Small kitchen fire and cabinet doors

Les White

Les White

Less is more
2A Bourbon Hound 2024
2A Bourbon Hound OG
Charter Member
Life Member
Multi-Factor Enabled
Joined
Dec 17, 2016
Messages
8,870
Location
DavieCo
Rating - 100%
23   0   0
The short story is a towel hanging on a cabinet door (the ones at the sink) caught on fire. Caused a fair amount of damage to one of the doors and one of the filler panels.

p.jpeg


I hand sanded the left side filler panel (where a drawer would go) and ran it thru the planer, and it makes me think I can do the same to the door.....if I can get it apart.

This is the severely burnt left panel after some work next to the barely burnt right panel.

p.jpeg


Yeah, it still needs a *little* work but it gives me hope that I don't have to replace the whole cabinet. It actually looks worse in the pic.

So here's my question. Can these joints in the door be taken apart without destroying the door? I watched a video on yoobtoob where a few people take apart dovetail joints using a hot air gun, but they also know what type of glue was used. I figure if I can get them apart, a little sanding and a pass thru the planer would make it look pretty good (I might have to reverse the panel after the planer since it's thin plywood, but still...)

It's a standard cheap cabinet door joint.

p.jpeg
 
...AND, I'm trying to do this on the cheap. There are 54 doors/drawers in the kitchen and the thought of replacing all of them makes my heart go all wonky.
 
Last edited:
Glad no-one got hurt! I can't see the pics, either, but also glad you didn't lose more - like the whole kitchen, house, etc.!
 
The damage.

20190803_023131.jpg

The fixed panel . ..

20190805_231024.jpg

The joint...

20190805_230932.jpg

I just want to know if anybody has successfully taken apart one of these without totally destroying the door.
 
Brian K said:
I've got a lot of it right now and I'm not in a rush to get it finished.
Click to expand...
in that case, yes, you can, with repeated small steps, loosen the glue and get the panels apart, sand it down and restore it to new. Your wife will be impatient, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing you did CRAFTSMANSHIP.
Take your time, and remember that in finish carpentry, force is your enemy. Glues will almost all dissolve with acetone, but you will change the complexion of the wood, as well, if you apply too much. once you begin to get them apart, soft wood wedges to keep pressure work good while you toothbrush in acetone. I did that on a friend's cabinet (restored a burn). It took FOREVER, but it looks really nice now, and I have the satisfaction of knowing what no one else (except the homeowner) does... that it was ruined, and I brought it back to beauty and functionality.

Good luck.
 
No good recommendations on taking it apart besides lots of patience. But Have you Checked with discount builders in downtown Winston by chance? Pretty sure they have some unfinished doors in that style you would just need to match up size but reasonable prices and much less than replacing all the cabinets Or as suggested before a millwork/cabinet shop to make you a replacement door.
 
J R Green said:
What are you going to plane? The panel is plywood and planing it will just remove the veneer.
Click to expand...

Yeah it will, but the reverse side is pretty close to the front and will be passable if I flip it around. I had one other door in the kitchen that's the same size and I've already moved it. Fortunately it was in a location where the reworked one won't be real obvious.

I'm going to plane all the flat surfaces after I hand sand the routed parts . That's what I did with the filter panel and it came out ok.
 
Yes, do it all the time, but rarely without any extra damage. Good news is that you can glue it back together.

Drive a putty knife in between the rail and the panel and beat it with a hammer/mallet till it breaks loose. Then repeat on the other side.

If it's a flat panel door you aren't going to sand on it much
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom