Cabinet Refacing: The Recommended Kitchen Update – Part 1: Cabinet Refacing – What it is

Even with the most domesticated set of people using it, a kitchen will show wear and tear over time. It, after all, sees the most traffic in a home, even doubling as an entertainment area when guests are invited over. Sometimes, even with the best care, a kitchen may start feeling outdated because of its age. One of the easiest ways to refresh a kitchen is to change cabinets but what do you do when your cabinets are still in great shape and you need to work with a budget? Opt for cabinet refacing instead.

What is cabinet refacing?

As its name suggests, cabinet refacing involves giving your kitchen cabinets a new “face” by overhauling all visible portions, like doors and drawer fronts, of a cabinet. As it replaces all exposed areas of a cabinet, refacing makes it look like you got new ones without actually doing so.

Is it for you?

The best thing about cabinet refacing is that it lets you enjoy the aesthetic boost of getting new kitchen cabinets without going through all the trouble and cost of a remodel. If your cabinets are still in excellent condition but you’re yearning for a change in your kitchen and are fine with retaining your original layout, cabinet refacing is definitely for you. There are different kinds of refacing materials too so there should be no trouble finding a new face for your kitchen cabinets that will suit your tastes.

The Refacing Process

A refacing project starts out by removing the existing cabinet’s doors and drawerfronts. If there are any existing veneers, these are removed either by hand or with a chisel, then the surface is prepared by sanding and cleaning it. Once the old surfaces are removed, new veneers are attached using strong adhesives. Hinges and cabinet hardware may also be changed to match new cabinet faces and drawer fronts before these are reattached to finish a refacing project.

Can’t decide if you should choose cabinet refacing? In the next part, we’ll be talking about its advantages to help shed more light on what cabinet refacing can do for you.