SUPPORT CENTER
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about custom cabinet doors, IKEA replacement doors, cabinet refacing, materials, finishes, ordering, and installation—all in one place.
FAQ
General
The manufacturer is the company who actually builds and warrants your custom doors; and in some cases, ships your doors directly to you. The door reseller is an e-commerce site focused on taking your money and ordering your doors from a door manufacturer like CabDoor. They make money by marking up the prices you pay and in some cases may provide some additional services like design input or building your door list for you.
Buying direct from the manufacturer should provide lower prices, shorter lead-times and better service; at least it does buying from CabDoor.
Yes! CabDoor being an actual custom door manufacturer, we get these kinds of requests every day, it's what we are good at. Most of CabDoor Direct's competitors are door resellers, ordering your doors from manufacturers like CabDoor and they don't want to mess with this service.
We have identified the most popular Pull & Knob locations. When you order each door or drawer front, select one of these locations or none.
Yes! We drill IKEA's exact hinge hole pattern and for Custom Doors we have a designated hinge position, or you can specify a custom location. They all cost the same, standard or custom locations.
On custom door orders we highly recommend ordering new soft-close hinges with your new doors to ensure the hinges match your cabinet style and door overlays. For IKEA cabinet doors, you'll need to purchase hinges from IKEA directly as we don't stock them. And don't forget the soft-close adjuster!
No, CabDoor has no affiliation with IKEA. CabDoor is an independent, privately owned company registered in the State of Oregon. We've been in business for 35+ years manufacturing doors, drawer fronts, hardwood components, and dovetail drawer boxes for 1,000's of businesses in the cabinetry industry.
CabDoor's Custom Door Competitor Comparison shows CabDoor's everyday prices are 10–40% less than our manufacturing competitor's everyday prices for a comparable door, i.e. like materials, finishes, and construction. CabDoor's pricing advantage over online Door Resellers is significantly higher than this. CabDoor's other advantages are short lead-times and our service support…we have people who answer the phone and want to help.
CabDoor's IKEA Door Competitor Comparison shows CabDoor's everyday pricing is 35%+ less than SemiHandMade's and Nieu Doors' everyday pricing for a comparable Painted Shaker Door. These are two of the top online IKEA Custom Door Sites.
IKEA has the lowest door price in the market, but they do not sell custom-painted or solid wood. Instead, they feature finished surfaces like acrylic foils, melamine, or wood veneers. It is not an apples-to-apples comparison.
FAQ
Doors & Drawer Fronts
No, it is not possible to create routed doors that meet CabDoor quality standards. Routing MDF or HDF sheet materials create real flatness and twisting problems. In the manufacture of MDF and HDF sheets, heat and high pressures are applied which induce stress into the sheet. The sheet stock remains relatively flat until you start machining on the sheet. Removing material to create the door pattern changes the 'stress balance' in the door blank between the routed front side and the flat back side. This stress balance change results in flatness and twisting issues. These quality problems are part of why we stopped producing Thermofoil Doors over 10+ years ago.
No, we stopped selling Thermofoil Doors over 10+ years ago as they did not meet our quality standards. Our experience was that these doors wanted to separate where the plastic film meets the flat back edge from moisture and heat. Most Thermofoil kitchen door failures we experienced were doors next to the dishwasher due to the steam from opening the dishwasher door, doors and panels next to ovens due to the heat from an open oven door, and sink cabinet doors from water spills not being cleaned up.
We offer Thermally Fused Laminate (TFL) doors, both slab & 5-piece shaker, as a more bullet proof solution to Thermofoil doors.
Yes, CabDoor offers these doors without glass. They are located on the door style page as a door choice when you select your doors.
CabDoor uses a sophisticated computer controller edgebanding machine. The edgebander machines the door edge so we know it is straight and clean, applies PUR (Polyurethane Reactive) adhesive, presses the edge banding on the panel edge, and trims the oversized edgebanding strip to exact width and length of the door. CabDoor applies its edgebanding using a PUR adhesive instead of Hot Glue because it produces a near invisible glue line, won't collect dirt in the glue edge over time, and is highly resistant to moisture.
Sequenced means the doors and drawer fronts in a cabinet run will be cut from the TFL (Thermally Fused Laminate) sheet in the exact positions on the sheet as your drawer front and door layout. This results in all the grain flows and color variation aligning across the doors and drawer fronts when they are installed. Sequenced doors and drawer fronts are only available on TFL Flat Doors & Drawer Fronts. It can be an awesome look in Walnut or White Oak. The grain direction/flow can be either horizontal or vertical.
