How to Relaminate Cabinets

Household cabinets that have laminate on them generally have it only on the exterior body of the cabinet, with the door itself being made of wood. When the laminate gets old and worn, you can put new laminate over it, giving the whole cabinet for fresh, new look. This process, called refacing, is as simple as applying a peel-and-press laminate to the surface, although some preparation is necessary.

Screwdriver
Vibrating sander
Dry rags
Tape measure
Carpenter's square
Pencil
Laminate veneer (self-adhesive)
Utility knife
Fist-sized block of wood

Instructions

- 1
  Use a screwdriver to take the doors and hardware off the cabinet body.
- 2
  Go over the whole surface of the cabinet with a vibrating pad sander to dull it. Use dry rags to wipe off the dust.
- 3
  Measure the dimensions of the first area of the cabinet to be relaminated. Mark out the measurements on a sheet of laminate veneer, using a square and pencil. Add an extra inch all around the edges.
- 4
  Cut along the marked lines with the utility knife, so you have a cut out piece that's wider around by an inch than the area being relaminated.
- 5
  Peel off the paper backing from the cut piece of laminate. Press the piece to the cabinet, letting it overhang the area by an inch all around.
- 6
  Wrap a dry rag about your block of wood and press it over the laminate, starting at one end and working to the other, to firmly affix the laminate and squeeze out any air
- 7
  Cut the extra veneer off the edges of the area and along the corners.
- 8
  Repeat for each area of the cabinet. Reassemble the cabinet.

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