How Do I Childproof Cabinets Without Drilling Holes in Doors I Just Paid to Update?

You just invested in beautiful refinished or refaced cabinets, and now there’s a crawling baby in the house who wants to open every single one. I have been there, and it can be quite stressful! The instinct is to reach for cabinet locks, but the two most common types both create problems: drilled-in locks put permanent holes in doors you just paid to renew, and cheap adhesive latches can pull the finish right off when you remove them later. Here’s how to protect both your child and your investment.

This is a question we hear from a lot of young families across LA, and the good news is you have better options than you think.

Why Drilling Is the Wrong Move on Fresh Cabinets

Magnetic and screw-mounted locks are secure, but they require drilling into the interior face of your doors and frames. On brand-new refaced doors or a freshly sprayed finish, that’s permanent damage to the exact surfaces you invested in.When your child outgrows the locks in two or three years, you’re left with visible screw holes.

For cabinets you just updated, this sadly defeats the purpose.

The Adhesive Latch Problem Nobody Warns You About

Adhesive strap latches seem like the finish-friendly choice because there’s no drilling. The catch is the adhesive itself. A strong 3M-style adhesive bonds hard to a smooth cured finish, and when you peel it off later, it can easily lift the topcoat or leave a dull, gummy patch that needs refinishing. This has happened to me personally. The higher quality your finish, the more it hurts to damage it this way.

If you do use adhesive latches, the safest approach is to place them on interior surfaces that don’t show, test one first in a hidden spot, and remove them with gentle heat from a hair dryer to soften the adhesive rather than ripping them off cold. But there are approaches that avoid the risk entirely.

Finish-Safe Options That Actually Work

A spring-loaded rod placed vertically behind the doors blocks them from opening, with zero contact with the finish. Best for double-door base cabinets.

For cabinets with two adjacent knobs or pulls, a U-shaped sliding lock loops over both handles. No adhesive, no drilling, and it grips the hardware, not the finish.

Move dangerous items (cleaners, sharp tools) to a high cabinet and designate one low cabinet as the ‘kid cabinet’ with safe items like plastic containers, toys, or even baby safe snacks. This eliminates the need to lock most cabinets at all.

If you want the invisible magnetic-key style, choose a reputable brand, and place the adhesive plate on the inside of the frame where any residue won’t show.

Protecting the Finish Long-Term

Beyond locks, the surfaces small children touch most, lower door faces and edges around handles, take the most wear from sticky hands and toys. A durable finish matters here. We finish almost exclusively with General Finishes products, applied with HVLP sprayers and cured on horizontal drying racks, specifically because that combination stands up to daily family life better than a brushed-on finish. If your cabinets are already showing wear at kid height, that’s something a refinish can address.

Have questions about protecting a finish we applied, or thinking about refinishing cabinets that have taken a beating from the kids? Call Cabinet Refresh at (888) 885-2058.