What is REFACING? Refacing cabinets involves installing new full overlay cabinet door and drawer fronts and covering the exposed face frames of the cabinets with a wood or plastic veneer and new hinges. This typically takes a week depending on the size of your kitchen. The doors and drawer fronts must be removed to reface them, and the old finish is roughed up to prepare the surface for the new covering, which is then glued over the old finish. The seams and edges are trimmed to perfection. The interior of the existing cabinet boxes and drawer boxes remain the same. With additional of new handles or knobs the finished product looks amazing!
When refacing cabinets, you typically have three options for finish: rigid thermofoils (RTF), wood veneer or plastic laminates. Laminates come in a wide variety of colors, but their rigidity limits their use to plain cabinet styles. RTF is made using flexible vinyl foil over medium-density fiberboard and can be shaped into a range of styles. Wood veneer gives the look and warmth of natural wood cabinets but costs more than either RTF and laminate. All come in a huge range of colors as well. Basically, you can choose whatever suits your budget and style.
Refacing kitchen or bathroom cabinets costs considerably less than replacing them. Depending on the size of the kitchen and the materials you choose for refacing, you may save between 15 and 25% verses new cabinets. Even at the high cost range, however, you would spend almost twice as much to replace the cabinets because there are several other costs that must be included in a full remodel. For example, if you do new cabinets, you must then add the cost of demolition, new counter tops, backsplash, delivery charges, moldings and trim, installation and general construction costs.
Consider your current cabinets before you make a decision about whether to replace or reface them. If you’re unhappy with how your cabinets look but they’re otherwise in good shape and their layout works with your space, refacing may be the right choice. It improves the look of your cabinets and is less disruptive to your daily routine. If your kitchen doesn’t work for you in terms of layout, replacing the cabinets gives you the chance to rearrange them. If the cabinets are structurally damaged, you should replace them. Refacing doesn’t correct damage or deterioration of the cabinet materials. Son Cabinetry & Design has it all so the choice is yours!