Open Shelves Rock!

Give a standard Kitchen Cabinet new life and display your favorite dishes by turning it into open shelving

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Before

After

Supplies and Tools Needed

• A white cabinet!
  
• Paint, if you wish to paint the cabinet a different color when you're done (or just the back of the cabinet-that looks great too; it you are painting cabinet a different color and your cabinet is laminate, you will need to first apply primer before the paint)
  
• Small container of white touch-up paint
  
• A sheet of white wooden wainscoting (or beadboard paneling)
  
• 5/8-inch blue painter's tape
  
• Measuring tape
  
• Tools to remove doors and hinges
  
• Saber saw to cut wainscoting
  
• Liquid nails
  
• White caulk & caulking gun
  

Step by Step Instructions
Remove cabinet doors and hardware

Remove all the shelves and the hardware holding shelves up

Carefully measure the inside of the cabinet's width and height

Carefully mark the width and the height of the cabinet onto the waiscoting with the striping going vertically

Use the blue painter's tape to cut through to keep wainscoting from splintering on cut edges

With a saber saw, carefully cut the wainscotting to fit the back of the cabinet

Clean front and back of wainscoting of any sawdust

Squirt liquid nails to back of wainscotting, being careful to give attention to the corners, but not so much excess that it will ooze over the edges

Carefully place wainscotting to back of cabinet and press, holding into place for a few seconds

Using the caulking gun, squeeze caulk along all inner edges, sealing them and taking care to leave a smooth finish

If your cabinet has pre-drilled holes for adustable shelves, now is the time to fill those holes with caulk, letting them dry completely.  Be sure not to fill in the holes for the hooks that will be holding your shelves!

Touch up caulked holes with white paint

Replace hooks to hold shelves; replace shelves.  Fill with your prettiest dishes, bowls & mugs!
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I used a pallete of aqua, orange, and lime green with lots of white, but of course any colors would be beautiful!  Just keep your pallete cohesive by using three to four colors for the prettiest impact.  The sky is the limit and your new open shelving will be a great focal point!