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Inside Steve’s DIY IKEA Kitchen Upgrade with Custom White Oak Cabinet Doors

Inside Steve’s DIY IKEA Kitchen Upgrade with Custom White Oak Cabinet Doors

When Steve set out to refresh his IKEA SEKTION kitchen, he wasn’t looking for a basic cabinet makeover he wanted a custom-crafted space that felt elevated and personal. That’s when he turned to CabinetNow and ordered Shaker Cabinet Doors in White Oak Select, pairing the sleek, modern lines of shaker styling with the warmth and character of real wood.

Steve’s story is a perfect example of how IKEA’s modular cabinet system can become the foundation for a high-end, fully custom kitchen—without the high-end price tag—when paired with custom cabinet doors designed to fit IKEA cabinets perfectly.

Why CabinetNow Was the Perfect Fit for Steve’s IKEA Kitchen

Steve’s kitchen was built on the IKEA SEKTION system, a popular choice for DIYers and design-savvy homeowners because of its affordability, modularity, and top-tier Blum hardware. But the standard IKEA door styles didn’t deliver the custom look Steve was after.

That’s where CabinetNow stepped in.

Custom Doors Made to Fit IKEA Cabinets

CabinetNow offers custom cabinet doors and drawer fronts specifically designed to work with IKEA’s SEKTION cabinet boxes. Whether you're replacing just a few fronts or giving your entire kitchen a facelift, we make it easy to order cabinet doors in the exact dimensions you need—including metric conversions.

For Steve, this meant:

  • Ordering unfinished Shaker-style cabinet doors in White Oak Select

  • Matching IKEA’s unique sizing without having to trim or retrofit

  • Creating a high-end look while keeping the efficiency and layout of his IKEA cabinet boxes

Bore Options for Hinges and Drawers

Because IKEA cabinets have their own hardware standards, particularly with Blum hinges and drawer systems, Steve opted to drill hardware holes himself—a choice many skilled DIYers make to accommodate custom preferences.

But for those who want a smoother installation process, CabinetNow offers drilling options for both doors and drawer fronts:

  • Bore positions customized to match IKEA's standard hinge placements

  • Optional boring for European-style concealed hinges

  • Clean, professional-grade precision to make installation simple and seamless

This flexibility gives homeowners and professionals alike the choice to order doors pre-bored to match IKEA’s layout, or leave them undrilled for custom applications, as Steve did.

A Closer Look at Steve’s Process

Steve completed his remodel over the course of three weeks (with a short pause for illness), managing nearly every step himself:

  • Finishing: He applied a fast-drying, pre-catalyzed lacquer using a high-quality HVLP spray rig, applying two coats on the back and three on the front.

  • Custom Panels: Because IKEA uses ½" cover panels and CabinetNow doesn’t supply them, he created his own from white oak veneer plywood and added edge banding to match the doors.

  • Trim Additions: He also sourced solid 1x4 white oak boards for final details and molding.

Even 36" wide drawer fronts—often a concern for sagging—held up beautifully using IKEA's drawer systems, requiring no additional reinforcement.

IKEA Quality, CabinetNow Craftsmanship

“The quality and finish of the doors and drawer fronts is outstanding,” Steve shared. “No additional sanding was necessary prior to applying the finish, which saved a lot of time.”

That level of quality, along with IKEA’s precise cabinet construction and reliable Blum hardware, made the installation process smoother than expected.

“Although the cabinets are made of particle board, they are extremely well designed and go together quite precisely,” Steve said. “The hardware is outstanding.”

With just a bit of occasional help—five days of assistance from a local day laborer—Steve managed most of the heavy lifting himself, proving that a full-scale kitchen transformation is within reach, even for a retiree.

A Stunning End Result

Steve reused his appliances and sink to keep costs down and invested in granite countertops to finish the look. With natural white oak grain throughout, the kitchen feels warm, clean, and entirely custom—all while maintaining the efficient storage and layout benefits of IKEA’s modular system.

“As you may be able to tell from the photos, we reused our appliances and sink… and the result was a beautiful kitchen that far exceeded our expectations.”

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