Is your kitchen or bathroom looking a little outdated? Do you want a whole new look in your home without remodeling? Kitchen cabinets are one of the major components of a beautiful kitchen and are usually one of the first things people notice when they visit your home. So, if your cabinets are starting to look old and outdated then now may be the best time to figure out the best way to refresh their look.
Questions you may be asking yourself could be:
– Is it better to refinish my cabinets than to replace them?
– Should I reface my cabinets?
– How much do these options cost?
– How long will this take?
– How messy will this be?
Replacing your cabinets requires completely removing them off your walls and installing new ones.
Resurfacing, also known as refacing, keeps your base cabinets in place and only requires you to change the cabinet doors.
Lets look at the details of both to help you decide!
Refinishing Kitchen Cabinets
A good rule of thumb is that you should refinish the cabinets already in your kitchen if the current design is functional. If you don't want to change the set-up of your cabinets, refinishing them can give a new color or stain a fresh new look without costing you a fortune or putting you and your family through a full scale remodel. Updating hardware can also help make old cabinetry look new again.
High-quality wood cabinets are a solid candidate for refinishing. Replacing your cabinets is a huge cost that is not completely necessary if the cabinets are less than ten years old and made from a high-quality wood like cherry, maple, ash, hickory, or oak. Refinishing these hardy cabinets, instead of replacing them, can potentially save you some costs when sprucing up your kitchen.
Of course, if your cabinets aren't wood, refinishing may not be an option. Lacquer cabinets are more contemporary and look a little more high-end, but they're not candidates for refinishing or even repainting, often.
Replacing Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets with significant damage must be replaced or repaired. Full stop. Covering up warping, water damage, mold, or other issues that impact the quality of the material is only a temporary solution. Warping, 'cabinet soft spots,' and mold are all considered excessive damage and warrant immediate repair. Another factor that may make someone want to replace their kitchen cabinets is the look of the doors. Whether you want a smooth door or a shaker style or anything in between, there are many varieties and styles of cabinets that will help give your Kitchen a fresh new look!
And, of course, you should replace your kitchen cabinets if the layout of the space doesn't work for you. If your biggest complaint with your kitchen is that the cabinets all seem to be in the wrong spots (or there aren't enough of them), and not that they're out-of-date or your least favorite color, the only solution is to replace them with a more thoughtful layout.
While there are pros and cons to both sides, you may find yourself leaning on way or another. When considering refinishing your cabinets, just note that the DIY route may not be the best way as there are many steps needed to prep your cabinets for the process, to resurface them, and steps once the resurfacing has been applied to ensure the newly revived cabinets last you a long time.
If you are located in the Northern Nevada Reno and Sparks areas and are looking to give your cabinets a fresh new look or you are wanting to replace you cabinets with something brand new, our experienced remodeling experts at Paramount Craftsman Services are here to take care of you.
Sources: Low Country Style and Living