Cabinet Refacing and Refinishing Information
You might be distressed with how your kitchen or bath cabinets look, especially if that was not their intended finish. Cabinets take a lot of abuse from sticky hands, water, kitchen grease, spills and simple constant use. There are less expensive alternatives to completely replacing old cabinets with new ones. If your cabinets are basically sound and the cabinet layout does not need to change, refacing or refinishing cabinets can be an attractive, economical alternative. Does this Spark an idea?
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Cabinet Refacing
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In cabinet refacing, the door and drawer fronts of the old cabinets are completely removed and replaced with new ones. The face frames, or visible parts of the cabinet fronts, and the visible ends are covered with a matching veneer. The same goes for the toe kick on lower cabinets and the undersides of upper cabinets.
The knobs and pulls are typically replaced at the same time. Broken drawers can be replaced and drawer hardware and guides can easily be upgraded. There are many options for installing lazy susans, matching crown molding and pullout shelves at the same time.
Two benefits are that contractor-installed cabinet refacing typically costs about half as much as new cabinets, and the work can be completed in days, not weeks.
Refinishing with Paint
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As with refacing, painting cabinets is also a good choice if the existing cabinets are sturdy and in good repair. Metal, melamine or laminate cabinets are not good candidates, but any wood or plywood cabinets can be painted. The cabinet surfaces can be sanded down to the original finish, stripped or, in some cases, just washed and sanded enough to hold the new finish. If the existing finishes are catalyzed lacquer or conversion varnish, both very hard when cured, stripping is recommended to prevent adhesion problems with the new paint.
Prep work is key to a good result with paint. Contractors typically spray cabinets when repainting, for evenness. Paint can be either oil or latex, with gloss being the recommended sheen to stand up to scrubbing.
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Refinishing with Stain
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Staining is appropriate for only real wood cabinets, not those made with particleboard or manufactured materials. To stain, the existing finish must be totally removed before the wood can be sanded and conditioned to accept a new stain. The final step is a protective top coat.
Staining is painstaking work. Problems encountered will be more difficult to fix than with paint, and the entire process will take longer. More coats are needed, and drying time is needed between coats.
DIY?
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Any of the above options can be tackled by a do-it-yourselfer, including cabinet refacing. There are companies that sell replacement door and drawer fronts to homeowners; they also offer instructions on how to measure and do the work. Judging by comments left on "This Old House" online, do-it-yourselfers have had success with this process.
Links to "This Old House" articles on cabinet refacing and cabinet painting are found in references, along with a link to "Staining Kitchen Cabinets-A How-To Guide."
When considering refacing or refinishing cabinets yourself, be realistic about the amount of work involved, and consider whether your time constraints and skill level make these projects feasible for you.
Hire a Contractor?
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Refacing, painting and refinishing cabinets are all less expensive than removing and replacing them, even when done by a contractor. If you do not have the time or skills to do it yourself, you will still save money compared to buying new cabinets. Get three bids for the work, and check the references of the companies bidding. Read contracts carefully before signing to find out what your options are if something goes wrong.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Kakisky/Morguefile
