Removable Cabinet Inserts

DIY diva Michele Beschen shows you how to give your recessed cabinets a mini-renovation with easy and inexpensive inserts. There's no need for any priming and painting -- or even anything permanent, for that matter. You can change your kitchen decor effortlessly in seconds.

Your mini-makeover is just a few hours away!

What You'll Need:

-- Recessed cabinet doors

-- Plexiglas, metal, or a thin wood product such as Luan or Masonite

-- Artist acrylics

-- Drywall compound (for texture on wood), if desired

-- Velcro squares or rounds

Unscrew your recessed cabinet doors from your cupboards. If you have flat-panel cabinets, you could easily create recessed doors by adding a simple wood border around the door fronts. Make sure you have a large, uncluttered work surface.

You can create the insert panels out of a thin wood product, Plexiglas, or even metal. The material is up to you.

Measure your cabinet's recessed area. Cut your chosen material to 1/16 of an inch smaller than your recessed dimensions for a snug and flush fit.

Jazz up the plain inserts with paint or other embellishments. If you're using Plexiglas for the inserts, try painting your design in reverse on the backside for a glassy look.

If you're using a wood product for your insert, consider adding texture for visual appeal. Build up different textures and designs using drywall compound.

Once the drywall compound is dry, add color to make your cabinets really pop.

To attach the inserts to your cabinets, apply small Velcro pads to all four corners of the recessed area on the door. For larger doors, you may need additional pads placed along the perimeter of the door recession.

Once the paint is dry and the inserts are Velcro-ed into place, screw the doors back onto the cabinets. The entire project is easy to install, easy to remove, and a snap to change on a whim.

• Love this project? Find this project and more on Michele Beschen's website.