      The father lived near the dump and so he and his son would go into the dump every week and take everything the business threw out. They made some beautiful things!
      My neighbour redid his kitchen cupboards, and also (I loved this) panelled his entire dining room with the cupboard doors. He had sanded and stained them.
      It looked like something out of an English manor house.
      It was truly beautiful!

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        May 09, 2021 at 11:23 pm

        Charlie,

        Thank you for stopping by and sharing that story. I'm guessing they still throw out the seconds because we have junk malls that have booths dedicated to cabinet doors and end pieces of cabinet grade plywood. I love shopping there!
        So many ideas for unwanted cabinet doors!
        gail

    4. Julie Meserve

      March 12, 2021 at 9:50 am

      You have a great blog! I'm gathering ideas for my home project's. I currently am on Chemo, but after im done I plan on sprucing up my home. I have a cabinet door I want to make over. I am pinning your site for later use. Thank you for your tutorials 💓

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        March 12, 2021 at 10:41 am

        Julie,

        Wishing you the best on your treatment. I do love what I do, projects, sharing, all of it. Come back whenever you need inspiration. Looking for something, just google My Repurposed Life with any search term. 🙂

        take care!!
        gail

    5. Kim

      February 08, 2021 at 2:47 pm

      I love your ideas, everything turned out so cute. Thank you for the detailed instructions! I just made a coffee bar area and was looking for ideas to go above it. This is great and we have several old doors to use.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        February 09, 2021 at 11:41 am

        I love, love, love old cabinet door projects! So happy you are inspired to make your own project.

        gail

    6. Terri Hughes

      July 25, 2020 at 12:38 am

      So pretty, I love the shelves.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        July 26, 2020 at 10:34 am

        Thank you Terri. I love repurposing old cabinet doors. 🙂

        gail

    7. Sheila Litz

      January 08, 2020 at 1:14 am

      I love your writing style. It's not just a tutorial, it has personality and humor. Did you ever write a blog about your favorite tools? I would love a compiled, comprehensive list of tools that work from a person that has actually used them.
      Thank you again, Sheila

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        January 12, 2020 at 6:54 pm

        You are so kind Sheila! Thanks for your comment. I talk often about my favorite tools, but have never really done a post just about the tools I use most. At least not recently. I hope to do one very soon.

        You can google My Repurposed Life and any tool you're thinking of buying and I'm sure you'll find lots of information on how many times I use the same tools over and over again.

        Stay tuned!

        gail

    8. Laura Adams

      July 10, 2018 at 11:50 am

      Love this idea, and I already have a couple cabinet doors I could use. I love the "difficult" font! I have a Cricut (wish I had a Silhouette), and the ability to work with a design and simplify it, if necessary. Would you be willing to share the name of the font that gave you trouble? Thanks so much! Great idea!

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        July 16, 2018 at 11:18 am

        I would definitely share it if I remembered what it was.... I'm sorry I can't remember.

        gail

    9. Anita Holland

      April 27, 2018 at 6:13 am

      I really love this project and lucky for me I have lots of old kitchen cupboards. I am looking to buy a vinyl cutter and I have narrowed it down to the Cameo and the cricut. Any recommendations?

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        April 27, 2018 at 11:25 am

        I don't know anything about the Cricut really. I have both the Silhouette CAMEO and the Portrait. I use my Portrait 99% of the time. I know some friends have both and they use their Silhouette because they know it and don't want to have to learn new stuff. I think - for the most part they are pretty equal in what they can do. Melissa at Silhouette School has tons of videos and tips and is a great resource of information.

        Wishing you lots of luck and creativity Anita!
        gail

    10. Dawn

      October 23, 2017 at 10:22 am

      So glad I found your tutorial! I have some cabinet doors in the garage that I was wondering whatever I'd do with 🙂
      My question is: would it work to put 2 shelves across the door? One on the top as you did, and one on the bottom? I wanted to make a decorative shelf for over the couch and the door has a decorative ?bamboo panel in its middle. I could then use it for framed photos, driftwood, etc... What do you think?

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        October 23, 2017 at 11:20 pm

        Dawn,

        I have made a large cabinet door shelf like you're talking about. Mine was a chalkboard. https://www.myrepurposedlife.com/large-chalkboard-shelf/

        good luck, have fun!
        gail

    11. Art

      December 27, 2016 at 12:18 am

      I'm about to start on one of these cabinet door coffee mug hangers, I'm planning on using the recessed portion to put old photos of my daughter, and covering it with either glass or plastic.
      It's for my dad

      This helpful tutorial is a great find.
      Thanks for putting it out there.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        December 27, 2016 at 10:37 am

        That's an awesome idea Art! I'm happy you found my tutorial helpful.

        gail

    12. Roy Sorey

      October 08, 2016 at 7:54 am

      Just wondering what does the wax do ?

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        October 08, 2016 at 9:36 am

        Roy,

        Because the chalky paint primer (or any chalk paint) is so flat and we apply it without sanding and prepping, it will scratch off of a shiny/laminate surface. Applying a sealant, such as wax or poly will protect the paint.

        I hope that helps explain it. 🙂

        gail

    13. Theresa

      June 17, 2016 at 1:33 pm

      These are great. Have given me some great ideas.

