Cabinet Refacing
In past years, people thought of cabinet refacing as the 'poor mans' way of getting a kitchen to look fresh. Cabinet makers everywhere did all they could to sell against kitchen refacing by offering new cabinets instead. The truth is, cabinet rafacing is a great alternative to expensive new cabinets and, more importantly, advances in technology, materials, finishing and installation technique have resulted in reface jobs looking just like new cabinets for a fraction of the price and alot less headache than a complete tear out. To see if a cabinet reface is a great alternative for your project, read on!

When Re-facing Makes More Sense Than Replacing
In some cases, refacing is merely an alternative to brand new cabinets while in other situations, it is really the only alternative that makes sense. Consider the following:

Are Your Countertops new?
If you have recently had new granite or quartz tops installed in your home, you will not be able to reuse the tops if you wish to install new cabinets. Therefore, not only must you consider new cabinets, but new counter tops as well. In such cases, it makes sense to keep the new counters and instead, have the cabinets refaced to compliment them. Remember, with refaced cabinets, you can choose new wood, color, and door design - so you really do end up with a brand new kitchen!

Are Your Existing Cabinets of High Quality?
Oftentimes, the cabinets that were made prior to the last 20 years were of extremely good quality. In many cases, the quality of these older cabinets is far better than anything made today in factories. So, by choosing to reface the 'window dressing' like doors, stain color, and trim, you end up with superior cabinets at alot less cost. Check and see if your cabinets are made of all plywood, fetaure real wood interiors or were built 'in place' versus as individual boxes in a cabinet shop. You may find that the existing cabinets are in great shape and have years of life left in them. If you want us to take a look for you, just give us a call. We'd be happy to take a look and see if you are a candidate for a reface!

Are You OK With the Time and Headache of a Full Kitchen Remodel?
Face it, one of the most stressful remodels you can undertake is a kitchen makover. It is quite typical for a homeowner to go without their kitchen for as long as 6 weeks for a makeover that involved new cabinets, counters, flooring and possible wall changes. Are you willing to be inonvenienced by the process for that long? Refacing takes only a few days and you are out of your kitchen for less than a week. No stress, no mess.

Is Your Layout Staying the Same?
If you are OK with leaving the layout of your kitchen the same (or making only slight changes to it), a reface may be a great option. Why spend thousands more for new cabinets only to gain no new space in the kitchen? Instead, reface the cabinets and add roll outs, new drawer boxes, traash roll outs and other interior storage accessories to make the existing cabinets more efficient to use.

Are You Planning on Selling Your Home Soon?
While a new kitchen or bath provides one of the highest returns on your investment for any remodeling project, it still may not recoup 100% of the money you put in to it. Oftentimes, in order to sell a house for top dollar, all you need to do is 'freshen up' the kitchen. Any prospective buyers will appreciate that you have already taken the time to remodel the kitchen, but you won't have broken the bank to do it. You will almost surely get 100% of your money back when you sell, but just as important, the house will separate itself from others in the price range and will therefore sell more quickly and for top dollar!

The Cost Savings You Can Expect
Refacing is typically 25% less than a new kitchen for the cabinets, but because of the savings of not having to re-do floors and other areas of the kitchen, you save on the other aspects of the remodel too. Plus, a full kitchen remodel with new cabinets will result in building permits, costly work by tradespeople (plumbers, electricians) and inspections to verify all work was done to code. Refacing involves none of that (unless of course you are adding electrical, plumbing, etc).

The Process of Refacing
Again, cabinet refacing has come a long way in recent years. Only a few years ago, the prevailing method was to use veneers on the cabinet faces and end panels. Now, we use solid wood facing on the cabinet fronts and thick plywood ends for the cabinet sides. Decorative door panels can be used to further accent the exposed cabinet sides. Fully concealed hinges are used on the doors while new drawer boxes (if requested) are fitted with full extension soft close drawer glides.

On day one, the cabinets are stripped of all doors, drawer boxes and trim and sanded smooth to ensure a good bond with the adhesives used. Then, we fit out the faces of the cabinets with solid wood strips (prefinished in your color of choice) and the ends of exposed cabinets with plywood. No plywood edges show, only solid wood edges. Once all the cabinets are refaced, the new drawer boxes and interior items are installed (if requested) and then your new doors and drawer fronts. Lastly, we install your crown moldings and light rail trim, all of which comes standard with each reface job.

In the end, you have a gorgeous new kitchen for less money and in less time than you thought possible.

If you think a re-face might be right for you, give us a call!