Reface Kitchen Cabinets for an Inexpensive Makeover
Renovating a kitchen can be expensive, but you can save a lot of money and still get a brand new look if you reface kitchen cabinets with fresh surfaces, doors, and accessories.
In recent times, the kitchen has become the center of many homes. As a result, it's understandable that you want your kitchen to look its best, and function even better. But what if you want to update the look of your kitchen cabinets without all the expense? One popular alternative is to reface kitchen cabinets.
Often, your kitchen cabinets and units will be perfectly serviceable, with many years left in them. But they look a bit dated, and you want the latest style. When you reface kitchen cabinets, you update their style, but keep much of the structural components. This makes it a cost effective way to update your cabinets.
The process of refacing kitchen cabinets is a simple one. You start by removing the cabinet doors and draw fronts. Then, all exposed surfaces (cabinet sides etc) are covered with a veneer in the style of your choice. Finally, you replace the cabinet doors and drawers with ones in a matching style, completing the kitchen reface.
Kitchen cabinet reface veneers are available in two different types. The first is peel-and-stick reface veneers. These are inexpensive but can be a bit tricky to put on, and the quality isn't quite so good under close inspection. The second option is to reface kitchen cabinets with a solid wood veneer. Although more expensive, solid wood veneers are made from the same materials as actually kitchen cabinets, so the quality is very high.
If you decide to update your kitchen by refacing the cabinets, you may find that your old appliances look a little out of place. Thankfully with the money you saved you can afford to splash out on those attractive extras, such as a new oven, hood, sink, faucets, and maybe even a granite worktop. Of course if you'd prefer not to, your old units will be guaranteed to fit, because you haven't actually changed any of your units!
Another great benefit is that the time taken to reface kitchen cabinets is much less than fitting an entirely new kitchen. Whereas a full kitchen refit can take as much as two weeks, a full reface only takes a day or two. This means much less disruption to you and your family, so you can get back to a normal life as quickly as possible.
It is also much cheaper to reface kitchen cabinets than to fit brand new ones. Rather than replacing the entire unit, you're making use of the old carcasses, and just replacing the visible parts. This means that refacing your cabinets can be as much as 70% cheaper than a total refit.
It's also more eco-friendly to reface kitchen cabinets because you're not throwing away perfectly usable items, only to replace them with almost identical pieces. Although this might be low on your list of priorities, it's nice to know that you're doing your bit!
While it is possible to reface kitchen cabinets yourself, it's usually better to hire a professional to do it for you. They will be able to complete the job much faster and to a much higher standard, giving you less stress and more peace of mind.