How much cabinet refacing

Cabinets with water damage , warping, and broken frames are poor candidates. Particleboard cabinetry sometimes requires fasteners, in addition to adhesives, to ensure the veneer is secure. A professional installer will come to your house to measure your cabinets and determine the amount of veneer required, the correct sizes and quantities for door and drawer fronts, and how much hardware is needed. Newly ordered doors and drawer fronts may take one to two weeks for delivery.

When all the materials are in hand, your installer removes old cabinet door and drawer fronts, and prepares the surface of the cabinet boxes by washing the exteriors with a degreaser and lightly sanding the finish.

Any significant flaws in the surface are repaired or filled to ensure a smooth, secure fit for the new veneer. The installer applies veneer to the cabinet faces and any exposed cabinet ends, then mounts the new doors, drawer fronts, and hardware.

The process typically takes two to four days. Homeowners will find that replacing existing hardware — like knobs, pulls, hinges, and handles — is the least expensive part of a project but can be important to the new look of your kitchen. The more basic the hardware, the lower the cost. Higher priced hardware will be made of more expensive materials and will likely have a more intricate design. Shop around and choose hardware that matches the style of your new cabinets. When deciding whether you should take on a cabinet refacing project on your own, consider the time spent.

Depending on the scope of the project, the materials, the size of the kitchen, and whether you are receiving any help from friends or family, the project could take three to four days or longer. How much is your time worth? Figure your hourly cost as well as cost of supplies, tools, and material before you make a decision.

Refacing usually gives you the look of new cabinets for about half the cost of new custom cabinets. But costs need to be carefully considered. Refacing is a green remodeling option. Refacing keeps cabinet boxes away from the landfill—a great advantage considering that many cabinet boxes are made of MDF, which contains formaldehyde, a hazardous chemical. It also prevents more trees from being cut down to construct new cabinet boxes.

No layout changes are possible. If your kitchen needs a footprint change, this is not the option for you, since refacing does not allow for changing the layout or adding countertop space. Box interiors do not change. If your current cabinets are lacking for shelves or other storage features, updating them to meet storage needs may involve significant extra expense.

Dingy interiors will need to be painted. DIY option is challenging. While possible, veneering is an acquired skill that should be tackled only by patient, skilled DIYers. Installing cabinet doors and drawer fronts, however, is fairly easy. Costs can add up. By the time you add new doors, drawer, fronts, hinges and hardware, and interior storage accessories, refacing may not save you much over the cost of installing new off-the-shelf stock cabinets. An online search will give you the names of many firms that perform cabinet refacing services.

Cabinet refacing contractors tend to be local firms specializing in these services, not national franchises. Refinishing a countertop is a popular option, but homeowners may also want to update some cabinet accessories, hardware, or mirrors.

Once the cabinets pop with a fresh finish, the countertops may stick out like a sore thumb. Make sure to match the colors so everything in the kitchen blends well. Additional upgrades could include hideaway trash cans, built-in wine racks, or new lazy Susans. Ask your local contractors which other services they offer and at what price. Some bathrooms have a built-in cabinet mirror. As always, this is dependent on the size and quality of materials.

You might be wondering whether refacing cabinets is a good investment: It definitely is. Cabinet refacing costs have a 65 to 75 percent return on investment ROI. Not only that, but fresh cabinets are a huge selling point for those looking to sell their home.

Additionally, refacing the cabinets helps extend their lives by another 20 to 30 years. There are four common types of finishes to choose from to reface cabinets. But within those options, there are several colors and textures available.

Wood veneers are a high-quality option that gives the best faux wood look without the higher cost of natural wood. They come as thin strips or sheets of material made to look like oak, birch, walnut, maple, ash, hickory, and more.

They should be sealed to help protect against wearing out in a moist kitchen or bathroom environment. Wood veneer is stronger than laminate but not as robust as real wood. Laminate can easily wrap corners as compared to veneer or wood , making refacing with laminate easier. In certain areas, the most budget-friendly option could be rigid thermofoil laminate.

This type can be made with Formica or melamine, but the melamine version will not work well in humid or hot environments. However, solid wood is the easiest to repair or replace, and it lasts the longest. The doors and drawers are extremely durable after being refaced. There are several styles and options, and the process is faster than a remodel, more cost-effective, and more environmentally friendly. There are almost as many refacing options as there are cabinet options.