When it comes to making household renovations, resurfacing your cabinets is a great way to get a new look in your kitchen and your bathrooms for a fraction of the cost. Not all cabinets are good candidates for refacing, but if you already have quality cabinets in your home, you don’t always need to tear them out when you remodel. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we hear in Melbourne Beach, FL, about cabinet refacing.
How Does Cabinet Refacing Work?
During the cabinet refacing process, we pull off the kitchen cabinet or bathroom cabinet exteriors and replace them with new veneers. Cabinet hardware, such as hinges, handles and pulls, are usually replaced, but most of the existing cabinetry remains intact.
What Is the Process for Cabinet Refacing?
After we remove the existing cabinet doors and drawers, we cover the fronts and the sides of the cabinets with a natural wood veneer or a melamine-based prefabricated veneer. We then replace or salvage the hardware as we reinstall the drawers and rehang the cabinet doors. The final step is installing additional embellishments or accessories such as recessed lighting, crown molding, or glass panels.
How Long Does the Process Take?
Our installers typically need two to four days to resurface your cabinets. On the first day, we remove the skins and hardware and begin the veneering. We spend the rest of the time finishing up and reinstalling the cabinets and hardware.
A smaller kitchen will typically take less time than a larger kitchen, but the size of the kitchen isn’t the only factor that will affect the time it takes to complete the work. We’ll be able to give you a more accurate time estimate for the resurfacing process after our estimators see the size and complexity of the job.
Can You Reface All Cabinets?
Home remodelers often tear out existing cabinets and install prefabricated cabinetry. There are advantages to replacing the entire cabinet because it’s often much more difficult to retrofit an existing cabinet. On the other hand, they certainly don’t build cabinets like they used to!
When it comes to resurfacing vs. replacing cabinets, it helps if the cabinets were well-built to begin with. New cabinet veneers adhere best to smooth and even surfaces, and you’ll need solid cabinets with framing suitable to accommodate the newly refaced doors.
If you have solidly built frames and hardware, the cabinets might be good candidates for refacing. But it’s often easier and more cost-effective to replace the cabinets if they weren’t anything special to begin with.
Pros and Cons of Cabinet Refacing
As long as you’re happy with your current kitchen layout, refacing is a great option. You have your choice of dozens of different laminate and natural wood veneers, and you can enjoy the look of new cabinets and drawers at about half the cost.
But you shouldn’t base your decision solely on costs because it might not be enough of a change to justify the hassle of retrofitting your existing cabinets. Costs can add up with any remodeling job, and purchasing prefabricated cabinets is a far more predictable expense.
Is Cabinet Refacing Right for My Kitchen?
If your existing cabinets are well-constructed, refacing is a terrific way to get a lot of bang for your buck when you’re remodeling. Just remember that resurfacing limits you to your existing drawer and cabinet configuration, and you should always consider whether the cost savings will justify the limitations of refacing vs. replacing your cabinets. Be sure to do your research before you make your final decision.
Our team of renovation and home improvement specialists at Todd Thomas Home is always a mouse click or a phone call away when you have any questions about cabinet refacing. We’ve earned the prestigious Angie’s List Super Service Award for 9 consecutive years, and you can always buy with confidence because we stand behind all of our work with a 2-year warranty! Contact Todd Thomas Home today for more information about cabinet refacing.
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