Refacing

Do you want an updated look for your kitchen but can't see pulling out your current cabinets? As long as your cabinets and drawers still operate well and are part of a functional kitchen floor plan, then you may be better off refacing what you have instead of ripping out the "old" and installing "new". However, if your current kitchen layout is poorly arranged, then you should consider changing your cabinetry or adding some new pieces to help facilitate your current floor plan.

Refacing can save you time and money-and sometimes a lot of mess. An average sized kitchen (12' x 14') would run anywhere from $4,000 - $8,000 depending upon the materials chosen. It is estimated that refacing costs approximately 50% of what it would cost to remove the old cabinets and replace them with semi-custom cabinets.

Refacing is a surface change usually accomplished by adding wood or plastic veneers to the cabinet frame or carcass. Old cabinet doors, drawers, hinges and hardware will be removed and new replacements installed. This is not to be confused with restoration or refinishing which would include a combination of stripping, sanding, restaining, sealing/varnishing, priming, and repainting the current cabinet doors, drawers, and frames.

Solid wood, Wood Veneers, Thermo Foil (also known as Rigid Thermo Foil, RTF), and Laminates are the four types of material generally used to reface cabinetry. Solid wood door and drawer fronts are the best and most expensive option. Wood veneer, a sheet of solid wood 1/16" thick, is less expensive than solid wood and is applied to a particle board (also known as Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF). This application is only available in slab doors and drawers. Thermo Foil is a polyvinyl-chloride coating about 1/16" thick and is either bonded to wood or particleboard. Both solid wood and Thermo Foil can be made into raised panel door and drawer fronts (as seen on many traditional doors). Plastic laminates are the least expensive way to reface your cabinets. With this option, color, pattern, and texture are virtually unlimited. However the door and drawer style is limited to a slab style. (For more information about these door materials, See Door Materials.)

Take advantage during this time to look at cabinet modifications to improve access and organization. For example, changing a cabinet with doors to drawers and vice-versa. You may also want to add new storage accessories such as rollout shelves, trash bins, cutlery and spice inserts, etc. (See Storage Accessories) In addition, you may want to look at new door styles to change the appearance of your kitchen. Check out ("Reface or Replace?") from Today's Homeowner to look at some additional subtopic areas such as "Beyond the Cabinets" and "Dealing with Lead".

It is recommended that you have a professional do the work, but a do-it-yourselfer with some experience in woodworking can tackle the job with a little technical assistance from the Internet. Door and drawer fronts are made to your specifications-so measure accurately. Otherwise, any mistakes may cause you to reorder the doors and assume the costs. To get measuring tips, visit KitchenRefacing.org's "How To Measure Kitchen Cabinet Doors" and then "Step by Step Instructions to Refacing".

When researching potential refacing companies, look and ask for the following:
1. Before and after photos of previous jobs.
2. A reference list. Visit several previous job sites to view the actual refacing quality and workmanship.
3. Available door and drawer styles, materials, and finish samples.
4. Compare the refacing process used by each company.
5. Collect 2-3 price quotes comparing apples to apples.