Not Your Usual Cabinet Door Makeover

I was lucky enough to get a load of cabinet doors that will be perfect for projects – they have a solid flat front with routered edges which makes them perfect for wall hangings! I’m so excited to see what I can do with them – there are many different sizes!

I made a wall hanging for my cousin’s wedding shower this weekend using one of the doors. Everyone at the shower seemed to like it and I heard requests to take orders! 

It started out looking something like this:

And ended up looking like this:

I didn’t take process pictures for a tutorial but I will type it out for anyone interested.

1. Lightly sand cabinet door. I filled in the handle holes with spackling.

2. Paint – I did about 3 coats of paint on the front edges and two coats on the back. I always paint the backs so they look finished. Also paint the initial.

3. I used a dark gel stain to rub over the edges to darken it and add dimension.

4. Figuring out a paper pattern. This door was about 16 x 18”. I marked the center of the door and the line for the lower pieces.

5. I printed out the last name using Word to a size that would look good on the initial (70 I think). I used tracing paper to trace it onto the initial and then used a silver Sharpie to fill in.

6. I Mod Podged one section at a time and adhered the paper. I had a very hard time getting the striped papers straight and had to try several times – and they still aren’t perfectly straight.  Smooth out bubbles.

7. Once the Mod Podge dries, use sandpaper to remove the excess paper. This will give a nice distressed edge. I inked the edges of the paper at this point for extra distressing.

8. Coat with a thin layer of Mod Podge, dry, and repeat. I did 3 coats of Mod Podge before adhering the initial.

9. Adhere the initial using a strong craft glue. I used a Liquid Nails product. Place heavy books to get a good hold. I leave mine overnight.

10. One final coat of Mod Podge over the initial & door.

11. Glue on the accent ribbon & attach a picture hanger to the back. Finished!