Cabinet refacing or redooring is an affordable way to give your home’s cabinets a makeover. Unlike complete cabinet renovations, this option preserves the “bones” of your existing cabinets and replaces only the doors, drawer fronts and hardware. This leaves you with plenty of room to customize the look with crown molding, corbels and decorative panels. Skilled Furniture Medic technicians work with a variety of manufacturers to offer a wide selection of style options for your new cabinet doors.
When refacing your cabinets, you have the flexibility to install different hardware, such as new hinges or handles. This allows you to give your cabinets a fresh, modern or contemporary Euro-style finish.
The type of material used to make your cabinet doors makes a big difference in how long they last. Particle board – made from wood pieces and chips compressed into panels and held together with adhesive – is cheaper but not as durable as real wood. The alternative is medium-density fiberboard (MDF), which is denser and stronger than particle board but still more economical than solid wood.
If your cabinets have lost their original shine, you can re-stain them to give them a new look. You don’t need to strip the old stain from your cabinets, but a thorough cleaning with TSP and a good scrubbing with 150-grit sandpaper is necessary to prep the surfaces. A coat or two of clear polyurethane will then add a beautiful finish to your cabinets.
For a more dramatic look, you can also cover the existing cabinet boxes with a new veneer to match your new cabinet doors. This is called cabinet resurfacing or redooring and is an effective solution for older cabinets with scuffs, scratches and other problems that can’t be repaired with paint. The best part about this option is that it saves you a lot of money compared to installing new custom cabinets.
Refacing your cabinets or redooring them is an excellent DIY project that will save you a significant amount of money compared to a complete cabinet renovation and it can be done relatively quickly without disrupting your daily routine. The key is to prepare the surface thoroughly to ensure that the new surfaces will adhere well and that your finished project is durable. Begin by emptying the cabinets and labeling the parts to avoid any confusion when you reassemble them. Remove the doors and drawer fronts and clean all surfaces with a cloth dampened in denatured alcohol or a TSP/water solution. Scrub all surface areas to ensure that the glue will stick. Once the surfaces are prepared, you can start by refacing the cabinet frames or you can reface the doors and drawer fronts first and then reface the frames later. Whichever option you choose, it’s important to keep in mind that this is a time-consuming project and that it will require some patience! Be sure to take your time and enjoy the transformation that you’re creating in your own home.