Refacing VS Replacing Kitchen Cabinets

Refacing Vs Replacing

Refacing is often the less inexpensive option. However, the cost depends on the extent of refacing that you wish to do; is it a simple paint job or will all the doors, drawer faces, and doorknobs also need to be changed. The best way to decide is to do a cost comparison between refacing and replacing, for the extent of work that you have in mind.

In general, refacing the kitchen cabinets can lead to a 30-50% saving over replacing them. Both take approximately the same amount of time, it can vary from 2-5 days. Also, compare costs between companies that provide refacing services, costs vary with the materials used and the location of your home. The process of refacing does not involve tearing out the existing structures, such as the sink, the countertops, emptying the cabinets, nor does it affect the plumbing. You can still use your kitchen. This is not the case with replacing the cabinets; the kitchen becomes off-limits during construction.

Replacing is often the only alternative if you want to change the layout or the size of your kitchen. Whether you replace or reface your cabinets, it is on of the best ways to add to the resale value of your house.

How long does it take to reface?

Most refacing projects can be carried out in less than a week. The time varies with the number of cabinets and doors to be refaced, the intricacy of the refacing process and the skill level of the workers. If you plan to install additional features such as low voltage lighting, that adds to the time as well.

Can refacing of kitchen cabinets be undertaken as a Do It Yourself project?

Yes, cabinet refacing can be done by enthusiastic do-it-yourselfers. Since the process does not require any major electrical work, tiling, or removal of existing appliances, a cabinet refacing project is ideal even for those who have little experience. Applying veneer to the cabinet frames is not difficult. The veneer is peel and apply or has to be ironed on to the surface. Care needs to be taken that the surface of the cabinet frames is clean. You have to decide the extent of refacing that you wish to do, it can involve painting the cabinet doors, all the cabinets in the kitchen, installing new drawer hardware, hidden hinges, etc.

To do cabinet refacing yourself, all you need is some elementary wood working skills and the necessary tools.

Reface Those Outdated Kitchen Cabinets

Refacing is a process in which the exterior of existing cabinets are refinished or replaced to change or improve their appearance. It is an inexpensive option to replacing the kitchen cabinets. During refacing, the old cabinet doors, moldings, hinges, and drawer fronts are replaced and repainted. Refaced cabinets are available in a wide variety of styles and colors.. All types of cabinets can be refaced, so long as they have not been damaged or are deteriorated to a point that the cabinet box is not useable.

What types of refacing that can be done?

There are two approaches to refacing kitchen cabinets. One is to refinish the existing cabinet frames in colors of your choice and install matching drawer fronts and doors. The other approach is to install a veneer over the existing cabinet frames instead of refinishing them. The veneers can be of oak, cherry, maple and are available in various thicknesses and stains.

In both cases, knobs and pulls can also be added. The result is that you get a great looking kitchen where the cabinet exteriors are new with an updated style. The inside of the cabinets and the shelves can be sanded and stained, covered with contact paper or painted to complete your kitchen remodel.

Popular refacing materials

Common refacing materials include plywood, wood over wood laminates and wood veneer. Wood over wood veneers are dimensionally stable and there is no ridging or bubbling with them. They are also easy to roll and transport. Wood is a good choice as a material for doors. A layer of thermal foil makes the surface scratch resistant and easy to clean; however, it often has a plastic like appearance.

Quick and Simple Kitchen Enhancements

While you may not be able to give your home an extreme makeover, adding simple upgrades can make a dramatic difference. The kitchen is at the top of the home improvement list for many homeowners. Here are some quick and affordable kitchen fix-ups:

Countertops

The single biggest visual in your kitchen is the counter surface, so removing your existing countertops and replacing them with new materials will make an immediate impact. If popular granite and stone countertops are out of your price range, consider some of the new laminates and solid surfacing materials.

Hardware

If you can't replace all of your kitchen cabinets, jazz them up with attractive new hardware. You can find a variety of door handles and drawer pulls at do-it-yourself home stores to match every decor, from ultra contemporary to antique looks.

Lighting

Instead of replacing all of the lighting, use dimmers to instantly change the look and functionality of the room. One to try is the Diva dimmer in Satin Colors from Lutron Electronics, which installs in 20 minutes and makes a dramatic difference in a room's decor. It features a large paddle switch to turn lights on and off, and a sliding dimmer alongside to adjust the brightness up or down. You don't have to have an unsightly dimmer control on your wall, either. Its accompanying screw-less wallplate, also from Lutron's Satin Colors collection, comes in 15 decorator colors to blend with paint, flooring and wall coverings.

