Risk vs. Reward: Is Refacing Kitchen Cabinets Worth the …

Refacing is a common strategy for cutting down costs on kitchen remodeling, but is it worth getting cheap kitchen cabinets this way?

Replacing vs. Refacing: Whats the Difference?

Refacing is pretty simple. All you have to do is replace the doors on your cabinets, along with the outward faces that frame the doors. This is normally done with a wood or plastic veneer. Replacing cabinets means that you gut out your entire cabinet system and replace them with something entirely new. You can do both with expensive or cheap kitchen cabinet options, and whatever you choose depends on your situation and preferences.

Design

Replacing your cabinets basically gives you a blank slate for your kitchen. If you had a lousy cabinet layout before, you can change this by ordering whatever size or shape of cabinets you would like. If you like the current layout of your kitchen, you can reface the cabinets with the following three finishes: plastic laminate, rigid thermafoil (RTF), and wood veneer. RTF uses medium density fiberboard overlaid with vinyl foil. These vinyl designs can mock real wood, or you can get white cabinets for a white kitchen. All of these refacing options are either adhered or nailed onto the original surfaces. Both come in a wide variety of options, but you can obviously do even more with your kitchen if you decide to replace. For example, you can add in a kitchen island with seating.

Time

Cabinet refacing and replacing are commonly done by professional craftsmen. It normally includes removing doors and cabinet fronts, roughening up the old surface, and nailing or gluing on the new surface. For a standard-sized kitchen, this can take up to four days. Whats great about refacing is that you can still access your kitchen during this time. Replacing cabinets takes far longer. You will need to wait for your new cabinets to arrive. You dont necessarily have to pack away your kitchen for refacing, but if you plan to replace your cabinets, youll need to do so. Replacing your cabinets can take two weeks or more.

Cost

Refacing can cost as low as $1,000 for a standard kitchen if you choose a vinyl covering. Most people spend about $6,000 to reface their cabinets with a mid-range quality wood species. Unless you score discount cabinets, doing a custom replacement can cost as much as $20,000. Some refacing can be more expensive than replacing. For example, ordering a ready-to-assemble (RTA) cabinet set with a mid-range wood quality would be less expensive than refacing with super high quality rosewood veneer. RTA cabinets are a great way to get cheap kitchen cabinets without sacrificing the wood quality.

Get brand new discount cabinets from our online RTA cabinet catalog. Visit our website to take a look at all of your options.

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Risk vs. Reward: Is Refacing Kitchen Cabinets Worth the ...