You don’t need custom cabinetry to create a custom-looking laundry room. In one of her DIY projects, DIYer April Wilkerson showed how a combination of stock cabinets with upgraded cabinet doors achieves a custom look for a fraction of the price!
Buy Stock Cabinets From Your Local Home Store
Rather than building cabinet boxes from scratch, April started with affordable stock cabinets (IKEA is a popular choice), and added Front + Center door fronts to create a finished look that feels built in.
As April puts it, “Buy what you can off the shelf to save yourself a ton of work.”
Stock cabinet boxes are easy to find and very affordable. You can find them pre-assembled for less than it would cost to build your own.
Add Cabinet Doors From Front + Center
While stock cabinets provide a solid foundation, the cabinet doors are what define the overall style.
April summed it up best:
“Ninety-five percent of the look comes from the style and coloring of your doors.”
To give the laundry room a more custom appearance, April replaced the standard cabinet doors and drawer fronts with Front + Center’s custom Shaker doors. She selected unfinished MDF so the cabinet boxes and doors could be painted together, creating a cohesive finish throughout the room.
Every Front + Center door and drawer front is made to order and arrives with pre-bored hinge mortises, making installation simple whether you’re updating stock cabinets or refreshing existing cabinetry.
Paint Everything Together
Since April chose unfinished MDF doors, she was able to paint both the cabinet boxes and doors at the same time for a consistent look.
Before choosing your paint, order a Front + Center Color Swatch and take it to your local paint store. They can scan the swatch and create a custom paint match in your preferred paint brand.
Need help getting started? Follow our Prep + Paint Guide for step-by-step instructions on prepping, painting, and finishing your cabinet boxes.
Add Custom Touches
One of the best parts of April’s project is that she customized only where she needed to.
She used stock cabinets for most of the room, then built a few custom pieces to fit her space—including a hidden pull-out laundry hamper. It’s a great reminder that you don’t have to custom-build everything. Start with stock cabinets, then add custom features where they’ll make the biggest impact.
The Finished Result
By combining stock cabinets with Front + Center cabinet doors, April created a laundry room that looks custom without the time or cost of building every cabinet from scratch.
Whether you’re updating a laundry room, mudroom, bathroom, or kitchen, the same approach can help you achieve a custom look that’s both affordable and DIY-friendly.
