As mentioned above, when you are refacing your cabinets, you are putting new material on top of the existing cabinet frames and replacing doors and drawer fronts. When refinishing cabinets, all you are doing is changing the finish, or color, of the existing materials.
Cabinet refinishing is a good—and affordable—option if you want to freshen up and modernize your kitchen. If you want to completely transform the look of your kitchen, then cabinet refacing is the better choice.
Cabinet refacing costs about 30-percent to 50-percent less than the cost of replacing cabinets in a full kitchen.
If you love the way your cabinets and appliances sit and function, refacing is a perfect option to retain the kitchen you love, but with a style update. Refacing your kitchen cabinets costs at least half as much as remodeling the entire thing. So you save a ton of time, money, and energy by choosing this option.
How Long Does Cabinet Refacing Last? If your cabinetry is made from solid wood in good condition (i.e. your shelves and frames are still very strong) then you can usually expect a refacing project to last for another 15-20 years before needing a replacement.
With proper care of professionally painted kitchen cabinets, you can expect your newly painted cabinets to last 8-10 years. However, there are a few things that can drastically shorten this timeframe, leaving you needing them repainted 3-4 years later.
Choosing How to Recolor & Reface Cabinets
Some contractors reface cabinets by installing freshly painted doors, then painting the boxes to match. This means your cabinets will need to be painted a solid color, without the option of a natural wood appearance. What's more, these painters typically use latex-based paints.
With proper care, refaced cabinets can last decades, but a few factors will affect the lifespan and overall durability of your refaced cabinets, including: The original condition of your cabinets. Who performs the refacing and the quality of their work.
Resurfacing kitchen cabinets, also called refacing, essentially means giving your existing cabinets a facelift that transforms their look, style and texture without the hassle, cost and mess of gutting and replacing them.
Price out replacing your kitchen cabinets and painting will look better and better. The cost to paint a kitchen is typically 1/3 to ½ the cost of replacing. The paints applied to cabinets are also very durable and will last just as long as new cabinets in most cases.
If done by a professional contractor, refinishing cabinets costs approximately 40% less than refacing, while refacing costs between 30-40% less than of the cost of installing quality off-the-shelf cabinets.
Thermofoil cabinets are a unique type of cabinetry made using a vinyl that is heated and pressurized onto an MDF core. Usually only used for cabinet doors and drawer fronts, Thermofoil cabinets come in many colors, styles, and finishes — even made in textures that resemble solid wood.
Prices to stain your cabinets typically range from $1,500 to $5,000, depending on how many cabinets you have and their material, but can go up from there based on many different factors.
You don't have to remove the cabinet doors to repaint them, so leave them on their hinges if you're not going to replace them. However, it is easier to paint the cabinet's façade with the doors off. You can paint the hinges to match the cabinets or mask them with painter's tape to keep them as they are.
Yes You Can Paint Laminate! What is laminate, you ask? It can basically be any type of furniture, cabinets, or wood-like product that is made by attaching a thin layer of printed plastic (sometimes called Melamine or Thermofoil) to a substrate of plywood or particle board.
You can almost always reface cabinets that have already been refaced. The process is relatively the same.
Can You Just Replace the Cabinet Doors? You can definitely just replace cabinet doors. If you're up for a little bit of work with some basic tools, and maybe a spare set of hands to help, you can even do it yourself.
The least expensive option is painting laminate cabinets. Laminate is not an ideal surface to paint, but it can be done. If you consider the paint job a temporary solution until you can invest in new cabinetry, you'll probably be more satisfied with the results.
Detailed Patterns, Warped or Damaged Cabinets
If your cabinets have detailed patterns or they are warped, chipped, cracked or have other damage to them, then painting your kitchen cabinets is not the way to go – it most definitely won't solve your cabinet problem.
On average, semi-gloss oil-based paint is the most durable finish for kitchen cabinets. Because of its sheen, semi-gloss paint can reflect light and remain durable for a long time.
Sanding to repaint or stain cabinets takes a lot of time and energy. Not all staining projects require sanding, especially if you purchase new, already sanded cabinets. However, you can also avoid sanding if you wish to re-stain old cabinets that have no major dents or scratches that need intricate repairs.
You can refinish old stained cabinets to hide surface imperfections, restore color and provide a protective finish. Cabinetry that's in good condition -- sturdy and free from major damage -- can be easily refreshed with new stain or paint.
While staining may take less time than painting, painting often does a better job of filling the cracks, covering imperfections, and provides longer lasting protection. Paint also is typically more rot resistance and does a better job of preventing mold and sun damage.