Cabinet Refacing: Why Remodelers Are Recommending It over Replacing

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For homeowners who have a kitchen that needs a major makeover yet they do not have the cash to get it done, cabinet refacing is an affordable solution. Instead of replacing an entire cabinet box, refacing involves just replacing the doors of your cabinets. This is good for the environment, low cost, and it updates the look of your home.

To help you understand how it can give your home a facelift, Kitchen Solvers will use this blog entry to address the most common questions about cabinet refacing and help you decide if it is the right choice for you.

What Exactly Is Cabinet Refacing?

It is probably hard for you to imagine what cabinet refacing is when you hear the phrase. But, in actuality, it is both smart and fairly easy to understand. Completely replacing the drawer faces and doors and covering the existing cabinet boxes with a thin veneer are essentially the main elements of refacing. This allows you to maintain quality workmanship while radically changing the look of your kitchen.

Make a point of inspecting the structure of your cabinets to see if refacing is a viable option before you think about completely replacing your cabinets. The actual workmanship of cabinets in older homes is usually really good. If this is the case with your home, there are many options for cabinet refacing available to you. You can transform your home from bland to French provincial or traditional to modern and sleek.

What Is the Price Comparison for Cabinet Refacing versus Replacing?

Compared to completely replacing all of your cabinets, it is probably obvious to most that cabinet refacing is quite a bit less expensive. But, how much less expensive is it? Let’s take a look at the numbers. The average budget for a full kitchen remodel is about $31,000 according to Consumer Reports. The priciest part of a kitchen remodel is most often replacing cabinets. However, instead of buying an entirely new cabinet, you are only purchasing new drawers and doors when you reface.

Since the doors are essentially all you see of a cabinet, it seems silly to spend so much on replacing an entire cabinet. The cost for cabinet refacing varies depending on the job, but the industry wide estimates are usually in the range of $150 to $300 per door opening. The amount you will save by choosing to reface will depend on the style of doors you choose, the materials you select for refacing, and the size of your kitchen.

How Does Cabinet Refacing Change Your Home’s Appearance?

You can update the style of your home by refacing wherever you have a cabinet, whether it is in your bathroom, living room, or kitchen. Depending on what you are looking to do, the change can be dramatic or subtle.

You could give each room a unique look by taking your uniform, oak colored cabinets and refacing them a different way in each room of your house. Or, you could update the cabinets to better reflect your tastes, while still maintaining a uniform appearance across rooms.

You also have the freedom to choose whatever materials you want used when refacing cabinets. For example, depending on the look you are hoping to achieve, you can choose what veneer you want covering your cabinet boxes. It could be a wood or laminate veneer. Your choice of doors is where the real dramatic differences will show.

You will be surprised to see the array of stunning options that exist to give your rooms some new life if you have been living with bland cabinet doors for years. You can replace solid wood cabinet doors with glass cabinet doors with lighting to show off items contained within. This can really change the décor of a room.

Should You Hire a Professional to Do This?

Though there are a lot of projects you can work on by yourself to spruce up your kitchen, cabinet refacing is a task that is better left to the professionals. This is because there are just too many ways in which a novice could mess up. Our refacing experts at Kitchen Solvers have been called in too many times to fix others’ mistakes. Even men and women who consider themselves experienced handypersons have had to give us a call to finish their project the right way. It typically ends up being more expensive than if they had just called us in the first place.

It takes special skills to apply veneer to cabinets. These skills take years of training. It is simply less time and labor intensive to go with a professional. And, in the long run, you will end up saving money.

Other Reasons to Choose Cabinet Refacing over Replacing

Still not convinced? Here are a few more reasons why remodeling experts are recommending cabinet refacing:

  • Save on Inconveniences – Typically, you need to hire a contractor to disconnect all gas, electrical, and water lines that may be inside a cabinet unit before you can install a new cabinet. When you choose refacing instead, this can normally be avoided.
  • Save Time – The amount of time needed for cabinet refacing is incredibly short compared to replacing your cabinets. This is perhaps the biggest advantage. Depending on how complex the project is, a full remodel can take weeks to complete. However, it just takes a few days for a refacing project. Plus, you can use your kitchen during the process.
  • Protect Countertops – You take a chance of breaking your countertop during the process of replacing cabinets. This may be okay if you were going to replace it anyway, but it is risky if you like your countertop. To install new cabinets, your countertop must be removed. This is not the case with most refacing jobs.
  • Protect the Environment – When you replace your cabinets, what happens to the old ones? Typically, they end up in a landfill. Cabinet refacing is the more eco-friendly alternative.

If you are interested in learning more about cabinet refacing, do not hesitate to contact the experts at Kitchen Solvers.

For more information on cabinet refacing, check out our article – Cabinet Refacing – Is it the Best Option For Your Kitchen Remodeling Project.  And be sure to research kitchen remodeling costs and their return on investment if you are considering a remodeling project.

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