DIY Upcycling Home Projects

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Corner cabinet with oak veneer, raised panel doors, and brass hardware in workshop setting

Refurbishing, restoring, andupcycling your furniture can be creative, fun and leave you with an exhilarating feeling that you did it yourself with just about any piece of wooden furniture you may own.  What better time to give your furniture and other home items a new refreshing look.  Amaze your friends this holiday season or anytime with a home makeover that will leave you with the question, “Why did I wait so long?”

Let us help you with an idea from our product team (click on all photos to enlarge).  Kent, our finishing expert and Ben, our turning and overall woodworking guru, started with this 70′s-looking entertainment center, purchasing it at a local Habitat for Humanity store.

They removed all the doors, hardware, and sanded the surfaces of all 4 doors.  Next, they used a Mirlon Nonwoven Total Scuff Sanding Pad from Woodcraft, followed by a good cleaning with General Finishes Furniture Cleaner which removes any previous wax that may have been applied.  This is a strong, heavy duty cleaner with a mineral spirits base, designed for serious cleaning applications.

Corner cabinet with open doors and shelves in a woodworking shop with clamps in background
Man adjusting hinge on wooden cabinet door in woodworking workshop setting
Hands sanding a finished oak cabinet door with abrasive pad on a workbench.
Hand wiping oak cabinet door panel with cloth and furniture cleaner in workshop setting
Two wooden cabinet doors on a workbench, one half stained black with General Finishes Java Gel Stain can nearby.
Wood sample panel showing natural oak finish on top half and black semi-gloss polyacrylic finish on bottom half with can of

Ben applied 3 coats of General Finishes Java Gel Stain, Item #826979 to the 2 bottom doors. Once dried, 2 coats of General Finishes Polyacrylic Semi-Gloss Top Coat, Item #817746 was applied.  The photo below gives a good idea of a before and after comparison.

As an option with the Java Gel Stain; you can apply it, and then wipe it off allowing the stain to accentuate the grain if desired.

The upper doors were given a makeover and it was decided to add textured glass to the top doors. This was done by routing along the inside of the door panel, creating a frame to remove the center wood section and replace with the glass.  Rounding the internal corners with a chisel allows for easy clearance for textured glass assembly.

Person using a router table to shape the edge of a wooden cabinet door panel
Finished wooden cabinet door with raised panel and router table in background
Hand using chisel to remove wood from a recessed panel frame corner joint.
Raised panel door with frame and panel separated on a woodworking bench in a workshop
Close-up of a damaged mortise and tenon joint in a hardwood frame with chipped edges
Hand inserting wooden dowel into drilled hole on hardwood board in workshop setting
Gloved hand applying dark wood stain to oak panel with cloth in workshop setting

Once the center section was removed the now framed-door was sanded.  Old handle and hinge holes were plugged with dowels for modern style single knob handles and hinges that would be added later during final assembly.  All holes would be covered with the Java Gel stain and top coat hiding all traces of previous hardware.

Applying wood glue to dowel joints on a dark wood board in a workshop setting
Three dark stained cabinet door frames and one solid cabinet door on a workbench with yellow corner clamps in a woodworking
Woodworker fitting textured glass panel into a wooden frame on a workbench in workshop
Applying adhesive along the edge of textured glass set in a dark wood frame for upcycling project
Hand pointing to textured veneer sheet applied on black wooden panel edge in workshop setting
Close-up of a wooden frame with textured glass panel and three drilled pilot holes on the side
Woodworker using a random orbital sander to refinish a wooden cabinet corner in workshop
Wooden box interior with a small plywood template and a routed cable hole on oak paneling
Using a pneumatic nailer to attach a small wood piece inside a wooden cabinet corner.
Hole saw bit attached to a drill cutting a circular hole in plywood on a wooden surface.
Plywood piece with a drilled hole surrounded by sawdust on a wooden surface
Close-up of a drilled hole with rough edges and wood shavings on a hardwood surface

The plugged holes were Nexabond glued and the door was sanded one final time for the General Finishes Java Gel to be applied. Glass was ordered from a local supply house and added to the framed doors.

Ben sealed the glass around the perimeter of the frame with clear silicone caulking adhesive and used his finger with some added water to even out the seal.

Ben sanded the main unit using the Mirka Ceros 5″ Compact Electronic Random Orbital Sander, Woodcraft Item #849396, which was hooked up to the Festool Dust Extractor.  A sacrificial template was pinned to the shelf to create the exact hole diameter with correct placement for new cord grommets using a hole saw.

The interior was refurbished with 2 coats of General Finishes Dark Chocolate Milk Paint Pint, Woodcraft Item #857886, mmm,mmm good!  Ben commented, 1 coat was enough and I used milk paint because I was not as concerned about showing the internal grain.  

Person applying dark chocolate wood stain inside a wooden cabinet with a brush in a workshop setting.
Woodworker applying dark stain inside a wooden cabinet with open shelves in workshop.
Corner cabinet with two shelves and dark wood finish in a workshop setting
Dark stained wooden cabinet with open hinged doors showing interior shelving in workshop setting
Man using a screwdriver to install or adjust a textured glass cabinet door in a woodworking workshop.
Hands using a center scale ruler and pencil to mark measurements on dark wood paneling
Hand drilling a hole through a dark wood frame clamped with a red-handled clamp and a wooden spacer block.
Hand tightening a metal cabinet knob onto a dark wood drawer front with a screwdriver.

The exterior was completed with 3 coats of General Finishes Java Gel Stain, and 2 coats of General Finishes Polyacrylic Semi-Gloss Top Coat.  Holes were drilled for the new silver satin finish hinges, and assembled to the unit along with the new cord grommets.  Kent and Ben team up for the sub-assembled wood framed glass doors to the main unit.

Knob handle locations were accurately measured, then drilled with a sacrificial blank behind the door for tear-out protection. Note the exterior bump in the satin silver knob, pictured right.  As the screw is tightened, the knob is defined in placement into the wood by an exterior design bump for secure assembly.

The entertainment center is completely renovated with a fresh modern look.

Tall wooden cabinet with textured glass upper doors and solid lower doors in workshop setting

Let’s take a look at the upcycled cost:

Original cabinet- $75
Glass panels- $86
New hardware, Hinges & Handles- $25
General Finishes Java Gel-$20
General Finishes Polyacrylic Top Coat- $24
Grommets- $3.19
Scuff Pads- $6.59
Foam Brushes, 10pk- $6.50
Mirka Abranet 5″ Sanding Assortment, 35 pack, Item #840644- $30
Nexabond Adhesive-$16.50
Clear Silicone Caulking Adhesive- $3.50
Total- $296.28
Approximate resale value- $500-$600

Project time- 4 to 7 days depending on drying time in your environment.

The pride in doing a quality DIY professional project… Beyond Priceless!

Before and after photos of a wooden cabinet upcycled with dark paint and textured glass panels.

View the video for additional information on how to use Java Gel and upcycle your cabinets,

Make a difference and go above the scale of 1-10.

Be an 11, use your imagination and create a new look today.
See you at the next Woodworking Adventure!
auf Wiedersehen!…Frank

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