Because the usable sheet size is 4' x 8', the maximum run of panel sequencing is 8'. The sheet waste factor is significantly higher vs. optimized panel cut doors, so that's why the sequenced option costs are higher too.
FAQ
IKEA Specific Cabinet Doors & Fronts
Yes! CabDoor drills IKEA's exact drawer front hole pattern in your new custom drawer fronts. Just remove your current drawer box. Remove the mounting brackets from the old drawer front. Re-mount the brackets on the new custom drawer front and re-inset the drawer front bracket into the drawer box sides.
Currently CabDoor doors, drawer fronts, and accessories are for the Sektion cabinet system. We plan to add fronts and accessories for the Akurum system (pre-2015 system) soon.
No, we cannot. These are Thermofoil doors, and we don't manufacture Thermofoil doors.
We only sell the doors, drawer fronts, end panels, toe kick strips, and moldings. You need to purchase from IKEA your cabinet boxes, hinges, drawer slide/box kits, and accessories.
No, currently we do not. We plan to add fronts and accessories for the Akurum system (pre-2015 system) soon.
FAQ
Cabinet Parts & Custom Requests
Yes, CabDoor can manufacture any custom panel you need. Call or email us so we can discuss the information we need and get you a quote.
Yes, we do. CabDoor can make almost any size that is shippable. We can make them to the finished size or oversize so you can scribe the panel to a wall and/or floor or ceiling.
Yes, we will. CabDoor is 'Where Custom is Standard'. Call or email us to discuss it so we get the door sized correctly for the cabinet and get you a quote.
Yes, we do. Check out our selection under Cabinet Parts & Accessories. You will find Crown mouldings and the sub-crown support for mounting the Crown mouldings as well as Lite Rail mouldings too. All mouldings come in 92” lengths for shipping purposes.
Estimate how many moulding lengths are needed by determining the length of your long pieces first, so they are a single piece with no joints wherever possible. Then from the moulding remnants, see if there are pieces long enough for your shorter needs. If not, then layout these pieces using new 92” strips.
*Pro Tip: buy an extra crown moulding in-case you screw up a measurement or cut during installation. Compound miter cuts are tricky. Otherwise getting a new moulding + the shipping cost will put your job on pause for a couple weeks and cost a small fortune.
Panels provide a finished end or back to cabinet box ends and backs that are visible and do not dead-end or backup against a wall. Panels are located on the visible ends of base and wall cabinets, visible ends of refrigerator or oven cabinets, and cover the backs of cabinet islands and peninsulas, sometimes referred to as a bar back panel. Here are some thoughts for consideration when sizing a panel:
Are you planning to scribe the end panel to the back wall and/or floor/ceiling? If yes, the panel needs to be ordered oversized so there is material available to cut off for the scribe match. If you are not planning to scribe match, then trim (scribe moulding) or crown moulding will need to be ordered to cover the gap to the wall and ceiling.
Are you planning to run the base cabinet end panels to the floor versus running to the bottom of the cabinet box and having a toe kick on the cabinet end. To the floor means ordering oversized panels so panel can be scribed to floor. Running the panel to the cabinet bottom means ordering panel height to the finished height and ordering toe skin stock for the cabinet end.
Maximum shippable panel size is 38” wide x 92” long.
Panel Thickness – Ikea panels are 1/2” thick, CabDoor panels are 3/4” thick. This thickness difference must be considered for both new and remodeled kitchen planning. Depending on the cabinet layout and number of end panels in a run of cabinets, this could add up to an additional 1”+ in length. Sometimes this can be taken up by adjusting filler widths in the cabinet run. If you are remodeling and not changing the countertops, you will want to ensure your countertop overhang will accommodate the additional ¼” of thickness.
Use CabDoor's Panel Stock to order the individual sizes you need.
Cabinet fillers are finished pieces used for building cabinet corners for internal turns and on the end of a cabinet against a wall. Their purpose is to provide clear space for the cabinet door with its pull or knob installed to open up completely (usually 110°). In the case of an internal cabinet corner, they also provide clear space so drawers can open in front of the cabinets at 90° to them and clear the doors & drawer fronts with their installed pulls and knobs. Use CabDoor's Panel Stock to order the individual sizes you need.
*Pro Tip: buy a couple extra fillers in-case you screw up a measurement or cut or drill thru the finished side. Otherwise getting new parts made will put your job on pause for a couple weeks.
Toe Kick Stock are finished strips (same as base cabinets) used to enclose the base cabinets at the floor, hiding the cabinet feet. Use CabDoor's Panel Stock to order the strips you need. Estimate how many strips are needed by determining the length of your long pieces first, so they are a single piece with no joints wherever possible. Then from the remnants, see if there are pieces long enough for the shorter needs. If not, then layout these pieces using new 92” strips.
