Easy Cabinet Refacing

My wife and I purchased a home that was built in the mid 1980s in a rural area of a rural county just outside a large metropolitan area. We were looking to get out of the urban/suburban area we had lived in while I children were in school and find a home with a little space around it. We were fortunate to locate a home that met our needs and that was also to our liking. However, the decor of the home was definitely in need of an upgrade and as my wife will tell you, she is more than up for a task like that.

The first thing we did was go room by room and begin to develop a task list. The first stop was of course the kitchen. It was immediately apparent to my wife that although the kitchen was laid out adequately, there were major cosmetic changes in store for our new kitchen. One thing that stood out over and above everything else that needed to be done was the cabinetry. Luckily for me and my bank account, the wife decided that a simple kitchen cabinet refacing would accomplish her goals and that I was just the man for the job. If any of you have ever undertaken the refacing of cabinets, you know that there is really nothing complicated about it but it is extremely labor intensive.

The kitchen cabinets in our newly purchased home were oak stained with an extremely dark oak stain that made the kitchen kind of dreary looking. The counter tops did nothing to offset the dreary appearance as they were a dark brown butcher block. The first decision was whether the cabinet doors would have to be replaced. While I am sure my wife would have preferred a different door pattern, she did see the wisdom in keeping the doors as they were custom made oak and were in great shape. Once the decision to keep the doors was behind us, it was time to determine the finish that would result in the end product. She decided that an off white cream finish would look great and really brighten up the space.

Now that her work on the cabinets was done, she quickly moved on to planning the total makeover of the kitchen while I was left to begin the grunt work. I have found that the easiest way to approach refacing kitchen cabinets is to first remove the doors. The cabinet doors are much easier to refinish when they are laid horizontally on a flat surface. Once all the door hardware (hinges and cabinet pulls) are removed, the real fun can now begin. All surfaces must be cleaned thoroughly using a good industrial strength cleaner which will remove any greasy residue that may have accumulated on the surfaces.

Once the surface is completely clean, you are ready to begin preparing the surface for the new finish. If your intent is to apply a new coat of stain to the cabinets, then you will need to remove the present finish from the wood. In years past, this was little fun due to the noxious fumes put off by these extremely smelly paint removers. Today, there are many environmentally safe paint and stain removers that also have a much more pleasant odor than those of yesteryear but still do a great job of removing even the toughest finishes. If you are going this route than the general instruction would be to apply the paint and stain remover per directions on the container followed by a good sanding prior to refinishing.

Since we were applying a painted finish to the our cabinets, we did not need to completely remove the present surface. After cleaning, I lightly sanded the surface in order to dull the old finish which provides a good surface for the adherence of the new paint. Let me say this before I go any further, and tell you that I cannot emphasize this enough, buy the best quality oil based primer available, as well as, the best oil based paint you can locate that is designed to be applied when refacing cabinets. Even using the most expensive paint available, your cabinet refacing cost will still be a fraction of the cost of replacing your cabinets. If you do this, you will achieve a great finish that will last for many years to come. Another place that you should not scrimp is on the primer. You need to ensure that the cabinets have a good hard finish on them in order to resist nicks and scratches and also to allow for cleaning with a good heavy duty cleaner.

Okay, back to the task at hand, once the cabinets are sanded and all the dust from the sanding is removed, apply two coats of a high quality primer allowing at least 24 hours between each coat and also do a light sanding between coats. The directions may indicate that you can apply a second coat after a shorter period of time but I believe the extra drying produces a much smoother finish. Once the second coat of primer is dry, it is now time to start to see the results of your labor. Again, apply two coats of the finish paint, following the same procedures you used for the primer.

Once the final finish coat has dried for the required twenty four hours, you can reattach the old hardware if you desire, or in most cases when you reface kitchen cabinets you will purchase new hinges, drawer pulls, and cabinet pulls in order to provide a more up to date look. After the hardware is on, hang the newly resurfaced doors and your cabinet refacing is complete. By taking your time and doing some good, attentive prep work when you reface cabinets, you should now have cabinets that will serve the purpose for which they are designed as well as providing a great, fresh look in your kitchen for many years to come.