The Wire Basket: Updating Cabinet Hardware

My first DIY tutorial!

This house came with a lot of gold... and not the good kind! Here are a few really fuzzy before pictures from the house listing online. I really should have taken more "before" pictures so I don't have to use the fuzzy ones!

Time for an update!

Here is what you need to get started:

New knobs/pulls (I did both, but I am only showing how to do the pulls since figure you can unscrew the old knobs and screw on the new ones... Pulls is a little harder...) I got mine on overstock.com - love them!
Drill & a few different size drill bits- make sure you have one that matches the size you need for the pull- mine had a pieces that needed to be recessed into the cabinet, so my biggest size bit matched that.

Screws with a flat end, not pointy (not sure what the technical name is, are they considered bolts?) that are long or short enough- I was installing the pulls mostly into drawers, so there was two surfaces to drill through and the screws that came with the pulls weren't long enough so we went to Ace and got some longer ones.
Tape measure/ruler
Painters Tape
Rubber Mallet
Screw driver
Dust pan & brush- for easy as-you-go clean up

Let's get started!

First take all of the old hardware off. It is ok that there is a hole because the pulls I choose will be centered and will cover it.

Place a length of painters tape over the middle of the drawer. The painters tape helps keep the surface from being chipped or damaged when you drill. These are thermofoil cabinets-- they are cabinets covered in plastic. I would do this for wood cabinets too.

Time to do a little math. I am sure there are many ways to do this, but this is how I did it.

First measure the exact middle of your drawer front. Measure height, divide in 1/2... same with width and then mark where they meet with a dot. Measure the distance from the center dot to the top. Measure down the same distance from the top a few times and draw a horizontal line across the tape, making a line exactly in the middle of your drawer.

The holes in my pulls are 3" apart so I measured 1 1/2" out on each side of the center dot and made dots on the line. I then drew straight lines down off of that mark. I then measured to make sure the distance was still 3" apart.

Then you need to figure out where you want the pull to be centered. I measured the overall height of the pull and then subtracted it from the whole height of the drawer and divided it by two. That number is what I needed above and below my pull for it to be centered. That measurement for me it was 1 1/2". Because where the screws are on the pull are not at the exact bottom, you have to account for that. Mine were 1/8" up from the bottom so I added 1/8" for mine. So I made a mark on the vertical lines 1 1/2" + 1/8" up from the bottom... Make sure you do this on both lines.

Those dots are the ones you are going to drill. Put your pull on the dots, lining up where the screws will go in and see if it looks centered.

It does!

Time to drill the holes-- this is the scary part for the first few drawers, but don't be scared!

I started out with a small drill bit- about 1/3 of what the final hole needed to be.

Then I did one that was about 2/3 as big...

Then the largest bit.

I then made sure the pull fit into the holes. You may need to wiggle the drill around a little when you are drilling with the last bit if it is tight. I used a rubber mallet to pound them into place. DO NOT sure a hammer- it will dent your pulls!!!

Take off the tape and you should have pretty holes!

Pound the pulls back into the holes.

Screw the screws in the back of the drawers.

You are done!

Repeat over and over and over...

Have you noticed that most people don't install pulls or knobs on the "fake" drawers in front of sinks etc? Well, I am not a fan, so I installed them there anyways... I figure people know it isn't a real drawer, and I think they look better this way.