Updating the media console in our family room is a project that started out of pure circumstance. I love our media console in our family room in every way. And quite frankly, nothing was wrong with it. But with a little curious and active boy in the house, things were bound to change, we needed our media console door fronts to be safer.
The original cabinet doors had glass inserts in them. My son, however, over time, has broken a few of the glass inserts. Four of the glass inserts are missing on the left-hand side of the console.I started to realize that having the glass on the media console was a hazard to my children. I no longer wanted to risk their safety by keeping the glass in so I started to try and think of alternative solutions.
My first thought was, “Should I get rid of the whole console altogether?” Going through the process of trying to find a new one would have been too exhausting. I also considered just replacing the glass but that would not have solved the problem.
Instead, I started to brainstorm what I could use to replace the door inserts without diminishing the original style of the console but keep my children safe. The solution I found was to replace the glass inserts with cane webbing sheets.
Cane webbing is a series of thin cane strips that are pre-woven into different patterns. These woven cane are most famously used on chair seats and backs but can also be used on any type of opening.
I decided to remove the glass inserts from the cabinet doors and insert the cane webbing sheets in the openings. Here’s a step-by-step tutorial of how I updated my media console.
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Materials:
Radio Weave Cane Webbing
Staples
Paint of Choice – Behr Ultra Scuff Defense
Painter’s Tape
Paper or Plastic Bag
Tools:
Scissors
Measuring Tape
Screw drivers (if needed)
Manual Staple Gun or Cordless Staple Gun
Paint Sprayer or Spray Paint
Step One – Label & Remove The Doors
Since I have 6 doors on my media console, it was extremely important for me to make sure that I organized the doors first and foremost. I needed to make sure that I would know where to put the doors back when I was finished adding the cane webbing to the cabinet doors.
First, I used blue paint tape to name each of the doors. I added the blue paint tape to the door frame and to the side opening in order to tell the difference in the doors. Doing this at the very beginning would save me so much time when I was ready to put the doors back on the hinges.
Step Two – Remove The Glass Inserts
The next step would be to carefully remove the doors from the console and then remove the glass inserts. I would suggest removing the glass with a blanket or cloth placed under the doors, just in case.
Step Three – Measure Cane Webbing Sheets
After the glass is safely removed from the cabinet doors, it is time to measure the openings for the cane webbing sheets that will be placed on the cabinet doors.
The openings on my door were measured at about 16 inches so I purchased cane webbing that would be wider than that. The measurements of the cane webbing I purchased were 18 inches x 36 inches. This length was perfect to fit the entire console.
Step Four – Prepare Cane Webbing Sheets
After making sure I had enough cane sheets to cover all of the desired area, I had to soaked it in water. the cane webbing. Cane webbing is a very stiff material and has the ability to crack.
In order to make it more flexible to install, you must soak the sheets for at least 30 mins. I filled up my bath tub with warm water and soaked the sheet for an hour. Once the hour was up, I partially dried it so that I could cut into it.
Step Five – Cut Sheets For Each Opening
Cut the cane webbing into pieces that will fit into the cabinet door openings. Always make sure you cut slightly bigger than the opening so that you leave a little room for a margin of error.
Double check to make sure the pieces all fit in the cabinet door openings.
Step Six – Install Cane Webbing Sheets
Use a staple gun to secure the cane webbing sheet to the cabinet door. Make sure to secure it within the frame of the opening. Pulling the cane sheet side to side for a tight install, I used a manual staple gun to do this and it took a significant amount of energy to secure every piece of cane webbing.
I would suggest using an electric staple gun and save your hand the trouble.Trust me! You will thank me for it..haha.
Step Seven – Secure the Cane Sheets
After making sure every section of the cane sheets are secured to the door. I cut the excess sheets from inside the cabinet door frame.
Tip: Be sure that there are no visible cane strips sticking out of the door.
Step Eight – Prep For Painting
Now it is time to prep the cane cabinet door fronts for painting. I used a combination of painter’s tape, scrap paper and plastic bags to protect the frame of the door from getting paint on them.
Tip: Make sure the tape and plastic are as precise as possible so as not to miss any spots.
Step Nine – The Smooth Finishing
It’s time to make everything pretty! I used a spray painter to guarantee a smooth finish. In order to make sure that the color I was painting the cane webbing sheets was a perfect match to the rest of the console, I took a chip of the console to Home Depot. I would suggest taking a chip from a side of the furniture that is not visible.
At Home Depot, I chose to go with the Behr Ultra Scuff Defense paint line. I love using this particular Behr brand because it is a paint and primer in one. Also, using Behr Ultra Scuff Defense ensures that the paint will be more durable and be able to withstand anything my children might throw its way.
Step Ten – The Cane Cabinet Door Inserts
Once the paint is dried, remove the plastic and painter’s tape. Remember to place the doors back in the original order you numbered them in.
And there you have it! The cane cabinet doors are now complete.
To be honest, I love it more with the cane webbing sheets than I did with the glass inserts. What do you think? Let me know your thoughts about this project.
xo, Gbeke
Yes, it does look better; more organic, too. Lovely home! I have a bunch of staplers and never found any of them suitable – so I got an ‘electric” one, and that doesn’t do the job either! Have you got one that you like best? Maybe we need to get a pneumatic one! (with a compressor and everything)