With many homeowners facing economic reality, the option of kitchen cabinet refacing - instead of completely replacing old kitchen cabinets - can be an attractive alternative. Kitchen cabinet refacing includes changing the surface finish of cabinets, changing the hardware or cabinet doors, or changing the overall appearance of kitchen cabinetry.

Cabinet Refinishing versus Replacement

A kitchen remodel is often an expensive project. For cost-conscious homeowners, one option is to refinish existing kitchen cabinets instead of completely replacing them. Cabinet refinishing is another term for cabinet refacing. In simple terms, the face of the cabinet is being replaced rather than the entire cabinet.

Refacing a kitchen cabinet can frequently reduce remodeling costs for cabinetry by as much as 60%. This is a substantial and significant savings over the cost of pulling out the old existing kitchen cabinets and replacing them. For homeowners considering a kitchen remodel as a way to update the look of their kitchen or as a method to add value in preparation of selling their house, the cost savings are well worth considering.

Styles and Options

Very often, a refinished kitchen cabinet is undetectable from a completely new kitchen cabinet. There are as many styles and colors to choose from as can be imagined – from traditional old world to contemporary Scandinavian laminates designs.

Refacing kitchen cabinets can be as simple as repainting the surface of the cabinets or changing out hardware such as drawer pulls or cabinet handles. Alternatively it can be as complicated as placing new wood laminate on cabinet doors and exposed cabinet surfaces. Another wonderful option can be to change out cabinet doors and include metal or glass inserts or to add wood detail accents to doors.

Choosing a Contractor

While it may be tempting to save even more money by doing your own cabinet refinishing, it is usually wiser to spend a little money by hiring a good, experienced contractor to complete this part of your kitchen remodeling project, particularly if you want to do a more extensive refacing of your kitchen cabinets, like adding completely new laminate finishings.

Ask a trusted friend if they have someone they can recommend or ask at a local home improvement store for a recommendation. When interviewing the potential contractor, ask about their experience and what potential problems they have experienced with past projects, and how they resolved those problems. Ask if they have references you can call and request an estimate that includes a project time line, materials cost, labor costs and any demolition costs.

Make sure the contractor you select is licenced and bonded by calling your state contractor's license board and the Better Business Bureau.

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