*Pro Tip: buy an extra toe kick strip in-case you screw up a measurement or cut during installation. Otherwise getting a new Toe Kick Strip + the shipping cost will put your job on pause for a couple weeks and cost a small fortune.
Trim, sometimes referred to as scribe, base shoe, or battens, are mouldings used to cover gaps between cabinet panels and the wall or floor if a panel or filler was not scribed to the mating surface. It cleans up the installation look and can hide minor installation mistakes too. Scribing all end panels and fillers to mating walls, floors, and surfaces provides a more professional and cleaner installation, but it does require skills and patience or hiring someone who does.
Estimate how many trim strips are needed by determining the length of your long pieces first, so they are a single piece with no joints wherever possible. Then from the remnants, see if there are pieces long enough for the shorter trim needs. If not, then layout these pieces using new 92” strips.
*Pro Tip: buy an extra trim strip in-case you screw up a measurement or cut during installation. Otherwise getting a new Trim moulding + the shipping cost will put your job on pause for a couple weeks and cost a small fortune.
FAQ
Materials & Finishes
The short answer is it depends on the Door Style. Here are short descriptions based on door style.
Shaker Doors, Inset Panel, Paint Grade – These are a 5-piece constructed door, with a hardwood 2-1/4” wide by 3/4” thick frame and panel of 1/4” thick HDF (high density fiberboard). The Hardwood Frame and HDF center panel combination provide the most stable construction to temperature & humidity changes, the strongest holding power for hinge screws, and the smoothest paint finish. Hinge screws tend to strip out in HDF or MDF Door frames from our experience.
Shaker Doors, Raised Panel, Paint Grade – As with our other Shaker Doors, these are a 5-piece constructed door, with a hardwood 2-1/4” wide by 3/4” thick frame and panel is 5/8" thick HDF (high density fiberboard). The Hardwood Frame and HDF center panel combination provide the most stable construction to temperature & humidity changes, the strongest holding power for hinge screws, and the smoothest paint finish. Hinge screws tend to strip out in HDF or MDF Door frames from our experience.
Euro Shaker Door, Paint Grade – Sometimes referred to as ‘Skinny Shaker Doors’, these are a 5-piece construction like all our shaker doors. The hardwood frame offerings are either 1/2”, 3/4", or 1” wide by 13/16” thick. The panel is 5/8" thick HDF (high density fiberboard). The Hardwood Frame and HDF center panel combination provide the most stable construction to temperature & humidity changes, the strongest holding power for hinge screws, and the smoothest paint finish. Hinge screws tend to strip out in HDF or MDF Door frames from our experience.
Flat Panel Slab Door, Paint Grade – These are 1-piece, 3/4” thick HDF (high density fiberboard) slabs.
Flat Panel Door, Wood Grain – These are 1-piece 3/4” thick slabs made of Thermally Fused Laminate (TFL) and edge banded in matching PVC edgebanding. TFL is produced by thermally fusing a decorative surface to an engineered core (particle board) under pressure. These TFL cabinet doors have excellent stability and resistance to warping or cracking in changing environments unlike natural wood. The TFL surfaces resist scratches, fading, stains, and everyday wear. TFL doors deliver realistic wood textures, rich color tones, and a cohesive appearance with consistent grain and color from door to door. The PVC edgebanding is applied using a PUR (Polyurethane Reactive) adhesive instead of Hot Glue because it produces a near invisible glue line, won’t collect dirt in the glue edge over time, and is highly resistant to moisture.
Shaker Doors, Inset Panel, Wood Grain – These are a 5-piece construction, 2-1/4” frame x 3/4” thick, with a 1/4" inset panel made of Thermally Fused Laminate (TFL). TFL is produced by thermally fusing a decorative surface to an engineered core (typically HDF/MDF) under pressure. These TFL cabinet doors have excellent stability and resistance to warping or cracking in changing environments unlike natural wood. The TFL surfaces resist scratches, fading, stains, and everyday wear. TFL doors deliver realistic wood textures, rich color tones, and a cohesive appearance with consistent grain and color from door to door. Matching PVC edgebanding is applied using a PUR (Polyurethane Reactive) adhesive instead of Hot Glue because it produces a near invisible glue line, won’t collect dirt in the glue edge over time, and is highly resistant to moisture.
