Refacing Kitchen Cabinets

The kitchen is undoubtedly the busiest place in a home. Apart from the family members, you will also have guests dropping by casually into your kitchen. Surprisingly, there are many homeowners who often spend thousands of dollars on their home decor, fail to even make their kitchens presentable. I have seen some tastefully decorated houses with absolutely ugly kitchens. However, this was a decade ago. Today's homeowners I believe, realize the importance of giving a good face to their kitchens as well. Kitchen cabinets are an integral part of any kitchen, and often responsible for giving the kitchen its first impression. Needless to say, your kitchen cabinets should be in perfect condition always. Pretty colors and beautiful hardware can be an added advantage. And no, you need not spend a fortune over replacing your cabinets. Refacing your kitchen cabinets is a cheaper yet effective alternative to cabinet replacement.

How to Reface Kitchen Cabinets Yourself

Refacing or resurfacing kitchen cabinets does not involve extensive restructuring work. It primarily deals with changing the external appearance of your cabinets. In short, it gives your cabinetry a quick makeover or a facelift. Refacing involves changing the doors (or the face of doors), hinges, knobs and other hardware, while keeping the basic structure as it is. Professional kitchen cabinet refacing work can cost you a bomb. A cheaper alternative would be a DIY refacing job. Lowes or Home Depot may stock the requisite supplies for kitchen cabinet refacing. Given below are some important steps that you need to follow.

Check if Your Kitchen Cabinets are a Candidate for Refacing
Since refacing does not change the structure or layout of the cabinetry, it is a must that the layout of your cabinet is perfect. Also ensure that the cabinet material is in good condition. If the wood has begun to rot or there is an extensive wear and tear, then you would be better off doing a replacement job rather than a refacing one. Besides, if you are not happy with the existing layout and wish to relocate or reposition the cabinets, then also a refacing job is not appropriate for you. However, if you are happy with the existing layout of your kitchen cabinetry, then you might consider refacing your cabinets.

Measure Your Kitchen Cabinet Facing
Now that you have decided that refacing job is perfect for your kitchen cabinets, the next step is to measure their size. This will enable you to order accurate quantity of supplies. Since, refacing only involves changing the face of the surface, you should measure the surface area of your cabinetry. Measure the dimensions of each door, the spacing, position of hardware etc. Double check your measurements so that there is no scope for error.

Order Supplies
Once you get your measurements on paper, ordering supplies shouldn't be a problem. However, do some research before choosing the material for refacing. Plywood and peel and stick veneer are some popular choices for kitchen cabinet refacing. Peel and stick veneer is less messy and very convenient to work with. Also order other supplies such as glue and adhesive, screws, hardware (only if you wish to change it). Hire required tools from a local Hire Shop.

Reface Kitchen Cabinets
Once your supplies arrive, get all set to give a new look to your kitchen cabinets. Remove the hinges and doors along with screws and bolts. Also remove the hardware and store it carefully if you wish to reuse it. Prepare the surface by clearing it off dirt and grime. Sand it gently with a 400 grit sandpaper. Measure and cut the plywood or peel the veneer and stick it on the surface. Veneer is tough to peel off and once stuck cannot be removed. Hence, execute fair amount of caution. Proceed slowly, so that you minimize errors. Once you are done with it, reattach the door and fix the hardware. You will be amazed with the new look kitchen decor that you now have.

The cost of refacing kitchen cabinets is under $1000 for a small kitchen. Painting cabinets is yet another option you can consider to give a brand new look to your kitchen.