A kitchen is one of the most important sources of your home happiness, through the nutritious and yummy foods we get from there. However, having a kitchen make-over is never easy. At times your kitchen cabinet’s structure may be in good condition but defaced or discolored. You may need just a facelift of the cabinets rather than replacing the whole cabinet structure in such a case. Refacing kitchen cabinets is a necessary kitchen facelift once in a while.
Refacing kitchen cabinets involves covering your defaced cabinets with new materials and changing other small details to make your cabinets look attractive and more unique at a cheaper cost.
Table of Contents
Types of Materials Used In Cabinet refacing
The three common materials for refacing are;
-
Decorative plastic laminate or melamine
Laminates are cheap. However, it’s not long-lasting, and the wood grains do not look natural
-
Wood veneers
Wood veneers are from woodblocks or tree trunks hence natural and of good quality. However, they are more expensive than both laminates and Thermo foil. They are the most common and come in a variety of styles.
-
Thermofoils
Thermofoils are commonly available, made of fiberboard covered with thin plastic. Thermofoils can easily be used to cover arched and raised surfaces.
Tools Used in Refacing Kitchen Cabinets
- Veneer scraper
- Hinges
- Tape measure
- Drill
- Screwdriver
- Hammer and nails
- Wood glue
- Level
- Handsaw
- Screws
Source of Tools and Materials
You can source your supplies from the local hardware.
Steps To Follow: Beginners Guide to Refacing Kitchen Cabinets
- Remove doors and drawers
- Remove the front face of drawers
- Cover all the front edges with peel and stick wood veneer strips
- Apply pressure on the veneer strips using a veneer scraper for a strong bond
- Fix the door with simple cup hinges or self-closing hinges.
- Attach new drawer fronts to the drawers
- Replace the cabinet moldings for beauty
- Finally, replace cabinet knobs and drawer pulls to give prominence to your kitchen.
You can search online for more information on kitchen cabinet refacing ideas so that you can improve on your art.
Advantages of Kitchen Cabinet Refacing
- You save a good amount of money compared to buying another. If your cabinet is sound structural, it’s cheaper to reface than buy a new kitchen cabinet.
- Repairing your cabinets protects the environment from unnecessary landfills with broken cabinets. The MDF board used in cabinets contains chemicals that may be released to the environment when improperly discarded.
- Inconveniences caused are minimal compared to replacing the whole cabinet. It takes less time to repair than to replace.
- You Customize the Looks. You chose your tastes and likes in color, texture, materials used, and patterns by refacing the kitchen cabinets yourself. You can shape and mold thermofoil to come up with attractive designs for refacing kitchen cabinets.
Important Tip
If your kitchen cabinets are not sturdy structurally, it’s not advisable to do kitchen cabinet refacing. In such a case, you will have to replace much of the hardware, which might end up being more expensive and unnecessary. Cabinet refacing is best for improving aesthetic beauty and minor repairs.
Conclusion
Don’t be agitated by your old cabinets stained with dirt or rip off your kitchen cabinets because they are discolored or the handles and drawer pull are not working. Save some cash, do cabinet refacing as guided, and you will enjoy having a kitchen cabinet improved to your liking and tastes. You will be able to admire your kitchen once again after refacing kitchen cabinets.