Upgrading to glass mullion cabinet doors

April 30, 2021

UPGRADING TO GLASS MULLION CABINET DOORS

Do all of your kitchen cabinets have all solid panel cabinet doors in a long run of cabinets and every door looks the same? Want to upgrade the look of your kitchen or maybe your living room or dining room? Upgrade your solid panel cabinet doors and change them out for a more decorative and inspiring look in your kitchen or other rooms in your house. It could be a pantry cabinet in your dining room to show off your china or in your kitchen to highlight your decorative glassware.

Glass or mullion cabinet doors can bring an distinctive look to a long line of repetitive solid wood or thermofoil cabinet doors. Cabinet doors that are modified to replace your current wood insert panel with decorative mullion options with clear or decorative glass create a focal point in your kitchen or other rooms in your house. Glass doors are perfect to show off dishware, collectibles, and seasonal decor.

replacement cabinet doors

Before your get started there are some considerations if you want to make this upgrade:

We recommend this update for only for cabinet doors that have a frame and insert panel that can be removed from the frame and replaced with glass.
If you currently have solid panel doors made from 1-piece construction (think thermofoil doors), then we would recommend buying new glass cabinet doors.
Most suppliers do not supply the glass for these types of doors. Glass can be bought and cut to size from local home improvement stores or local glass companies.

Frame and panel cabinet door examples:

replacement cabinet doors

STEPS TO REMOVE INSERT PANEL

Remove the cabinet doors you plan on replacing and remove all of the cabinet hardware including the hinges and cabinet hardware.
Turn the door over and determine how the insert panel is installed to the frame. Is it glued? is it pinned or nailed? Is it captured inside the frame?
Depending on how it is manufactured, it might be as simple loosening the panel and removing. If it is pinned or nailed then you would have to remove the pins/nails before removing the panel. The last option is you would have to use a small hand saw, circular saw or router to remove the panel. This might be above your skill set so be careful. The last thing you want to do is damage the frame of the cabinet door. ** If you are not comfortable with removing the insert panel, the we would suggest hiring a professional to take this on or consider what we suggested above which is to order new mullion cabinet doors to the specifications you need. It might save a lot of time, heartache and effort.

PREPARE THE CABINET DOOR FOR GLASS

The next step is to prepare the back of the door so the glass fits properly. There are a couple different recommended options we found to measure and install for glass:

Option 1

Measure the channel on the inside of the frame to determine the thickness to order the correct glass thickness. Most glass comes in 1/8" or 3/16" thickness.
Measure the width and height of the opening (where the insert panel used to be) on the cabinet frame to determine the size of glass.
Once you have the correct size glass, you can nestle and genty install the glass in the grooves and then secure the glass with several installation options (discussed below).

Option 2 (might require professional/contractor)

This step is a little more complicated and requires some woodworking skills and tools to be done correctly. This requires you using a router to route out a small area to create a flat area on both the rails and stiles on the back of the cabinet door so that the glass can lay flat and does not require to fit inside the grooves. Again, consider a contractor or professional to make sure this done correctly.
Ask your local home improvement store for the correct routing bit or look for "glass door routing bits". These are sold online or at local home improvement stores
Route out the back rails and stiles to the appropriate thickness of the glass.
Measure from side to side and top to bottom so that the glass sits flat inside the routed area on the back of the door.

Below is an image of how the back of your cabinet door will look once it's been routed out to accept the glass.

glass cabinet doors

Note: If your cabinet door is rectangular then ordering glass should be pretty straight forward. If you have an arched or cathedral style cabinet door, then we would recommend that you notch out an area on the back side of the frame to accept rectangular glass for ease of installation (instead of buying curved glass).

TYPES OF GLASS TO CONSIDER

There are a variety of glass options available for your cabinet door, such as Plexiglas, tempered glass, frosted glass, or just traditional clear glass. Each option varies in how it will look visually so when selecting your glass, consider which type would best match your cabinet and overall look before selecting. Depending on what you settle on, some glass options can get expensive based on quality, thickness and style. Check your local building codes for types of glass required. In some cases, tempered glass is required for anything within 18" of the floor.

Most home improvement stores like Home Depot, Lowe's or Menards sell clear glass and cut it to size for free. Note: you might want to bring your finished cabinet door with you to make sure you measure correctly for the right size glass. If your cabinet door with a small recess on the back of the frame, we would recommend ordering glass panels 1/8" smaller than the recess in the frame.

INSTALLING THE GLASS IN THE CABINET DOOR

Now that you have prepared the back of the door to accept the glass and measured the opening to install the right size glass, there are several ways to install the glass to secure the back of the cabinet door frame. You'll need to choose your preference.

Glass Clips - an easy way to secure the glass. Glass clips are available online or at all home improvements stores. Suggestion: drill pilot holes for every glass clip you install (minimum of 2 for both rails and stiles of door) so you do not crack the cabinet frame.
Silicone - Apply a bead of clear silicon to the inside edges of your cabinet doors panel opening. Press the glass panel into the back of the door. Wipe away any excess silicone before it dries. You can then add another bead of silicone once the glass is in place to make sure the glass is secure.
Retainer Molding - Clear retainer molding is available to install glass and is pretty simple to install. It normally comes in different lengths and has to be cut to the size of the cabinet door width and height. The grooves of the molding fit into the grooves on the cabinet frame and secure the glass to the frame. No clips or silicone is required.

So, if you've read this far and you're now scratching your head a little, there is one way to update your kitchen with glass doors and that is to order new mullion cabinet doors from Cabinet Doors 'N' More. Cabinet Doors 'N' More offers a wide array of options - from several wood species that can be stained or painted or thermofoil options in several different colors. We have 1 lite/frame only options as well as 4 and 6 lite options. At Cabinet Doors 'N' More, we build new, high-quality mullion cabinet doors made to order. All of our products are made to meet your precise dimensions and shipped to your doorstep direct from our factory.

At Cabinet Doors 'N' More, we have all the refacing products you need for transforming any living space. Our cabinet doors, drawer fronts and drawer boxes are made in the USA and supported by a full one-year warranty. Enjoy free shipping on your cabinet doors regardless of the amount of your order. If you do have a large order, we offer a bulk discount of 10% off when your order is $750 or more. For help finding doors, send us a message today or call 667-877-8777.

Upgrading to glass mullion cabinet doors