DIY Cabinet Pulls You Can Make For Next To Nothing (That Everyone Will Think Are High End)

Are you ready for the simplest DIY you can make in just minutes that will make a huge impact?

We had cabinets in our playroom that were cute, but they had no handles on them, so my girls would have a bit of a hard time opening them (and I felt they were missing out on a design element).

I saw one of my friends, Ashley, making her own pulls for one of her DIY cabinets and they were so perfect, so I thought I’d give it a try myself!

When I was done, I couldn’t believe how simple it was and the difference it made!

DIY CABINET PULLS YOU CAN MAKE FOR NEXT TO NOTHING (THAT EVERYONE WILL THINK ARE HIGH END)

First things first, let’s start with the materials!

MATERIALS

You need…

3/4″ dowel rods (I got these hardwood dowel rods that were 3/4″ x 48″.)

3/4″ copper bell clamps (2 per cabinet)

I recommend having these tools on hand for the process…

• Power drill with a Phillips head bit
• Miter or hand saw
• Tape measure
• Level
• Paint
• Paintbrush

GET YOUR DOWELS READY

Before you get started, decide how long you want your dowels to be for each of your cabinets. I cut my 48″ dowel down into thirds and used 1 16″ long piece for each of my larger cabinets. I used an 8″ piece for my smaller cabinets.

This is totally personal preference, so make sure you hold up your dowels on your cabinets, eyeball it, measure it, and decide the length you’re looking for.

Once you know, go ahead and use a miter saw or hand saw to cut your dowels down to size.

Next, go ahead and paint your dowels whatever color you want! For cabinets throughout my home, I probably would have chosen a white. But this project is for the playroom, and my girls wanted green, so green they got!

I used Gatherings by Magnolia to paint these!

GET READY TO INSTALL

Once your paint is dry, grab your bell clamps, dowels, and drill (and a tape measure and level too), and head to your cabinets!

I took my bell clamps and dowels and eyeballed where I wanted it on the first cabinet, then I used that placement to measure for the rest of the cabinets!

Do whatever feels right for you here! But make sure after you get your first one placed that you measure and install the others exactly where your first one is so they look uniform.

I also installed mine so the dowel extended past the clamps a few inches. Again, this is up to you whether you want the clamps closer to the ends or the middle – I just eyeballed what I liked best for mine and went with it!

Unscrew the top of your bell clamps to open them up, then using the screw provided, secure the bell clamp into your cabinet door.

If it pokes through the back of the cabinet, use a screw cap on the back to cover the sharp end (my clamps came with some, so I just used them!).

Secure your second bell clamp on your cabinet door, then feed your dowel through and screw it into place by securing the top of the bell clamp back down on either side.

This is why it’s important your dowel diameter and your bell clamps are the same size — mine were each 3/4″.

REPEAT FOR EACH CABINET DOOR

Repeat these steps for each cabinet door you’re adding a handle to, and that’s truly it!

Such an inexpensive and simple way to add a whole lot of character to your cabinets for less than $3/pull!

What do you think? Would you try this DIY? Let me know!