Expert: Jamie Yocono - 6/4/2006

Question
Hello, my kitchen cabinets are Kraftmaid oak and are about 15 years old.  In order to modernize, because the trim in the whole house is oak like the cabinets and the concept is fairly open, I don't think I can paint the cabinets.  I would like to knock out the raised panel in the middle of the cabinet doors and insert plexiglass.  Is that possible?  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Patty,

I suppose my answer to you about knocking out the wood panels in your kitchen cabinet doors is going to depend on what degree of woodworking skill you have, and how professional and nice you want the doors to look when you're done.

Those panels are set into a groove on all four sides of the door frame. It's not going to be easy to knock the panel out, so you're probably going to have to cut the four door frame pieces (they're called stiles and rails) in order to get it out. The groove is probably only 3/8-1/2" deep, but there's no way you're going to be able to flex the panel out of the grooves. So you're going to have to cut the door itself. If you feel comfortable with this, you can probably remove them with little difficulty. But it's time consuming, and tedious, in my opinion.

If I were doing that- I would probably make a plunge cut, using a tablesaw with the blade set pretty low, so that it barely cuts into the frame piece. That means the blade would probably be set only 1/4" high off the table. But this really isn't an easy job to accomplish, especially for a beginner. The blade won't cut all the way into the corners, so you're going to need to complete the corners by hand, with a chisel. This is going to take some time, and probably one I wouldn't recommend to someone without some decent chisel skills.

Next, since you're removing the wood, you're going to need to figure out a new way of keeping the Plexiglas panels in place. There is a piece of hardware designed for this, and you can find them at www.rockler.com, which is a woodworking supply store. It's called a Glass Retainer, and is part # 28902 on their website. You should check it out on their site, and then see if you can find it locally. A glass shop would probably carry them. There are a few other ways you could hold the Plexiglas in place (wooden strips, or glazing) but the retainer clips are probably the simplest way to go.

I'll be honest, what you want to do is going to look sort of unprofessional unless you're awfully handy. I would classify this sort of a job as being moderately difficult. With decent skills and tools, it's certainly doable. But it's going to be fairly time consuming and challenging.

Another suggestion would be to price out new doors altogether. I haven't priced out doors like this in a while, but I can suggest two places that you can look at online, so just get an idea of prices. If you're on the west coast, or close to it, look at www.CalDoor.com. And if you're closer to the east coast, look at www.Maplecraftusa.com. I've purchased doors from both places, and both make a very nice door. I would consider getting quotes from them, and then deciding if retrofitting them with Plexiglas is something you really want to try.

Sorry I'm not more encouraging, but truthfully, this is a pretty involved task, not one accomplished in a weekend or two. You're going to need some skills and tools. I hope this helps, and good luck if you attempt it. Feel free to write back with any other questions you might have after reading this. And - please take a moment and rate the answer that I have provided. It's good to get some feedback to those I help.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
www.wooditis.com
Las Vegas, NV