Is it Really a Difficult Process?
What is cabinet refacing? Cabinet Refacing is essentially the act of replacing entire cabinet skin panels on your kitchen cupboards to give your kitchen an overhauled, more dramatic appearance. Your cabinets might be dented or scratched, or you might just want a change in your cupboards for one reason or another – perhaps you bought a house with an unfinished kitchen and wanted to give it a more finished look; maybe you just enjoy a more modern style. Whatever the reason, refinishing your cabinets is a great way to achieve your goals without having to undergo the expense and hassle of completely replacing your cabinets. It’s also a lot less expensive than getting new cabinets and doing the work yourself.
There are several methods for doing cabinet refacing. You can cover your existing doors with a laminate veneer. This will cover up all flaws and scratches, but it won’t give your cupboard’s the brand-new sheen they need. If you’d rather keep your doors open while giving your cabinets a face-lift, you could purchase new hinges and drawer fronts. These are available in a wide variety of finishes and styles, so you should be able to find something that suits your personal preferences.
Other people choose to completely replace their kitchen cabinets. If this option appeals to you, your first step should be to determine which type of cabinets you have. For example, if you have traditional kitchen cabinets with all wooden drawers and doors, then refinishing them probably isn’t a good idea. However, if you happen to have old, creaky wood cabinets, then you can most likely get away with a complete remodel. If you want to avoid the expense and hassle of completely replacing your cabinets, you should consider some level of cabinet refacing first.
Cabinet refacing involves removing the existing doors and drawer boxes, as well as any attached hardware, and adding new glides and handles, among other things. The general process can take up to four days, depending on the extent of the refinishing required. In most cases, you’ll also need to remove the doors and drawer fronts a day or two before beginning the job. Make sure you take the time to carefully read the job-plan that came with your cabinets before starting. If there are any instructions you weren’t able to follow, use a different book.
If you’re simply trying to brighten up your kitchen cabinet doors without replacing them, then laminate won’t work for you. If you want to change the hardware on your drawers, however, you’ll be happy to know that you can find new replacement drawer fronts, as well as new door faces and face frames in just about any type of wood. Solid wood doors are the most popular option because they preserve the integrity of your doors, as well as add warmth and charm. For this reason, many homeowners reface their entire kitchen cabinets when they redo their doors.
You can do cabinet painting in a similar fashion. Painting cabinetry helps to bring out the grain and character of the wood, as well as brighten up the room. Using an acid based penetrating finish or stain will help protect your new cabinetry from stains and scratches. This way, you can have a beautiful new kitchen that looks as if it was always freshly refaced. If you are looking to save money, some cabinet painters will even do a subliminal cabinet painting job so that you won’t even realize that the cabinetry was refaced.
Both of these types of refinishing cabinets involve sanding down the cabinetry, sanding new surfaces, staining, and then painting. However, you might find that the refinishing option is more attractive to you. Refinishing kitchen cabinets is less time consuming than refinishing. Instead of waiting for all of the cabinet wood to swell and dry, as happens with refinishing, you simply sand down the frames until the wood looks sanded down, and then you paint. The end result is a beautiful and professional looking kitchen that will last for years to come.
Both of these options allow you to maintain the same style but give your rooms a refreshed appearance that will certainly make you glad you decided to refinish. What is cabinet refacing? Is it really all that difficult of a process? With all of the options available today, it’s easy to see why people choose to reface their old cabinets.