Make Designer Cabinet Pulls for $1.50 Each!
10 Materials
$6
45 Minutes
Easy
I had this plain-jane cabinet I picked up for super cheap! It served us really well, but it was kind of ugly . I knew I could totally rehab it for about $6 using a crazy inexpensive cabinet pull DIY. This was super easy to do, and my $1.50 pulls came out looking just like Restoration Hardware pulls that cost $25 or more!
Here is the cabinet when I got it. Not much to look at right? The charcoal color looked fine with our couches, and it had plenty of storage space and a nice wide top. Basically, it was totally useful, but totally boring.
For the actual pulls, I used rings that I found in the lock section of the hardware store - I think they're the kind used to hold key rings. Really, any type of strong metal ring will do. Just make sure that your fingers can comfortably fit inside your rings before committing to them.
I opened up your wire clip by unscrewing the nuts from the back. After I slipped them off, I put them aside in a pile so I wouldn't lose them.
Then, I slid the saddle off of the U-bolt and put it with the nuts. With everything disassembled (wasn't that easy?), I was ready to prepare my cabinet.
First, I needed to find the center to place my pulls. I did this by measuring with a yardstick from the top left to the bottom right, and marking along that line, then flipping the yardstick and marking from the top right to the bottom left. I marked the point where the lines intersect with a pencil.
Because this pull hangs down, I put it about 1.5 inches above the middle, so that the center of the ring came to the center of the cabinet door. If I had drilled the holes in the center, the pull will actually look lower than the center (strange, but true).
I drilled starter holes (called a pilot hole) before drilling straight through, so that there was no chance of breaking the cheap finish on the cabinet. Make sure to drill at a 90 degree angle.
I drilled two holes the same width as the U-bolt. I found that I had to drill the hole again at a slight angle because my U-bolt flared out a bit at the ends.
I started by sliding my first ring inside the U-bolt. When it was fitted, I checked once again that my fingers fit inside comfortably.
I then slid the saddle on over the U-bolt, pushing it all the way to the bottom of the bolt. I know it doesn't look quite finished, but wait til you see it in!
I brought my newly assembled pulls over to the cabinet and slid them into the holes. I pulled them through tightly to prevent them from loosening too much over time.
Inside the door, I added a washer to each end of the U-bolt. The washers are a must - they will save your cabinet from wear and tear.
For the very last step in my super easy drawer pull update, I screwed the nuts over the washers until they felt really secure. I gave the ring a tug to make sure it was nice and tight.
Once the drawer pulls were in place, I decided that the drab veneer of the counter didn't quite go. Using silver contact paper, I covered the whole top, making it fit cleanly with an X-Acto knife.
And there you have it - voila! An insanely inexpensive and gorgeous cabinet update that no one will believe you DIYed.
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2 of 55 comments
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It looks brand new......love the charcoal and the new clips for hardware.....cool idea!!
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Brilliant!
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