Repairing Kitchen Cabinet Raised Panel Doors

The really frustrating part about repairing broken cupboards in the kitchen is finding the right cabinet company if they need to be replaced. Raised panel doors are manufactured all over the world and it can get difficult finding your exact style. That’s another article all together.

The two styles of raised panel cabinet doors are Thermofoil and real wood such as cherry, oak, walnut or maple.

If you are seeking advice for repairing a Thermofoil cabinet door, the only thing I can tell you is good luck. I mean outside of recommending that you get a contact adhesive designed for cabinet’s repairs to reglue MINOR vinyl separations, the doors almost always need to be replaced. Here’s a great article on how to replace Thermofoil cabinet doors.


Real Hardwood Raised Panel Door Repair
Repairing real hard wood doors can be done by a home owner if the damage is minor. If there is major damage, the task should be left to a professional door manufacturer or cabinetry expert in your area. In years past, I have taken many of the hardwood doors that needed repairing to a furniture repair specialist. Refer to this article for fixing small chips in wood cabinet doors.

If a door frame is separating and cracks are forming at the seams, this is normal. The cause of this is mainly due to changes in weather conditions. The wood expands and contracts with the temperature and humidity changes.

Although sometimes the door manufacture is responsible for the damage because the center panel was glued in place. This causes the center raised panel to force extra pressure on the frames causing them to crack. The center panel of a real wood door should always be free floating.

Separating seams can be fixed with bar clamps and yellow glue on real wood raised panel doors. Repairing kitchen cabinet doors should be done by a professional if the damage is not minimal. Trust me, a good cabinet manufacture can save you a lot of headaches and you may even be surprised to discover that it won’t cost much for the repair.