How to Add Glass to Kitchen Cabinet Doors

While I had the cabinet doors off a couple weeks ago to paint, I also added glass to a few of the cabinet doors.

I’ve always loved glass cabinets. They add so much character and are a great decoration in the kitchen. They kinda hint at the whole open shelving idea without having to totally commit to full open shelves … best of both worlds.

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase from one of the links, I may make a small commission at NO EXTRA COST to you. This helps keep the tutorials and plans free here at Bitterroot DIY. Thank you for your support! See my full disclosure here.

My only hesitation was that we wouldn’t have enough “pretty” dishes to use up all the space, and we couldn’t afford to lose cabinet space just for looks. But once we got everything moved into the new house, we had plenty of nice glassware and dishes that I felt comfortable with it.

AND … happy coincidence … our dishes are all blue and white which matches perfectly with the kitchen color scheme. Perks of choosing my favorite colors for the kitchen renovation, as well as when we registered for our wedding!

All that aside, adding glass to the cabinet doors actually wasn’t too bad of a project! I originally saw the idea on Confessions of a Serial DIYer. Christy did an amazing job with her cabinets, so I thought I’d give it a try!

I decided to go with Plexiglas, rather than real glass, for durability. I don’t know about you, but our cabinets see a lot of wear & tear and I don’t want to accidentally close the door too hard and shatter glass all over.

Lowe’s sells a variety of Plexiglas (or real glass) sheets. Just select the size and thickness you need, and you’re good to go. They’ll even cut it for you!

I added the glass when I had the doors off to paint, so the doors change color throughout the photos. I cut out the doors prior to painting to avoid tearing up the new paint job, and then put the new Plexiglas in after the paint … no sense in putting the Plexiglas in first and then having to tape it all off for paint!

Tools & Supplies

Step 1.

Remove the cabinet doors you wish to add glass to.

Drill a pilot hole for the jigsaw blade approximately 1/4″ in from the corner of the door frame.

How to Add Glass to Kitchen Cabinet Doors

Step 2.

Cut out the inside of the door with the jigsaw. Work your way slowly around the door, drilling pilot holes in each corner as necessary.

There should be about a 1/4″ lip all the way around the inside of the door when you’re done.

Step 3.

Flip the door over and apply a bead of clear silicon along the back on the 1/4″ lip.

As you can see in the photo, I used grey silicon at first … don’t do that to yourself. I highly recommend using clear silicon so it’s not visible once you smash the Plexiglas down on it. The grey was a fiasco to get off the glass.

Run the bead of silicon all the way around the inside edge for good adhesion.

Step 4.

Position the Plexiglas and press it down into the silicon.

Let the silicon set according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Step 5.

Add a small piece of moulding all the way around the front of the cabinet frame to hide the rough edges where you cut out the door. Attach it with a bead of clear silicon just like the Plexiglas.

I found this small moulding at Home Depot and it worked great. They have a variety of styles to choose from, so you can find one that matches your style!

Step 6.

Lastly, fill in all the gaps with caulk. I used white paintable caulk to blend in with the white cabinets. They make a variety of colors, but I recommend getting the paintable kind no matter what …. just in case you need to touch up the paint job.

I ran a bead of caulk along the front edge to seal the moulding to the Plexiglas, as well as a bead along the back to cover the joint between the Plexiglas and door.

Let the caulk dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Reinstall the cabinet doors, then sit back and admire your handywork!