Transform Ugly Closet Or Cupboard Doors With Fabric
Give your closet a makeover or disguise ugly built-in closet doors with fabric for doors that reflect both style and sophisticated good looks for a bedroom or dressing room.
05/09/2020
Keita Turner, a residential and commercial designer, has a design philosophy that is all about designing surroundings that will play a beneficial and spiritually uplifting role in her client’s lives. All her design projects evoke a sense of enduring fashionably classic style and today, we share how Keita transformed ugly closet doors using some upholstery supplies and new hardware.
In a closet transformation, ugly closet doors were upholstered with batting and fabric, with the fabric being selected to match the new curtains in the bedroom, as can be seen below. The white hardware, chosen to finish off the newly upholstered doors, perfectly harmonises with other white fittings and elements in the bedroom.
So how would you go about upholstering closet doors or doors on built-in cupboards?
HERE'S HOW:
You will need a fairly large surface to work on and also something to protect the surface if, for example, you are working on a dining table in your home. You can buy bubble wrap and place this over the work surface to protect from scratches.
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1. Remove the doors from the closet or cupboard and take off any hardware such as hinges and knobs, etc. You only need a screwdriver to do this but can speed things up quite a bit if you use a cordless screwdriver or drill/driver. Alternatively, move furniture out of the way to give yourself enough space to work on the floor.
2. Apply a thin layer of batting onto the front of the doors. Do not apply to edges or sides as this will prevent the doors from closing properly. Secure the batting onto the doors with sprayable adhesive. Follow the instructions on the can to ensure a successful application.
3. With the batting in place, you can measure the width and height of the doors, adding a bit extra for just in case. The doors are wrapped in fabric and folded over on the inside of the door and neatly folded on corners before being secured in place with staples.
GOOD TO KNOW: To save yourself time and frustration, invest in a heavy-duty staple gun for this type of upholstery project. Also, have a hammer handy in case you need to tap down any raised staples that will spoil the finished look.
4. Add your new hardware. Use your fingers to locate the existing holes drilled in the doors. To avoid pulling the fabric when attaching hardware with screws, use a sharp-pointed object to pierce the fabric. When screwing hardware back in place, should any pulling on the fabric occur, undo or reverse on your cordless screwdriver to loosen the pull and then try again.
If your closet or built-in cupboard doors have little or no gaps between the doors, you might want to consider only upholstering the front of the door and painting the edges in a colour that matches the fabric. Fold over and hem the upholstery fabric beforehand. To finish off around the edges and hide any staples, you could disguise this with nailhead trim, braiding, or decorative tape.
