How to Change Partial-Overlay Cabinets to Full-Overlay Cabinets

Measure the height and width of the cabinet faces, and subtract 1/8-inch from the width to allow the doors to open and close freely. Purchase doors to fit these dimensions. If the doors are standard-size, you may be able to purchase them at a home-improvement store. If the cabinets are custom-sized, you may have to have them custom-built by a cabinet maker.

Remove the old cabinet doors by unscrewing the hinges where they're attached to the cabinets.

Patch the screw holes in the cabinets with wood putty. Smooth and sand the surface of the putty, and conceal it to match the cabinet finish. Use primer and paint if the cabinets are painted, or use a touch-up marker if the cabinets are stained. The old screw holes are filled partially for cosmetic reasons, to improve the appearance of the cabinets. They're also filled because you want to avoid re-using the old holes for the new hinges -- because installing and removing the screws when replacing the hinges can strip the wood and leave a loose connection.

Place the hinges into position on the new cabinet doors, 2 inches from the top and bottom edges, and mark the screw holes onto the doors. If the doors are higher than 30 inches, place a third hinge in the center.

Mark the location of any knobs or handles. Depending on the style of the door, they may not have this type of hardware.

Drill pilot holes for the hinges and handles, using a 1/4-inch drill bit.

Position the hinges and handles on the door in the proper locations, and screw them into place.

Place a piece of masking tape across the top of the cabinets to use as a reference when setting the doors.

Open up the hinges, as they would be when you open the cabinet doors.

Position the doors on the cabinets, and mark the screw holes for the hinges onto the cabinets.

Drill 1/4-inch pilot holes into the cabinets.

Screw the doors to the cabinets.