Over time, even the best looking cabinets get worn and outdated and need to be changed to improve an existing room’s appearance or to match a kitchen or bathroom remodel. When the time comes to change the cabinets, there are many options available to the homeowner. Obviously, the cabinets can be torn out and replaced in their entirety. They can also be refinished or repainted. Finally, people have the option of refacing their kitchen or bathroom cabinets, a choice that itself has several pros and cons.
The first thing that cabinet refacing has in its favor is cost. Buying an entire set of brand-new cabinets is very expensive, but homeowners can get the same like-new appearance at a fraction of the cost with refacing. Instead of tearing out the old cabinets, refacing removes the wood veneer and replaces it with a new one. Appearance-wise, the end result is the same as replacing the cabinets entirely, but since only the surface of the cabinets is improved, the cost is far less than the alternative. In fact, homeowners who choose refacing routinely save up to 2/3 of the cost of replacing the cabinets.
A second reason why cabinet refacing is the choice for many people has to do with the durability of the finished product. It is possible to repaint or refinish cabinets for about the same price as it costs to reface them; however, the sanding and other preparations needed to prepare cabinets for refinishing and repainting can actually cause some weakening and damage to the cabinet’s veneer. Since refacing replaces the cabinet veneer entirely, homeowners do not encounter the same problem when they choose to reface their cabinets instead of refinishing them.
Finally, homeowners will choose cabinet refacing over refinishing because the process of refacing takes less time and is usually far less messy than the alternative. The stripping of varnish and paint, sanding, and other preparations necessary for quality refinishing can eat up a lot of time, but the only thing that has to be done when refacing is to remove the old veneer and then replace it with the new one. Cabinet refacing also does not create the sawdust, paint spills, and other messes that can attend cabinet refinishing.
There are not many cons with cabinet refacing. About the only one is that refacing does not leave the homeowner with cabinets that are wholly brand-new. But this is not much of a con if the underlying structure of the old cabinets is sound, and the lower cost of refacing also eliminates most of any apparent disadvantage.
