How to Modernize Knotty Cabinets

If your kitchen dates back to the 1950’s or earlier, you may very well have knotty pine cabinets. This style of cabinet offered affordability with an outdoor, even Western feeling. If you plant to keep your retro cabinets while bringing the room up to date, there are ways to modernize knotty cabinets without compromising the integrity of the distinctive design.

Screwdriver
Oil-based polyurethane
Paintbrush
320-grit sandpaper
Tack cloth
Glass inserts for cabinets
Brushed satin nickel or polished chrome pulls and hardware

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the existing hardware from the cabinets. Take the doors off the hinges to make applying the polyurethane finish easier.
- 2
  Apply a very thin coat of polyurethane onto the cabinets. Use a paintbrush and paint the finish on with long, even strokes in the direction of the grain. Let the cabinets dry overnight.
- 3
  Sand the surface using a gentle scuffing motion with 320-grit sandpaper. Wipe the dust away with a tack cloth.
- 4
  Add another coat of polyurethane and let the cabinets dry overnight. Sand again and apply the last coating of polyurethane to give the old knotty pine cabinets a new sheen.
- 5
  Replace all the doors, except for two cabinets, after the varnish dries completely. Choose two cabinets that are next to each other, for example, above your stove, to leave without doors.
- 6
  Fit the two cabinets with glass inserts to create an open appearance. Use etched glass if you have stainless steel appliances and clear glass to complement appliances with other kinds of finishes.
- 7
  Add brushed satin nickel pulls and hardware to match stainless steel appliances. If you don’t have stainless steel appliances, use polished chrome. Use pulls rather than knobs for a more modern appearance.

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