Should I Paint my Kitchen Cabinets or Reface them?
Painting your old cabinets is probably the cheapest way to change the look of your cabinets, but as they say, you get what you pay for. Painting your kitchen cabinets involves a lot of really hard work to be done properly.
First, all of the old hardware (hinges, handles & knobs) have to be removed and cleaned. Second, the old finish has to be sanded off until you can see the bare wood underneath. Third, a primer needs to be applied so the new paint will be able to stick. Lastly, you will have to paint the cabinet doors and cabinet boxes.
After all of this time and effort your kitchen cabinets and doors will probably still look old. While you may have changed the color of your kitchen, you will still be left with old painted cabinets that will soon harbor grease and dirt. After a few cleanings, the paint will start to wear and maybe peel off since grease had probably soaked into the wood over the years and is dislodging the new paint you recently applied. But for a few hundred dollars and a lot of time and effort, what do would you expect? If you had a professional prepare and paint the cabinets, that would cost between $2,700-$6,500 and you will still be left with the old door style and old exposed hinges.
Cabinet Refacing may be the best option
Kitchen Cabinet Refacing is the most affordable way to get a kitchen that looks like new, but costs 50% as much as a total new cabinet remodeling project. Cabinet refacing means that your old doors and drawer fronts will be thrown in the trash and your existing cabinet boxes will get a new facing or “skin” to cover the old exterior. New doors and drawer fronts will then be installed that match the color of the newly refaced cabinets. In most cases, concealed hinges will now be installed giving your cabinets a cleaner and more modern look. Since new doors will be custom made, you can now select a new door style such as Arched Raised Panel, Square Raised Panel, Cathedral Raised Panel, Slab, Shaker, Beadboard and many other colors and style in your choice of thermo foil or solid wood.
To top off your cabinet refacing project, new mouldings are usually installed to really make the whole project come together and look complete. Cabinet refacing is probably the best option, although this assumes that you are for the most part happy with your cabinet layout. If a complete layout change is desired, you may find yourself in a situation where you have no choice but to bite the bullet and buy new cabinets. The average kitchen cabinet refacing cost is comparable to having a professional paint your cabinets, which is why cabinet refacing is in most cases the most cost effective way to add value and beauty to your home.