Euro Shaker Door, Wood Grain – Sometimes referred to as a ‘Skinny Shaker Door’, is a 5-piece construction like all our painted shaker doors. The door thickness is 13/16", frame width is 3/4" and the panel is 3/4" thick. The frame and panel are both Thermally Fused Laminate (TFL), with PVC edgebanding. These TFL cabinet doors have excellent stability and resistance to warping or cracking in changing environments unlike natural wood. The TFL surfaces resist scratches, fading, stains, and everyday wear. TFL doors deliver realistic wood textures, rich color tones, and a cohesive appearance with consistent grain and color from door to door. Matching PVC edgebanding is applied using a PUR (Polyurethane Reactive) adhesive instead of Hot Glue because it produces a near invisible glue line, won’t collect dirt in the glue edge over time, and is highly resistant to moisture.
Drawer Fronts, Slab, Paint Grade – All slab style drawer fronts are 1-piece HDF (high density fiberboard) by 3/4" thick.
Drawer Fronts, 5-piece, Paint Grade – These are a 5-piece construction, with a hardwood frame made of 2-1/4” or 1-1/2” wide by 3/4” thick hardwood. Inset style drawer fronts use a 1/4" thick HDF (high density fiberboard) panel, and raised panel style drawer fronts use a 1/2" HDF panel. As with all our doors, the Hardwood Frame and HDF center panel combination provide the most stable construction to temperature & humidity changes and the smoothest paint finish.
Drawer Fronts, Euro Shaker, Paint Grade – These are a 5-piece construction, with either a 1/2”, 3/4", or 1” hardwood frame width by 13/16” thick. The panel is 5/8" thick HDF (high density fiberboard). The Hardwood Frame and HDF center panel combination provide the most stable construction to temperature & humidity changes and produce the smoothest paint finish.
Drawer Fronts, Euro Shaker, Paint Grade – A 5-piece construction, with either a 1/2”, 3/4", or 1” hardwood frame width by 13/16” thick, and a 5/8" thick HDF panel.
Drawer Fronts, Wood Grain – All wood grained drawer fronts are constructed of 3/4" thick Thermally Fused Laminate (TFL), with matching PVC edgebanding. Shaker Drawer Fronts have a 2-1/4” or 1-1/2” frame with a 1/4" mm panel. The Euro Shaker Drawer Front has 15/16" frame with a 3/4" thick panel. TFL is produced by thermally fusing a decorative surface to an engineered core (typically HDF/MDF) under pressure. These TFL drawer fronts have excellent stability and resistance to warping or cracking in changing environments unlike natural wood. The TFL surfaces resist scratches, fading, stains, and everyday wear.
TFL doors deliver realistic wood textures, rich color tones, and a cohesive appearance with consistent grain and color from door to door. Matching PVC edgebanding is applied using a PUR (Polyurethane Reactive) adhesive instead of Hot Glue because it produces a near invisible glue line, won’t collect dirt in the glue edge over time, and is highly resistant to moisture.
We want our customers to have a great experience, and every great painted finish starts with the right primer; it is the foundation of a flawless finish.
To help ensure your project's success this is why we only offer primed doors. We use Envirolak Primer, a water-based, low-VOC MDF primer engineered to seal the porous surface of MDF perfectly. It prevents grain raise, promotes adhesion, and creates a flat, even base that your topcoat can glide onto with ease, resulting in a professional-grade finish that lasts for years. It accepts both water and solvent based paints.
This industry designed primer will outperform any primer you or your painter can purchase at Home Depot or Sherwin. We know, CabDoor finishes 1,000's of parts per week.
Yes, we do, we paint 1,000's of doors and drawer fronts weekly! CabDoor being a door manufacturer, we own a high-speed automated finishing line. It is how we maintain our industry's leading quality finishes and short lead times. CabDoor uses the automated flat line finishing system to apply primers, paints, and clear finishes. There are pictures and videos on our website of the machine in use.
Yes, our paint colors are Sherwin Williams & Benjamin Moore colors. We will paint any color in their color deck. The only color that is unique to CabDoor is our IKEA White custom color. We have formulated a paint color that matches IKEA's end panels. This provides you with the opportunity to reface your current IKEA cabinets with new Custom Painted Shaker Doors within a couple hours. This is a simple DIY project that makes a big impact.
Our recommended Topcoat Finish for painted cabinet doors is Gemini EVO Eclipse. It is a water-based formulated coating celebrated for its exceptional hardness, scratch resistance, clarity, and glass-smooth finish.
Gemini Evo Eclipse is a premium, acrylic-urethane modified coating specifically designed for interior woodwork, such as kitchen cabinetry, furniture, millwork, and shutters. It is virtually odorless, extremely low-VOC, safe, and environmentally friendly.
CabDoor provides a 5-year warranty on their finished doors.
Yes. Sunlight, both direct and indirect, is the biggest culprit. Heat from wall ovens and toaster ovens can also degrade the finish, as well as cleaning solutions can contribute to the deterioration of the finish's quality and life.
