How to Repair Kitchen Cabinets

During a HouseCall to Augusta, Georgia, Ron found himself in a situation where he needed to repair a damaged cabinet because there was no time to replace it. Fortunately the cabinet was going to butt up against another cabinet when it was installed so the repair would not show from the outside.

There was also enough room to put a ½" panel of birch plywood inside the cabinet. This would conceal the damage from the inside as well.

1. Remove broken pieces
Begin by gently removing all of the loose pieces of the broken cabinet panel, which will eventually be glued back together again.

If possible, carefully remove the drawer glide or any other hardware that might be in the way, to provide a little more working room.

To get the broken pieces to fit back together again, it is necessary to carefully grind the broken edges using a rotary tool. Do this to both the cabinet and the loose pieces.

2. Reassemble broken pieces
Before applying glue, do a test fit to make sure the pieces will go back together properly.

Apply a bead of carpenter's glue to the edge of each piece and then insert it. Very gently tap each piece into place with a hammer taking care not to break them any further.

With the pieces restored, temporarily clamp the side of the cabinet to hold everything together while the glue dries.

3. Wood filler
Even if the broken side will not be seen, you still might want to use wood filler to help conceal the broken edges.

Select a wood filler that matches the cabinet color as closely as possible and then fill the crack and gaps. Acetone based fillers dry very quickly.

When the wood filler is dry, it will turn a chalky white and the excess can be sanded off, creating a smooth surface. It is not necessary to repair the crack from the inside because the birch panel will conceal and strengthen the damage.

You can re-stain the cabinet to make the scar even less noticeable, but if the side of the cabinet will not be seen, staining is not necessary.

4. Inside panel repair
Measure and cut a ½" birch plywood panel to fit the inside of the broken cabinet. This will conceal the fracture lines from the inside while also strengthening the sidewall.

Apply a generous amount of glue to the back of the birch and then attach it to the inside of the repaired panel. To keep it in place while the adhesive dries, use flexible sticks that are slightly too long so they will bend and wedge up against the panel on the inside of the cabinet, holding it in place.

Once the glue has dried and the drawer hardware is replaced, no one will suspect that the cabinet was once damaged.