Kitchen units - turning into open cupboards - best way to fill / cover holes?

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Hello.

I've removed an old integrated oven from an IKEA kitchen, and want to turn the space it occupied into an open front storage for cook books and the likes.

However, the sides are littered with screw-holes.

photo_2025-07-13_18-50-56.jpg


What's my best bet for getting rid of these? Should I just get some conti board and line the insides of the space with it?

Cheers.
 
Filler, paint
Thin ply, paint
Filler, paper
 
Those plugs look crap, I had a similar conundrum when I did my IKEA bookcase hack, I ended up using Red Devil One Time as per this thread https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/wood-filler-for-billy-bookcases.612417/ though you may want to consider one of the other fillers recommended in that thread if you think durability may be an issue, I can give you a good painting regime for these kinds of finishes too if required.
 
3mm white pvc board.
No filling, no sanding , perfect finish.
another one for white board on the sides but just be aware if you want to fit a shelve with the 5mm shelve pins you must remove the say 3mm cladding thickness from the shelve length on one or both ends iff panelled both sides
other options is fit the shelves first then clad between shelves keeping in mind the shelve pegs will get in the way
 
Those plugs look crap, I had a similar conundrum when I did my IKEA bookcase hack, I ended up using Red Devil One Time as per this thread https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/wood-filler-for-billy-bookcases.612417/ though you may want to consider one of the other fillers recommended in that thread if you think durability may be an issue, I can give you a good painting regime for these kinds of finishes too if required.

Thanks for the reply. Agree about the plugs. What was the painting regime you used?
 
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The regime I followed was this but I had loads to do so this might seem excessive for a single unit!

After filling the holes,

1. Wash them with hot soapy water and dry off (ie washing up liquid).
2. Wipe over with isopropyl alcohol.
3. Prime with Zinsser Bullseye 123 primer.
4. Paint with whatever paint you want to use, I used Dulux Satinwood.

But I did have previous advice from foxhole who recommended this as an all in one prep/primer: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Owatrol-Li...878699649-B00CITLDKC-&hvexpln=74&gad_source=1
 
Iine all sides with a contrasting coloured board, that suits the style of the kitchen.
 
photo_2025-08-07_22-14-05.jpg


Thanks to @foxhole for the suggestion, and to @freddiemercurystwin for linking me to some 3mm PVC sheets. Measured up, and they arrived today and (even covered in blue wrap) look great. Instant cover up of all the holes (backs tbd).

What adhesive would you recommend for sticking PVC board to a kitchen cabinet surface? Cheers.
 
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screwfix. soudal-fix-all-sealant-adhesive-crystal-290ml/51412
 
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