He Used A Single Hack To Make Plain Cabinets Look Like A Shaker Masterpiece

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When the laminate is peeling off, the paint is starting to look chipped and shabby, and the plain look of your kitchen is boring you to tears, it's time for new cabinets, right? Sure, that could be an option, but what if we told you that you can get a stunning kitchen cabinet refresh in a shaker style using just a few inexpensive materials? That's just what handyman Jim of YouTube's The Jim Handy Channel accomplished, and you can do it, too, remarkably easily. Get ready to transform boring slab fronts into dimensional wonders in the popular shaker cabinet style that helps create a timeless kitchen – using just PVC window-blind slats, superglue, and spackle.

Before you can pull off a transition like this, you may have some prep and repair work to do if your cabinets are a bit worn — just like the ones Jim is working with on his video. Fill in dings with wall repair spackle and, if you're working with laminate cabinets, re-affix loose laminate to door fronts with superglue. Give all the components a good sanding with a palm sander before proceeding to the next step. 

To emulate Jim's simple shaker hack, you'll need 2-inch slats from window blinds made of PVC. Using a box cutter, cut the side pieces to frame each door and drawer front in shaker style, and then the top and bottom pieces. A speed square, a triangular carpentry tool, will help you make straight cuts. You can check out these speed square basics you'll want to know for this one and your next wood DIY. Once you have made the right cuts, you can use superglue to attach the cut slats to the cabinet door and drawer fronts. The superglue should work on most cabinet finishes, but you may need a different adhesive, such as contact cement, especially for cabinets made of thermofoil (Medium-Density Fiberboard with PVC film vacuum-pressed onto it) and oily finishes like teak.

You'll have several common kitchen cabinet finishes and pros and cons to consider for your newly shaker-style cabinets. Alkyd paints are recommended for cabinets because they leave an enamel-like finish that is durable and hard. Jim chose the cabinet-grade Benjamin Moore Advance alkyd paint in a buttery yellow color that cost $80 a gallon. Apply multiple thin coats rather than one or two thicker coats, using a small, flocked foam roller. This tool is covered with tiny synthetic fibers and holds a significant amount of paint. Although these rollers are manufacturer-recommended for cabinets, you may want to test them first to make sure they don't leave fibers in the paint.

You'll also need to prep and paint the cabinet frame, of course, before reattaching the doors and drawer fronts. Consider also further enhancing the makeover with new cabinet hardware and pulls for a completely fresh look on your kitchen cabinets.