Shopping Cabinet Solutions
The 3 R’s… Refinishing, Refacing, and Replacing
The three R’s… If you have children in the Kyrene school district, that would stand for Respect for learning, Respect for self & others, and Respect for Quality. Growing up as a child in the 70s (did I just say that our loud?), the three R’s stood for Reading, Writing and “Rithmetic,” depending on how you said it. In the world of design and cabinets, the three R’s are simply… Refinish, Reface and Replace. One of the most dramatic ways to give your kitchen or bath a new look is to change the cabinets. When you are thinking of updating your kitchen or baths, you have three options with your cabinets: refinishing, refacing, or replacing them all together. Kitchen cabinets are the most visible and are also the most abused. After a while, they start to look tired and worn and so does you kitchen. New kitchen cabinets can be costly and time consuming. There are alternatives, however, that can give your kitchen a fabulous new look quickly without busting your budget.
Cabinet Refinishing
Most kitchen cabinets are in good shape structurally and only need a new look. The least expensive way to achieve this is to refinish your cabinets. Cabinet refinishing is done by painting or staining the cabinetry, cabinet doors, and draws. One of the latest trends is to combine two different colors in different areas of the same kitchen. For example: finishing your cabinets in a rich dark birch and doing your center island in a dark espresso color. Refinishing allows you to update your existing cabinets with any color you chose. Combining this with new hardware will give you a whole new look.
Cabinet Refacing
Refacing cabinets is more expensive than refinishing, but still less expensive than completely replacing them. When refacing, old cabinet doors and draws are removed. A thin coat of wood or laminate is applied to the remaining cabinet faces. There is a wide variety of styles, wood grains and colors to choose from. New matching cabinet doors and draw fronts are then installed. Refacing can greatly improve the durability of cabinets. If the kitchen cabinet hardware is not damaged, it can be reinstalled. Again, this is a great time to choose new hardware to really add personality and complete your transformation.
The time required for refacing or refinishing cabinets depends on the size of the room, but on average, will take 3-5 days. If you have other areas of your home such as bathroom, linens, laundry, doors, casings, baseboards, etc., these areas can be painted at the same time, giving your whole house a new feel.
Cabinet Replacing
Another option is to replace your cabinets completely with all new ones. New cabinets might cost more, but if your whole cabinet layout and construction is bad, then completely ripping them out and starting from scratch would be a great choice. There are a lot of new styles and finishes out on the market today to give the room you are upgrading a whole new personality.
Whether you decide on cabinet refinishing, cabinet refacing or cabinet replacing, make your decision based on what does more justice for your home’s appearance. Cabinets are a great investment in your home. For the best results a professional should paint or stain your cabinets. You also may want to get advice from a professional interior designer when it comes to selecting a color or combination of colors for your home. As stressful as a remodel can be, it will help to choose the right contractor, one that is licensed, bonded and insured and one that you maintain a mutual respect with. I recommend Designer Cabinet Refinishing for all your cabinet refinishing needs. They offer 48 stock finishes that can be distressed, dry brushed and antiqued to give you that custom look. For your refacing and replacing jobs, I always send my clients to Tim at All Custom Cabinets.
