Finishing Touches

Cut and hang the doors

Cut the doors using a saw guide. To make a guide, screw a straight 1x3 to a 14 x 18-in. scrap of 3/4-in. plywood. Then run your saw along the 1x3 to cut off the excess plywood and create a guide that steers your saw perfectly straight and indicates the exact path of the cut. Simply mark the doors, align the guide with the marks, clamp it in place and cut.

Reader's Digest Cutting the doors

Screw the hinges to the doors 3 in. from the ends. The fronts and backs of louvered doors look similar, so check twice before you drill. Stand the doors against the cabinet, setting them on spacers to create a 1/8-in. gap at the bottom. The gap between the doors should also be about 1/8 in. Clamp each door into position and screw the hinges into place. If the doors don’t align perfectly because the box is slightly out of square, don’t worry; you can square the box when you hang it. The hinges also adjust up or down 1/16 in.

Add the crown and base

Measure the top of the cabinet (including the doors) and cut the plywood crown and base frames to that size.

Reader's Digest Adding the crown and base

Set your miter saw to 45 degrees and cut the crown molding with it upside down and leaning against the fence. Also miter a “tester” section of molding to help you position the sidepieces when you nail them into place. To avoid splitting, predrill nail holes. With the sides in place, add the front piece of crown molding. Cut it slightly long and then “shave” one end with your miter saw until it fits perfectly. Add the molding to the base frame the same way. Screw both the crown and the base to the cabinet.

A quick finish

Brushing paint onto louvered doors is slow, fussy work, but you can avoid that hassle by using spray primer and paint. First, remove the doors and hinges. Cover the dowels, nails and screw heads with wood filler and sand the filler smooth. Also fill any voids in the plywood’s edges. Sand the cabinet box, crown, base and doors with 120-grit paper. Spray all the parts with a white stain-blocking primer (such as BIN, Cover Stain or KILZ). When the primer dries, sand it lightly with a fine sanding sponge. Finally, spray on at least two coats of spray paint. High-gloss paint will accentuate even tiny surface flaws, so consider using satin or matte.

To hang the cabinet, locate studs and drive two 3-in. screws through the top cleat. Then rehang the doors. Close the doors to check their fit. Nudge the bottom of the cabinet left or right to square it and align the doors. Then drive screws through the bottom cleat.