Cabinet Refacing: One Great Choice
by Candice Mancini
Home Improvement Ideas Columnist
We know that kitchens (along with bathrooms) sell a home. If your kitchen is dragging down the resale value of your home, consider cabinet refacing.
Kitchen Cabinet Options
Those of us in old houses rave about the character and charm of our mature homes. Others choose new houses for their sleekness and ease of living. But old home or new, many are screaming for updated kitchen cabinets. While the reasons for this in an old home seem obvious, you might wonder why a new home needs this kind of work. Besides the obvious aesthetic reasons, new homes, in an effort to keep costs down, are often built with cheap kitchen cabinets.
There are a few choices for changing the look of your kitchen cabinets:
- gutting and replacing
- refinishing
- refacing
Cabinet Refacing: A Terrific Alternative
Gutting and replacing your kitchen cabinets is the most costly and timely alternative. But even if you have unlimited resources and time, there are environmental reasons, including reducing landfill waste, for considering alternatives.
Refinishing kitchen cabinets, which involves having cabinets sanded and stained or painted, largely reduces waste. But not all cabinets can be refinished. If the wood is rotting or is otherwise in poor condition, refinishing your kitchen cabinets is not an option.
Kitchen cabinet refacing is a great compromise. Since it keeps the cabinet boxes in place, it greatly reduces environmental waste, time, and costs. As to the latter two, it takes days instead of weeks to finish and is often fifty-percent cheaper to reface than replace.
Cabinet Refacing: A Myriad of Choices
The choices of kitchen cabinet doors are endless. Prices can range from $35 to $400 or more a door, depending on type, size, and quality. There's veneer, glass, and wood. Wood choices include cherry, maple, oak, and mahogany. They can be stained or painted. You can have decorative images stenciled on. Doors can be square or arched.
A professional cabinet refacer can help you narrow your choices, depending on your personal tastes and budget.
About the Author
Candice Mancini is a writer, a teacher, and a homeowner always on the lookout for a good contractor. She has an M.A. in Education and B.A. in English and history.
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