REFACING VS. REPLACING CABINETS—WHERE TO BEGIN?

If your cabinets are starting to look old and worn out, it’s time to do something about it. Kitchen cabinets take up a lot of space in the kitchen and are often the focal point of the room. But what’s the best route: Do you paint or reface your cabinets to breathe new life into them? There are advantages and disadvantages to each one.

Of course, we’d all love to redo our kitchens from scratch and use only the finest materials for a complete overhaul, but that’s not realistic for the majority of homeowners. The more economical option for those with smaller budgets is refacing but could it be more worth your while in the long run to replace it?

Depending on the age of your cabinets it could take longer, be more difficult, and be more expensive for a refacing project. If your cabinets are very old and damaged, you are better off replacing them entirely with a brand-new set of cabinets or a lightly used set of cabinets.

Taking on a kitchen renovation of any size is never cheap, but if you’re looking for ways to cut costs and stay on budget, then refacing kitchen cabinets is certainly the way to go. Here’s why you should reface your kitchen cabinets:

• Quick and Affordable Makeover: Refacing doesn’t take as long as installing all-new cabinetry and it’s a lot cheaper than buying a brand-new cabinetry system. It’s one of the most effective kitchen contractor secrets around!
• Layout Changes Not Needed: Your kitchen stays virtually the same because you’re just changing the facade of your cabinetry. No mess, no fuss! Don’t feel like you have to knock down walls or pay for expensive plumbing or electrical just to get the feel of a new kitchen.
• Quick and Easy Solution: Once you decide what type of new cabinet faces you want, you remove the old cabinet faces and drill the new faces into place. Throw on some new hardware or retain the old hardware if it still goes with the design.

When to Replace Your Cabinets

Because kitchens are typically the highest traffic of the home, naturally the kitchen cabinetry suffers a lot of wear and tear over the years. They get banged around and are subject to water stains and splashes. Most cabinets are made from wood or similar material so any kind of moisture will eventually lead to water damage, warping, or even traces of mold. If your cabinetry displays any of these signs of water damage, it’s time to replace them.

And if you are satisfied with the current layout of your kitchen then refacing the cabinets is clearly the answer. However, if you’re planning on committing to a much larger renovation project that includes adding more space, moving pipes and wires, or knocking down some walls, then your cabinetry is unlikely to survive the move and may restrict your design options in a new layout. In this case, it’s better to go with brand-new custom cabinetry to make it the perfect setup for you and your family.