How to Replace Bathroom Vanity Cabinet Doors

April 25, 2019

HOW TO REPLACE BATHROOM VANITY CABINET DOORS

Do you want to remodel your bathroom? Is your bathroom vanity looking a little outdated? The vanity cabinet is undoubtedly one of the bathroom's focal points, along with your tub or shower. If your bathroom vanity is still in good condition but you just want to update the cabinet doors and drawer fronts' styling, replacing these components is a very simple do-it-yourself (DIY) project that you can complete in a weekend. Depending on how large your vanity is and how many cabinet doors and drawer fronts you have, follow these steps to replace bathroom vanity cabinet doors.

You may also want to have these suggested tools and materials on hand:

Safety goggles
Notepad
Pen or pencil
Measuring tape
Phillips head screwdriver
Sandpaper
Your choice of paint or stain
Paintbrush
Paint tray

STEP 1: REMOVE CABINET DOORS

You'll want to take off your old bathroom vanity cabinet doors and drawer fronts to use them as a template to measure for your new replacement components. If you plan to use the same hinges, you can remove the door and leave the hinge attached to the vanity cabinet, unless you plan to paint your furniture.

Here's how to remove cabinet doors, hinges and drawer fronts:

Remove the hardware: Before you take off the cabinet doors and drawer fronts, you should remove any handles or knobs on them to prevent damage to the wood finish. Most knobs come off after you've loosened them, and you can use a screwdriver to take off the pull handles. If you want to use the same decorative hardware for your new cabinet doors, you can store it in a plastic bag so you can quickly locate them later.
Unclip the doors: Open up your cabinetry and find the hinges holding your cabinet doors in place. Look for two clips at the back of each hinge and pull them forward. The doors should come off without much effort. If you can't find any clips, you can use a screwdriver to remove the screws attaching the hinges and doors. Remember to hold the doors as you take them off the cabinets to keep them from falling and breaking.
Remove the door hinges: After safely taking off the doors, you can remove the hinges with a screwdriver. Put these hinges in a safe place until you're ready to install them again. Keep in mind you can also leave them on the cabinetry if you want to use them again for your new cabinet doors.
Remove the drawer fronts: Look inside the drawer and locate the screws holding the drawer fronts in place. Use a screwdriver to take the drawer fronts off the drawers.

Get Replacement Cabinet Doors

STEP 2: MEASURE

Once you have removed the old cabinet doors and drawer fronts from the drawer box, you'll want to measure each one with a tape measure and note each size with pen and paper.

Follow these methods for measuring cabinet doors:

Use an existing cabinet door: Since you're going to install the same size cabinet door you already have, you'll want to measure the width first and then the height. Measure to the closest 1/16" for proper measurement. You should measure the backside of each cabinet door and drawer front to get the most accurate number.
Use your cabinet opening: Instead of using your existing cabinet door, you can also measure to fit the cabinet opening. You'd still take the width and the height, but this time, measure the inside edges from left to right and from bottom to top. Round the number to the nearest 1/16", and add 1" to the height and 1" to the width for the door overlay.
Consider double cabinet doors: If you'd rather have double cabinet doors over a single opening, you can send us measurements for that configuration. You'd still measure the cabinet opening the same way you did in the previous method, from the inside edge. For the door overlay, add 1" to the height, 1" to the total width and divide it by two.
Consider drawer fronts: Along with measuring cabinets, you can also measure the backside of your drawer front for an accurate measurement, rounding to the nearest 1/16". Measure the inside edge of the drawer opening to get the width and height. Make space for the 1/2" overlay by adding 1" to each dimension.

Use Our Cabinet Door Configurator

STEP 3: CHOOSE YOUR STYLE

Now the fun part — you get to choose a brand-new style for your bathroom! Maybe you had a basic builder cabinet with an oak recess door style and want to do something completely different. There are various cabinet door and drawer front styles to choose from, such as a modern contemporary slab design, the trendy shaker transitional style with clean lines and traditional raised panel designs, including square, arch or cathedral options. All of these cabinet door styles come with matching drawer fronts.

Customize your cabinets with the following factors in mind.

DESIGN AESTHETIC

Before picking out your cabinetry, you should consider your home's design aesthetic. Here are some of the most common themes for the bathroom:

