Hi friends! I recently shared my kitchen makeover, and I had several requests to share how I replaced the raised panels on my kitchen cabinets with glass. This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
You are watching: How to Add Glass to Cabinet Doors
Adding glass to just one set of cabinets had the biggest impact in my kitchen. This project was a lot easier than I expected, but I have to admit that cutting out those panels requires a little bit of guts.
Here is the cabinet I added glass to before:
It’s hard to look back at those dark, dull pictures! Here is the after!
Can I get an Amen??! The paint alone did wonders for my dark kitchen, but adding the glass to one set of doors made a huge impact.
I use the term “glass” loosely…I actually used plexiglass! I stopped in at a local glass company and the girl behind the counter wasn’t able to give me an exact quote (odd?), so when I asked her to give me a rough idea, she said, “It shouldn’t be more than $50.” Gulp! That was for one clear glass panel. Are you serious? Now I am certain it will not cost that much if you have it cut for you, but that was enough for me to seek out a DIY alternative. This will work whether you choose to use real glass or plexiglass.
Removing the Center Panel
The first thing I had to get the nerve up to do was cut out the center raised panel of my cabinet doors. For this step I used the following tools:
- Jig Saw
- FrogTape
- Drill
and small drill bit
First I taped off the area to be cut. This served as my guide when cutting also.
Then I used a drill and a small drill bit to drill a hole in the corner. I don’t have a specific size for you, it just needs to be big enough to fit your jig saw blade in after drilling a few side-by-side.
Goodbye, center panel!!
Once the center panels were cut, I touched up the edges with fresh paint. The raw edges will be covered, but the doors suffered a few minor bumps and bruises.
Cutting the Plexiglass
If you are using real glass, skip to the installation. I loved the idea of using plexiglass, also known as Acrylic Plastic Sheeting
. It looks just like real glass and the best part is, I could cut it myself! I found a 30″ X 36″sheet of it at Home Depot for $24. My kind of price tag. I also purchased clear silicone for plastic ($8), and a plexiglass cutting tool
for $5.
Read more : 8 things to donate when renovating
After I got my measurements, I cut the plexiglass using the plastic sheet cutter, and a yard stick as a straight edge. Just score the sheeting the appropriate number of times for the depth of the sheeting. My magic number was 5, but I did 8.
Then I just lined it up against the edge of my table and snapped it right off. Perfect.
Installing Glass/Plexiglass
For glass, you will need a silicone for glass as the one I purchased specified “plastic”. Who knows what the difference is.
Add a bead of silicone along the inside edge on the front side of the cabinet door:
Drop the glass/plexi in place on top…
Adding Trim Molding
This is the molding I used to hide the raw edges:
I purchased it at Home Depot.
It took four 5/16″ X 11/16″ X 8′ pieces at $4.48 a piece to complete both door panels. I cut my trim pieces to frame the glass panel al the way around the inside of the cabinet opening:
For the back side of the cabinet door, I cut another set in the reverse:
I primed and painted all pieces, making sure to paint the sides of all pieces as well, since they will be seen through the glass. Then I used a bead of silicone to attach the front pieces:
After letting it set a few minutes, I flipped the panel over and added the trim pieces to the back: 
The raised edge on the trim, when flipped over, fits perfectly over the “hump” caused by the remaining edge of the door panel.
I love it when ideas just work out. I was high fivin’ myself all over the place when this actually worked! I let them lay flat on their backs on my dining room table overnight. Then I couldn’t wait to come downstairs the next morning and hang them!! I had already primed and painted the interior of the cabinet:
I also replaced the previous shelves that were sagging and drilled new holes for my new shelf pegs, so it would all be fresh and new! I LOVE the result:
I touched up the corners of the trim with a little paintable window and door caulk. You can also see the trim that’s on the back side through the glass. (That’s why it is important to paint the sides.):
Can you tell it’s plexiglass? I can’t until I tap my fingers on it.
The back side got a touch up with some caulk too to fill in the very tiny seam that was there:
I love how the trim on both sides completely hides the raw edge that was left by the jig saw.
In some of these close-ups, you can see a bunch of tiny white dust particles. That is what was left from when I removed the protective covering from the plexiglass. I hadn’t taken a minute to clean it yet, but it cleans up perfectly with a little glass cleaner.
What do you think?
Do you think this is something you might be brave enough to tackle? I say go for it!
If want to see more of my kitchen update, you can see it here:
For a full step-by-step on how I painted my kitchen cabinets, check it out here:
UPDATE: I added “glass” to a cabinet in my next ktichen too!!
See the entire makeover and all the projects we did ourselves HERE!
When I was originally planning my kitchen makeover, I looked online at my style of cabinet with glass panels. The best I found was around $150 per cabinet for the size I needed as mine are pretty tall cabinets. Replacing the center myself cost me $59.10. That’s a huge savings, and I love the end result. I hope you found this helpful, and if I missed anything, please feel free to ask any questions in the comments. 🙂
XOXO,
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Categories: Kitchens