Refacing Kitchen Cabinets
Stretching high and low across kitchen walls, cabinets play a prominent role in how your kitchen works and looks. So, when your kitchen cabinets become worn or appear outdated, it may be time to consider a cabinet facelift.
Opt to reface instead of replace tired kitchen cabinets, and you'll save money, time, and the environment. When refacing kitchen cabinets, upper and lower cabinet boxes stay in place instead of being dumped in a landfill; cabinet doors, drawer fronts, and molding details are removed and later replaced with wood, plastic laminate, or rigid thermo foil (RTF) versions that satisfy your style, color, and finish preferences. Before the new elements are installed, the boxes' exposed areas are covered with wood or synthetic veneers that match the finish you've selected.
From beginning to end, refacing projects usually take between two and four days and generally cost as much as 50 percent less than new cabinets. But, the amount of time and money spent varies by cabinet number and the replacement materials you choose.
When does it make sense to reface instead of replace? If you have no plans to remodel your kitchen, are happy with its layout, and your cabinet boxes are structurally sound, refacing is a good option. But, when you have a kitchen remodel on tap and/or your kitchen cabinets are inexpensive, poorly constructed, or damaged, refacing is not a cost-effective option.
Your choices will be broad when it comes to the natural and artificial materials available to reface cabinets. You'll find replacement drawer fronts and doors available in cherry, oak, maple, and birch woods and laminates in both wood tones and a limited number of colors.
In addition to altering a cabinet's color, refacing also allows you to choose a different door style that can change your kitchen's character from country to contemporary, from traditional to transitional, or vice versa. You may also be able to switch how the doors will be hinged and select new hardware to further your preferred design style.
Though refacing cabinets can be a DIY project, applying the veneer can be tricky and may be best left to professionals. When hiring a refacing professional, get bids from at least three companies and check their references.
Instead of refacing your cabinetry, replace just the cabinet doors with new doors that match the existing cabinet's finish. Feeling energetic? Before purchasing new doors, give your cabinets a thorough cleaning that removes embedded dirt and oils to see if that improves the view. Or, refinish shabby patinas by stripping and staining doors, drawers, and cabinet boxes. Perk up timeworn cabinets by applying primer, paint, and/or glaze to create cabinets with custom appeal.
All About Kitchen Cabinets
Choosing your kitchen cabinets can be a big decision. Stock cabinetry offers you quality at a reasonable cost. And with a little creativity you can create a look on your own. It's all about balancing your budget with your need for special details. I'm Lacey Howard. Let's take a look. You'll find Stock cabinets in home centers and catalogs. Essentially you're buying a readymade product that you must fit into your kitchen space. Pricing for Stock Cabinetry is typically per unit so you can mix and match to suit your style and budget. Stock doesn't always mean in stock. You may need to order your cabinets and then wait a few days or even a couple of weeks to have them ship to a retail location or directly to your home. Although Stock Cabinets are often your lowest priced option, pay attention to quality construction of element such as reinforced box and drawer corners. Sides and boxes made of swell resistant vinyl plywood. Lesser cabinets use particle board. Stock Cabinets are available in a limited range of materials. Red oak and Birch are the most common woods although maple is beginning to show up. Thermoplastic heat set vinyl skin over fiberboard is an economical option that provides solid color or mimics natural wood. Stock Cabinet sizes range from 12 to 36 inches wide changing in 3-inch increments. Depths are pretty standard, 12 inches for upper cabinets, 24 for base cabinets. Most doors and drawers on Stock Cabinets are partial overlay or full overlay. Partial overlay allows about an inch of the face frame to show through resulting in a more traditional look. Full overlay has nearly all the face frame giving you a more contemporary look. Some stock cabinets come as flat pats that require assembly. This isn't a difficult task but it does require some time. So plan accordingly. A season do-it-yourself can install Stock Cabinets but a professional installer is practiced at achieving a tightly seen polished look. And don't forget that you can always give Stock Cabinets a style upgrade by mixing and matching hardware or choosing one finished for lower cabinets and another for uppers. So take Stock and decide if Stock Cabinets are right for you and your kitchen.
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Custom Cabinetry
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