Beach style: A beach style bathroom involves design elements with coastal blues and sandy tan colors. Your cabinetry could have neutral tones or be painted white.
Contemporary: A contemporary bathroom features clean lines, open space and minimalist design. You may fashion your bathroom with polished hardwood and metal accents, with light and dark colors as stark contrasts.
Craftsman: If you want a Craftsman-style bathroom, you may want to customize your cabinet doors with intricate detailing. The main features of this design aesthetic are handcrafted wood and artisanal design.
Farmhouse: The farmhouse design aesthetic combines rustic, country and modern elements. Consider getting polished wood cabinets or painting your cabinets white.
Industrial: Like contemporary and modern bathrooms, an industrial bathroom features a minimalist design, bold colors and stark contrasts. You might want to decorate your cabinetry with mixed wood or white accents.
Midcentury: A midcentury bathroom features vintage furniture, brushed gold metals and large mirrors. Consider designing your cabinetry with brushed gold knobs or handles.
Modern: If you have a modern bathroom, it probably has clean, straight lines and a minimalist design. Your cabinetry can accommodate the various materials you use in your bathroom, such as marble, stone, teak and porcelain.
Rustic: The main feature of a rustic bathroom is its use of raw and organic materials, such as reclaimed wood and recycled metal. Since your bathroom's design features will often look handcrafted and authentic, you may want to use a natural wood stain finish.
Shabby-chic: A shabby-chic bathroom has sweet, romantic details, such as distressed white, floral patterns and brushed metal accents. Consider designing your cabinetry with brushed metal hardware or a white finish.
Traditional: A traditional bathroom features elements of practicality, comfort and functionality. Your cabinetry should complement the classic, neutral colors in this space, along with polished wood fixtures.
Transitional: A transitional bathroom incorporates both old and new design elements. Your cabinet doors and drawer fronts could have an exotic finish to complement the patterned floors.
Tropical: A tropical bathroom usually has a simple design with lush greenery and handcrafted materials. You might have polished wood cabinetry and exotic stone floors that enhance the natural look of your space.

STYLE

We offer five cabinet door styles for the bathroom that you can consider:

Raised panel: This type of cabinet door has a raised center panel with a grooved frame around it. As a result, the design is multi-dimensional to give the doors some depth and texture. Even though this style is popular in rustic settings, it can also accommodate a contemporary aesthetic because of its timeless appearance.
Recess panel: As a contrast to the raised panel design, a recess panel cabinet door features a recessed center panel and lifted edge, accommodating a wide variety of aesthetics.
Shaker: This cabinet door style features straight rails and recessed center panels, complementing the design aesthetic of your contemporary, transitional or traditional bathroom. A shaker cabinet door is simple, durable and versatile enough to be used anywhere in the home.
Slab: A slab cabinet door features one continuous piece of material, giving your cabinetry a flawless, smooth surface that's practical and easy to clean. This cabinet door style is ideal for contemporary or minimalist design.
Mullion: This cabinet door style features a combination of glass and wood, allowing you to display plants or other decorations behind the glass. The two contrasting materials on a mullion cabinet door also create the illusion of more depth to make a small bathroom look more spacious.

Shop Cabinet Door Styles

TYPE

The cabinet door type determines its fit and construction based on the frame. Consider one of these three cabinet door types:

Partial overlay: Most cabinets installed today feature a partial overlay, where the cabinet door partially covers the cabinets' frames, creating a small gap between each cabinetry piece.
Full overlay: This type works well with slab cabinet door styles because it makes a seamless profile. Since the full overlay minimizes each cabinet's exposed framework, this design can accommodate a contemporary or minimalist bathroom.
Inset cabinet doors: Instead of featuring an overlay, inset cabinet doors sit flush to the frame, creating clean lines throughout the cabinetry. This style works well with traditional cabinets.

COLOR

Your cabinetry color often depends on its material, but you may want to order a custom color. For example, if you're remodeling a white vanity cabinet, there are many white rigid thermofoil cabinet door and drawer front options to update your look and style.

Slab, shaker and raised panel designs are all options for updating your white vanity cabinet. We recommend buying unfinished cabinet components and finding a matching stain instead of finding a finished product that will match your cabinetry because the wood and stain ages and changes color over time.

Match Your Paint Colors

STEP 4: MATCH YOUR MATERIAL

Next, what is your current vanity material? Oak? Maple? If you're replacing the cabinet doors and drawer fronts, you'll want to determine and match the current vanity material, so your new components have similar durability and life span to them. Since you're updating a bathroom vanity, you should choose a material that's resistant to water damage. There are several types of materials available for the style you've chosen, such as:

Red oak: Red oak has visible grains that give your cabinets an earthy appearance. It's also resistant to warping and rotting in humid areas, and it tends to be less expensive than other wood species.
Hard maple: Maple is another durable wood species that can withstand warping from changes in humidity.
Paint-grade hard maple: This wood species is easy to paint if you want to change the color, but it also has a naturally grainy appearance that can complement a Craftsman or rustic design aesthetic.
Cherry: If you want to paint or stain cherry cabinet doors, they can take dark stains well. This wood species also has a rich color and is suitable for use in a humid bathroom.
Medium density fiberboard (MDF): This composite material features wood fibers combined with wax and resin. This material is pressed into a flat panel under high pressure and temperature. You may prefer to have this material on your cabinet doors because of its low cost and ease of painting or staining.

Review our product catalog to discover which wood species are available for each cabinet door and drawer front style. For example, if you have selected the shaker style, it comes in many materials, including the most popular like hard maple, red oak, cherry and paint-grade hard maple. If you're painting to match the current vanity color, paint-grade hard maple is the best option. You should also consider the lower cost of medium density fiberboard, an easy material to work with for priming and painting.

