Want to revamp an old kitchen within your budget? Do a kitchen refacing. Cheaper than a full kitchen remodel, refacing involves replacing the cabinet doors and drawer fronts, applying a plastic laminate or wood veneer on the cabinet boxes to match the new ones, and adding new molding or trim for a completely different look. Read more about this makeover technique in the article below.
Undertaking a full kitchen remodel can be exciting, but also expensive and disruptive to your home’s routine. If your kitchen layout basically works and your cabinets are sturdy, you may only need to update the doors and drawer fronts by refacing or refinishing them.
Refacing involves replacing the cabinet doors, drawer fronts and perhaps some entire boxes, and applying a plastic laminate or wood veneer over all of the cabinet boxes to match the new ones. At the same time, you can change hardware and add molding or trim for a completely different look.
“You can also install a pantry or an island to match,” said Linda Fennessy, Marketing manager for Kitchen Magic, which has many New Jersey locations, including one in Wayne. “We call this the hybrid solution — add some and reface some.”
QUICK-CHANGE ARTISTRY
“Cabinet refacing typically takes three to five days,” Fennessy explained. “The less time our customers are without their kitchens, the better. We understand the kitchen is the hub of the home, so we always take this into consideration and map out the ideal schedule to complete the job as quickly as possible.”
After the doors, drawers, existing trim and toe kick are removed, the cabinet boxes have to be prepared so the veneer completely bonds to their surface. This involves a light sanding followed by a thorough cleaning to remove all traces of grease and grime.
Once dry, and wiped clean of any residual dust or sanding particles, the cabinet boxes are ready to accept the veneer, which is applied with an adhesive. (If there are dings or small holes, they can be easily repaired with wood filler.) Attach the new doors, install drawers and hardware, and voilà! Your kitchen can look brand-new.
If you’re also adding cabinets or a new countertop, Fennessy advised that these will extend the timeline of your project.
While transforming the outer appearance of your cabinets, you can also add interior storage options, such as drawer organizers lazy Susans pullout bins slide-out shelves roll-out racks recycling bins.
TO ‘RE’ OR NOT TO ‘RE’?
Are all cabinets good candidates for refacing? “All cabinets can be refaced if they are structurally sound,” Fennessy said. “It’s usually the doors that take a beating over the years.”
Wood cabinets are probably the best type for this project, she said, and if you are living in 50-year-old house with the original kitchen, you may be in luck!
“Typically, older homes have furniture-quality cabinets with great ‘bones’ for refacing,” Fennessy explained. “That’s not to say solidwood cabinets are the only possible candidates — we’ve even refaced metal ones.” But if you have cheap, poor-quality cabinets, she said, it’s better to just replace them.
“The Kitchen Magic representative who visits your home will determine [whether or not refacing will work] before he or she provides an estimate,” Fennessy said. “Even if only some of the cabinets are in structurally sound shape, we can replace the failing ones and reface the rest to match.”
Refacing also is an eco-friendly choice, as it avoids cutting down more trees and trucking tons of wasted material to a landfill. And besides requiring less downtime for your kitchen, it can save you up to 50 percent over the cost of new cabinets. That leaves you more resources to replace a countertop and backsplash or upgrade your appliances.
THE DIY ALTERNATIVE
Refacing cabinets on your own is generally not recommended for do-it-yourselfers, because applying veneer skillfully is difficult. Your best bet to update these surfaces yourself is with fresh stain or paint.
“Painting or re-staining can bring out your older cabinets’ personality,” said Joe Pisarri of Eagle Paint & Wallaper, Englewood. However, he recommended it only for cabinets made of solid wood. “You might consider updating older oak cabinets this way, as opposed to cabinets made of MDF or plastic laminate.”
He also emphasized the prep work: “First, you have to wash the cabinets with a degreaser such as trisodium phosphate (tsp) and water.” (TSP can cause dark staining on wood, so don’t do this unless you plan to apply a new, darker stain or paint the cabinets.)
“You also have to sand the surface to a smooth finish for it to accept paint,” Pisarri added. “But properly painted cabinets can improve your kitchen and therefore increase the value of your house.”
So whether you choose to reface, re-paint or re-stain them, bringing your dingy kitchen cabinets up to date is a smart investment.
Frank LaMark is the president of CabinetsDirectRTA.com, an e-commerce website that sells kitchen cabinets in the U.S. and Canada. Follow this blog for more kitchen makeover tips.
