At What Point Do You Consider Building Your Own Cabinet Doors?

[Steve N]

Dunno, either your mind is easily numbed, or you work really slow. It's only 12 doors. Mind numbing if you make one door at a time. Really fast paced, enjoyable if you cut all your stock to proper dimension, and do all your grooving, and tail laps one after the other on one set up.

An easy to follow blueprint.

For finishing after each door is done, hang them to dry by inserting a screw eye or 2 in the top rail, and hang them on a clothesline affair . After drying the small dibble the screw eyes leave are easily repaired. Beside they should be on the bottoms of the bottom doors, and the tops of the top door, where nobody can see them

[Bob10]

For me it has to do with money and time. Depending on which I have more of. You gave pricing unfinished so I am guessing you have the finish figured out.

[deepsplinter]

The "I made these myself" factor is priceless.

This sounds like a good time to make your own.

[fredhargis]

No doubt in my mind, I'd build them. Building doors is a lot more enjoyable than building the carcase.

[Robert Adams]

12 doors. I would have had them made in less time than what it took to get a quote for having them done. A simple door like that just build and go on.

Now the real question should be At what point do you build your own cabinet boxes. I had 30+ linear feet of kitchen and was not going to build boxes for that many. However the doors I had all the rails and stiles made in a Sunday afternoon.

[rwe2156]

DieselDennis said:

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I'm getting quotes of $25-$30 a door unfinished. That's going to be $350-$400 in doors alone. All the material for the cabinet boxes didn't cost me $100.

So at what point do you consider making the doors yourself? The quantity tells me to shop it out. And while I've never made doors before, the style tells me that I can do this.

I've always been able to get and MDF door to suit my needs before. But this time, I think I need a real door.

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At this point!

No special router bit required you can make the doors using just a simple stub tenon.

You can do it.
I'm sure there's a video out there.

[jteneyck]

Spray if you have the equipment and you want a factory look. But you can do a very good job with a wiping varnish and a nothing more than a paper towel, too. Or you can use water borne and a foam brush. Kitchen doors are no different than any other piece of furniture except there duty cycle is more severe so you need to make sure you use a finish that can take that abuse. Look for a KCMA rated product.

John

[JGrout]

Quote:

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At What Point Do You Consider Building Your Own Cabinet Doors

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At the point where you want complete control over the final product and no one else can convince you differently....

[ruffcutt]

If you enjoy woodworking and it's your hobby why would you consider doing anything but building them yourself?

At what point.........at every point.

[ritter]

I'd like to reface/paint my existing kitchen cabinets and add new doors/hardware. I'll likely farm out the door manufacturing so it actually gets done. Wood is a hobby but my time is limited. I'd rather make something else than two dozen cabinet doors!