Mudroom Update - DIY Shaker Cabinet Doors & Faux Cabinet

Today's post describes an economical and easy way to build shaker-style cabinet doors for this utilitarian mudroom. Their low cost makes them an excellent solution for garage or basement cabinets. I also have details on creating a faux cabinet on the wall.

I've built many doors in the past, and they are all different (at least in how they were built) from the ones I'm creating today. They're all beginner-level builds that have served me well. You can check them here, here, and here.

This was my first time using 1/2" plywood to build doors. It was the material I had at hand, and I wanted to eliminate it. ;) The other primary material I had to buy was lattice, those thin wood strips. Those thin lattice boards are the ones used to create the grids for the shaker style.

When I went to a lumber yard, I got a good deal on many of those lattice boards. Buying them at the big store might raise your budget.

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EASY TO BUILD SHAKER STYLE CABINET DOORS

Tools & Materials:

1/2" plywood
2 1/2" X 1/4" lattice
Wood glue
5/8" 18-gauge brad nails
Spackling paste
Hinges
Ryobi Nailer
Clamps
Sander
Drill
Rockler Jig It

Directions:

1. MEASURE & CUT THE PLYWOOD TO SIZE

The first step is to measure the cabinet to which you plan to give doors. All of my cabinets have two doors. These directions are for a cabinet with a set of doors with a full overlay, meaning the doors cover the entire cabinet frame.

Stand in front of the cabinet and measure its width. Subtract 3/8" (only subtract 1/4" if you're NOT adding wood veneer) to that number and divide that measurement in two. That number will be the width of each of your plywood pieces for a set of doors.

For the height, I measured from the very top of the cabinet all the way down, passing 3/4" of the first shelf or base of the cabinet.

My next step was to add/iron the wood veneer all around the plywood to give it a better finish. It's totally optional.

Then, it's time to add the wooden strips or rails & stiles to give that boring plywood some style.

2. INSTALL THE RAILS & STILES

Cut and install the left and right sides, or stiles, from the top to the bottom of the door. Set them in place with wood glue and 5/8" brad nails.

Note: Pay attention to hinge placement; don't drive nails on those spots.

Cut and install the rails or top and bottom lattice pieces similarly.

3. DRILL HOLES & INSTALL HINGES

To install the door hinges, follow the directions on the hinges' packaging to drill the holes. I used my Rockler Jig It, which makes this process easy.

The hinge holes on the short cabinet doors were set at 3" from the top and 3" from the bottom edge of the door.

The long doors were installed with three hinges, one in the center and two 4" from top to bottom.

| Jig It | 35 mm 110-degree Full Overlay Cabinet Hinge | Milwaukee Drill and Driver |

4. FILL NAIL HOLES AND SAND

This step might be one of the drawbacks of making doors this way. You end up with many nail holes and gaps to fill. Even though filling those holes goes fast, you might need to go twice, waiting for the spackling paste to dry between coats and giving it a good sanding.

5. INSTALL THE DOORS

I installed the doors before painting them. When I uninstalled them for painting, I left the hinges mounted on the cabinet.

The picture below shows how I transferred that middle rail measurement onto the sliding door on the left and the other section of "cabinets" on the other side of the bench.

| Bosch Laser Level |

On the other side of the bench, I had a corner wall with a covered garage door opener and an electric switch in the middle.

My plan for that corner wall was to make it look like a set of cabinets, similar to the ones on the other side of the bench.

I first had to move that electric box away from the middle of the wall.

And here is how I made that corner look like a cabinet:

The same type of lattice pieces added to the doors were the primary material for this faux cabinet.

I copied-cat the dimensions for all the lattice used on the doors.

The first step was to add the cabinet pulls/knobs onto the thin strips of wood.

Then, I set a vertical center line on the wall, removed the lower part of the drywall, and installed a wooden piece as the cabinet kickplate.

Next, I added the outer stiles.

For installing the inner stiles, I had to make holes there on the drywall for the screws/hardware to be sitting inside the wall, making the wood flush with the wall.

They were installed, leaving a 1/8" gap between the two boards. I installed those lattice boards with my nailer and 1" brad nails.

| Ryobi AirStrike 18-Gauge Cordless Brad Nailer |

6. PRIME & PAINT

I primed the plywood and painted the doors, but the patches were still visible in the left picture below. I had to do it again, priming the door rails, stiles, and panels.

I almost always use Kilz Latex primer. Then, two coats of Behr White in a semi-gloss finish made these doors look awesome!

| Kilz Latex Primer | Behr White |

Oh, I also added crown molding at the top.

And here's how that faux corner cabinet looks now.

| Cabinet Pulls | Cabinet Knobs |

And here's a funny situation that happened a few days ago... I already moved some stuff I had in the garage and stored it in the mudroom upper cabinets. I sent my husband to bring me something from there. After a few minutes, I heard him laughing and came to see what had happened. He told me he was trying to open those upper cabinets on the right side, but after a while, he remembered they're faux!! 😂😂

Did you notice I also changed the door trim? This past weekend, I was giving that big door a new color! 🖤

That will be shared next week during the reveal of this little room. Stay tuned!!

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Here are all the projects that were tackled during this mudroom build:

THE MUDROOM PLAN