Flooring

Tear up that old yellowed linoleum floor. Today's high-pressure laminates can give the look of a much more expensive natural wood flooring. Patterns range from time-honored favorites like maple, oak and cherry to sophisticated looks like burled mahogany and exotic woods. Another easy kitchen flooring option is Edge flooring — real ceramic tile that's glued to an interlocking fiberboard backing — requiring no underlayment or gluing.

Light Up the Kitchen

The average homeowner now spends over 19 hours a week in their kitchen and it's become critical to properly plan for adequate lighting.

What's the Biggest Mistake Homeowners Make?
Mounting only one ceiling fixture in the middle of your room and thinking that it will be enough. When planning your kitchen lighting, think about where your main task areas be, and where your family will be dining, playing or doing homework. Look at the picture to your right and count how many lights have been installed in this kitchen.

Natural light is the best form of lighting. However, in a lot of cases, it is complicated to increase the amount of natural light coming in. In some cases, the kitchen is actually very dark. In this kitchen below, kitchen lighting is efficiently used to keep the room bring and luxurious, with ceiling lights installed throughout the kitchen.

Install lights directly under your top cabinets, giving your countertop excellent task lighting and your kitchen an upscale look.

If you are looking for a more formal, elegant atmosphere to turn your kitchen into an upscale room where you can entertain and dine, think about chandeliers. While homeowners typically invest a lot of money in chandeliers for hallways, they will spend the most time of their time in the kitchen.

Live-In Kitchens

The kitchen is evolving; No longer is it viewed as a place solely to prepare and cook food. Instead it has transformed into a space that can be truly utilized for living & entertaining friends and family.

In essence, out of all the rooms in the house, the kitchen is often the family hangout. Parents are cooking or checking emails, the TV is on, and the kids are doing their homework — all at the same time, all in the same room.

The next generation kitchen will be a place not only for cooking, but for social and everyday interaction. Kitchen remodeling trends now concentrate on the kitchen as the ‘hub‘ of the household, incorporating the functional aspects of a kitchen with the ability to relax and enjoy the surroundings.

The trends in kitchen remodeling and design are set to focus on comfort and usability. Imagine a kitchen that incorporates a couch, a television, a coffee table and internet access into its space. This is the future of kitchen design.

The kitchen space is set to evolve to incorporate all of the needs of everyday life.

As it becomes increasingly hard to juggle the tasks of every day life, this is a room to fit around your lifestyle. Having a ‘live- in room‘ provides a family space where you can prepare a meal whilst helping the kids with their homework. It is versatile and very useable.

This trend seems a natural progression in a period when open planned living has become the chosen preference for most households. Remodeling the Kitchen into a live-in room therefore will add a new level of comfort and practicability to a style of living that most Americans have already adopted. As the kitchen continues to be the most used space in the household, adapting this space to be truly comfortable and useable is key to utilizing the function of the space.

Enhance Your Kitchen!

Walking into your kitchen, you can envision a brand new look, feel and form with an upgraded set of kitchen sink accessories. Your sink is at the core of all culinary functions in your kitchen from preparing vegetables, cleaning plates, organizing your dishes and keeping the entire area clean. As important as your sink is, you can show true appreciation for this vital role with unique sink accessories ideal for your home space.

Whether you are looking to accessorize a stainless steel kitchen sink, traditional sink units or granite kitchen sink models, you can find the right accessories to add a unique visual flair to the kitchen. Finding the right compatibility between style and format can ensure you get the very most out of your kitchen sink upgrades:

Enhance Your Kitchen Sink with New Faucets

You can add functionality and a new look to your home kitchen by upgrading to brand new faucets for your home environment. Most sinks feature modular construction which allows you to upgrade the faucets while retaining the bowl and plumbing fixtures, making the upgrade even more affordable.

There are a wide variety of sink faucets on the market today for great visual and functional upgrades. The three major types of kitchen faucet styles include a center set dual handle, single base design, along with single handle designs and a dual wide spread faucet set which separates hot from cold water functions. For serious cooks, you can also consider adding an instant hot water spout to provide quick access to boiling water from an integrated heater.

To determine the ideal sink for your kitchen upgrade, always consider the setup of your kitchen countertop to determine the spacing requirements. You can find great visual variants for single control faucets in a variety of styles.

Get Your Sink Organized With Grids

During the busiest times in your kitchen, it’s important to keep everything organized with sink organizers. You can add both a nice visual element as well as extensive functionality to your sink by investing in a new grid organizer which can provide stylish storage for dishes, silver ware, soap and plates within your sink.

Getting your home kitchen supplies in order is even easier with a patterned grid organizer that integrates well into your kitchen designs. Affordable, effective ways to upgrade your home sink, organizers provide a wealth of options.