Converting a few of your wall cabinets to open shelving is a great way to create display space for dishes or to keep cookbooks and cooking supplies within easy reach. Anyone handy with a paintbrush can complete this project in a leisurely weekend. Don't forget to order the glass shelves about a week before you need them.
You'll need a screwdriver, hammer and tape measure as well as basic painting equipment like a paintbrush, putty knife, masking tape, 80-grit sandpaper and sanding sponge. Use a drill with a 9/32-in. bit to drill holes for the metal sleeves (Photo 3).
Some cabinets, like ours, are easy to convert by simply removing the doors and ordering glass shelves. Others may require a little carpentry work, like removing a fixed shelf. Take a close look inside the cabinet to see whether there are hidden challenges. If it looks good, remove the doors and carefully measure for shelves. Measure from one side of the cabinet to the other and from front to back. Deduct 1/8 in. from these measurements to arrive at the glass size. Look in the Yellow Pages under "Glass" to find a company that will cut the glass and polish all of the edges. We spent $60 for the six 1/4-in. thick glass shelves in this kitchen. Ask the glass salesperson what thickness you need for strength and safety. Longer spans require thicker glass. You'll also need shelf pins, sleeves and round rubber pads to support the shelves.
While you're waiting for the glass to arrive, paint the cabinet interiors. Choose a color that matches or complements a floor or wall color. Preparation is the key to a long-lasting, perfectly smooth paint job. Photos 1 and 2 show the painting steps. If you're painting over Melamine or another hard, shiny surface, make sure to thoroughly roughen the surface with 80-grit sandpaper and prime with shellac before brushing or spraying on the coats of paint.
Remove the cabinet doors and hinges. Fill all extra shelf bracket or hinge holes with a hardening-type wood filler. Allow this to harden, sand it smooth, and apply a coat of lightweight surfacing compound to fill low spots left after the wood filler shrinks. Let the second coat dry. Then sand the entire cabinet interior with 80-grit paper to provide a "rough" surface for the paint to grab.
Use masking tape to protect unpainted areas. Prime the interior with white pigmented shellac (BIN is one brand) to keep the filler from showing through and to provide a binder for the final coats of paint. Sand the primer lightly with a fine sanding sponge after it dries. Remove the dust with a vacuum cleaner and brush on the final coats of latex or oil paint.
Photo 3 shows the hardware we used to support the glass shelves. If you don't have holes for the shelf pins, use a tape measure and square to mark the hole locations and bore 9/32-in. holes to accept the metal reinforcing sleeves. Then insert the metal shelf support pins in the sleeves and apply a self-adhesive round rubber pad to each pin to keep the glass shelves from sliding off.
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