Cabinets refurnishing vs. new cabinets?
Question:someone was telling me something about being able to have my current cabinets refurnished...they are white and i would like them to be more wood like.is this better than replacing them? i dont plan on being in the house but a couple of years and just want to make some small improvements while im here. Also is it significantly cheaper or just a little? thanks!
Answers:
There are two ways to refurbish cabinets. You can have them laminated if the doors are flat. The doors are removed and a laminate is glued over the outside of the cabinet and the doors, then the doors are put back on the cabinets. You can change the hardware, too if you want to. It's much less expensive than new cabinets for obvious reasons. Problem is, the laminate can chip if it's not glued down properly. Our home had been laminate when we bought it and it did chip.
The other option is to have them refaced whereby new doors are installed and the cabinets are laminated. This option is more expensive because of the cost of the doors. I had Sears give me an estimate on refacing and I thought is was too pricey for what they offered.
Both options are less expensive than completely ripping out the kitchen and installing new cabinetry. You'll have to pay to have the cabinets removed and discarded, plumbing disconnected and reinstalled along with your dishwasher and microwave if it's wall mounted. Then, of course, the cost of the cabinets, installation, etc.
And then you have the inconvenience of no kitchen for quite some time which is a bit difficult. We completely renovated our kitchen and it about drove my husband crazy. I was okay with it, no cooking for a couple of weeks was fine with me! Hello take out, lol.
To replace them with decent cabinets you will spend between $250 and $300 per foot. You might want to reconsider having your exhisting cabinets stripped and refinished. You will probably come out ahead.
I hope this helps!
Just because most of the value in your home is in the kitchen, I would recommend you buy new cabinets. People automatically assume that when you buy new cabinets you have to spend 10,000 or more dollars.
I helped my former boss completely gut her kitchen and she was able to purchase new glazed maple cabinets and corian countertops a little more than $5,000. Actually, she didnt have to spend as much as she did because her kitchen isnt very big.
Right now, Im in the process of helping a family friend remodel her kitchen and we are purchasing her cabinets from Home Depot. She has a small kitchen also so we decided to go with their Mills Pride line. No, they arent the best cabinets as far as construction (because semi-custom and custom are ALWAYS going to be better), but because she doesnt cook a whole lot and she knows she doesnt plan on her selling her home in the near future, these cabinets will work the best for her. Personally, as a designer I 250% recommend KraftMaid Cabinetry. KraftMaid is the top producer of semi-custom cabinetry in the US. Their cabinets are sold through both Lowes and Home Depot. However, if you do decided to purchase new cabinetry, I would recommend that you go through Home Depot. They have better designers and better product selection. The reason why I brought this to your attention is that she was going to have someone (not even Lowes or Home Depot) resurface her cabinetry and we found that even if we had Home Depot come install brand new cabinets and countertops, it would still be cheaper.
Here are some questions I want you to think about:
Do your present cabinets meet your storage needs?
Is your cabinetry configured in the most condusive manner for quick preparation of meals?
Measure the distance between your cooktop, sink, and refrigerator. This is called the work triangle. The triangle formed by these measurements should be no longer than 26 feet. Additionally, the triangle should not intersect an island or peninsula by more than 12 inches.
(I wont go to much more into that because it would confuse you.)
My college interior design program is very kitchen and bath focused so if you would like someone to discuss your kitchen with more, I welcome you to email me or contact me on yahoo messenger.
You'll save a lot of money just refurbishing them.
I live in an old apartment building with old wood cabinets and wanted to update them but on litle money. I painted my cainets light yellow, in between the doors white, added new white & brass hardware to the doors and then using masking tape, measured out and with white paint made a "tile backsplash". Then I painted fruit on a few "tiles". I love the clean look of the yellow and white houses in the Bahamas. That's just one example of what you can do. You could strip or prime and then stain yours a wood colour. Remember to keep in mind the hardware on drawers & doors - sometimes spending $60 on that makes a big difference.
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