Refacing Kitchen Cabinets On Your Own

Do you intend to give your kitchen a really good refurbished look? Are your cabinets looking dingy and out of date? You may not know that it is extremely easy for you to get started refacing kitchen cabinets. You may have not done anything like this before, but you really can do it if you take it step-by-step. Who knows, it may become fun for you and encourage you to explore further refinishing projects throughout the home.

Remember that kitchen cabinet refacing is really rather easy to; all you need is a little bit of time. First you need to collect some easy to get items like sandpaper, wood putty, screwdrivers, sanding blocks and then a really stylish varnish or paint.  Sounds like a trip to the local hardware or big box store.  The makings of a great afternoon.

Back to the project. Remove the doors from their hinges, and unscrew the metal parts. It is much better to take off the cabinets and work in a place where you can sit on some newspapers and scrub off the old finish. You need to remove the grease from the cabinet first. The paint and the old finish can be removed by using mineral spirits, turpentine, denatured alcohol, lacquer thinner depending on whether the finish is wax, latex, shellac, or polyurethane.

It is always a good idea to thoroughly sand the rough areas to provide a smooth foundation and remove any leftover finish. This is imperative since the cabinet will not be as smooth if you don’t take the time at this step.

Wipe off the accumulated dust with a cheese cloth. Fill in the dents with wood putty and sand the puttied areas. Apply paint or stain using bonding agents following the instructions of the manufacturer. Staining kitchen cabinets will add a deep accent that will bring out the beauty of the wood. Apply a good polyurethane to protect the cabinets and let dry thoroughly.

Now is the time to rehang the doors, sit back, and enjoy your hard work.  When it is done, the major difference your cabinet refacing project has made will be apparent, and you will know it was worth it.

Kitchen cabinet refacing is pretty simple when you break down the steps, plan, and slowly work through the steps.

In your home remodeling plan, you’ve decided to reface kitchen cabinets? An excellent choice. Refacing kitchen cabinets, as opposed to replacing, can cut your kitchen remodeling costs in half. Assuming your cabinets were solidly constructed, are in good condition, drawers open, the storage and counter space is all to your liking, there is no need to spend the tens of thousands of dollars it could cost to do a total kitchen remodel. When you investigate the costs of refacing kitchen cabinet doors and drawers, you should be very pleased. But not all refacing jobs cost the same. Aside from the size of the job, the materials you decide to use and the contractors you enlist will have a huge impact of that kitchen cabinet refacing cost.

The cheapest way to go is with pure laminate. The reason most people don’t reface with laminate, however, is because usually that refacing job has been motivated a lot by aesthetics…and laminate simply doesn’t look that great.

The most expensive refacing job is done with solid wood. Solid wood has hundreds of years old quality reputation, and is unbeatably gorgeous. There are drawbacks to solid wood, like warping, scratching, or splintering. Under normal conditions, however, a contractor should be able to guarantee against these.

The popular third choice is the beautiful yet reasonably priced RTF. RTF, rigid thermofoil, is a computer controlled heat and pressure process basically laminating thermofoil onto an MDF (wood composite) panel. Since it is not solid wood, it will further reduce the cost of refacing kitchen cabinets in your home. RTF can be pressure molded into any style door you like; Shaker, square, arched or cathedral doors are all possible even with this less expensive product. Not so for laminate, and expensively so with wood. RTF is also easy to clean. It handles different cleaning agents well, unlike real wood. Though RTF is usually made to look like wood, seams and all, it is actually seamless, which protects you against expanding and contracting.

So, what are the drawbacks to RTF? It is not heat resistant, it may discolor, and the RTF may sometimes separate from the MDF underneath. To save yourself these troubles, you must seek out companies that use heat shields and guarantee against separation.

It’s up to you to decide the kitchen cabinet refacing price that will be set on your home. It certainly shouldn’t break your budget; the question is how much will you save. The primary question is what material will you use.

The time has come.  Years of wear and tear, soup splatters and toddlers writing on the walls… You must redo the kitchen before the next visitors arrive!  But how to reface kitchen cabinets?  It’s not like buying new curtains, but you don’t want any aggressive construction workers ripping through your walls.  And what will the cabinet refacing cost do to your budget?
Well, let’s lay it out for you and assuage all those concerns.

Kitchen cabinet refacing is far less expensive than ripping out the old cabinets and replacing them entirely.  It only involves replacing the doors and dolling up the framework that holds them.  Kitchen cabinet resurfacing costs will range from $1000 to $5000.  Compared to a full kitchen remodeling which can run into tens of thousands of dollars, resurfacing kitchen cabinets will leave your savings quite in tact.  You’ll get a brand new look for your kitchen, just by replacing doors and drawers, and perhaps matching veneer and laminate for other exposed surfaces.

Refacing kitchen cabinets is the most economical way to remodel your kitchen.  It takes only a few days.  It can be more than 50% less than what you’d pay for doing it all from scratch.  Consider it:

Is resurfacing kitchen cabinets the right choice for you?

Are you seeking a fresh, clean, new look for your kitchen?  If so, refacing the cabinets is the way to go.  However, if the cabinet structure is severely damaged, you may need to consider more serious work.

How to reface kitchen cabinets:

Make sure to gather the names of a few cabinet refacing specialists who are licensed and come with good recommendations.  Invite them to see your kitchen and estimate a quote of costs.  The right company will make sure your cabinets don’t need more serious work.  They should also consider more than the optical changes; do you need new drawer guides, shelf boards, etc.  Then, have them help you come up with some 3D visual design plans.  After you’ve spoken with your specialists, you should be able to compare them.  The designs and quality they offer, the cost estimate they’ve given you, and the amount of time they propose to do the work in.

Enjoy your cabinet refacing!

The work should only take a few days.  Costs should be within reason. It should be a beautiful product.  Be proud!