Upgrading your kitchen cabinets: should you repaint, reface, or replace?

A warm and welcoming kitchen is the center of a happy home. But such a busy room comes in for a lot of wear and tear, and your kitchen can quickly start to look past its best.

However, to bring it back to life you don’t necessarily need a full remodel. Sprucing up your kitchen cabinets can make an amazing difference. There are three main ways of doing this: repainting, refacing, or replacing. Which one is right for you?

Repainting

Sanding your cabinets down and giving them a new finish is a quick and inexpensive way of making them look younger and better. You can ring the changes with a new color, make a gloomy kitchen look brighter, or just freshen up the overall look.

However, there are a couple of problems with repainting kitchen cabinets. Not all cabinets can be treated successfully. For example, laminate surfaces won’t respond well to sanding, and badly scratched doors may still look shabby despite a new finish.

And even with suitable cabinets, using the wrong materials or not preparing the surface properly can give a poor result. Worse, it can even damage the underlying structure of your furniture. If you decide to repaint your cabinets, it’s a good idea to get an expert opinion from kitchen cabinets in OH.

Refacing

Refacing your cabinets means removing their doors and drawer fronts and then installing new ones. The frames of the cabinets are then treated with a veneer or wood stain to blend the final result together.

This is a good halfway point between repainting and a full remodel. It’s fairly quick and inexpensive to do, but it allows a lot of flexibility in the final look.

However, with refacing, it’s even more important to seek professional advice before starting out. Accurate measurement of the replacement parts is vital. Also, some combinations of materials won’t fit together well, potentially leading to warping or other damage.

Lastly, refacing is only a good option if the main structure of the cabinets is still in good condition.

Replacing

The final way of upgrading your kitchen cabinets is a full replacement from kitchen cabinets in Cleveland. This is the only realistic option for old cabinets which are badly worn, warped or damaged. It’s also a good way to change the layout of your kitchen without going to the expense and trouble of a full remodeling project. It’s relatively easy to move existing appliances about and fit new cabinets around them.

Replacement also has the advantage of extending the life of your kitchen for longer than the other two more straightforward, cheaper options. Your new cabinets should last for years, and by the time they need upgrading again, you’ll probably be ready for a completely new kitchen.

All these options can make a huge difference to the look and feel of your kitchen, but they can also all go wrong in their own ways. If you want to get a better kitchen for the best price, think carefully before starting any improvement project, and always consider taking expert advice before spending any money.