Give Your Kitchen Cupboards a Makeover with Veneer

Are you sick of the way your kitchen looks, but can't afford a full redo? Then you may want to consider giving your kitchen cupboards a simple facelift. It is so easy to do, you won't even have to hire anyone else if you don't want to!

The trick is to use wood veneer. It is available in a variety of woods, from pine to teak to mahogany and the thinness makes it easy to cut and fit to the form of your kitchen cupboards. Some veneers are super easy, as they come with their own adhesive backing, just peel the paper off and stick it onto the surface to be covered.

The first thing you need to do is to decide which wood you want to use in your kitchen. If you crave a light, airy look, you will want something like birch or pine. For a darker, more traditional country look, oak or mahogany is perfect. Teak gives a more exotic look to any kitchen.

Once you have the veneer you want, measure your kitchen cupboards carefully. It is a good idea to take the doors off their hinges for easier manuevering. You will want to remove any trim and sand the doors down so they will hold the adhesive properly. This can take some time, so you may want to work your way from one end to the other.

The clean, sanded doors can then have the veneer applied. Cut to size and apply carefully to the doors, making sure that the edges line up and that the grain runs vertically. You can use veneer tape that matches your wood to run around the edges of the doors. Remember to apply the same veneer to the cupboard frame, which will show between the doors.

If you want to add trim, this is the time to do it. You can buy molded wood strips at your local hardware store and use that to run edges or divide the cupboard doors up. Use a ruler and try the designs out by laying the strips down before you actually stick them on with adhesive.

The next step is to finish the veneer. You can simply varnish it for a more natural look, using either matte or brilliant varnish. Or, if you prefer, you can go ahead and stain the wood to create the exact look that you want. After applying a stain, be sure to continue on with a varnish to seal the wood.

Perhaps you can't afford to renovate your kitchen completely, but simply changing the cupboards is a great way to make it look completely different.