PVC is one of the cheapest materials you can use for cabinet refinishing. It is not only inexpensive to acquire, but the installation is also less complicated. The process requires little labor, which cuts down the expenditure further. Unlike wood, they are resistant to moisture, rotting, and termites.
Refacing cabinets is a quick and easy way to change the look of your kitchen without the mess and expense of a complete remodeling. You simply cover the cabinet face frame with self-sticking wood veneer and the end panels with 1/4-in. plywood. Then replace the old doors and drawer fronts with new ones.
Refacing involves removing the drawer fronts and cabinet doors and applying a new veneer on the cabinets' carcass (body surfaces). The cabinet hardware comprising the cabinet hinges, handles and drawer pulls also get replaced.
Cabinet refacing costs about 30-percent to 50-percent less than the cost of replacing cabinets in a full kitchen.
Depending on the damage, you can either fix the existing laminate or reface the door to fix the problem without installing entirely new units. As a general rule, if there are any cracks in the laminate, the entire piece needs to be replaced; however, if there's only peeling, you can reattach the laminate with adhesive.
So yes, refacing cabinets is almost always cheaper than replacing them entirely. The only exception would be if you wanted to replace your old kitchen cabinet with VERY basic and cheap cabinets rather than refacing them with a more luxurious front-facing design.
Thermofoil is a surface finish applied to cabinets by multiple manufacturers. It is a plastic material which is thermoformed to the profile of an underlying engineered wood core such as medium-density fiberboard.
Refacing is a word that is interchangeable with the term resurfacing, especially when it comes to cabinet makers and professional remodelers. It simply means that the face, meaning the front or visible surfaces are getting a facelift. So in essence, they mean the same thing.
So long as your laminate cabinets aren't falling apart, they can be refaced just as well as any other cabinet. “The wood my cabinets are made from is soft/low quality, can it be refaced?” For a cabinet to be refaced, it must be possible to clean and sand the surface of the cabinet, producing a smooth, firm surface.
Glue adhesive-backed MDF veneer panels to bottoms and sides with spray adhesive. Fill any gaps with filler and sand smooth. Next, self-adhesive, peel-and-stick, lightweight, easy to use veneer sheets are cut and pressed onto cabinet stiles and riles. Trim edges and overhang with a utility knife for a perfect fit.
For most refacing products, you also need to roughen the melamine surface. Sanding the cabinets with medium-grit sandpaper removes the outer surface and gives any new covering product a good surface to bond to. Once the sanding is complete, you need to remove any dust with a tack cloth.
Can you paint veneer cabinets? You sure can! The key, like for any painted project, is in the prep and choice of primer and paint. Proper cleaning to remove all the grime and dust, sanding the right amount, and using the right adhesion-promoting primer can make a huge difference in the durability of the finish.
Laminate Cabinets
This process leaves a completely smooth surface that does not show any seams. The lack of seams around the door's joints can be a clear indication that your cabinet doors are a laminate material.
Refacing your cabinets can be done for less than half the cost of a total cabinet replacement. High-quality veneers are pricy, but you won't need a lot of the material. By far, the most significant expense will be the doors and drawer fronts.
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.
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.
Using laminates to reface your cabinets often compromise their durability and reduces their life span. For higher end cabinet refacing services, your cabinets' old doors are replaced by solid wood doors. Wood veneer finishing is also used. These will yield much better and more long lasting results.
Thermofoil vs.
Melamine and Laminate cabinets are often confused with Thermofoil, but they are not the same material. Melamine and Laminate are made of melamine plastic, Thermafoil is vinyl. You can tell them apart by the following: Thermafoil is thicker, softer feeling, peels off more easily, and is more flexible.
Unlike melamine, thermofoil is non-porous, so water isn't an issue—it can't be absorbed. This same aspect means the material is also easy to clean, and has a low risk of stains.
Thermofoil cabinets are made using a flexible vinyl material that is applied by heating the vinyl and molding it over medium-density fiberboard (MDF) or engineered wood. The result is a cabinet door with a smooth surface that resists chipping better than painted surfaces.
You can expect painting contractors to charge $50 to $100 per door, $120-$170 per cabinet, and $20-$30 per drawer. Painting your kitchen cabinets yourself will be considerably less expensive. Your base cost would be anywhere from $200 to $600, depending on the brand of paint and the supplies you will have to buy.
Pull the laminate off with your fingers as it loosens. Squirt more acetone behind the laminate as needed to soften the glue. Use the putty knife to cut loose strands of glue. Continue pulling and and using the glue and knife as needed until the laminate comes completely off the side of the cabinet.
Good-quality wood glue and a clamp to hold the laminate against the core is a good way to repair laminate coating that is peeling. Once the glue has set and dried, you can begin to clean the cabinet doors and drawers.