      Reply
      • gail@myrepurposedlife.com

        June 20, 2016 at 1:22 pm

        yay! Happy to help Theresa!

        gail

      • phyllis

        March 07, 2017 at 7:46 pm

        Where do I find the doors?

      • Gail Wilson

        March 08, 2017 at 8:38 am

        Try your local Habitat for Humanity ReSTore, or you can always ask your friends and family on facebook. That's how I find specific stuff I'm looking for.

        gail

      • Kristin perrier

        March 25, 2017 at 11:42 am

        Where do u get the cabinet doors from?

      • Gail Wilson

        March 26, 2017 at 9:23 am

        I was given 40 doors by a friend, but you can find them at your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

        gail

    14. Nancy

      April 11, 2016 at 5:14 pm

      "But first coffee"! I love it. I actually have a cabinet door I bought at a yard sale so I shall try it. Wish me luck! Wish I had your skill!

      Reply
    15. Sharilee

      November 04, 2015 at 12:37 pm

      My heart is beating wildly after seeing this post of your projects made with cabinet doors. WELL DONE! I'm drooling after seeing your stash of cabinet doors!

      Reply
      • gail@myrepurposedlife.com

        November 04, 2015 at 1:39 pm

        Thank you so much for your sweet comment Sharilee!!! My stash of cabinet doors is definitely dwindling. 🙂

        gail

    16. Angie @ Knick of Time

      November 03, 2015 at 9:52 pm

      P.S. - I voted for you! 🙂

      Reply
    17. Angie @ Knick of Time

      November 03, 2015 at 9:45 pm

      You have one heck of a cabinet door stash,Gail! I love your latest project. Thanks for sharing it at the Vintage Inspiration Party - I pinned it to my "Spotted at the VIP board - https://www.pinterest.com/knickoftime/spotted-at-the-vip-vintage-decor-repurposed-projec/

      Reply
    18. Terry

      November 02, 2015 at 8:06 pm

      You have such great ideas for repurposing old doors! I would like to invite you to share some of your work at my Making Broken Beautiful party this week! It runs every Thursday thru Sunday. I do hope you will come share some inspiration!
      Smiles!
      Terry
      http://thecuratorscollection.wordpress.com

      Reply
    19. Tammy

      November 02, 2015 at 8:40 am

      Love these such a great idea and yes..."coffee first" perfect.

      Reply
    20. Mindi

      October 29, 2015 at 1:42 pm

      I need to make some of these for me...I always love yours and have enough cabinet doors! I love the vinyl they look so professional, thanks for sharing the fonts!

      Reply
    21. Becky

      October 28, 2015 at 9:42 pm

      I have used cupboard doors for years. I love the addition of the shelf.

      Reply
    22. Laurie Kearnes

      October 28, 2015 at 11:09 am

      Gail- you are my inspiration, as well as my hands down favorite blogger! I just learned yesterday how to use a Kreg-Jig and it is on my Christmas list, as well as the HomeRight Finish Max sprayer and the spray shelter. Can you recommend any other items for my Christmas list that I'll need to really get booking on these projects? I have a sander, and a power saw, and a manual miter saw. And lots of Gorilla Glue!
      I'd love a Silhouertte, but I already have a Cricut - one of the small ones when they first came out. The largest letter size I can get is 5 inches, but I'll have to make do with it. Any other recommendations would be great - I'll just tell my hubbie that Gail recommended it, so that means I gotta have it for Christmas!

      Thanks again for a great post! Have a wonderful day!

      Reply
      • gail@myrepurposedlife.com

        October 28, 2015 at 12:54 pm

        Oh my Laurie!! I am giddy about your enthusiasm! 🙂

        There a few of my favorite hand tools, such as a pry bar (cat's claw) and a pair of channellock pliers (great for removing nails)

        In addition, make sure you get a great supply of the pocket hole screws. I buy them by the 1000's so I always have them. One more thing, clamps. Any and all kinds. I love Kreg right angle clamps to use with pocket holes, and Irwin quick clamps for an extra pair of hands. 🙂

        Gee, I think it's time to do a blog post on this. 😉

        gail

    23. chris aka monkey

      October 28, 2015 at 10:27 am

      love that beluga, it is a go with every thing kinda color xx

      Reply
    24. Holly

      October 28, 2015 at 8:31 am

      They turned out great!

      Reply
    25. cassie @ primitive & proper

      October 28, 2015 at 6:36 am

      it's amazing how versatile and useful cabinet doors can be! and yes, first coffee.. having it now!

      Reply
    26. Christina in FL

      October 28, 2015 at 6:27 am

      Gail I love your shelf projects with the doors! Wonderful!! I also appreciate the Silhouette inspiration! :))

      Reply
    27. Jackie

      October 28, 2015 at 6:21 am

      I have to ask - do you just pit your paint in the finish max, plug it in and go to town? This looks like the perfect tool!

      Reply
      • gail@myrepurposedlife.com

        October 28, 2015 at 12:56 pm

        well, it's a little more involved than that Jackie,

        I strain my paint as I'm pouring it into the paint cup, then I add a little water (for latex paint) to dilute it. It's difficult to say how much, you can use the viscosity cup to gauge until you get use to it. I rarely measure anything these days. If the paint doesn't spray easily, I know I need to add a little water, if it runs, OOPS! I got it too thin.

        gail

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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