How to Replace Cabinet Shelves | eHow

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Elizabeth Chaplin

Elizabeth Chaplin has been writing professionally since 2005 and has published articles with various websites. She works as a freelance children's book illustrator and graphic designer and is knowledgeable in crafting, interior design and photography. She is also an amateur hairstylist who has been cutting and coloring hair since 2003. Chaplin has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration from Columbia College.

Cabinet shelving must often be replaced after long-term use. Shelves can bow with the constant weight of cans of food, kitchen appliances and books, and this bowing can cause cracking. Shelves inside cabinets are relatively easy to replace because they do not need to be decorative. This means the shelf can be created from particle board or plywood. Most cabinets have notches along the sides to hold shelf hangers, which insert into the notches and hold the shelf in place. Creating replacement shelves is fairly easy to do.

Measure the inside of the cabinet from left to right and back to front.

Mark and cut a sheet of 1/2-inch particle board or plywood to fit.

Test the shelf for size by sliding it into the cabinet. The shelf should fit somewhat snugly but still be loose enough to slide in and out.

Remove the shelf and sand its outer edge and top. This will roughen the surface and make the adhesive grip better. Vacuum up the dust.

Measure and cut laminate with a utility knife to fit the front edge and the top of the shelf--the parts that will be visible.

Brush contact cement onto the top and the front edge of the shelf and the backside of the laminate.

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How to Replace Cabinet Shelves | eHow