installing glass in kitchen cabinet doors
#1
09-27-02, 05:50 PM
installing glass in kitchen cabinet doors
Could anyone advise on how to replace the inside panel (inside part) of a kitchen cabinet door with glass?
Thx.
Thx.
#2
09-27-02, 06:33 PM
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If the cabinets were manufactured as opposed to built on site, removal of the raised panel will range from difficult to impossible.
Traditional raised panels sit on a mortise cut into the stiles and rails. With 'home made' cabinets, the easiest way is to disassemble the entire door, remove the panel, measure the panel for the proper glass size, then assemble the door frame with the glass in place.
Manufactured cabinets use a commercial glue, which is difficult to loosen, plus the panels are often held in place additionally by brads that may be nearly invisible at worst, and at best, difficult to find and remove without damaging the frame work.
Traditional raised panels sit on a mortise cut into the stiles and rails. With 'home made' cabinets, the easiest way is to disassemble the entire door, remove the panel, measure the panel for the proper glass size, then assemble the door frame with the glass in place.
Manufactured cabinets use a commercial glue, which is difficult to loosen, plus the panels are often held in place additionally by brads that may be nearly invisible at worst, and at best, difficult to find and remove without damaging the frame work.
#3
09-28-02, 05:12 PM
George is right about taking them apart....you would virtually have to destroy the door to get it apart.....
But with a router and a straight bit set the depth that the panel is below the back rail/stile ( probably about 1/4" or less), you can cut the back side of the dado in the rail and stile and take the panel out from the back side. Then you can insert a glass panel and they make plastic clips that screw to the back of the door and hold the glass....go to HomeDepot or some such place and look at cabinet doors with glass and you'll see what I'm taking about. You just have to VERY carefull when freehanding with the router....if you have several to do, you might want to make a guide to run the router base against that would prevent you from going too far into the wood...you'll be taking out only about 1/4" to 3/8" of the backside of the rail/stile....that was the depth of the dado that the panel sits in. The panel is not glued.
But with a router and a straight bit set the depth that the panel is below the back rail/stile ( probably about 1/4" or less), you can cut the back side of the dado in the rail and stile and take the panel out from the back side. Then you can insert a glass panel and they make plastic clips that screw to the back of the door and hold the glass....go to HomeDepot or some such place and look at cabinet doors with glass and you'll see what I'm taking about. You just have to VERY carefull when freehanding with the router....if you have several to do, you might want to make a guide to run the router base against that would prevent you from going too far into the wood...you'll be taking out only about 1/4" to 3/8" of the backside of the rail/stile....that was the depth of the dado that the panel sits in. The panel is not glued.
#5
10-01-02, 03:26 AM
No, actually the type of panel makes no difference.....both are set in a slot in the frame that is 1/4" wide by 1/4" to 3/8" deep. A flat panel is 1/4" thick to go into that slot.....a raised panel tapers on the edge to 1/4" to do the same thing.
#6
10-01-02, 02:02 PM
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Think Again
I replaced the panels in my old kitchen cabinets with glass and I swore I would never do it again.
Unless your kitchen is very large, and you are putting glass in a cabinet door where you are going to display some lovely dishes or other items that you do not remove that often, I would think again.
For some reason in my old, small kitchen, it just did not look good having everything showing that was in the cabinets--it took away from the effect. I ended up putting small cafe curtain rods on the inside and making fixed curtains to hang inside the cabinet doors to eliminate the clutter.
Unless your kitchen is very large, and you are putting glass in a cabinet door where you are going to display some lovely dishes or other items that you do not remove that often, I would think again.
For some reason in my old, small kitchen, it just did not look good having everything showing that was in the cabinets--it took away from the effect. I ended up putting small cafe curtain rods on the inside and making fixed curtains to hang inside the cabinet doors to eliminate the clutter.
