Your kitchen is in serious need of a face-lift, but you’re not sure whether your existing cabinets can make the transition. While slapping on a new coat of paint or varnish would definitely be cheaper, it still may not give you the look you want. Here’s how you decide whether you should reface or replace.
1) Determine the Quality
If you’re dealing with sub-par cabinetry to begin with, no amount of refacing will help. In this case, it’s better just to scrap the cabinets and start fresh. However, if you’ve got a solid product, you can easily repaint, install wood or perhaps re-stain the current door and drawer fronts or even opt to put in totally new fronts.
2) Determine Functionality
Are you actually remodeling your kitchen? If so, decide whether or not your existing cabinets work for you, as they are. If the layout isn’t jiving with your desired flow, then it’s probably time to invest in a whole new set of cabinets that are better suited to your vision.
3) Determine Your Look
Even if you have the best quality cabinets around, if you plain can’t stand the sight of them anymore, then they’ve got to go. If, on the other hand, you think you’ll be pleased with the existing bones, then refacing may be a suitable option.
4) Determine Your Consistency
If you’re someone who likes to change up the look of your space a lot, then replacing your cabinets entirely every single time is going to get really expensive. If your current cabinets are in good shape and are good quality (and if you like the door and drawer design), then refacing is probably your best bet. If, however, your current cabinets are structurally failing, then consider investing in solid and simple quality cabinets once, and then repaint and reface to your heart’s content down the road. You can always switch up handles for affordable changes to the look, without having to replace the entire unit.
5) Determine Your Budget
For many people, this is the determining factor. Typically, refinishing cabinets costs about 3/4 as much as completely replacing them, so – if your goal is to ultimately replace them – you may want to decide to save a little longer and begin designing and planning your high quality kitchen remodel for next year.
