How to Make Plywood Cabinet Doors Covered With Beadboard

Measure the opening in the cabinet face that you’ll be covering with the cabinet door, using a tape measure. Get both the height and width of the opening, measuring twice for accuracy. Add an inch to each of the measurements to provide an overlap with the cabinet door.

Mark the modified measurements onto a piece of one-half-inch-thick plywood sheeting with a pencil. Use a straightedge and a carpenter’s square to ensure that the markings are straight and form 90-degree angles at all of the corners. Use the same marking process on the beadboard sheeting to align the beadboard so that the raised areas will run vertically down the face of the cabinet door once attached.

Cut the two boards using a circular saw. Place the saw onto the boards with the blade aligned with the penciled cutting guides and then trigger the blade, pushing the saw along the lines until you’ve reached the end of each one. Position the beadboard face upward when making the cut to avoid creating a rough edge along the beads.

Clamp the two pieces of wood together in their final position. Check the edges for any misalignment. Sand the edges with medium-grit sandpaper to create flush edges between the two boards, and to smooth out the edges from cutting. Wipe away the residue from sanding with a tack cloth.

Place the cutout plywood board onto a flat work surface. Cover the rear of the board with a moderate layer of wood glue. Use a paintbrush to apply the glue evenly over the board’s surface. Brush a layer of wood glue on the rear of the beadboard as well. Allow the glue on both surfaces to dry until tacky -- when the glue loses its wetness but remains sticky to the touch.

Press the glued side of the beadboard onto the glued side of the plywood, with the beadboard positioned so that the beads will run vertically on the cabinet face. Lay craft paper over the beadboard and iron the board to apply heat to the glue, helping the two surfaces to bind together. Remove the paper, and place heavy books over the board’s surface to hold the two boards tightly together as the glue dries. Wait 24 hours.

Remove any glue that seeped from between the boards by sanding it away with fine-grit sandpaper.

Cover the edges of the door with heat-activated wood veneer. Remove the backing paper from the veneer and attach it to the door edges with the beadboard side of the trim extending to the base of the beads only. Iron the veneer in place and then trim to the edges of the door with a router.

Drill a hole through the glued boards in the location where you wish to place the cabinet knob. Use a drill bit the same size as the knob screw, and drill from the beadboard side to avoid splintering on the front of the door. Wipe off any drilling residue, and then run the screw through the hole from the rear of the door, screwing on the knob with a Phillips-head screwdriver.