Refacing Cabinet Doors for a Whole New Look

At any given time in this great country, there are literally thousands, no, probably tens of thousands of kitchen remodeling projects underway.  Included in these projects are replacement of cabinets that could probably be reused by utilizing a simple process to reface the cabinet doors.  In most cases, this project can be easily accomplished by the homeowner, thus saving thousands of dollars and also lots of down time waiting for the new custom cabinets to arrive.  The money saved by not replacing the cabinets can then be used to upgrade other items that will be replaced or used just to offset the cost of the overall project.

As long as you are happy with the style of the cabinet doors and drawer fronts you presently have, a cabinet refacing may be a way for you to get those fresh and new appearing cabinets without spending the tens of thousands of dollars that replacement custom cabinets can cost.  Even if you do want to change the door style, replacement doors can be obtained and the cabinet boxes can be refinished to match, again saving lots of money over the cost of total cabinet replacement.

Start by inspecting the condition of you present cabinetry.  Check each cabinet for loose joints, warped doors, the proper opening and closing of drawers, water damage in the area of the sink, and any other type damage that may be noticeable.  If you find the cabinets to be in good condition and still usable with at most a few minor repairs, then you are ready to begin the cabinet refacing process.

The next step in the process is to visit the home improvement stores or kitchen design centers in your area to see the many choices in cabinet finishes that are popular today.  You can also get some great ideas on reorganizing the interior of your cabinets and drawers by installing some of the new items available designed to make your cabinets more usable then ever.  Once you settle on a finish and whether it will be stain or paint, you will then be able to determine the exact process necessary to reface your cabinet doors.

First off, I have found that the easiest way to approach a cabinet refacing is to first remove the doors.  The cabinet doors are much easier to refinish when they are laid horizontally on a flat surface.  After you remove the doors, remove the hinges and cabinet pulls.  If you are going to reuse the cabinet hardware, clean it all thoroughly with dish washing liquid and a toothbrush.

After removing all the door hardware (hinges and cabinet pulls), 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.  Today, there are many environmentally safe paint and stain removers that also have a much more pleasant odor than those of earlier years, 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.

If you are applying a painted finish to the your cabinets, you do not need to completely remove the present surface.  After cleaning, lightly sand the surface in order to dull the old finish which provides a good surface for the adherence of the new paint.

Now that the cabinets are lightly sanded, be sure to remove all the dust from the sanding.  Then apply two coats of a high quality primer allowing at least 24 hours between each coat and also doing a light sanding between coats.

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 a high quality finish paint designed specifically for cabinets and trim, 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 if you purchased new hinges, drawer pulls, and cabinet pulls in order to provide a more up to date look, attach the new hardware.  After the hardware is on, hang the newly resurfaced cabinet doors and your cabinet refacing is complete.

By taking the time to determine your design choice and inspecting your existing cabinets for the ability to be serviceable for many years to come, you can make a decision that will not only save you thousands of dollars and weeks of time but could also be the difference in whether your kitchen remodel can take place at all.  By choosing the process of refacing cabinet doors instead of replacing your existing cabinets, you will have made a financially sound decision that will allow you and your family to enjoy many future gatherings and events in your freshly remodeled kitchen for many years to come.

Kitchen Cabinet Refacing is a Big Money Saver

We all face the same major decision at some point in our adult lives. What are we going to do with those outdated kitchen cabinets? Do we tear them completely out and replace them with new custom cabinets, or will refacing kitchen cabinets accomplish the goal. Whether you just purchased an existing older home or you have lived in your home for some time and the kitchen decor has become somewhat dated, the time will come when you will face this question. My wife and I purchased and moved into an existing home a few years back and lo and behold, the kitchen needed some serious updating. The rest of the home did too, but we will discuss that at a later date. Of course, the kitchen is always the focal point of any home since everyone seems to gravitate to that point when there is some type of gathering. Therefore, the first thing on my wife's agenda was a complete makeover of her newly acquired kitchen.


I recall standing in the kitchen not long after we moved in and discussing the major sticking point in the upcoming kitchen remodel. What were we going to do about the cabinets? This decision was going to be the major factor that would drive the remainder of the updated kitchen remodeling. The first thing to consider was whether the cabinet configuration was adequate for our needs. Thankfully, the answer to this question had been addressed some years ago and the necessary kitchen work triangle required in every kitchen had been considered so there was no need to completely tear out the cabinets to meet this need. There were two groups of base cabinets that separated the den and dining area from the kitchen that my wife chose to tear out and replace with an new island, but this was not too costly of an endeavor. These base cabinets were also reused and turned into cabinetry in the laundry room and a nice new bar on the back porch.

Now that the work area had been addressed, it was time to determine whether the cabinets were in good condition and aesthetically pleasing. Again, my pocket book lucked out since the existing cabinets had been custom built from solid oak material and had held up well throughout the years. However, the aesthetically pleasing question was definitely answered negatively for my wife and I. The cabinets had a dark oak finish that really made the kitchen a dark and dreary place. But, since the structural aspects of the cabinetry had all turned out to be positives for us, the decision was made to do a total kitchen cabinet refacing using all the existing boxes and doors. The only thing that would be replaced would be the hinges, cabinet pulls, and drawer pulls. This decision saved us the thousands of dollars that it would have taken to completely replace the entire kitchen cabinets and we were able to do the entire cabinet refacing project for about $500 dollars including a new island.


If, or when, you find yourself facing the same situation my wife and I encountered, follow this simple approach to analyzing your situation and you will easily arrive at the direction you need to take. I wish you luck and hope that the decisions your kitchen remodel results in will have the same favorable results as ours did. If not, my thoughts and sympathy lie with you.