Refacing old cabinets is a trendy way at Cabinet Refacing Seattle to increase the aesthetic appeal of a room and bring new life to old ones. New cabinets can cost as much as half the average new kitchen remodeling budget. By purchasing wholesale kitchen cabinets, though, you can cut your new kitchen remodeling budget in half or even more. If your old cabinet box isn’t in excellent condition, though, you can probably save even more by refacing cabinets instead of replacing them. The result will be a kitchen that looks great and operates properly for much less.
There are a few different kinds of refacing cabinets, including gas-powered, electric, or vinyl refacing. In addition to the kind of wood (softwood, hardwood, or MDF) that you’ll have to choose from, you’ll also need to decide whether you want to use a solid surface or veneer. Woodgrain veneers are extremely popular because they’re easy to paint, though they require a bit more maintenance than the other kinds of veneers. Because wood veneers are so popular, there are literally hundreds of different kinds of veneers available, which gives you plenty of design options.
When you reface cabinets, though, you don’t necessarily get brand-new drawers and doors. Instead, what you do get is an improvement on the appearance of your existing drawers and doors. If you choose to purchase refacing cabinets entirely, you’ll probably end up with new doors and drawer fronts as well. However, if you’re not quite ready to throw out your old doors and drawer fronts, you might still be able to keep them and just improve their appearance. There are many ways to accomplish this task, and the choices depend largely on how much of a dent you want to put in your budget.
If you have minor damage to your cupboards or doors, you may be able to repair them with some basic finishing tasks. If you have major damage, such as warped door frames or cracked wood veneer, you’re going to have to replace everything. You may even be able to replace the cabinet doors themselves with a new wood veneer or with another material altogether. Keep in mind, though, that refacing cabinets involves a fair amount of work, so if you aren’t up to it, don’t bother with it until you’re sure you can complete the refinishing job.
For those interested in refacing cabinets but don’t have the budget to go ahead with this option, there are still other ways to improve your cupboards and kitchen cabinets. One popular method is to replace the doors with new ones that match the original hardware. This is often a straightforward process, but it can dramatically update the appearance of a room. You may also choose to refinish the doors instead of replacing them, which will require just as much work but will cost less. Just make sure that you have the time to really care for the project because refinishing kitchen cabinet doors won’t last long and will need to be done again sooner than if you replace them.
If you already have decent cupboard doors but think you’d like something more, consider using chipboard or other refacing materials to create matching pairs for your refacing cabinets and doors. This is a great way to give your cabinets a modern look without completely replacing the entire room. You’ll be able to match up the hardware, so you won’t have to worry about coordinating the rest of the room. Chipboard veneers are available at most home improvement retailers, although you may need to look elsewhere to find the exact ones you need.
If you’re refacing cabinets with chipboard or other materials that aren’t nailed down, be sure to cover all exposed ends, including veneers, with masking tape. Doing this will help protect your wood from cracks caused by moisture leaking into it from the exposed end of cabinet doors. If you have chipboard, covering exposed ends will also help prevent cracks from occurring in the first place. If you don’t have chipboard, simply applying enough finishing to the doors and bottoming out the exposed edges will keep them from becoming visible until they’ve been properly finished.
When you’re refacing kitchen cabinet doors, there’s a chance that you’ll have to replace some of them. In general, this happens because of water damage: If the cabinets get too wet or get too much water damage, they could develop cracks or splits. This makes them unusable and will require a new set of doors. However, if this is the case, you should still have your existing doors replaced so that your new cabinets will match the wood grain of your existing cabinets.