Embarking on a project to swap out your cabinet doors for new ones definitely takes some effort. While the actual labor itself isn’t necessarily intensive in any way, it does take some time and it requires some patience and focus on the homeowner’s part. When many of us think about refacing our cabinets, we immediately begin thinking about stretching out the tape measure, making marks with a pencil, removing screws, and installing the new doors. While all of this physical work is important, the first step to refacing is to understand what your options are and how your budget can affect the limits of your project. For these reasons, getting the most out of your refacing project is all about knowledge.
Visualize Your Goal
First things first: You need to determine what types of cabinet doors you are going to install in your kitchen. Most homeowners will want to stick to a particular theme, or have their kitchens match the rest of their home in some way or another. If you’ve done a lot of redecorating in the other rooms of your house since moving in, your kitchen may look completely disconnected from the rest of your home in terms of style. It’s important to have some kind of idea of your desired end result before pursuing one type of cabinet over another.
If you’re looking to update your kitchen to a more contemporary theme, it may be best to consider cabinets with minimal decorative touches. Simple cabinets can modernize many different kitchen styles, and finishing them with a shiny lacquer can make the space look more bright and clean. Those who want more of a traditionally charming appeal may choose to opt for wooden cabinet doors with prominent natural grain patterns. Rich or dark-colored wood brings a lot of coziness into a kitchen, and can make an otherwise empty or overly-spacious room seem more inviting.
Determine Your Options
When you decide to begin looking online or in local home improvement stores for cabinet doors, you’ll be faced with a lot of options. One aspect of new doors that you will have to decide on is whether or not you want medium density fiberboard or solid wood. These are two very common materials for homeowners to choose between, but they both have their pros and cons. While solid wood is sturdy and is often naturally attractive, MDF makes for an equally stable alternative and can be painted any color the homeowner wishes. MDF cabinet doors are often a much more affordable option than wooden cabinets, but there are two potential downsides: First, the nature of medium density fiberboard makes it so stripped screw holes can be a problem. This is because the inner layers of the pressed particles are softer than solid wood. The second potential downside is the fact that MDF doesn’t always hold up as well to moisture as wooden cabinets and can be more prone to warping. Luckily, both of these problems can be fixed relatively easily; stripped screw holes can be packed with toothpicks or a piece of a dowel rod for a quick fix, and MDF can be finished with a waterproof seal to prevent moisture related issues.
There are also a few different options when it comes to hardware and hinges. While these are relatively inexpensive pieces on their own, the math can really add up when you’re refacing a lot of cabinets. Make sure that your handles or knobs fit with your theme, but don’t break the bank!
Shop Wisely
Many places all over the country help homeowners take advantage of great savings when it comes to refacing kitchen cabinets. A lot of companies actually purchase overstock cabinets at a discounted price and then sell the products to their customers. Likewise, custom built cabinet doors that were measured wrong at the manufacturing facility, or suffered minor dents or scratches along the way, are also sold to companies for a fraction of the price they originally were to cost. When purchasing new cabinet doors, there really are a lot of savings to be found!