Adding glass to your kitchen cabinets
Adding glass is an inexpensive way to transform builder-grade cabinet doors into beautiful, custom-looking glass insert doors.
I had painted all the oak doors creamy white prior to this.
They get pretty scuffed up in the process so I would have saved the painting for after the cuts were made.
Remove the center panel, a router would come in handy here….on our list of things to purchase this year.
With the panel removed, you have something like a picture frame.
Add a very small piece of molding to hide all the rough cuts and paint.
We took our doors into the glass shop and they measured for us. $8 a piece, what a deal!
Run a single bead of clear silicone caulk in the groove.
Press the pane of glass into the groove, let it dry overnight. Add a simple plastic frame clip.
Before
During
After
I think the most important thing is you have to realize that there is no going back, you can’t un-do what you’re about to do.
Start with two, if you love them add more.
Remember sometimes less is more!
Enjoy your day!
If you missed other parts of kitchen transformation you can find them here:
Ray and Kristin
Beautiful! Looks like a new kitchen. 🙂
-Revi
Hi there,
Is oil based primer still available? I was hoping to use (oil) melamine paint to paint my cabinets as I have used it before but it is now banned in Canada and the States. You mentioned caulking, have you tried spackle and do you think it may work better? If not what type of caulking did you use and did you paint the cabinets with glaze when you finished.
Thanks and btw your kitchen looks great.
My kiitchen cabinets are in good shape but the colour was off white and I wanted white white…so I took of f each cabinet door separately and spray painted it with ” Painters Choice 2xs” in white glass and they look fab!
Don’t get the regular “Painter’s Choice” make sure it says 2x I think it means double the coverage” And don’t use the primer first. Good luck!
Love this! But what I really want to know is where did you find those lights that are hanging over the kitchen island?? I would give my eye teeth for those! 😉
That’s fantastic! I’ve been wanting to do this very thing, it’s great to have tips ahead of time. Can I ask though, what you mean by “a simple, classic frame clip?”
I love what you have done here. Hopefully showing this to my husband will make him see it’s very do-able to update our old oak kitchen. 🙂 Thank you!
This whole transformation and all the details are very inspiring! I wanted to re-do my kitchen when I bought the place 4yrs ago, with the economy as such… nope. Maybe some of this would work, it certainly did for you. Unfortunately my cupboards are particle board… hum… I don’t know. Maybe some could be saved. At any rate, thanks so much for sharing all these wonderful pics and detailed steps! Susan
This kitchen makeover is so inspiring. I have your similar OLD kitchen and can’t convince my husband to paint. I have formica counters and hate to put granite on those old cabinets….which my hubby were as handy as yours!
I love your look. Great job!
This looks great! My wife and I are actually getting ready to do the exact same thing. Would you be able to give me some more detail about how you were able to cut the panels out while still having a groove for the glass? Did you have to cut the glass or was it like that after you removed the panel?
Thanks!
I would like to know if glass inserts can be done in PVC cabinets as well? Our builder charging huge amount for glass inserts
LOOK GREAT.. WILL TRY THIS WEEKEND
Oh my goodness! These look amazing! It totally changed the look and feel in your kitchen. Love it!!
Thanks so much Meegan
Kristin, your timing on this post is perfect for me, because we want to change out an oddly colored glass in our kitchen cabinets. Your kitchen looks beautiful! I want to change my cherry cabinets to white with clear glass and now maybe I really can! 🙂
I’m so glad it is helpful for you Cindy 🙂 Hope you have a fabulous Sunday. Xo
It’s just so amazing Kristin! I also love your 2 inch counters. I did that in my bath and wish I would have in the kitchen.
It’s amazing what a couple of glass cabinet doors can do to a kitchen. Yours look beautiful. I am loving the wainscott backing too. We did a couple of doors in our last home and just loved it. The cabinets in this house are just one solid panel and won’t be quite as easy. I did take a couple doors off and leave one cabinet open anyway. I just like to see some pretty dishes!!!
Kitchen cabinets are the built-in furniture installed in many kitchens for storage of food, cooking equipment, and often silverware and dishes for table service. Appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, and ovens are often integrated into kitchen cabinetry. There are many options for cabinets available at present.’`;*
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Can you tell me where you got your pendant lights in your kitchen? I love them! 🙂
We bought them when the store was going out of business and it was a floor sample. I have looked all over the fixtures and they don’t have a name. So sorry I can’t be of help.
Would love to know about the glaze you used . The cabinets look fabulous.
Thanks so much we used Ralph Lauren faux technique glaze in smoke. I have more about it here
http://myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/how-to-paint-oak-cabinets/
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Your kitchen looks amazing! Love it! Does the grain of the oak show through? From the pics you posted it doesn’t look like it. Did you use any wood grain filler before hard or just sanding between primer coats?
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Thanks so much!
I’ve got two cabinet doors that I’m planning to add glass to. I already did two, but had them done.
It’s the cutting part that is keeping me from doing it myself. I don’t have the necessary tools and don’t want to ruin the cabinet.
Maybe I should just get over my fear and do it.
Maybe a neighbor or friend can let you use one??
Wow your cabinets look beautiful, what a difference! The glass ones look like they were always like that and and I think it looks great that you didn’t do them all in glass but rather some of them. Nice job!!
Thanks for the tips Kristin! I have a couple of kitchen cabinets with textured glass that I’m not that found of – I’d like to replace it with clear glass – now I know how to do it!! ~Heather
It makes a big difference 🙂
Nice! Where did you get the custom cut glass?
At a local glass company, are you from San Diego?
What is a “plastic frame clip”?
Here is a link to where you can buy them and see what they look like. You could most likely find them at a home improvement store for about 50 cents each. Thanks! http://www.amazon.com/Glass-Door-Retainer-Clips-8-Pack/dp/B001DSZJOU
How did you attach the molding piece to the cabinet? And is it just the ‘trough’ that this creates that you set the glass into? Thank you for the clarification (and your creativity).
I can’t tell how many cabinets you added the glass inserts? How did you decide which cabinets to change out?
Hi Cindy, we added them to 4 cabinets and did it based on what we thought would look the best.
Hi,
Are your cabinets wood, or melamine?
They are wood
Where did you find the small trim?
We have a shop near us that exclusively sells molding and trim. However, I bet Home Depot would carry something like this or could refer you out.