Cabinet Refacing: The Kitchen Facelift That Won't Break The Bank

Thanks to Alexander Baker for the guest post

Replacing kitchen cabinets can make a huge difference in an older kitchen’s appearance. Unfortunately for me, cabinet replacement estimates ran way over my budget. One of the contractors that I spoke to suggested sears cabinet refacing. A refacing remodel consists of replacing your existing cabinet doors, drawers and hardware and applying a veneer to all the exterior parts of each cabinet box.

My first impression of cabinet refacing was that the job was done with inferior materials. After a bit of research I found that nothing could further from the truth. Today’s custom cabinet doors feature solid hardwoods and veneers in just about every style imaginable. The type of cabinet panels that you choose will determine the cost of your refacing makeover. As a general rule refacing will cost about 50% less than small quality full cabinet replacement.

Unlike a complete kitchen remodel which can take weeks to complete, you can get a quick kitchen makeover with great looking cabinet panels in just a couple of days. This tuned out to be a very cost effective way to match my flooring and counter tops that may have been changed a couple of years ago. The one caveat to this type of remodel is that the existing cabinets need to be in good shape, if they’re too old or in disrepair they wouldn’t be good enough condition to install new cabinets and drawers.