You can change the color of your cabinet doors and drawer fronts if you can't find the same material for your bathroom vanity. If you plan to stain any of the wood components to match cabinet door material, you'll need to follow the manufacturer's instructions or research the best methods.

STEP 5: ORDER YOUR NEW CABINET DOORS

Once you've completed all of the measurements, selected your new style of cabinet doors and drawer fronts and chosen the right material, you'll be ready to place your order. There are several online companies that you can order from directly, or you can purchase them from one of a few different home improvement stores. Find the one that offers the highest quality product, the exact cabinet door and drawer front styles you want and a reasonable lead time.

If you choose to order from our site, you can follow these tips for placing an order:

Select the specific type of bathroom vanity doors or drawer fronts you want us to manufacture for your living space.
Click on the material you want out of the options we offer.
Enter your accurate measurements from the width and height to the nearest 1/16".
Include any optional services — such as adding primer paint or boring holes for your hinges — by filling in the respective boxes.
Proceed to checkout, fill in your payment information and send your order through to processing.

Learn More About Ordering

Keep in mind, replacement cabinet components are custom made and might take a couple of weeks to ship, so plan accordingly. You're probably only going to do this once, so make sure you do it right! When ordering new cabinet doors, make sure you plan for and order hinge boring for each cabinet door. You'll need to determine if the cabinet door hangs on the left orthe right side. Check whether the hinge is for framed — hinge attaches to the side of cabinet frame — or frameless cabinets — hinge attaches to the side of the cabinet.

STEP 6: STAIN OR PAINT

Once all of your products arrive, please make sure you inspect the items right away for quality and measure each one to make sure they're the exact measurements you ordered. If all are good and to your specifications, you'll need to decide how you'll want to finish them with either stain or paint. Please follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer regarding prepping, including sanding, priming or finishing.

If you're painting or staining the wood on your bathroom vanity, you should match your cabinet drawers and drawer fronts with it. We've included a chart on our website that matches our rigid thermofoil (RTF) samples to colors from Home Depot, Lowe's and Sherwin-Williams so you can make your new doors the same shade as the rest of your vanity.

We offer the following RTF product colors:

White
Antique white
Stone grey
Smoke grey

STEP 7: INSTALL DOORS

Once the components have properly dried to the color or finish you have chosen, it's now time to attach the cabinet doors to the cabinet hinges and align them if you have two side by side.

Most European cabinet door hinges have adjustability to align the cabinet doors. You can reattach the cabinet drawer fronts to the cabinet drawer box utilizing the same holes from the old components. We suggest drilling the new ones from the front of the drawer front to the back if some wood tears out.

Follow these tips for installing your new cabinet doors and drawer fronts:

Install the hinges: If you took your hinges off when you removed your cabinet doors, it's time to put them back on so you can install your doors. Most of our cabinet doors come with European style, soft-close hinges for easy mounting. Align the hinges with the holes on your cabinets and put two screws into each hinge.
Mount the cabinet door: Line up the cabinet doors with the hinges according to your desired overlay. Center the hinge on the face frame, and put one screw on the bottom and one on top.
Align the cabinet door: After you've mounted the cabinet door, make sure it's level and even with the rest of your vanity. Make sure the door isn't wobbling on any sides. If you notice any jerky movement, adjust the hinges with the back or front screw. The back screw modifies the hinges in and out of the face frame, and the front one adjusts them left and right.

Learn More on How to Install

If your cabinet drawer boxes are old, worn out or starting to fall apart, it might be the opportune time to replace them. If you decide to upgrade these, then make sure you measure the drawer box's outside dimension. You'll need to measure the height, width and depth.

ORDER CABINET DOORS FROM CABINET DOORS 'N' MORE

Is everything back in place? Everything aligned? Cabinet hardware back on? Congratulations! Make sure you show all of your friends your handy work. Consider other small DIY projects to enhance the look of your bathroom as well, including:

New cabinet hardware
New vanity top with cultured marble, solid surface, granite or quartz
New faucet with a finish that matches your cabinet hardware
New towel bar or accessories with a finish that's consistent throughout your bathroom
New wall mirror
New lighting

If you need new or replacement cabinet doors, drawer fronts, drawer boxes and accessories, check out our inventory at Cabinet Doors 'N' More. Whether you need a quick repair on one cabinet door or you're remodeling your whole bathroom or kitchen, we have the custom, high-quality replacement cabinet components you can count on for your DIY project. Click through our extensive collection, and start our easy-to-use ordering process today! You can also speak with one of our representatives online or call 1-667-877-8777 if you need assistance.

Buy $750 or more in any combination of cabinet doors, drawer fronts, drawer boxes or accessories and get 10% off your entire order. The discount comes off at checkout. You cannot combine these discounts.

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