One more post on this huge project (for me).
I'm refacing my kitchen cabinets (28 doors worth). I've made new doors and face frames out of red oak. It looks fantastic! People on this message board have already helped me with tons of ideas and suggestions. The best of all is the suggestion to buy the Kreg pocket hole system. Wow. I've used about 400 screws already and I can't imaging doing that much joining if I had to clamp everything and wait for it to dry. What a great timesaver!
Anyway, here's my question for now:
I've made the cabinet doors out of a solid oak frame and a 1/4" oak plywood insert. The plywood is a little under a 1/4" and as you've already guessed, they rattle when I close the doors on the self closing hinges. It's a terrible noise. Any suggestions on how to fix this? Here's some things I've tried already: I tried gluing in the panel during assembly but they seem to break free of the wood glue. Also, the glue tended to 'seep' out of the slot on some and created a mess so I stopped using it. I looked to 'tuck' something soft into the gap but the gap isn't very wide. I'm thinking that clear silicone caulk that remains soft may be the answer but I'm at a loss as to how to go about getting it into the tiny slot. Rockler has something I probably should have used but didn't know about at the time. They're called rubber space balls and I guess you drop a few into the slots before putting the panel in and they compress. Oh well. I know you guys will have an easy answer to this.
Thanks in advance. If anyone wants to see before and after shots, I'll be happy to provide.
By the way, if anyone's interested, I decided to use the Minwax "Wipe- on" polyurethane. All I can say is it was much easier to use than brushing on. As an amature, I think the finished product looks much better and easier. I know a lot of you guys probably spray the finish but I don't have the equipment or the space to do it.
Finally, best tools I bought for the project: Kreg pocket hole system - by far the best $100 I've spent in a long time. Porter Cable 1/4" staple (air powered). All I had was a brad nailer that was punching through all the thin material. The staple gun is extremely handy for only $100.
I already have a Grizzly table saw and a Dewalt 12" miter saw.
The reason I'm saying all this is because if anyone is thinking of doing a kitchen refacing project themselves but are a little nervous...it can be done. The most difficult part is starting. Also, find a good lumber yard instead of Lowes or Home Depot for your hardwood.
Thanks again! Now, how do I stop the darn rattling??? :)