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If you’ve ever remodeled, renovated, or just simply ripped up an older kitchen you’ve probably also had to decide what to do with all those cabinets. I’ve been there myself and the DIY spirit in me always wants to find ways to recycle or reuse them. Luckily our friends Bo and Nicole thought the same thing during demo and we had a pile of old cabinets waiting to be recycled when we started the wine bar project.

The Originals

The original cabinets were in good shape but they were seriously outdated. Having the kitchen around the corner and within eyesight from the wine bar also meant the style was issue. The new kitchen has crisp all white shaker style cabinets and we needed these to match. We just didn’t need to match the price tag on a whole new set of cabinets!

The DIY Solution

After a little brainstorming and Pinterest research we decided we could just upgrade the cabinets with DIY doors and paint. Q came up with a simple design for shaker style fronts and I made sure we matched the paint and finishes with the new kitchen.

The fronts for both cabinets and drawers were made the same way. We cut 1″ x 4″ poplar boards to match the dimensions of the frames from the originals. We then used a table saw to make simple tongues and grooves to piece the frames together and hold 1/4″ plywood panels in place. Everything was assembled with wood glue, clamped in place, and left to dry for 24 hours. After a bit of sanding, priming, and painting these looked like brand new cabinets!

Adding Customizations

After adding up all the recycled cabinets and new appliances we were left with a small amount of space under the countertop. In fact, it was just the right amount of space for some custom wine storage! I sketched up the most basic plan and Q whipped this up from a single sheet of plywood. Once it was sanded, primed, and painted it blended in with the existing cabinets seamlessly.

The Recycled Kitchen Cabinets

Considering these were once “leftovers” and sitting in the corner of a garage collecting dust I think we can consider this a major win! Not only did these cabinets turned out better than expected but they also saved Bo & Nicole a bundle… double win!

So have you recycled old kitchen cabinets in your own space? Did you use them in a completely different room? You know I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!