A tired kitchen can be made to look brand new when the cabinets are refaced. Compared to replacing the cabinets, the cost will be very reasonable and doesn’t take much time to do it right. With a few common tools and some basic DIY skills you can have a beautiful kitchen at a fraction of the cost of total replacement. Here are a few tips to go along with the refacing instructions.
Make sure you are ready:
Sit down and take the time to plan your new kitchen look, decide on the style of kitchen you want to end up with, will it be modern or traditional? Determine your budget and ask yourself if you have the time to devote to the project. When all is set to go, clean out the cabinets and drawers and put everything somewhere where out of the way where it cannot be damaged.
Top to bottom:
Remodel starting from the top down to the bottom. In this way you will not damage any areas which have been completed. Reface the top cabinets first. If the project includes a new counter top, then remove it next, reface the bottom cabinets and then install the new one. The refacing instructions will tell you to lightly sand old paint. Fill any imperfections and lightly sand them as well.
Mix up the designs:
It is not necessary that every cabinet is treated the same. There are some cabinets that will look great with little more than a fresh coat of paint. There are others that will look perfect if easy to apply, self-adhesive RTF or wood veneer is used. If you want to have a cabinet stand out, for example, you may wish to have one fitted with glass doors to display prized serving dishes or glassware. Consider cutting out the end panel and installing a glass viewing window. When a glass insert door is installed, you have an instant display case.
The inside:
As you have completely emptied the cabinets now is an ideal time to do some work on the inside. Remove the shelves and paint or reface the inner surfaces with self-adhesive veneer as well. If you will be using glass door inserts make sure the edges of the shelves are given a decorative edge. A clever idea that many people use is to paint the inside of one of the solid doors with blackboard paint and use it as the memo board.
Easy to follow refacing instructions can be found on the web site of Cabinet Doors Depot. Everything you will need to do the job is available online.
