5 smart ideas for unfinished wood doors

by Shannon Dauphin
Face Your Kitchen Columnist

Have you been looking at cabinet refacing options for several months, but haven't seen anything that truly speaks to you yet? Is it tough to find the cabinets that look exactly like the vision you have in your head? If that's the case, maybe it is time to start from scratch.

Unfinished wood doors offer versatility

Most cabinet doors come already stained, painted or otherwise decorated and ready for hanging. In fact, a refacing project can take only a few days and leave you with cabinets that look like a talented craftsman worked on them for months. But if you are looking for something very unique, the usual product lines might not have what you want, and custom work can be prohibitively expensive.

Purchasing unfinished wood doors can be a good option that showcases your creative side. There are many things you can do with doors and drawers like this; here are a few ideas.

1. Break out the paint. One of the most common reasons for choosing unfinished doors and drawers is the ability to paint them whatever color you wish. This works especially well for the whimsical country kitchen, where distressed paint or bright colors can work wonders.
2. Stains bring out natural beauty. Want something a bit more stately and elegant? Staining your unfinished cabinets can offer a wealth of beauty in the shade you want most.
3. Go for varnish instead. Why change the color? If you prefer wood as natural as possible, a simple protective varnish can keep that clean look for years to come.
4. What about embellishments? Get creative with your cabinets by adding unique elements. Burn designs into them, ask a woodworker to cut out designs, or add little features that make your cabinets stand out, like those jeweled pulls.
5. Add inserts that suit you. Choose doors that offer open fronts for inserts. You can use beadboard, glass, mural designs and more to customize your doors. Though adding inserts to unfinished wood drawers might be difficult or impossible, the drawers can be etched, painted or otherwise decorated to mimic the look of the cabinets, pulling the whole kitchen together.

As an added bonus, the unfinished wood drawers and cabinets usually cost much less than fronts that have been finished in the factory. This leaves you with more money in the budget to create a kitchen that is uniquely you.