Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - Refacing kitchen cabinets?

We are looking to either reface our existing ktichen cabinets (wood cabinets built in 1978) or either replacing them entirely with pre-fab cabinets. (I thought about repainting them but it seems refacing will be about the same amount of work and look better.)
Does anyone have any thoughts on which option is more durable? Which one is more cost effective? Which one is easier?

Thanks

mckenzies2home,

My own opinion is that refacing is not worth the expense. My neighbor had it done by a good company, at least I thought so. The refacing came off within 4 months. You could claim faulty workmanship or adhesives but nonetheless it was allot of money for nothing. I will admit that I have seen some fine looking facelifts but it is very questionable whether this is a savings or a band-aid. The only thing I liked about the upgrade was their choice of countertop.

I think that when one refaces cabinets, you are only improving the looks. On older style cabinets, built-ins from years gone by, you are still stuck with the same interior format and most do not have adjustable shelving. It is true that refacing will save you money, only on the short term but you have to decide what you dislike about what you have and what will it take to acquire what you want. This has been one main problem with refacing only without updating the interior layout. The other is that whatever you dislike about cabinets will still be there when everything is said and done.

For the money, I would opt for new cabinets. You need not spend money on high end cabinets to acheive both good looks and functionality as well. Durability will be there but again, one persons idea of durability will vary.

I thought the process would be faster. I was surprised to find out that it took 3 weeks before the guys were back on the job. You could order new cabinets, standard laminate countertops and either install them yourself or hire it done for maybe 25% - 35% more than refacing. I could not see any substantial savings nor would I think the "cook" of the home would be totally happy with just a refacing when you compare costs, benefits and features of a new cabinet layout.

Hope this helps!

I was in your situation and opted to reface my oak cabinets. I was satisfied with the current cabinet layout so it worked for me. I actually used a stripping agent to remove the existing stain which gave the cabinets a unique look. It did take quite awhile to do but I saved a lot vs. buying new cabinets or paying a company to reface them for me.

It's true there are some options on newer cabinets that mine don't have but I opted to use the money I saved to upgrade the countertops. It's all in what you prefer to do. If you have high quality cabinets and are satsified with your current layout refacing could be a good option. If you reface them yourself make sure they are solid wood and not particle board on the sides.

Thanks for the advice. We jsut bought the house and were surprised at the expense of having new cabinets installed. I have a feeling we may go for the new cabinets so we can change the lay out. But I have never tackled such a big project and I don't want to wake up one night to the sound of my dishes crashing to the floor. :eek:

thanks again

If you are thinking of doing it yourself, refacing is not easy or quick. Applying the veneer to match your new doors is difficult and time consuming and best left to the pros. I know only because I spent, with my brother's help (he's a contractor) a full weekend doing a double vanity. I can't even imagine a kitchen refacing. Arghhhh!

If you want to change the layout, the added expense of new cabinets is probably well worth it--and in the long run you will be happier.

We too were trying to save money while upgrading the looks. I bought a moulding head for the table saw and cut beadboard grooves into the cabinet doors. As doors were ply I did have to fill in some voids occasionally. Then I painted everything soft (non-gloss) white enamel (3 coats after primer) and upgraded to new hinges/handles. On three of the upper doors instead of beadboarding, I cut out the middle of the door to create a frame, routed the back and inserted frosted glass. Also removed the soffits. Only cost was paint, hinges, glass and the moulding head - less than $250. With what we saved on cabinets we splurged on new granite countertops. I was very skeptical of painted cabinets, but very pleased with the result.